My New Digital Camera – Nikon Coolpix S220

My mom and brother found out at the beginning of the month that I was in desperate need of a new digital camera. My Canon still works for lots of things, but the auto focus is having trouble at a distance, it keeps forgetting the date, and there’s a few particles of dirt that somehow made their way in between the lens elements and can be seen when the zoom is used.  Thankfully, they took pity on me and got me a new digital camera for Christmas

Nikon Coolpix S220 - Click this image for the manufacturer's web page

My new bit of kit is the Nikon Coolpix S220 and while it’s got both strengths and weaknesses, overall the good outweighs the bad

First, the weaknesses.  I’ve grown accustomed to the Canon’s high ISO of 3200 which allows for good shots in seriously dim light, but the Nikon only has ISO 2000 capability.  The Canon has had a 4x optical zoom lens, runs on AA batteries, and has the ability to do long exposures of up to 15 seconds whereas the Nikon has a 3x zoom lens, runs on a proprietary rechargeable battery, and can only go to 2 seconds on the low end of the shutter speed.  Oh yeah, it doesn’t have an optical view finder, either.

Now for the Nikon’s strong points   This camera is very slim – only .7″ thick.  It’s light at only 4.12 oz with battery, memory card, and wrist strap.  The start up time is quicker than the Canon’s as is the zoom, and it’s got some neat tricks under the hood as well.  There are four different methods for reducing blur in pictures, 16 different scene presets for different lighting conditions, and loads of other features I’m still working on figuring out that I know will come in handy.

Oh yeah, it shoots TV quality video with sound, too

I’m still learning all the ins and outs of this new piece of gear, so bear with me  for a while as I get the hang of it   I think I’m going to like this new camera very well indeed

Have fun and happy photography