Nikon Coolpix S7000 Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification

Available in white, black, pink and gold, the Nikon Coolpix S7000 is a compact camera with an impressive 20x optical zoom lens, built in vibration reduction, a 16 megapixel sensor, Wi-Fi, NFC, and full HD video recording. The Nikon Coolpix S7000 is available for around £159.

Nikon Coolpix S7000 Features

The Nikon Coolpix S7000 is a compact camera with a 20x optical zoom lens, that is equivalent to 25-500mm in 35mm terms, and the camera has built-in optical image stabilisation. There is a 16 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor and the camera will shoot up to 7 shots at 9.2fps in continuous shooting mode. 

4-axis Hybrid VR (Vibration Reduction) makes sure images and video should be sharp and steady even when using the full 20x optical zoom lens, or when using the camera in low-light conditions. The camera records FullHD video at 30p or 25p with stereo sound, and optical zoom is available while recording, and the camera will let you record time-lapse movies in-camera for up to 150 minutes.

There are numerous scene modes, as well as auto-scene selector that make it easy to use the camera even for beginners. There is an easy panorama mode that lets you pan the camera while the camera automatically creates the panoramic image in camera. Built-in Wi-Fi and NFC means you can connect the camera to a compatible device and use Nikon's Wireless Mobile Utility to transfer images as well as remotely shoot with the smartphone.

Key Features

• 16 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor
• 20x optical zoom lens, f/3.4-6.5
• Vibration Reduction, 4-axis Hyrbid VR
• 3inch screen, 460k dots
• Wi-Fi and NFC built in
• FullHD Video at 30p with stereo sound
• ISO125 to ISO6400
• 1cm macro mode
• HDR / Panoramic / Time-Lapse Movie
• White, Black, Pink, Gold

Nikon Coolpix S7000 Handling

The Nikon Coolpix S7000 has a compact and stylish body that is mostly metal, with plastic for the top and left hand side, where NFC and Wi-Fi logos can be found. There is little on the front of the camera to hold on to, with a small recessed area on the back with raised dots for your thumb to hold on to. Therefore we'd recommend the use of the provided wrist strap to avoid dropping the camera. There is a small mode dial on the top which is a nice addition, even if it is just to go through the mostly automatic scene modes.

With a mostly metal body, the camera feels reasonably well built, and is surprisingly compact considering the 20x optical zoom that it offers. The 3inch screen is good with a resolution of 460k dots, and viewing angles are reasonably good as well. There are a good number of buttons on the camera, which gives you quick access to flash, self-timer, exposure and macro settings. The menus are clearly laid out with four main sections, including photo, video, Wi-Fi and setup options. 

To make use of the Wi-Fi you need to download the Wireless Mobile Utility app to your smartphone or tablet (iOS or Android). This allows you to use your mobile device to download pictures from the camera to edit and share them. You can also use it as a remote release. A preview appears on your mobile device, you can control the zoom or set a timer. Other information appears on the screen, such as shutter speed, aperture, number of shots left and battery life, although you can't adjust things like the focus point, or switch the flash on or off, which is quite frustrating. Using NFC you can quickly setup the connection with a smartphone that supports NFC. 

Battery life - Battery life is rated at 210 shots according to Nikon / CIPA test results, which is quite low although not uncommon for a compact camera. We would recommend a spare battery if you want to shoot more, or make extensive use of the built in Wi-Fi. 

Speed - We took a number of shots to test the camera's responsiveness, from switch on to first photo, shot to shot, focusing speed etc. We take a number of shots and then use the average to ensure accurate and consistent tests, making it easy to compare with other cameras.

The camera has quick focus and shutter response and continuous shooting is very fast, although the camera can only take 7 shots before stopping. 

Nikon Coolpix S7000 Performance

The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.

Nikon Coolpix S7000 Sample Photos

Sample Photos - Photos taken outdoors in good light have good colour reproduction, with bright saturated colours. The HDR mode has also helped to produce an image with much greater dynamic range than the normal shot taken without this switched on. There is no red-eye in the portrait photo taken with flash although the image does appear quite soft. 

Nikon Coolpix S7000 Lens test images

Lens Performance - Images show relatively low purple fringing and chromatic aberration, although this does become more likely towards the corners of the frame. There is slight vignetting, and slight barrel distortion at the wide angle end of the lens, but minimal pincushion distortion at the telephoto end of the lens. Images are softer than expected, and images often have a "painted" effect, as though they have been overly smoothed in order to hide noise. The exposure is generally reliable and the lens is quite resistant to flare. The macro mode lets you focus on subjects just 1cm away from the lens which is very good.

Nikon Coolpix S7000 ISO test images

ISO Noise Performance - For the lowest noise and best detail possible we would recommend using ISO125 to ISO200, as images have low levels of noise and reasonable levels of detail. For lower light situations ISO400 to ISO800 still provides good results, although noise increases and detail is reduced. At ISO1600 to ISO3200 noise levels become strong and we would recommend avoiding this setting if possible, although results may still be useful if resized and used on the web. ISO6400 is best avoided as noise is extremely high, and detail is very low.

Nikon Coolpix S7000 White-balance test images

White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance (AWB) performs well under tungsten lighting with a slightly warm result, with the tungsten preset giving a more accurate result. AWB performs well under fluorescent lights, with the fluorescent preset giving a magenta colour cast.

Nikon Coolpix S7000 Digital filters

Digital Filters - There are a number of creative effects available, including a "Mirror" effect that is particularly good fun. The camera features an automatic panoramic mode, where you simply press the shutter release button and pan the camera from one side to the other. Results are good, and well stitched together, although the camera produces a fairly low resolution image.

Video - The camera records full HD videos at 30 or 25p with stereo sound, and 4-axis Hybrid VR (Vibration Reduction) helps keep the image steady while recording. Handheld the image stabilisation can struggle a bit to keep the video steady when using full optical zoom.

Value For Money

The Nikon Coolpix S7000 is available for around £159 which makes it quite good value for money, particularly up against the following cameras, shown below:

Sony Cybershot WX350, 20x optical zoom lens, Wi-Fi, NFC (smaller), £149
Canon Powershot SX610 HS, 18x optical zoom lens, Wi-Fi, NFC (slightly larger), £142
Panasonic Lumix TZ57, 20x optical zoom, Wi-Fi, Selfie screen (larger), £159

You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.

Nikon Coolpix S7000 Verdict

The Nikon Coolpix S7000 is an extremely compact camera considering the 20x optical zoom lens available, with only the Sony Cyber-shot WX350 smaller, whilst offering such a long optical zoom lens. Other cameras offering a 20x optical zoom lens or more tend to be larger. The Nikon Coolpix S7000 is a compact, and stylish camera available in a number of different colours, and built in Wi-Fi makes it easy to transfer photos to a smartphone for quick sharing to social media sites. For those that simply want a point and shoot camera for sharing photos to the web, then this would make a good choice, however, for those that want a little bit better image quality, then the S7000 is likely to disappoint. 

Nikon Coolpix S7000 Pros

Wi-Fi and NFC built in 
Fast continuous shooting
20x optical zoom lens in a compact body
Metal body available in a number of colours
4-axis vibration reduction
1cm macro mode
Timelapse video built in

Nikon Coolpix S7000 Cons

Painted effect / overly processed photos
Short battery life
Limited Wi-Fi app

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
VERDICT

Nikon Coolpix S7000 Specifications

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