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Not surprisingly, both also have facial recognition abilities and "Anti shake" features, which work differently from the VR abilities previously mentioned. The Anti shake mode automatically ups the ISO to 1600 and puts the camera into BSS (Best Shot Selector) mode. BSS takes a sequence of ten images and selects the best by analyzing each image for sharpness and focus.

In the facial recognition mode, the camera searches for the one most prominent face within the scene and adjusts the exposure setting to optimize that face. It's a nice feature on both cameras, but we've seen more robust facial recognition features in other cameras. Facial recognition in these two digicams is simple to use, but doesn't really illustrate that it's found the face that you want it to find by highlighting and boxing the active area. Outside of the MacIntosh-like smiley face flashing on screen, you really don't know if the camera has found the face.

So, you're asking yourself why should you spend the extra $50 for the S500? Only do it if things like a faster wide angle lens, better build quality and larger buttons are what you're looking for! The build quality of the S500 is solid, owing to the high quality materials Nikon used to encase it in. It feels amazing in your hands, so before making your decision to save $50, go to your local camera store and play with it. The maximum aperture of the lens in the S500 is also considerably faster at the wider focal lengths. If you typically shoot in scenes that have lower light levels, this may be reason enough to buy the S500. Half a stop can be significant in the world of point and shoot cameras. The idea is to shoot at the lowest ISO possible to keep noise levels down and image quality up. Combine this with the VR abilities and the advantages become worth the extra President Grant you'll shell out.

The S500's overall image quality was also pleasing enough to give it the advantage over the S50. This is likely due to a design limitation of the internal zoom point and shoots because optically, the right angle mirror is one more element that the photons must maneuver through while traveling to the sensor for recording. The differences become apparent when viewing two like-prints side by side, and the S500 emerges as the real winner.

SPECS

S50:
7.2 MP
3x (38mm-114mm F3.3-4.2 35mm equivalent)
16MB of internal memory
3 inch (230,000 pixel) LCD screen
Dimensions: w 3.6"X d0.8"X h2.3"
Weight: 0.28 lbs. (4.1 ounces)

S500:
7.1MP
3X (35mm-105mm F2.8-4.7 35mm equivalent
26MB of internal memory
2.5 inch (230,000 pixel) LCD screen
Dimensions: w 3.5" X d0.9" X h2.0"
Weight: 0.28 lbs (4.1 ounces)

IN THE BOX

S50:
S50 Digital Camera
Strap
Audio/Video/USB cable UC-E12
Rechargeable Li-ion battery EN-EL8
Battery Charger MH-62
Dock Insert PV-12
PictureProject CD-ROM
Quick Start Guide
Instruction Manual
Warranty Card

S500:
S500 Digital Camera
Strap
USB cable
Audio/Video cable
Rechargeable Li-ion battery EN-EL10
Battery Charger MH-63
PictureProject CD-ROM
Quick Start Guide
Instruction manual
Warranty and registration card

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