Nikon S3000 and S4000: new compacts

Nikon Coolpix S3000 Find the best price Nikon Coolpix S4000 Find the best price

Sparkling little entry-level point-and-shoot compacts have historically been the area where Nikon has done very well.  The Coolpix S220 was a bestseller in 2009, meaning its replacements are hotly anticipated.  They come in the form of the S3000 and the S4000.  The latter gets a touchscreen which was previously reserved for ultra-flat cameras like the S70.

Otherwise, the two newcomers are very similar, sharing the same 12 Megapixel sensor and 27-108 mm zoom.  There's no stabilisation, apart from the electronic eVR system, which is a shame.

Most of the differences are found at the back: the S3000 has a 2.7'' display, but the S4000 has a 3'' touch-sensitive screen, and its resolution is doubled to 460 000 pixels.  We had the chance to try out some prototypes, and although the interface works quite well, we were disappointed by the poor vertical viewing angles on offer.  These screens are a long, long way from being to rival the excellent OLED display found on the S70.

The other main difference is that the S4000 shoots video in 720p HD, without, unfortunately, choosing a new codec (it's still MPEG).

That said, one of the main selling points of these two cameras is the range of colours that you can buy them in: the S4000 keeps things fairly restrained with a classic black, bronze, dark red and baby pink, but the S3000 comes in seven different shades, including bright blue and a very attention-seeking orange.

The two cameras will go on sale in March.

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