If keeping up with -- and surpassing -- the Joneses is a key consideration when you select new technologies, the Nikon Coolpix S6 digital camera will fit your needs. It contains many new digital camera technologies, and best of all, many of them actually make your photos look great.

First, the Coolpix S6 includes WiFi support, meaning you can wirelessly transmit photos to your computer or to a printer (that contains wireless capabilities). Very few digital cameras currently include WiFi, but it's a trend that is on the rise.

This digital camera also includes several automatic image correction features, such as fixing overexposure or excessive backlight, which will help you create a great photo.

In addition, the Coolpix S6 can run a slide show on its very sharp and bright 3-inch LCD, which is viewable from nearly any angle and in nearly any lighting conditions. It's one of the best LCDs you'll find on a digital camera. You can add music to the slide show as well, storing music files on the Coolpix S6's 22MB of handy internal memory.

These new technologies wouldn't be very beneficial without the great basic digital camera features behind them, and the Coolpix S6 is good in most of these areas. The Coolpix S6 has a 3X optical zoom lens and its image quality is very good most of the time, although some indoor photos requiring a flash over a longer distance may have exposure problems. With its built-in features, though, this digital camera can correct many less-than-perfect exposures without the need of a computer.

Our tests showed that the Coolpix S6's response times were mostly good. You can shoot your first photo around 2 seconds after pressing the power button. Shutter lag is just under 1 second when using auto-focus, which could be a slight problem when shooting moving subjects. Shot-to-shot delays can be 5 or more seconds when using the flash, which is below average for a digital camera in this price range.

One potential drawback is the use of the Coolpix S6's controls. Because of the large LCD and the ultra-thin camera body, not everyone will be able to use this digital camera comfortably. The LCD serves as the digital camera's only viewfinder, which will annoy some photographers who prefer to frame their shots through a viewfinder. The Coolpix S6's shutter speed range, topping out at 1/500th of a second, isn't as great as many other digital cameras in this price range, either.


Pros: Very easy to use, interesting and newer features, LCD is outstanding quality, good response times
Cons: Shot-to-shot delays are a potential problem, LCD is the only viewfinder, shutter speed ranges should be better

Warranty
1 year, limited