Do people actually buy cameras because they think it enhances their image? With a name like Coolpix, apparently the good folks at Nikon seem to think so. The million dollar question here though, is whether buying a Nikon Coolpix S51 Digital Camera will allow you to take cool pictures like the name suggests. I suspect not, but lets take a look anyway.

One of the nice things about ultra compact cameras like the S51, is their portability. Being able to reach into a pocket quickly, grab your camera and snag a picture at a moments is a nice feature. If it works. Don't count on catching many of those candid moments with a Coolpix. It tends to take a few seconds to start up once you've powered it up, followed by another few seconds after you've squeezed the shutter button. Hopefully your subjects are slow (translation... not kids), and don't go scurrying off the second they see a camera in your hand.

Nikon, must know that the S51 is going to be carried around in all kinds of strange places. Pants pockets full of dust and beach sand, backpacks along with your paper clip collection, and car consoles right beside all your loose dimes and nickels. You'd think, they'd make the Coolpix LCD a little more durable for these hostile environments. Especially since there's no viewfinder, and your stuck staring at a scratched up LCD to frame all your photos.

Megapixels and LCD's screens seem to be the big selling point these days with manufacturers. If only more consumers realized that too many megapixels result in noisy pictures, especially with an ultra-compact camera that have such a small image sensor to start with. While bigger LCDs may seem cool, they're just a killer on batteries. I swear that little Energizer Bunny is subsidizing the camera manufacturers big LCD hype, just to ensure he stays employed forever. I'd gladly exchange a 3 inch LCD for a 2 inch one, if it meant I got 30% more pictures, and a viewfinder thrown in as a backup.

Just for good measure, here's a couple other shots to the body of the Nikon Coolpix S51:

- hard to hold onto, power switch too easy to press accidentally

- LCD display is very grainy

- door to battery and memory card is fragile and hard to open

- no auto presets dial

- photos under florescent lighting have greenish tinge