Nikon Coolpix S50c Performance
Timing and Performance
Slightly slow overall speed, though good continuous times.
Startup/Shutdown | ||
---|---|---|
Power on |
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, |
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 |
1.7 second |
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 |
2.94 seconds
|
Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots. |
Early shutter |
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 |
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 |
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: |
*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 S50c 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 S50c 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 S50c'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 S50c 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 S50c 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.)
Follow Imaging Resource