Nikon continues to add to its popular S-series of Coolpix cameras with the new 6-megapixel Nikon Coolpix S9, a lower priced (and lower-end) model that keeps the attractive slim look of its predecessors while eliminating some noteworthy features. Retailing for $250 — about $100 less than what the Nikon S5 debuted at — the Nikon Coolpix S9 combines a prism-folded Nikkor ED-branded 3x optical zoom lens (38 – 114 mm in 35mm equivalent) with a six megapixel image sensor, a 2.5″ LCD display, and 15 beginner-friendly scene modes.The Nikon Coolpix S9 is a fairly typical pocket sized digital camera. It has six megapixels and a three times digital zoom. The lens is internal and does not protrude from the camera when you zoom in on a subject. In terms of features the Coolpix S9 is a straightforward, point and shoot camera. It is likely to appeal to someone who is looking for a no fuss digital camera that will slip easily into a pocket.

The 3x optical zoom lens has a focal length of 38 – 114mm in 35mm format. The aperture of the lens works in the range f/3.5 to f/4.3. 4x digital zoom is also available. For macro work the Coolpix S9 can focus from 4cm away from the subject.One feature that is very rare is the one touch portrait button. By pressing the button the camera realises you are taking a portrait shot. This also activates the automatic red eye fix. This sounds good, but in my indoor portrait test the red eye fix produced a very unnatural looking result.For composing images there is a 2.5″ LCD screen. This is made up of around 153,000 pixels. There is no room for a viewfinder. To help you take the best possible photos there are a series of scene modes you can use. By selecting a scene mode you indicate to the camera the type of photo you are about to take. It can then use what it considers to be the optimum settings. The available scene modes are: Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night Portrait, Party/Indoor, Beach/Snow, Sunset, Dusk/Dawn, Night Landscape, Close up, Museum, Fireworks show, Copy, Back light and Panorama assist.

The Nikon Coolpix S8 is a slim, stylish compact digital camera with 7.1MP resolution, a 3x optical Zoom-Nikkor ED lens, and a large 2.5-in. LCD monitor with high resolution (230,000 pixels).The Nikon S8 accepts the Secure Digital (SD) card and has about 14MB of Internal Memory. One-Touch Portrait Button automatically activates In-Camera Red-Eye Fix(TM) and Face-Priority AF.Pictmotion allows the creation of in-camera slide shows with music. Included in the box is a rechargeable EN-EL8 battery (that takes up to 200 pictures on a single charge) and Docking Station.A High Sensitivity mode automatically adjusts the sensivity (up to ISO 1600) to make it easier to shoot in low light.Nikon In-Camera Innovations in the Coolpix S8: In-Camera Red-Eye Fix(TM) automatically fixes most instances of red-eye in the camera; Face-Priority AF is Nikon’s face-finding technology that automatically focuses on faces; and, D-Lighting rescues dark or backlit images by improving brightness and detail where needed.The Nikon Coolpix S8 should appeal to point-and-shoot photographers desiring an easy-to-use compact digital camera.

Only 20mm thick at its widest point, Nikon’s 7.1-megapixel Coolpix S8 is almost shirt-pocketable and very smartly designed. Its metal body has a semi-matte finish with a gentle curve on one side to accommodate your fingers when you’re shooting. The 3x optical zoom lens tucks inot the top corner of the camera body behind a metal cover so you must guard against including the fingertips of your left hand in shots. A 2.5-inch, high-resolution LCD covers two thirds of the rear panel, leaving little room for the button controls, most of which are tiny! But no viewfinder is provided.

The Nikon Coolpix S7c is a WiFi capable digital camera that can wirelessly upload images to the new Coolpix Connect service, launched alongside the camera. Featuring a sleek two-tone body, the Nikon S7c includes an IEEE 802.11b/g chipset with which to upload its seven megapixel images. The Coolpix S7c has plenty of other attractions on top of this standout feature, as well. There’s a prism-folded Nikkor ED-branded 3x optical zoom lens, a whopping 3.0 inch LCD display, 15 beginner-friendly scene modes, plus a few clever technologies besides. Apical Ltd.’s “D-Lighting” is an exposure correction technology, and is combined with a face-priority AF function based on tech from Identix, an in-camera red-eye fix function — the three working together at a press of the One-Touch Portrait button to capture the best possible portrait image. Nikon’s Best Shot Selector mode which automatically chooses the sharpest from a series of images is also included, along with an AE-Best Shot Selector mode that chooses the best-exposed image from a series.

Features include a 7 megapixel sensor and 3x optical zoom lens equivalent to 35-105mm, whilst In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, Face-Priority AF and D-Lighting aim to intelligently improve your photographs. There’s also a new High Sensitivity mode and ISO range of 50-1600 to help ensure that your pictures remain sharp even in low-light conditions. The Nikon S7c is one of a growing number of cameras to offer built-in Wi-Fi, which means that you can transfer pictures straight to your computer or a compatible printer without the use of cables. Continuing the ease-of-use approach, the S7c has a very large, high-resolution 3 inch LCD screen with 170 degree viewing angle, great for showing off your images to friends and family. Nikon have teamed up with a company called Muvee to bring you Pictmotion, which allows you to play back images as a slide show in combination with music and special effects.

Beginning at the PMA convention in Florida last year, Nikon has been making a bold effort to breathe new life into its entry-level “L” series cameras. Nikon adds to this “Life Support” with the Nikon Coolpix L6, a slim-and-trim, budget-buster model that has the look, feel, and features of a more expensive camera. Though it has a six megapixel CCD imager, a Nikkor-branded 3x optical zoom, a 2.5-inch LCD display, and ISO sensitivity to a maximum of ISO 800 (though it’s not manually adjustable), the real news on the Nikon Coolpix L6 is its extraordinary battery life.Like every camera in the COOLPIX family, the L6 is equipped with Nikon’s In-Camera Image Innovations to fix common photo problems. This system includes Face-priority AF, which automatically finds and focuses on a subject’s face, In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, which automatically corrects red-eye, and D-Lighting, an innovation automatically corrects images with insufficient light. Furthermore, the L6 is equipped with Blur Warning, which alerts the user when an image is blurred and Best Shot Selector, a feature which automatically identifies and saves the sharpest image from a series.

As you might expect, the camera’s specs won’t blow you away, but for its price, they’re not bad. It has a 6-megapixel CCD sensor; a 3X optical, 38mm-to-116mm f/3.2-to-f/5.3 zoom lens; and a 2.5-inch, 115,000-pixel LCD screen. According to Nikon, the L6 can shoot up to 1,000 images on a pair of lithium batteries; the company even includes a pair of Energizer AA e2 lithium batteries with the camera. If you use alkaline AAs, the battery life drops to 400 shots, but that’s still very impressive for a point-and-shoot camera like this.

As we reach the end of 2006, entry-level digital cameras are cheaper and offer more features than ever before, with prices squeezed by the growing popularity of DSLRs. The Nikon Coolpix L5 is a new compact digital camera aimed squarely at the point and shoot user, but which still has a number of advanced features, including a 5x zoom lens equivalent to 38-190mm and a Vibration Reduction mode for shake-free pictures. Other highlights of the Nikon L5 include a 7.2 megapixel sensor and 2.5 inch LCD screen, whilst In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, Face-Priority AF and D-Lighting aim to intelligently improve your photographs. The Nikon Coolpix L5 offers 15 different scene modes and a Best Shot Selector option, making it well suited to the beginner. With a current street price of around £175 / $225, the Nikon L5 is certainly good value for money, but does it offer the right blend of features and performance? Read our review to find out.The Coolpix L5 ($299) is the top-end camera in Nikon’s entry-level camera lineup. There’s aCoolpix L6 out there, but it’s not nearly as impressive as the L5, and here’s why. For one, it has a big 5X lens in a body that normally would have a 3X lens. Second, it has optical image stabilization — lens based — so you can get sharp photos in situations with less-than-desirable light. Other features include a 7.2 Megapixel CCD, 2.5″ LCD display, numerous scene modes, and a VGA movie mode.

Top among its features is its 7.2-megapixel CCD sensor and a 5X optical, 38mm-to-190mm, f/2.9-to-f/5.0 zoom lens with optical (a.k.a. lens shift) vibration reduction (VR). This method of VR is the most effective offered by Nikon. Other variations on the theme include electronic, which combines info from sensors at the time of image capture with internal processing to try to remove blur from images that have already been shot; and mechanical, which shifts the CCD to compensate for shake. Unfortunately, Nikon doesn’t specify on its packaging which type is included with which cameras because it thinks that consumers don’t want to know, but if you check the technical specifications on the Nikon USA Web site, you can find out which type each camera has. The 2.5-inch LCD is a decent size but has only 115,000 pixels, so images appear coarser on it than on cameras that include LCDs with higher pixel counts.