Head to Head Review: Nikon Coolpix S50 and Coolpix S500

	Click photo for more field shots from the Nikon Coolpix S500.

Nikon also decided to make the 3x (35-105mm f/2.8-4.7 35mm equivalent) lens on the S500 telescopic and because of this, the lens has a deeper profile in comparison to the S50. This can be a blessing in disguise though, because you eliminate the right angle mirror and in my judgment, there was a subtle difference in image sharpness apparent on a high resolution Trinitron monitor. The S50 has a low profile, 3x (38mm to 114mm f/3.3-4.2 35mm equivalent) lens that using a right-angle mirror to zoom internally. This allows the lens elements to move along the width of the camera, helping maintain its thin profile regardless of the zoom power you're using. In lens design, the S500 differs from the S50 by having a very fast f/2.8 maximum aperture, yet is slower than the S50 with a sluggish f/4.7 on the telephoto end of the zoom rack compared to the S50's f/4.2.

Nikon does make attempts to enhance the sharpness in both cameras by incorporating true Vibration Reduction (VR) technology. In many competitively priced compact cameras, manufacturers claim to have "image stabilization" by upping the ISO, which allows faster shutter speeds to be used when making an image, thereby showing less blur, but at the cost of increased noise and decreased resolution. The S50 and S500 are different in that they use a type of VR technology that Nikon installs in its premium DSLR lens line.

This system works by incorporating two motion sensors -- a pitch sensor, which detects vertical movements, and a yaw sensor that measures horizontal movement. These two sensors can also combine to detect diagonal movements as well. The sensors take readings 1,000 times a second and adjust the lens elements to correct for hand shake or motion blurring by instantly moving the floating element to compensate for the camera movement. The VR system is most effective at moderate focal lengths and lower shutter speeds. This allows the typical user to shoot a full stop or two lower in comparison to conventional lenses without vibration reduction and without impacting image quality significantly. Having the ability to incorporate this kind of technology into an area about the size of a deck of cards and about half as thick is pretty amazing. This can be an important consideration for the casual shooter because it allows image making at lower ISOs, which should give you higher image quality with less noise.

Like many of their counterparts, the S50 and S500 allow you to shoot NTSC quality video and store it on a SD card. One item that I found as a hidden jewel in these cameras is that the VR technology works for the video too. Because of this the video had surprisingly little shake, even though I went out of my way to cause camera movement during the recording. The images are sharp and showed little vertical smear, common in many similar cameras with video capabilities. Both cameras are also capable of shooting video at half resolution (320x240pixels) or quarter resolution (160x120 pixels), and have a nifty stop-motion sequence shooting mode that can be set for 5, 10 or 15 frames per second playback. Also included in both cameras is a time-lapse shooting mode that can record images at 30-second, one-, five-, ten- and 30-minute intervals.

Both cameras also record audio only and have 15 different scene modes that for the most part are run-of-the-mill. One exception is the "Panoramic assist" mode, which is one of the friendliest ways to ensure that the images you stitch together match up. Nikon does this by allowing you to shoot up to three frames for use in a panorama. Shoot the first image and after a second of processing time, a transparent image covers either the left or right third of the viewing screen, depending on which direction you're panning. Simply match up their area with the live scene and shoot your next frame. A new transparent image emerges to allow you to match the scene for the third frame. Hopefully Nikon will consider incorporating this feature into its DSLR line.

Both cameras can shoot from 7MP down to VGA Screen resolution (640x480 pixels), and both also have a 16:9 mode that allows you to show images on a HDTV without distortion. Both cameras are a little skimpy on color space modes as well, giving the user the option of a normal color mode and a saturated mode. If you want to shoot monochromatically, you have the choices of true black and white, sepia and "Cyanotype," which is really a blue-bias duotone.