Nikon CoolPix S31 Full Review

Like:
Waterproof; Durable and solid feel; Easy for
children to use; HD video recording, even
underwater;

Dislike:
Limited shooting options; Power button can
be fiddly; Underexposed in some situations;

Introduction

Aimed at the budget end of the family market,
Nikon's Coolpix S31 is the successor to its 2012
Coolpix S30 compact camera. The sensor is still
the same size, at 10.1 megapixels, and the 3x
optical zoom hasn't been updated, but the Nikon
S31 now comes with a rechargeable lithium ion
battery versus the Nikon S30's AA batteries,
which is a welcome upgrade.
The rugged Nikon S31 also has better waterproof
abilities - being waterproof to a depth of 5
metres (16.4ft) and for an hour, as opposed to
the Nikon S30's 3 metres (9.8ft).
Available in white, yellow, blue, pink or dark
brown, the Nikon S31 is vibrant and unmissable.
The body shape has had a little update from the
Nikon S30, and is now a little more symmetrical,
with some added curves.
Billed as waterproof and shockproof, the Nikon
Coolpix S31 has a minimal amount of shooting
options, offering a basic experience and easy to
use interface. Shockproof to 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) -
meaning you can drop it without worrying that
it'll damage the camera - the Nikon S31 is also
dustproof, and freezeproof down to temperatures
as low as -10C (14F).
It comes with an auto shooting mode and nine
scene modes, which include macro, food, mirror
and underwater options. You can also chose to
decorate your photos with a number of frames,
or change the colour of your photos prior to
shooting using the options of brighter/darker and
more vivid/less vivid.
Also included in the menu system is the ability to
create selective colour shots using the Highlight
Colours option, which gives a simple menu
prompt that enables you to select a single colour
to showcase, while leaving the rest of the shot in
black and white.
One interesting feature
is the Shoot at
Intervals mode, which
when activated can
shoot a photo every 30
seconds, every minute
or every five minutes,
which is useful for
capturing time lapse
movies.
There are three flash options - auto flash, flash
off or always fire - and three timer options - 10
seconds, smile timer or off.
The only other shooting options available to
users are the pictures sizes. There are three
picture shooting sizes for photos (10 megapixels,
4 megapixels or 2 megapixels) and two shooting
sizes for video (720p HD or 640p). The video
function also works while in underwater mode,
which is a nice touch.
Everything else on the Nikon S31 is controlled by
the camera, which makes it easy for
inexperienced users to take photos without
having to set up the scene first. The sensitivity
range of the Nikon S31 is 80-1600, and is auto
selected by the camera depending on the
shooting circumstances. The minimum focusing
distance of the 29-87mm equivalent lens starts
from approximately 30cm.
There are a few fun options during playback,
including an animated slideshow, which are likely
to appeal to children. There are also a few in-
camera editing options such as adding a toy
filter or starburst effect. The modified photos are
saved separately to the original images, so you
can let your children play without worrying that
you'll lose the photos you really want to keep
unedited.
The Nikon Coolpix S31 has a full price of
£99.99 / US$119.95 / AU$132, putting it at
roughly the same price point as its closest rival,
the Fujifilm XP50, which also offers a 5x optical
zoom, as well as 14 megapixels.
The Nikon S31's next closest rival is the Canon
Powershot D20 , and although the price tag is
markedly higher than the Coolpix S31's, you will
find a few more shooting options available on the
Canon, along with a slightly higher offering of 12
megapixels and 5x optical zoom, so it may be
worth a look if you're looking for something more
advanced.
It's also at the same price point as the Pentax
Optio LS465 , which offers a 5x optical zoom and
16 megapixel sensor.
Build quality and handling
Although a little too large to fit comfortably into
a tight pocket, the Nikon S31 will still happily fit
in a bag or coat pocket with room to spare. The
lens doesn't retract fully back into the housing,
making it difficult to slide in and out of a pair of
jeans without catching.
The housing is made from a solid plastic and
feels tough and durable - something you'd expect
from a camera advertising itself as shockproof.
Even with the battery inserted, the Nikon S31
isn't too heavy, and is comfortable to hold in one
hand. The only issue with doing this is that the
buttons to the left side of the screen then
become completely inaccessible, but they are
easy to reach when holding the camera two
handed.
Both the screen and the
lens are protected by a
layer of hard plastic, so
you don't have to
worry about getting
sand stuck in tiny
crevices if you decide to
take the Nikon S31 to
the beach, which is
something that Nikon has actively encouraged
with the waterproof function.
Most of the buttons are situated on the back,
framing the 2.7-inch LCD screen. The shutter
release, power button and video record button
can all be found on the top of the Nikon S31.
They're all relatively easy to press, although
people with larger hands may struggle a little
with the small size of the power button, because
it's situated next to the raised hood of the flash,
making it tricky to press.
The flash sits in the centre above the lens, well
out of the way of any thumbs or fingers holding
the camera.
On the back of the camera there are four multi-
function buttons to the right of the screen, and a
four-way control pad and play button to the left.
The zoom is unusually operated via the control
pad, using the up and down functions. The left
and right buttons are marked only with arrows,
and are predominantly used only to navigate the
menu system.
There are very few markings on the Nikon S31 to
guide users, which some people may find a little
disconcerting. However, once the menu is loaded,
it is extremely easy to navigate. Seasoned
compact camera users may find the Nikon S31 a
little lacking in options, since it's very basic.
Overall the Nikon S31 is almost foolproof to
operate, enabling every member of the family to
grab and take a quick shot without being bogged
down in menu structures or complicated options.
Performance
Exposure capabilities of
the Nikon S31 were a
little hit and miss
during testing,
sometimes getting it
spot on and at other
times coming out a
little dark for the scene.
The white balance and
sensitivity are
determined by the
camera, but both
appear to work well. There were no blue casts on
any of the shots, and although there was a fair
amount of noise on our low light shots, that's
not unexpected from a camera of this spec.
The colour output of the Nikon S31 at times
seems a little lacking - especially during
landscape scenes where the metering perhaps
struggled with the large expanse of sky - leaving
some of our photos looking a little washed out
and murky. When shooting in sunlight, however,
the Nikon S31 was more than capable and
produced a good range of bright, vibrant colours.
We were impressed while shooting in macro
mode with the Nikon S31. Advertised as being
able to focus from 5cm and above, we found it
was able to pick up fine detail well.
Autofocus speeds leave a little to be desired, and
the Nikon S31 was downright sluggish at times,
especially in low light. We also found that the
shot to shot time deteriorated during low light
and when using the flash - ranging from anything
from two to five seconds between each shot -
making the Nikon S31 feel slow as it processed
images.
Nikon suggests that a fully charged battery
should be able to shoot 260 images - 130 of
those with flash - before needing to be
recharged. In reality we found that was a more
cautious estimate, and we were able to take
around 300-350 shots before needing to plug in
to recharge.
Although not all of
those were shot with
flash, it's likely that
you'll be able to get a
decent number of
photos from the Nikon
S31's battery, but it
might be worth
investing in a spare one
if you're likely to be having a photo-heavy day.
Optical zoom performance is satisfactory, but
unsurprisingly photos taken with the digital zoom
lost a lot of detail at the far end of the zoom
reach. We'd recommend sticking to the optical
zoom for best results.
We found the 2.7-inch LCD screen somewhat
difficult to view in normal daylight, and a
complete wash out in bright sunlight. Colours on
the screen often appeared far more muted and
overexposed than on a computer, which is
something to bear in mind when reviewing your
shots on the camera.
Also worth looking out for is the fact that when
taking underwater photos, if you're not
underwater with the camera when you're
composing a shot it can be very difficult to see
what's on the screen, which makes framing
extremely tricky.
Verdict
While we were satisfied
with the overall
performance of the
Nikon S31, it's not
likely to win any prizes
for its output. If you're
looking for a rugged
camera that's capable
of capturing your
holiday snaps, then the
Nikon S31 can certainly
live up to that, although
it was a little frustrating to shoot with because
there are so few manual controls available to be
able to tweak your settings if you're not happy
with the outcome of a photo.
If you're looking for a little more input in your
photos then the Fuji XP50 offers more control,
enabling you to adjust various settings such as
the white balance and exposure compensation.
It does, however, offer value for money, being one
of only a few current waterproof cameras
available for such a low price. The Nikon S31 is
aimed squarely at the beginner market, so if
you're looking for a first camera for a younger or
older family member, this is a good place to
start.

I liked:

Using the camera
underwater was a
doddle, and produced
surprisingly good
results. We were also
impressed by the
durability of the casing
and housing - dropping
the camera on the floor
felt dangerous but
didn't damage the
Nikon S31 or affect its ability to take photos.
I disliked:

We wanted the photos that the Nikon S31 took
on land to be as good as the photos it takes
underwater, but in reality we were often
underwhelmed. Although the Nikon S31 is
capable of taking well exposed photos with a
little time and patience, we found an awful lot of
our photos were a bit blurry, a bit under-exposed
or lacking in vibrance.
Final verdict:

Overall, the Nikon Coolpix S31 is a basic camera,
for a basic price. Although the waterproof
function works well, we can't help wishing the
day to day shots had a bit more punch and
brightness.
However, for a family camera that you'd be
happy to leave in the hands of your little ones
you can't really complain about the Nikon S31 -
it's easy to hold, easy to use and will withstand
all the knocks, bumps and drops you and your
children could put it through.