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Nikon Coolpix S50 Performance

Note: These results taken from the Nikon Coolpix S50c, which is identical to the S50 except it has WiFi connectivity added.

Timing and Performance

Slightly slow overall speed, though good continuous times.

Startup/Shutdown

Power on
to first shot
3.7 seconds

Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy.

Shutdown
1.7 seconds

How long it takes to retract lens and stow in your pocket.

Buffer clearing time
2 seconds
(Large/Fine JPEG )

Worst case buffer clearing time. This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.
Mode switching

Play to Record,
first shot
2.5 seconds

Time until first shot is captured.

Record to play
4.3 seconds

Time to display a large/fine file immediately after capture.

Display
recorded image
1.7 seconds

Time to display a large/fine file already on the memory card.
Shutter response (Lag Time)

Full Autofocus Wide
0.78 second

Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.

Full Autofocus Tele
0.99 second

Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.

Prefocused
0.25 second

Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode
Large Fine JPEG
3.18 seconds

Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.

Single Shot mode
640x480 JPEG
2.94 seconds

Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.

Early shutter
penalty?
Yes

Some cameras refuse to snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer.

Continuous mode
Large Fine JPEG
0.80 second (1.25 frames per second);
20 frames total;
2 seconds to clear

Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.

Continuous mode
640x480 JPEG
0.62 second (1.62 frames per second);
20 frames total;
1.5 seconds to clear

Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.

Flash recycling
6 seconds

Flash at maximum output.

Download speed

Windows Computer, USB 2.0
2,712 KBytes/sec

Typical Values:
Less than 600=USB 1.1;
600-769=USB 2.0 Low;
Above 770=USB 2.0 High

*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a Kingston Ultimate 133x SD memory card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode.

Overall, the Nikon Coolpix S50 is a bit sluggish, though it does offer decent continuous shooting speeds. Start-up time is slow, as are mode-switching times. Shutter lag at wide angle and telephoto zoom settings are both on the slower side, and "prefocus" times (half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure) are longer than average as well. Shot-to-shot cycle times are quite slow, at about 3.18 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, though the camera captures frames continuously at this rate. Continuous-mode speed is where the S50 makes up for itself a little, capturing about 1.25 frame/second, for up to 20 shots in succession at the large/fine JPEG setting. Results are a little better at the smallest resolution. The flash recycles at a fair rate at 6 seconds after a full-power shot. Connected to a computer, download speeds are fast enough that you won't feel a need for a separate card reader. While the S50's overall timing is considerably slow compared to other consumer digital cameras, its continuous shooting mode is actually fair, and would likely be fast enough for good family snapshots of the kids or Rover catching a ball. In other words, it's a good all-around camera for travel and average use, though you'll experience some hesitation during normal shooting.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Below average battery life with the custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack.

Operating Mode Number of Shots
Lithium-ion rechargeable battery,
(CIPA Standard)
130

The Nikon Coolpix S50 uses a single lithium-ion rechargeable battery for power, and comes with a battery and charger. Because runtimes are quite limited at 130 shots (way below average), I strongly recommend picking up a second battery and keeping it freshly charged for longer outings.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on a fully-charged rechargeable battery), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Coolpix S50 accepts SD/MMC memory cards, though no card is included; 13MB RAM is built into the camera.

Image Capacity with
13 MB Internal Memory		 Fine Normal
3,072 x 2,304
Images
3
6
File Size
3.8 MB
2.0 MB
2,592 x 1,944
Images
8
-
File Size
1.4 MB
-
2,048 x 1,536
Images
13
-
File Size
933 KB
-
1,024 x 768
Images
42
-
File Size
305 KB
-
640 x 480
Images
85
-
File Size
153 KB
-

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SD/MMC memory card at least a 1GB card, preferably a 2-4GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings and videos. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)

 

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