Nikon S200 Performance

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Nikon Coolpix S200 Performance

Timing and Performance

Good to below average speed for a consumer camera.

Startup/Shutdown
Power on to first shot	2.5 seconds	Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy.
Shutdown	2.1 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, first shot	1.8 seconds	Time until first shot is captured
Record to play	2.8 seconds	Time to display a large/fine file immediately after capture
Display recorded image	1.2 seconds	Time to display a large/fine file already on the memory card.
Shutter response (Lag Time)
Full Autofocus Wide	0.51 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.
Full Autofocus Tele	0.52 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.
Prefocused	0.066 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large Fine JPEG	2.15 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Single Shot mode 640x480 JPEG	1.93 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Early shutter penalty?	No	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 Large Fine JPEG	1.22 seconds (0.82 frames per second); 2 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Continuous mode 640x480 JPEG	0.71 second (1.40 frames per second); 1 second to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Flash recycling	3.2 seconds	Flash at maximum output.
Download speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0	785 KBytes/sec	Typical Values: Less than 600=USB 1.1; 600-769=USB 2.0 Low; Above 770=USB 2.0 High
*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.

The Nikon Coolpix S200's performance is a mixed bag, ranging from quite fast to below average. Startup time was average, at 2.5 seconds. Shutter lag is quite good at both wide angle and telephoto, and very fast when the camera is "prefocused" by half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure. Shot-to-shot cycle times are about average for this class, at about 2.2 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, but the camera captures frames continuously at this rate with a fast enough memory card. Continuous-mode speed is below average at 0.82 frames/second, though again, the camera captures frames continuously at this rate until the card is full. Flash recycling time is quite fast however, at only 3.2 seconds after a full-power shot. Connected to a computer, download speeds are a little above average, so you probably won't feel a need for a separate card reader. Bottom line, the S200 is responsive enough for most family photo opportunities, but its continuous shooting mode may be a bit slow for sports, kids, or pets.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Average battery life for a lithium-ion design.

Operating Mode	Number of Shots
Lithium-ion rechargeable battery (CIPA standard)	230

The Nikon Coolpix S200 uses a custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power, and a charger is included with the cameras. Though runtimes are about average for a lithium-ion design, we strongly recommend you pick up an extra battery and keep in charged and on-hand for extended outings.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), 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 Nikon Coolpix S200 stores its photos on SDHC / SD / MMC memory cards or in approximately 20MB of internal memory, and no card is included with the camera.

Image Capacity with 20MB Internal Memory		Fine	Normal
3,072 x 2,304	Images	6	12
3,072 x 2,304	File Size	3.7 MB	1.9 MB
2,592 x 1,944	Images	-	16
2,592 x 1,944	File Size	-	1.4 MB
2,048 x 1,536	Images	-	26
2,048 x 1,536	File Size	-	864 KB
1,024 x 768	Images	-	90
1,024 x 768	File Size	-	254 KB
640 x 480	Images	-	169
640 x 480	File Size	-	136 KB

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SDHC/SD memory card at least a 1 GB or 2GB card, to give yourself extra space for extended outings. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)