Review: Nikon Coolpix S6000
by edit@cnet.com.au (Alexandra Savvides) 
The good
- Wide-angle lens
- Relatively speedy performance
- Better images than the S8000
The bad
- Comparatively small LCD screen
- Noisy images at ISO 400 and above
- Poor video quality
The S6000 is the baby brother, if you will, of the recently reviewed Coolpix S8000. Both these cameras share a reasonably long zoom in a compact body, and are surprisingly stylish for cameras of their class.
Design
Sharing a host of similarities to the longer-zooming S8000, these two cameras look remarkably similar on the outside. The S6000 has the same slightly soft plastic front cover as the other camera, and the same gently protruding lens element and button configuration. It’s great to hold and feels sturdy in the hand. Just above the lens is a small AF light and flash which complete the simple front panel.
The S6000 (left) and S8000 (right) look similar from the exterior. (Credit: Nikon)
At the back next to the 2.7-inch LCD screen, a scroll wheel helps navigate through options with a pleasing “click” as it reaches each point, flanked by playback, menu and dedicated video record buttons. Without memory card or batteries, the camera weighs 156g and measures 97×55.5×25mm. Unfortunately, the screen isn’t as high resolution as that found on the S8000, which means that looking at fine detail is a difficult proposition.
Features
Any camera worth its salt in the mid-range field needs to have several calling cards up its sleeve. Fortunately, the S6000 has them in spades and fixes a few of the issues we found with the S8000. First up, the lens is 28mm at its widest end, wider than the S8000’s 30mm lens, and has an aperture range of f/3.7-5.6. It’s just 7x optical zoom this time, a little under the 10x zoom touted on the S8000.
Viewed from the top, the lens only protrudes a little bit from the camera body. (Credit: Nikon)
HDMI output also takes a starring role, for connectivity to monitors or televisions. Plus, as usual, there is HD video recording at 720p with mono sound.
The S6000 has the same 14.2-megapixel CCD sensor as the S8000, and it can reach a maximum sensitivity of ISO 3200. One big claim from Nikon in regards to this camera is its quick response time. We’ll see how this stacks up in our performance tests.
Apart from the requisite shooting modes (automatic, scene, smart portrait, sport continuous, movie and subject tracking) there are also colour modes in the camera to change the image: standard, vivid, black and white, sepia, cyanotype.
The S6000 uses a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery and SD/SDHC cards, which slot in together at the base. Like the other cameras from the Coolpix range, the S6000 has no separate battery charger, and instead the battery can be charged in the camera itself.
Performance
The S6000 claims it’s a speedy performer. In reality, the S6000 mostly lives up to this claim, starting up and taking its first shot within 1.3 seconds. In continuous mode it can shoot a burst of images at an average of 0.8 second between each shot, but only for the first three frames; after this there is a noticeable slow-down.
Shutter lag is the element that lets the camera down most, with a delay of 0.6 second between pressing the shutter button and the shot being taken, in adequate lighting. This is pretty average for a camera of this class, but still disappointing considering the “Quick Response” tag emblazoned on the front sticker, and Nikon’s claim that shutter lag is just 0.3 second.
Image quality
Colours from the S6000 were very nice, as they were with the S8000, not too oversaturated but punchy enough straight from the camera. Lens sharpness did tend to fall off a little to the edges of the frame, but nothing that was too discernible except for large print use. Sharpness at full lens extension was very good, something that many long lens cameras struggle with.
A comparison between the lens extension extremes of the Nikon S6000. (Credit: CBSi)
There was, however, a distinct amount of digital noise visible on shots at ISO levels above 400. Over-processing was also visible, related to the camera having too many megapixels for the lens to be able to resolve.
A full magnification portion (inset) of an image from the Nikon S6000 taken at ISO 800. (Credit: CBSi)
This camera delivered better pictures in most situations than the S8000, particularly when observing them at full magnification. There was still noticeable digital noise but on the whole, it’s less than that which spoiled the S8000’s images.
A full magnification portion (inset) of an image from the Nikon S6000. (Credit: CBSi)
Video quality was the most disappointing part of this camera. Given the relatively good image quality, we expected more, and instead found blocky images with passable audio. The camera also prevented the use of optical zoom during filming.
Conclusion
In the smackdown between compact zoom cameras, the Nikon Coolpix S6000 makes a respectable entry into the arena. The S6000 delivers better images than the more expensive S8000, which has a longer lens and slightly more features. If you are looking at a Nikon compact and don’t mind missing out on a little bit of zoom, the S6000 could be your cup of tea.
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