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Nikon Coolpix S8100 review: Nikon Coolpix S8100

Nikon Coolpix S8100

Headshot of Joshua Goldman
Headshot of Joshua Goldman
Joshua Goldman Managing Editor / Advice
Managing Editor Josh Goldman is a laptop expert and has been writing about and reviewing them since built-in Wi-Fi was an optional feature. He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories. In addition, he writes about cameras, including action cams and drones. And while he doesn't consider himself a gamer, he spends entirely too much time playing them.
Expertise Laptops, desktops and computer and PC gaming accessories including keyboards, mice and controllers, cameras, action cameras and drones Credentials
  • More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.
Joshua Goldman
9 min read

The Coolpix S8100 compact megazoom is Nikon's follow-up to the Coolpix S8000. That camera didn't offer much more than what you could get from other manufacturers--if anything--and produced average photos and had average shooting performance. Its design was really the only thing that made it above average. Nikon quickly moved forward with the S8100, keeping the prior model's design for the most part, but adding a high-speed backside-illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensor.

7.8

Nikon Coolpix S8100

The Good

Excellent shooting performance; great LCD; stereo mic; 10x zoom in an attractive compact body.

The Bad

Soft photos on either side of ISO 200; white balance is a little off; no manual or semimanual shooting modes.

The Bottom Line

With fast performance, good photos, and an excellent feature-to-price ratio, the Nikon Coolpix S8100 is a compact megazoom worth considering.

These sensors generally allow for faster shooting performance and better low-light photo quality, and this is the case with the S8100. For the same price as its predecessor you get a lot more camera, better photos, and burst shooting capable of up to 10 frames per second, among other performance gains. There's still room for improvement, but overall the S8100 is one of the better compact megazooms I've tested at its price.

7.8

Nikon Coolpix S8100

Score Breakdown

Design 8Features 8Performance 8Image quality 7