Nikon Coolpix s8100 review

Nikon Coolpix s8100 review - The advancements made in the digital compact world within the last year have really given us hope for the future of the industry, and the Nikon Coolpix S8100 is a premiere example of why the low light revolution should be proud. Ever since we reviewed the Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS, we knew that the game had been changed, and it would never remain the same. Canon has done wonders with basic imaging sensors that specialize in high ISO quality. We've also seen it from Sony with their DSC-TX7, and Panasonic is gradually catching up.

Now along comes Nikon's new Coolpix S8100, which gives the recently reviewed Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS something to sweat about. Overall, both cameras received the same score from us because they excel in core departments. And at the end of our exclusive jaunt with both cameras side-by-side, it became apparent that either one would be a quality choice for point-and-shoot user who seeks the best in low light. Keep in mind that the Nikon Coolpix S8100 is 50 bucks cheaper than the Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS.

Nikon Coolpix S8100 Design

While the Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS basks in its asymmetrical, swanky architecture, the Nikon Coolpix S8100 looks like it means business. The camera sports a modest boxy design that fronts a bit more bulk than the PowerShot SD4500 IS. We also get plain Black, Red, and Gold color choices, while the Canon offers stylish two-tone combinations. It's obvious that the Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS has the looks while the Nikon Coolpix S8100 has the external features.

For instance, look at the LCD screen on the Nikon Coolpix S8100. It's a 3-inch display with a 921,000-pixel resolution. The LCD screen on the SD4500 IS is a 3.5-inch widescreen, but only has a 230,000-pixel resolution, which is highly inadequate compared to the Coolpix S8100's. We also got a very fast framerate on the LCD when the shutter button was pressed halfway, so the Nikon Coolpix S8100 has one of the best monitors in its class.

The Coolpix S8100 also has a popup flash, which we preferred over the SD4500 IS's embedded flash because it's mounted farther away from the lens, minimizing shadows. We get an ample zoom toggle wrapped around the shutter button, spinning control dial, and dedicated Video Record button. Both cameras support SD/SDHC/SDXC cards as well. We preferred the Nikon Coolpix S8100's external design because was more functional, though the style points go to Canon.

Shooting with the Nikon Coolpix S8100

It became even more apparent that the Nikon Coolpix S8100 was out to tackle the Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS when we snooped around the camera's features inventory. There are no advanced shooting modes on the S8100, but rather Scene modes and a tweakable Auto mode. In fact, the slowest shutter speed we could access was only in Fireworks Show mode, which dipped to 4 seconds. The Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS at least allowed us to shoot the shutter speed down to 15 seconds, courtesy of the camera's Long Shutter mode. However, both cameras rely on their high ISO performances rather than shooting controls.

ISO could be set up to 3200, White Balance was fully adjustable with a great Manual mode that zoomed in on the scene, snapped a test image, and set the Kelvin temperature accordingly. There was a Subject Tracking mode, four different AF modes including a manual setting that allowed us to shift the AF box around the LCD, and a wealth of Flash settings that exceeded what the Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS had to offer.

The Nikon Coolpix S8100 does have a better focal length than the Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS, giving us a nice 30mm wide-angle NIKKOR lens. Both cameras have 10x optical zoom lenses, but the Coolpix S8100's wide-angle capability makes it the choice for tight shooting, compared to the Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS's 36mm wide lens.

We will say that Canon has the better interface and controls. Nikon's menus are getting quicker, but they are far less intuitive, forcing us to dive into a large list of options in the Menu while Canon has an onscreen Function menu. We liked the Nikon Cooolpix S8100's adjustable Vividness, Hue, and Brightness sliders, but Canon has lots of filters like Color Accent, Super Vivid, and Miniature, some of which can be applied while recording video. Playback with the Nikon Coolpix S8100 was sluggish as anything, especially when we tried trim video clips.

So, with an interface refreshing and more advanced modes like a longer shutter speed in order to appease the long exposure shooters, the Nikon Coolpix S8100 would be the camera of choice. But, the Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS edges it out slightly in this department.

Nikon Coolpix S8100 Still Image Quality

The most highly anticipated moment is here. The Nikon Coolpix S8100 has a 12-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor with Nikon's latest Expeed processing. This means that the compact S8100 was assembled to put low light noise to shame while shooting at higher ISO levels. And that we experienced.

Low light noise was exceedingly minimal at high ISO levels, and we shot side-by-side with the Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS. Both cameras performed very well, though we noticed that Canon's noise is sharper and more defined while Nikon's is more of a light fuzzy haze. Either way, we found both cameras to produce great results in low light at high ISO levels. If it's too dark, you'll definitely notice blue noise with the Nikon Coolpix S8100, but in bright light and Macro shooting, it was a champ.

We'd have to call it a draw between the Nikon Coolpix S8100 based on our extensive testing, but we'll let you be the judge by analyzing the images below and comaring them to the images in our Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS review.