Nikon Coolpix S100 Hands On Preview

Nikon says they like to design a "sexy" camera every year. This year's model is the all new (meaning, it's a first generation design and not replacing a previous model) Coolpix S100, and I can see what they mean.  Designed primarily for women, but certainly open to all sexes, the S100 is part of six Coolpix cameras debuting this September.  It is sleek, with a brushed metal finish (ours was silver).  Looking almost like a 1960s cigarette case, half of its front slides open and closed to protect the camera's lens while jostling around in cavernous pocket books.  "Sexy" might not be the right word, but the S100 is certainly a stylish, modern camera that not only takes quality photos, but could function as a high end fashion accessory.  You know, a high end fashion accessory with the built-in EXPEED C2 digital image processing engine.

In terms of performance, S100 owners will get a 16 megapixel CMOS sensor capturing light through a 5x optical zoom lens (that's 28-140mm in 35 mm terms).  There is also 2D to 3D conversion and 1080p HD video recording, but the big selling point of the S100 is the display. The entire backside of the S100 is a 3.5" VGA touch OLED.  Images are bold and crisp, and it's pretty easy to navigate menus and all sorts of functions such as zooming.  It's also possible to tag and write on your pictures directly using the touch screen.