Nikon S630 Reviews

Samsung HZ15W vs Nikon Coolpix S630

by David Chin on July 28, 2009

Tim Barribeau compares both cameras and concludes:

The Nikon S630 provides an interesting contrast to the HZ15W. It's around $50 cheaper, lacks the manual controls of the HZ15W, and has a 6x zoom lens. That said, even though it has less zoom, it has a higher telephoto range, albeit at the cost of wide-angle coverage. Also in the Nikon's favor is its generally better still image performance. It has more accurate color, significantly lower noise and less lens distortion. The Nikon also has a much nicer aesthetic, thanks to its curved design.

Of course, not everything is fantastic on the S630. It had lower image sharpness, its image stabilization didn't function as well, it couldn't get off photos as fast, and its video mode was a major letdown. The Nikon only shot video in standard definition, and lost almost all controls while in video mode, which accounts for its very low score in those sections. It also lacks the ability to manually set shutter speed and aperture when shooting stills, capabilities we find important.

If you don't need the manual controls, wide-angle lens, or HD video, the Nikon will probably serve you perfectly well, and save your wallet a bit. On the other hand, if you do want those features, go for the Samsung.

Canon SD780 IS / IXUS 100 IS vs Nikon S630

by David Chin on July 20, 2009

Canon SD780 IS / IXUS 100 IS vs Nikon S630 – Tim Barribeau:

The Canon is much smaller, sleeker, and designed to be taken anywhere. The Nikon, on the other hand, is significantly bigger, but packs in a 6x zoom lens to the Canon's 3x. While the Nikon is a fair amount larger than the Canon, it's also easier to hold and handle, and doesn't require tiny fingers to press the buttons. The big drawback of the S630 is its standard-definition video mode, and lack of recording options while shooting movies.

In terms of still image quality, there seems to be a slight advantage to the Coolpix S630. It has significantly better color accuracy and lower image noise. While the SD780 produces sharper images, the Nikon has lower lens distortion. Neither of the cameras performed very well for image stabilization, and the Canon was slightly faster in burst rate. Where the S630 really struggled was video mode; due to its maximum 640×480 resolution and lack of manual controls, it had poor sharpness and color accuracy. However, if video isn't particularly important to you, the 6x zoom lens may pull you into the Nikon camp.

Nikon S630 vs Canon SD780 IS / IXUS 100 IS

by David Chin on July 11, 2009

In DigitalCameraInfo's Nikon Coolpix S630 vs Canon Powershot SD780 IS / IXUS 100 IS comparison, Tim Barribeau wrote:

In terms of performance, the Nikon scored higher in most still image tests, but the Canon has the edge in video mode. The Canon scored slightly better for resolution due to higher image sharpness, but it had worse distortion. The image stabilization system was slightly more effective on the Canon, as was the shot to shot speed. Its real advantage was in video mode, where the high definition capabilities blew the Nikon out of the water, and the S630's lack of manual white balance controls led to very poor video color. However for pure still image quality, we lean toward the Nikon.

Nikon S630 vs Panasonic FX580 / FX550

by David Chin on July 11, 2009

In DigitalCameraInfo's Nikon Coolpix S630 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580 / DMC-FX550 comparison, Tim Barribeau wrote:

The touch-screen system of the FX580 is well implemented in that it complements the button controls nicely. The only time you need to use it is for exposure compensation, or shifting aperture and shutter speed. The majority of controls are handled using the buttons, but with the additional capabilities of the touch-screen complementing these, rather than replacing them.

In terms of image quality, however, the Nikon substantially outperformed the Panasonic. In every test we ran that didn't involve video footage, the S630 handled better. The images were sharper, the colors more accurate, and the image noise lower. However, once again the Nikon's low resolution and lack of controls in video mode hit it hard, leaving it far behind the Panasonic.

Nikon S630 vs Sony T900

by David Chin on July 11, 2009

In DigitalCameraInfo's Nikon Coolpix S630 vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 comparison, Tim Barribeau wrote:

In terms of performance, the Sony has a noticeable advantage in a few places. Its color was a touch more accurate, it had sharper images, a much better stabilization system, faster burst rates, and higher-quality videos. In the Nikon's favor are significantly lower noise levels and much lower distortion.