Nikon Coolpix S8000 Conclusions

CONCLUSIONS
The Nikon Coolpix S8000 is clearly targeted toward casual photographers and snap-shooters rather than photography enthusiasts. The S80000 is the spitting image of what consumers expect from the latest pocket picture rocket - it is a super compact, conservatively styled, auto-exposure-only camera that provides all the most popular bells and whistles that casual photographers have come to expect. It's so simple to operate that even absolute beginners can capture impressive images.

But the S8000 has a secret alter ego - Nikon's robustly built little Coolpix S8000 has some pro potential. It generates good quality images, renders colors accurately, and offers a very nice 10x Nikkor zoom. The S8000 also features a hi-res 920,000 pixel 3.0-inch LCD, HD video that rivals the output of a camcorder, Nikon's first rate Vibration Reduction (optical image stabilization) and 224 segment matrix metering systems, and the ultra-quick AF.

Some users may feel that its lack of manual exposure options compromise the camera's creative usability. User input into the exposure process is pretty much limited to lighter/darker tweaking via the exposure compensation mode. As it is, the Nikon Coolpix S8000 would be an almost ideal choice to replace an aging first digital camera, an excellent choice as a family camera, and a very good choice for travelers who want a small tough, easy to use digicam.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Compact 
• First rate optics 
• Excellent image quality 
• Very good feature set

Cons:

• No manual exposure capability may disappoint advanced users
• No optical viewfinder 
• No handgrip 
• A bit pricey

Individual Ratings: *

Image/Video Quality 
Features 
Design/Ease of Use 
Performance 
* Ratings averaged to produce final score