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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: hecalder
Updated:12-24-07
Duration of ownership:1 Months
Strengths: Large screen, great quality pictures.. good price at around 200.00 easy to use.. perfect camera for price range..
Weaknesses: screen smudges easy.. and should come with at least a protective case of some sort..
Overall Evaluation: I own a Sony Cybershot.. and a Olympus.. the first digital and the second a SLR.. both great cameras but my Sony was aging. I am very impressed for the features and the quality of the pictures and the overall ease of use.. I would recommend that for first time users to for sure read the manual you can get a lot more out of the camera.. for the price you get excellent value.. I would have ranked it actually a 78 but I am also only a amatuer photographer.. being this my first Nikon.. I always considered them only for SLR's so very impressed. for a digital..
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Overall Rating
4 Star Review
Reviewed by: jmjmjohnston
Updated:02-19-08
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: Compact and easy to use
Weaknesses: seems a little "loose" some of the pieces holding the chip and battery in rattle
Overall Evaluation: This camera is a great little unit for the money. I actually had to return my first one, though, because there was a rattling sound coming from inside the camera. The sound was diminished (but did not disappear) when the battery and SD card were in place, but it was still there. I returned the camera for a new one not wanted to take a chance that something was broken or waiting to break, and the new one was better.... but there is just something about the moving parts that don't seem solid. Time will tell. The photos and movies from the S51 are beautiful.
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Overall Rating
4 Star Review
Reviewed by: pacificeye
Updated:01-30-08
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: Compact Size--It's small, yet has a good heft and feels solidly built.Huge LCD screen--makes taking and reviewing pictures very easy and pleasant.
Weaknesses: All surfaces are very smooth, making it hard to hold without fear of dropping it.
Overall Evaluation: Picture quality is extremely good.Controls are easy to use.Picture modes are sufficient to cover most shooting conditions for a point-and-shoot.Manual settings are very limited.The cover for the media card slot is rather hard to open.
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Overall Rating
2 Star Review
Reviewed by: vballgirl79
Updated:01-29-08
Duration of ownership:10 Days
Strengths: great videos, big screen
Weaknesses: battery runs out fast if using flash a lot. Takes awful pictures! always makes them blurry.
Overall Evaluation: I would not recommend this camera. The pictures are always blurry if you dont use the flash. And the flash doesn't always make it better either. It does take good videos though.
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Overall Rating
2 Star Review
Reviewed by: melraff
Updated:01-21-08
Duration of ownership:2 Months
Strengths: The pictures generally look pretty good.The camera is slim and attractive.
Weaknesses: Long shutter lag.Slow to reset between shots.Battery/SD slot door is cheap plastic and extremely difficult to open.
Overall Evaluation: I highly recommend that you look elsewhere--try the Panasoninc Lumix FX line, for instance, which has none of these flaws (I bought this to replace a Lumix FX 9S which I gave to my son).The biggest problem with this camera is, in my opinion, the deal-killer. The shutter lag is enormous, guaranteeing that, unless you're shooting posed portraits or still life shots, your picture will not end up with what you were trying to capture. This is incredibly frustrating and unlike any digital camera I have ever owned (this is my 5th over about 10 years).The camera also takes an inordinate amount of time between shots, too. Another real problem that I have not seen since my first digital camera many years ago.Finally, the crappy little plastic door that covers the battery and SD chip needs to be "sort of" pressed down while sliding it open. You cannot slide it open if you don't press down, and you cannot slide it open if you press down too hard. I struggle every time to find the right touch, and I am sure it's only a matter of time before it breaks.
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by:
Updated:01-09-08
Duration of ownership:2 Days
Strengths: sleek,large viewing screen,image stabilization
Weaknesses: none
Overall Evaluation: I purchased this camera despite reviews with complaints about the shutter lag. I read the directions and shutter lag is definitly not an issue. READ THE DIRECTIONS! I love this camera. The large viewing screen is great. I would purchase it again.
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Overall Rating
2 Star Review
Reviewed by: melisor1
Updated:12-30-07
Duration of ownership:10 Days
Strengths: Small. Large LCD. VR image stabalization. D-lighting.
Weaknesses: Shutter lag.I can hear a rattle in my camera when I shake it slightly.Slow to turn on/off.The battery life is short when you are using flash frequently.
Overall Evaluation: The image quality is good but that's it.In order to switch modes from movies, to camera, to scene you have to go into the menu - too many steps. VERY SLOW so be prepared to miss a lot from that trip you are planing for next year.
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Overall Rating
2 Star Review
Reviewed by: Sarlacc
Updated:12-28-07
Duration of ownership:1 Days
Strengths: Good Image, Image Stabilization, Very small
Weaknesses: Slow to turn on/off, Slow to focus, Auto White Balance isn't accurate unless using the flash, Bad ergonomics, Plastic Body
Overall Evaluation: I love and use Nikon Film Bodies and DSLR Bodies, but I'll admit for small point and shoot cameras I have always used Canon Elphs since their first one nearly 8 years ago.That said, my fiancee's SD400 is dying. So, one day while I was drooling over the new D3 the salesman at the camera store sold her on the S51. It was a bit of an impulse, and I was preoccupied. But she got it and we got it home. I did a lot of searching and could only find consumer reviews. Mostly good things were said, and I have an open mind about trying new things, so I opened the camera and started to play with it.The image quality is good. No complaints there. The added IS for a camera in this price range is a great addition and selling point and it works well. Its everything else I was left unimpressed with.1) Turn on/off time. This camera takes a couple seconds to boot up. The new Canons are pretty much instant. This is key for catching those easy to miss special moments.2) Auto Focus. Its slow. Again slower then the Canons. Again unacceptable for those need to get the shot moments.3) Lens placement. Because of the self enclosed design to remove a protruding zoom lens (the idea has its merits) they put the lens turret in the upper left corner of the body. Where you would usually find a flash. The problem is that its very easy to get your fingers caught in your own shot.4) Small buttons. The zoom button is TINY. I mean ridiculously tiny.5) Auto White Balance. Its works well when you are using the flash. Its doesn't like it works at all when you have the flash turned off. This is no good as I am someone who uses the flash as little as possible, usually not at all. Sure I can correct this in post, but why should I have to?6) In order to switch modes from movies, to camera, to scene you have to go into the menu. It doesn't take very long, but I feel like its too many steps. Again with Canon, its a simple switch on the back. Its very quick to go from movies to camera and back. And i've been in many situations where you need that convenience of speed lest you miss something.I went into this camera with an open mind, but I just found the system that I am used to be a better set up. Everything is pretty much subjective and preference, but what really killed the camera for me and my fiancee was the lack of speed. The slow on/off and slow focus is just a dead weight. Especially at this day in age when you have cameras that are so much faster. I have an older SD800 that is twice as fast as the Nikon, and after testing out the SD750 today, its pretty much instant.So, we returned the Nikon S51 and will be staying with Canon and ordering a SD750. We will lose having IS, but gaining so much more. I hope this helps anyone else trying to decide whether or not to get this camera.
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Overall Rating
4 Star Review
Reviewed by: krislynn5477
Updated:12-21-07
Duration of ownership:20 Days
Strengths: everything
Weaknesses: nothing unless you don't like a really small camera
Overall Evaluation: I researched for about a week trying to find the right camera for me, and I almost bought the nikon coolpix s200 until I found this one for $10 more. I love everything about it.
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Overall Rating
4 Star Review
Reviewed by: tuphilly
Updated:12-18-07
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: Good at size, weight, 3"LCD is very cool, easy to use, cool appearance.
Weaknesses: ISO1600 is somehow lower than the current trend, the battery life is short when you are using flash frequently.
Overall Evaluation: Overall, I like this camera very much, although ISO1600 may limit its usage, it has fancy appearance and small size. The man-machine interface is user friendly. Nikon's lens is also very good. In addition, the 3" LCD provides a clear preview which is another reason I like it. The last thing is its low price, which marks Nikon S-51 a very popular choice among the slim point-to-shoot cameras.
