The design of the Nikon Coolpix S630 is quite aesthetically pleasing. While most other point-and-shoot cameras are box-shaped, the camera has a slightly curved body to the right to help keep the camera more secure.
The 2.7-inch LCD screen is a rotatable 4-way rotary wheel, which controls the self-timer, light, focus and exposure compensation. The swivel wheel is a convenient design when navigating a long menu. Around the round button are four other buttons that control the preset shooting modes, image playback, main menu and delete button. The buttons are conveniently positioned so that they can be operated with just one hand.
The design has a slight downside: the mini-USB port cover and A / V out are not completely opened so the plug is slightly entangled.
The S630 has a lot of rich features, but it lacks some of the must-have features of today’s point-and-shoots.
The 7x optical zoom lens is a significant upgrade over its predecessor, the 4x. It is useful to capture subjects that are relatively distant. However, its widest angle of just 37mm is a drawback compared to competitors with an opening angle of 28mm or larger.
If someone just needed a point-and-shoot camera, the S630 would fit. It does not have the option of manual adjustment completely and if you have to adjust the exposure can only compensate for the offset button only. There are 16 preset scenes for optimizing images in specific situations.
The S630 has a Quick Retouch function that adjusts color and saturation in the image playback mode. In some cases this function helps to darken the dark area to get some more detail.
The HD video recording mode also consumes a lot of memory cards, but many people like it and may be disappointed that the S630 is only capable of 640 x 480 pixel resolution.
The S630 has an internal memory of 44MB and an SD / SDHC card slot.
Nikon Coolpix S630 12MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Jet Black): Buy it now
Nikon Coolpix S630 12MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Midnight Blue): Buy it now
Nikon Coolpix S630 12MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Ruby Red): Buy it now
The S630 takes less than 2 seconds to start up and the shutter lag is 0.05 seconds, which is pretty good, equivalent to the Canon Digital IXUS 980 IS.
Standard shooting mode is 1.2 frames per second, but up to 7 shots can be taken in continuous shooting mode. Of course, the resolution will have to accept only 3 megapixels. In addition, the machine makes little noise when setting shooting modes.
Optical anti-shake mode is relatively good, the picture is clear when shooting at 1/20 second hand. Focusing is relatively quick and accurate, although it’s a bit difficult to get out of the dark.
The S630 has an ISO of 64 to 6400, but the resolution is reduced when ISO is set to 3,200 or higher. Either way, avoid ISO 800 and higher.
ISO 64 is clean, sharp, no complaints. Bump to 100 or 200 and you’ll start noticing some softness if you’re zoomed in to 100% on screen. By 400 it’s gotten mushy, detail’s blurring together. And at 800, it basically looks like a watercolor painting at this point, that’s how much detail gets smeared away.
Next to the Canon IXUS 980 IS or the Panasonic FX48, the S630 loses a bit on image quality — but it claws that back with a longer zoom than either of them offers.
Color image from the S630 is relatively honest and saturated well. The white balance works correctly even in complex light situations. The flash is relatively balanced, no matter where the subject is white light.
In general, the Nikon S630 is a good looking and beautiful camera, but compared to other cameras on the market, it seems to lack some of the highlights, such as wide-angle lenses and high- Customers are easily attracted to these features. There will also be many who find the 7x optical zoom quite useful especially in a compact body.
Image Quality
12-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor — standard fare for a compact, and it strikes a reasonable balance between quality and pocketability. 12MP handles prints and cropping fine without much quality loss.
The 7x NIKKOR zoom runs 37-260mm equivalent, versatile enough for landscapes, portraits, and subjects a bit further off. Aperture’s f/3.5-5.3 — okay in decent light, starts to show its limits once things get dim.
Color’s vibrant and well-saturated, typical Nikon, and auto white balance gets it right most of the time. Detail’s sharp in good light; drop the lighting and the noise reduction starts eating into fine detail pretty noticeably.
Dynamic range is about what you’d expect from a compact — reasonable detail in highlights and shadows. ISO goes 64-6400: clean at the bottom end, noise creeping in as you push higher, and past 800 the noise reduction is trading detail for cleanliness in a way you’ll actually notice.
Autofocus is contrast-detect — single, continuous, face-priority. Quick and accurate in good light, less so once it’s dark or something’s moving. Face-priority AF genuinely helps for portraits, at least. Continuous shooting’s slow at 0.9 fps, fine for casual use, buffer suited for short bursts only.
Lens-shift stabilization does real work here, especially zoomed in or at slower shutter speeds — makes handheld shooting noticeably more forgiving. Scene modes hit the standards — Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night Portrait — and Color Options give you Standard, Vivid, Black & White, or Sepia to play with.
A couple of nice extras: Smile Timer fires the shutter automatically when it catches a smile, and Blink Proof shoots two frames back to back and keeps whichever one has open eyes. D-Lighting brightens up underexposed areas after the shot, handy in high-contrast scenes, and there’s basic in-camera editing — crop, red-eye fix, filters — if you want to touch up a shot without a computer.
Handling’s excellent — comfortable, controls right where you’d want them, tactile buttons, a mode dial that makes switching shooting modes fast. Menu’s simple and easy to get around, clear display throughout.
Battery’s on the weaker side — about 220 shots on the EN-EL12, so bring a spare if you’re traveling or shooting a lot. Storage’s SD/SDHC, and you’ll want a card since internal memory barely counts for anything.
Video caps out at VGA — 640×480, 30fps, AVI, mono sound — basic even by the standards of its own release, and there’s no manual exposure or mic input, so it’s really not built for anyone who cares about video.
What’s good: compact, a genuinely useful 7x zoom, vibrant color, stabilization that actually helps, and small fun touches like Smile Timer and Blink Proof. What’s not: low light struggles, no viewfinder at all (rough in bright sun), video that’s basic even for its time, and autofocus that falls apart in low light or with movement.
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Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.