February 6, 2012

Stylish zoomy compacts

At the top end of Nikon’s Style range of compact cameras you find the newly announced Nikon Coolpix S6300, Coolpix S9200 and S9300. They offer a wider range of features, controls and larger lenses than cameras at the bottom end of the range.

We managed to get our hands on all the new models at the UK launch, so here we’ll talk you through what you get at the top end of Nikon’s S range. We’ve bundled all the photos together in the gallery at the bottom – check the captions so you know which model you’re looking at.

Nikon Coolpix S6300 hands-on

The Nikon Coolpix S6300 is the brother camera of the S6200 launched last year. It is bulkier than those models lower down the range, so it nestles into the hand better, although there isn’t a huge amount to grip on to.

The S6300 measures 93.6 x 57.7 x 26mm and weighs 160g and like all the new Nikon cameras it feels solidly built.?

The controls are logically and typically placed, reflecting the layout on almost all other Nikon Coolpix cameras. The S6300 is primarily designed as a point and shoot, so there isn’t much in the way of control on offer.?

The biggest difference is the step-up in lens range. It gives you a 10x zoom in that fairly compact body, giving you 25-250mm (in 35mm terms). We found the lens zoomed smoothly and quickly.

On the back you have a 2.7-inch display, although at 230k-dots it isn’t the highest resolution, so it feels a little small. What you do get, however, is that lens range at a price of ?179.99, which isn’t bad.

The Nikon Coolpix S6300 will be available in black, red and blue, from 16 February 2012.?

Nikon Coolpix S9200 and Coolpix S9300 hands-on

The Nikon Coolpix S9200 and Coolpix S9300 are essentially the same camera, the difference being that the latter model features built-in GPS to tag your photo locations on the move. Otherwise the specifications are identical.?

As the top guns of the S range, they have the largest body and there’s even a little rubber thumb patch for a more secure grip, along with a bar at the front for your fingers. The S9300 measures 108.7 x 62.3 x 30.6mm and weighs 215g; the S9200 is fractionally smaller and lighter once you’ve sliced the GPS bump off.

We like the contouring of the body around the base of the lens. Of course the lens is one of the stars here, packing in an impressive 18x optical zoom, with a 25-450mm range (in 35mm terms). That means you can easily get in on the action on your travels.?

A 16-megapixel sensor sits at the heart of these cameras, which also offers Full HD 1080p video capture. A top-mounted mode dial gives you instant access to some shooting features, but it doesn’t go as far as offering you manual controls, for which you’d have to look to the Coolpix P310.

Around the back you have a nice detailed 921k-dot display and more controls, so if you’re looking for a little more out of your camera, but without getting too complicated, then this might be of interest.?

Like the other S range cameras from Nikon, it feels well constructed. Available from the middle of March, you can get the Nikon Coolpix S9300 in black, red, blue and silver for ?299.99. We don’t have a price for the S9200, but it will be slightly less.?

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras Nikon Nikon Coolpix S6300 Nikon Coolpix S9200 Nikon Coolpix S9300 Photos

Nikon Coolpix S6300, S9200, S9300 pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:55:00 +0000

Estella Warren Eva Longoria Eva Mendes Evangeline Lilly Eve Ewan Mcgregor

No Comments

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.