The Nikon Coolpix S500 is a compact point-and-shoot digital camera in an attractive stainless steel body. It has intuitive controls and produces very good image quality with good detail and accurate colour reproduction at the low ISOs.

The tiny Nikon Coolpix S500 compact camera includes the latest face-detection and image-stabilisation features for consistently top-quality photos.

When Nikon introduced eight new Coolpix P&S cameras with a February 2007 press release, a quick perusal of the individual models showed an interesting mix of features spread amongst the various models.

very good & easy to use compact camera that will do just fine for the amateur photographer. most of the time the camera is preset on the handle itself fully automatically in a surprisingly good way. Absolutely worth every penny.

The Nikon Coolpix S500 is a pocket sized digital camera. Apart from its size the main attraction is likely to be its simplicity as it is a straightforward, point and shoot digital camera. It has seven megapixels and a three times zoom lens.

Easy of use - build quality

Indoor shot lacked focus - macro photos - shutter lag

Nikon really shows off its style with its Coolpix S500, a sleek, compact camera that feels every bit as good as it looks. This little shooter has some of the nicest design points we've seen in a small shooter, plus a few handy features normally seen on higher-end cameras.

Small, light stainless steel body and click wheel interface are great design touches; optical image stabilization; fast burst shooting

Slow performance; way too much noise at high ISO settings

At 125g, the S500 is the smallest, lightest camera we've seen that includes optical image stabilisation to reduce blur from camera shake. Its controls and menus are easy to operate and the brushed aluminium finish, 2in 230,000-pixel screen and five-way navigation pad that doubles as a wheel for...

Nikon really shows off its style with its Coolpix S500, a sleek, compact camera that feels every bit as good as it looks. This little shooter has some of the nicest design points we've seen in a small shooter, plus a few handy features normally seen on higher-end cameras. Unfortunately, looks and tricks aren't everything, and the S500 simply doesn't live up to its potential.

The Nikon Coolpix S500 may look and feel pretty, but its slow performance and noisy high-ISO images hold it back.

Small, light stainless steel body; Click wheel interface; Optical image stabilisation; Fast burst shooting.

Slow performance; Way too much noise at high ISO settings.