Nikon Coolpix S1

Posted by T3 Online on Wed 31 Oct 2007

Elegant, stylish and slim. Super model!

Eye-catching and sophisticated are words commonly associated with Liz Hurley, but have evaded Nikon cameras like traffic wardens avoid common sense. Despite their obvious imaging know-how, the Japanese company has created some of the frumpiest models on the market - but that's all about to change.

The S1 is a svelte sex-bomb of a camera, if not worthy of a place on the catwalk, then certainly in the cast of Hollyoaks. It's obviously targeted at the fashion-conscious snappers who have been buying Sony's T models over the last year, and bears a striking similarity to the DSC-T3.

Its start-up time is very fast, with the lens cover flying back and the big, clear 2.5-inch LCD zipping into life before you can say: "hold that pose." Shutter lag is also cut down to a minimum, so you're less likely to miss that decisive moment. Image quality from the 5.1-megapixel sensor is, as we've come to expect from Nikon, excellent. Colour reproduction in particular is superb, while detail is crisp and there's little evidence of purple fringing or grain.

If we had any complaint, it's that the controls are a little fiddly, with perhaps more things to press and slide than are necessary - it could all have been so much simpler.

This is an excellent, wafer-thin snapper that's worthy of anyone's pocket, and should bring fresh kudos to the Nikon brand. It's also £30 cheaper than Sony's equivalent DSC-T33, which makes it a very appealing prospect.