At first glance, Nikon's Coolpix S50 looks like the perfect ultra-compact digital camera. It has a stylish, thin metal camera body and a large liquid crystal display (LCD). Unfortunately, if you dig a little deeper, the Coolpix S50's performance levels don't quite match its good-looking exterior. Its strengths still make it a camera worth considering, however, if you can live with the minimal performance issues.

One of this digital camera's best features -- its LCD screen -- is impossible to ignore because it occupies almost the entire back panel of the camera body. The Coolpix S50's 3.0-inch LCD is bright and sharp, and you can view it from almost any angle, which is handy because it serves as the camera's only viewfinder. It's one of the best LCDs you'll find on an ultra-compact camera. One problem with such a large LCD, though, is that it seems to drain the camera's battery fairly quickly.

The Coolpix S50's optical zoom lens offers a 3X magnification, which is standard for ultra-compact models in today's market. It also offers 7.2 megapixels of resolution, which is enough for high-quality prints measuring about 11X14 inches. The image quality of photos taken both indoors and outdoors with the Coolpix S50 is very good for an ultra-compact model.

Nikon included optical image stabilization (IS), which is rarely found in ultra-compact cameras, in the Coolpix S50. Optical IS is the most successful form of IS -- it essentially eliminates blurry photos from camera shake, which occurs in low-light situations with slow shutter speeds.

The Coolpix S50 works best as a point-and-shoot camera, as it has very limited manual-control features.

One potential drawback to this model is its ergonomics. The Coolpix S50's lens is in the upper right corner of the camera body (when viewed from the front), and you might inadvertently cover the lens with a finger on occasion. Also, because the LCD occupies such a large surface area of the back of the camera, that it can be difficult to hold the Coolpix S50 without pushing a button inadvertently or smudging the lens. Ultra-compact models can be difficult for some people to hold anyway, but this model (which measures 0.8 inches in thickness) can be especially tricky because of its layout. These could be major drawbacks for certain photographers, depending on how you want to hold the camera. You'll definitely want to try this model before you buy it.

The other glaring problem with the Coolpix S50 relates to its response times. Our testing revealed that you'll have to wait about five seconds to shoot your first photo after pressing the power button, which is a poor start-up time. Shutter lag averages about one-half second, although you probably won't notice delays in outdoor photos. Low-light photos with the flash could yield shutter lag of up to two seconds. Shot-to-shot delays range from 3-6 seconds.

If you want limited wireless networking in your digital camera, you can buy the Coolpix S50c for a manufacturer's suggested retail price of about $50 more than the Coolpix S50. (With savvy shopping, however, you probably can find either camera for around $250.) If you can live with below-average response times and if you can find a bargain, the Coolpix S50 is one of the better ultra-compact models around, thanks to its stylish looks and its good image quality.


Pros: Stylish model, very good image quality, good value, large and bright LCD, easy-to-use camera
Cons: Response times should be much better, camera can be difficult to hold, no optical viewfinder, battery life is below average

Warranty
1 year, limited