Equipment & handling:
The Nikon Coolpix S02 is small and therefore problematic is the allocation of individual connections. Thus, for example, to dispense with a card slot and the battery is firmly anchored in the housing and non-exchangeable. The internal memory has only 7.39 GB, although it should be sufficient for the claim and the interpretation of the pocket camera. We find the zoom wheel, the play button and the On / Off button at the top. On the sides of the connections for MicroUSB (supplied) and MicroHDMI (not included) and on the front of the Nikkor lens 4,1-12,3mm 1: 3.3-5.9 with CMOS image sensor and flash. The 2.7 inches (6.9 centimeters) wide touch screen has a resolution of 230,000 pixels and ensures even just as a sharp preview. In his hand the S02 is on the other hand surprisingly well and thanks to the more square edges, the better hold feeling is further supported. Visually, the camera reminds me a bit of the old and cute Pocket TV with your thumbs to continue taking pictures.
Menu:
As it has already indicated the housing, and the interior is very Spartan and provides only the bare minimum of options and settings. About the Home button at the back leads to the menu and finds the auto recording mode, playback, movie mode, System, Self-timer (10s), flash (auto, fill, off), scene mode selection (automatic, Handheld Night Shot, Backlit HDR), exposure compensation, image quality (13M, 4M, 2M), effects (mirror, Sepia, Monochrome, High Key, Low Key) and a custom menu customization. The specified in the manual Link to the Reference Manual is not working currently and also in the way support is there to the S02 so far nothing. Is not that bad, but it should not be. Subsequently, by the way with the menu already through again.
Image Quality:
The quality of the images is of course the size of the lens due and provide a maximum of satisfactory results. While it takes better pictures, as for example the S01 predecessor, but in comparison with high-end smartphones is no difference in quality is apparent. The main argument is precisely the compact dimensions of the S02 and the metal housing in the perspective of a design piece. The lens also features a rather unspectacular zoom range, dispensed with an image stabilizer and so it is already in dimly lit interiors to the problem, there if a decent picture to be built. The automatic scene mode does its job very well, however, and is also its larger friends of Nikon in every way. The recordings are well worth seeing for common deductions, (a green meadow bsp.) Can only in certain areas, the color values appear artificially and also the noise component is omnipresent in all recordings. But for the actual purpose, the share in social networks, or as a second camera for the car - perfectly adequate.
Video recording:
A requirement for all cameras is the video function and there is already the Full HD standard. Thankfully, even in the Nikon Coolpix S02. For recording, there is, as already described, no buttons on the casing, but only as a selection through the menu options. The quality is a PC screen (here with me there are 24 ") very well and also works absolutely silently zooming, although the individual pixels be clearly visible to the naked eye. As there are sound stereo and movies are saved in MOV format with current MPEG-4 compression (H.264).
Conclusion:
The Nikon Coolpix S02 is and remains ostensibly a nice toy in between. While it may be replaced smartphones, but in the end the question remains in the room, how many the ever want in favor of pure photography. Moreover provides Sony with its DSC-QX series for some time matching lenses for almost all smartphones and let alone by the compact cameras in the low segment superfluous. Who, however, is not a fan of smartphones and actually want to look at the area in question by a small digital camera, for the Nikon Coolpix S02 is an appropriate and hardly noticeable companion. Also great the included power adapter Charging (200 shots long the battery lasts the way) and the low weight of 100 g. It is less helpful in the end the mediocre picture quality, which can convince only conditionally for serious photographs with a certain minimum standard of quality.
