
Nikon COOLPIX S500
Pros
- Small design, Low chromatic aberration, Speedy burst mode
Cons
- Very slow focus, Some blurry pictures captured in low light
Bottom Line
While the COOLPIX S500 is a decent camera when operating in perfect circumstances, the aversion to low light coupled with slow focusing make for a less than satisfactory unit.
-
Price
$ 549.00 (AUD)
Coming into the market clearly positioned as an alternative to Canon's range of ultra compact IXUS cameras, Nikon's COOLPIX S500 is a slim 7.1 megapixel unit which offers a few nifty features such as Optical Image Stabilisation. Unfortunately, it suffers from some focus and speed issues which really hamper its overall performance.
Our big problem with this model is its focusing. First, the process is extremely slow, with the camera sometimes taking in excess of .9 of a second to focus. While in practice the unit's shutter speed is only about .08 of a second, the massive delay added every time it has to focus greatly slows down the photography experience, and this will be irritating for those who enjoy taking spontaneous snap shots. In our other speed tests this was also noticeable, with its 2.4 second power up time and 2.5 second shot-to-shot time both being slightly disappointing.
The other issue with the S500's focus is its accuracy in less than bright conditions. Our test lab is a dark room lit with tungsten lights aimed directly at the target. We never have problems shooting under these conditions ordinarily, but the S500 repeatedly refused to focus properly on our high contrast chart, leading to soft edges and a lack of detail. This wasn't an issue all the time as every so often we captured a crisp shot, and all of our outdoors shots in bright sunlight were sharp and detailed, but anything taken in dim lighting suffered.
In the rest of our image tests the unit performed reasonably well. Our combination of subjective test shots and Imatest analysis found the S500 to be a solid but not outstanding unit. It exhibited very little in the way of chromatic aberration, with a score of 0.55%, an excellent result. There was no sign of the haloing in high contrast areas that typically plagues compact cameras, and the edges of our shots were crisp and clean.
In our colour test, the S500 scored a moderate 9.45 which is a little behind the competition, but not noticeably so. Most of the primary colours were quite accurate, with yellows being the only exception. The balance, while not exceptional, will be more than adequate for the target market of this camera, and will be fine for small and medium sized prints.
In our final test for image noise, the S500 again performed about average, with a score of .88% at ISO 100. As long as the score is below 1.0% we don't tend to worry too much and although the shots were slightly grainy in parts, as with the colour issues, this is minor and won't be evident in regular sized prints. The S500 did suffer quite badly as we ramped up the sensitivity though, so we wouldn't recommend shooting at anything above ISO 200. Even at ISO 400 the pictures were covered in a fuzzy haze, and anything above this was even worse.
In some instances, new users may inadvertently wind up using the highest sensitivity of ISO 2000, thanks to a very strange design decision by Nikon. As well as activating the optical image stabilisation (which is a funky inclusion on a unit so small), the anti-shake button (represented by a shaking hand) also locks the sensitivity to the highest setting. We can see why they did this in theory, as higher sensitivities tend to help reduce blur, however the shots this model captures at ISO 2000 are just too terrible for even the most ambivalent photographer to use. Thankfully you can turn the stabilisation on separately using the menu.
Aside from the stabilisation, the feature set is what you'd expect from an entry level unit. There are white balance presets, a variety of scene modes and ISO sensitivities ranging up to ISO 2000. Nikons Best Shot Selector is also back, which is basically a bracketing feature that captures pictures at a variety of exposures so you can chose the best one. The burst mode is somewhat impressive, operating at three frames per second, but it only snaps off three shots before pausing.
The S500 has a similar design to previous Nikon ultra compacts. Rather than using a directional pad, they have once again put in a scroll wheel system for navigating the menu, which we don't really like. The interface is clean and easy to navigate, although it isn't as quick or seamless as those on some Canon or Olympus products. The S500 is constructed of thin metal and feels quite durable. It should survive most of the knocks and trauma typically required of a point and shoot camera.
Brand Post

Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Miofive 4K Dash Cam review: This friendly road watcher is ‘here for you!’
- 2 Dell U3223QE review: A winning debut for an IPS Black monitor
- 3 Asus TUF Gaming VG28UQL1A review: This 4K monitor plays nice with consoles
- 4 Firewalla Gold review: Powerful home network security in a tiny box
- 5 Acer Aspire 5 review: An affordable laptop that’s enjoyable to use
Latest News Articles
- GoPro delivers Quik solution for videos and photos
- Canon embolden mirrorless offering with EOS R5 and R6
- GoPro spin off their lighting mod into its own act: the Zeus Mini
- Canon adds a new heavyweight to their DSLR lineup: the EOS-1D X Mark III
- New D-Link home security cameras feature onboard AI
Resources
Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers

Videos
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world

Guides
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles

PCW Evaluation Team
Pedro Peixoto
Aruba Instant On AP11D

Set up is effortless.
Cate Bacon
Aruba Instant On AP11D

The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.
Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti
Aruba Instant On AP11D

Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.
Tom Pope
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G

Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
Tom Sellers
MSI P65

This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
Lolita Wang
MSI GT76

It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
Featured Content
- Top 10 best Android and Apple phones for under $600
- 25 Essential Party Games On PC And Console To Play With Family And Friends
- Mesh Wi-Fi vs Traditional Routers: Which is better?
- Which flagship TV is best? Sony 4K HDR Bravia 2016 versus LG 4K HDR OLED 2016
- 10 Blu-ray movies / Best looking Blu-ray movies