Nikon Coolpix S6000
The Nikon Coolpix S6000 is a sleek, user-friendly compact ultrazoom camera with a surprisingly long 7x optical zoom (a 35mm equivalent lens range of 28mm to 196mm). It occupies the middle ground between standard ultracompact point-and-shoot cameras with 3x or 4x optical zoom, such as Nikon's own S4000, and compact ultrazooms with 10x optical zoom and higher, such as Nikon's S8000
The S6000 is a small, lightweight camera at 3.8 inches wide, 2.2 inches high and 1 inch thick (97x55x25mm), with a weight of only 5.5 ounces (156 grams). It has a 1/2.3-inch, 14.2 megapixel sensor, probably the same sensor that is in the S8000. The S6000 comes in four colors - silver, red , black and bronze
Nikon packages this model with an EN-EL12 lithium-ion battery, an adaptor for plugging into a power source to recharge the battery, a USB cord for transferring files and battery recharge, an A/V cable, a wrist strap, a CD-ROM containing a 164 page User's Manual and various software programs including Nikon's ViewNX picture transfer and organizing software. The camera I received also contained a paper version of the User's Manual.
BUILD AND DESIGN
The first thing one notices about the S6000 is its attractive, burnished metal front section. All the parts seem to be of high quality, with excellent fit and finish. The camera, while small and lightweight, feels solid. After two weeks of inhabiting my pocket it did not seem the least bit worn.
The S6000's buttons and dials work as they should. The camera has solid, tight-fitting coverings over its A/V and HDMI ports. Its wrist strap is well designed, as it is a good size (not too small) and loops over a solid metal ring built into the side of the camera. Its battery/memory card compartment cover, while plastic, seems firmly attached to the camera body, and is closed by a sliding latch. However, on one occasion when I pulled the camera out of my pocket, I noticed that the cover had opened on its own.
The only design issue I found was that, when the camera was in use for a while, the LCD would get slightly warm. I don't know whether this is normal for Nikon cameras but I've never noticed it on any other camera I've used.
Ergonomics and Controls
The S6000 has the typical boxy shape of most small cameras. It can be used with one hand, and it has a useful thumb grip at the rear that helps, but most people will probably want to use both hands to get the sharpest possible picture. Also, the metal front of the camera is rather slippery, which makes one-handed shooting more of a problem.
The camera's front is dominated by its lens, which retracts into the camera body when not in use. There is an auto focus assist/timer lamp next to the lens and a thin flash in the upper corner. Unfortunately, the flash is in a position where it is vulnerable to being blocked by fingers of a left hand steadying the camera. The camera's front also contains holes for the microphone.
The sides of the S6000 are pretty barren, containing only the wrist strap ring, HDMI port and speaker pinholes.
The bottom portion of the S6000 contains a metal tripod socket, located at the far end of the camera. While placing the socket in the middle is best for proper balance on the tripod, the far end location should not be a problem here considering the light weight of the camera. The bottom also contains the A/V port, which is used for connecting the USB cable, as well as the compartment for the camera's lithium-ion battery and a memory card.Read full review
