Little Camera with the BIG ZOOM The thing that caught my eyes about this camera, is that despite being about the same size as my compact P72 and weighing even less, it has a no-nonsense 10x optical zoom that produces quality pictures. The secret as obvious in the picture above, it has a large lens unit that swivels independent of the camera body (and LCD screen) instead of the usual "pop-out" design, enabling the engineers to put more glass into the camera. The S4 also has a large super-bright 2.5-inch LCD screen, and together with the swivel lens, enables the user the shoot from odd positions like the waist, chest, eye level, even with the hands (holding the camera) way overhead. Or just flip it around for a self-portrait. The camera however does not have a viewfinder, which maybe a problem shooting in bright sunlight. If you are shooting outdoor sports, I would advice building yourselves a little hood for the LCD, with a little cardboard and packing tape. Here are some S4 pictures taken by a certain Augenblick, including several full-resolution ones at ISO50 to ISO400, demonstrating its 6-megapixel usability even under tough lighting conditons. The S4 also uses two standard AA batteries, which means you can take long trips to places without electricity by loading up on cheap AA NiMH rechargable batteries from the local drug store, instead buying additional custom lithium rechargable batteries used by most ultracompact cameras today, which typically cost 10 times as much. At close to $300 and with its compact size, the Coolpix S4 is a very attactive buy as a combination runaround/sports/tourist/spying-on-your-boyfriend camera for the average gal. Ready to buy? Don't forget to get a set (two) of AA NiMH rechargable batteries with a NiMH quick charger from your local chain store for it, if you do not have one already. Also consider getting a larger memory card, like a 512MB SD card, for the camera, for less than $50. It will allow you to shoot more than 150 full-resolution images at a time before needing to download. The default memory can only store 4 full-resolution images. Home | Privacy Policy | Info | View Cart Contact OKPhotos.com at (405) 377-5967 or Email Content subject to change without notice. Not Responsible for typographical error. Copyright ©OKPhotos.com, All Rights Reserved. Bixbook is a trademark of OKPhotos.com.