Like most aspiring filmmakers, I've always had an intrinsic fascination with taking pictures. (Naturally, I'm one of those self-loathing photographers who would much rather be behind the camera than in front of it.) So when the powers-that-be offered to let me take Nikon's new Coolpix S1 camera on my trip to London, they didn't have to twist my arm.

A quick disclaimer: For the past few years I've been using a camera that, when I bought it, was top of the line?super compact, elegantly stylish, and more innovative than NASA. It's become an indispensable accessory for me at every vacation, party, concert, etc. Needless to say, my standards were pretty high before I took the S1 out of the box. When I left for my trip, I even brought my own trusty camera with me, just in case I wasn't happy with the Nikon.

Well, I'm happy to report that my old camera never made it out of my suitcase.

Vital stats

The Nikon Coolpix S1 is only three and a half inches wide, a little over two inches tall, and less than an inch deep, but that doesn't stop it from boasting a lot of remarkable features:

• A large, vibrant color LCD screen, which at two and a half inches in diameter seems enormous on this otherwise teeny camera.
• Multiple image settings with up to five-megapixel maximum resolution.
• 3X optical zoom and 4X digital zoom capabilities.
• Seventeen picture modes, which automatically adjust the camera's settings for different environments.

At both three-megapixel resolution (left) and five (right), the S1 produces vivid, crisp photos.

First impressions are everything

Aesthetically, the camera is, as my grandpa would say, sharp — just really nice to look at. The smooth silver front gives it a sleek, attractive appearance. Everyone, from my stylistically-conventional parents to my hipster teenage cousin, was oohing and ahhing when I brought it out of the case.

The first thing I noticed about the S1, and still its most impressive attribute, was its combination of size (or lack thereof) and extensive functionality. There are plenty of cameras out there that pride themselves on being tiny, but I've never used a camera this small that still has the capabilities that Nikon has packed into the S1. It has the exact same length and height as my old camera (which I considered pretty small to begin with), but is only half as thick — making it incredibly light as well. The weight and size made it fit perfectly in my palm and I quickly grew accustomed to taking pictures one-handed, which made things a lot easier when lugging around lots of bags like a typical tourist. (Its compactness also made it perfect for secretly taking pictures in places where photos were forbidden. Shhh....)

Despite the S1's tiny size, its large LCD screen packs one big punch.

Power up

The camera came with a sturdy cradle-style charger that connects to your PC when you upload photos, as well as an audio/video cable so you can view what you shot on the TV. As I was going to be taking the S1 with me to a different country (with different power settings), I was worried about how long the battery would last. And since I would only be using it for a week, I didn't want to buy an extra battery. Luckily, the S1 charged fast?roughly 2 hours every time?and lasted all day. The quick turnaround was very convenient, since there were numerous digital cameras, camcorders and MP3 players all fighting for our one power converter.

Who needs a manual?

Just how easy is it to use the Nikon S1?

When I got the camera from our tech department, they needed to keep the instruction manual for scanning, so the only one available for me was completely in Spanish. It's been a while since high school espa?ol, so I was pretty much on my own. However, after about thirty minutes of messing around with it on the plane, I was able to figure out how to use just about every feature the S1 offered. Admittedly, this was not a result of my keen intellect or stellar ingenuity, but wholly due to the camera's easily navigable on-screen menu and terrific Help feature.

When you encounter any menu option or icon you are unsure of, simply press the question mark button and the S1 gives you a concise and easy-to-understand explanation right on the LCD screen. I'm not an electronics novice by any means (I still get late-night calls from my dad when he has trouble with his DVD player), but I'm confident that even a child could figure out how to use this very simple, user-friendly camera.

A real-world test

Taking the Nikon S1 with me on vacation was a great crash course in its capabilities. When doing hardcore sightseeing, you don't have a lot of prep time for each picture you take. Thankfully, in addition to being easy to use, the S1 also proved to be reliable and fast.

As a tourist on the go, I found the Nikon S1 to be great for getting the perfect shot of England's most famous sights.

The one thing I really appreciated about this camera was the amount of time it took from pushing the ON button until being ready to snap a shot — virtually nil. I can't begin to count the number of times a Kodak moment would occur unexpectedly, and our entire tour bus would scramble for their cameras. With the S1 in my hand, I was always the first one ready and thus triumphantly got the best shot. Other people had digital cameras of varying brands and ages, and almost all had 5-10 second delays before you could actually take a picture.

Standouts

The S1 has a lot of the same features that come standard with today's constantly evolving digital cameras (red-eye reduction, self-timer, movie mode, etc.), but there were a number of unique and innovative things that I had not seen before.

Blur Warning

One of the most beloved things about digital cameras is the ability to actually see the pictures you've taken before you spend the money to have them developed. However, many times a picture may look Pulitzer Prize-worthy on the tiny LCD screen, but when you get the actual print it's disappointingly blurry. Nikon has heard your cries for clarity and has fitted the S1 with a feature that guarantees every shot is crystal clear. When you take a photo that's possibly blurred, a warning will pop up on-screen to alert you and ask if you want to delete it. With a whole week of photo opportunities and just a 128MB memory card, this feature no doubt saved me a lot of hassle and wasted shots.

D-Lighting

Another useful tool is the "D-Lighting" option. If a picture turns out darker than you expected, just open it in the playback mode and at the touch of a button the Nikon S1 creates an exact copy that's noticeably lighter without reducing image quality — all done in-camera without any software or additional high-tech gadgetry.

Best Shot Selector

The Best Shot Selector is available on most Nikon cameras and is a pretty nifty feature. When activated, the camera will take up to ten back-to-back pictures and then pick the one with the highest level of detail. This proved extremely helpful when capturing more action-oriented shots, such as this swan attack.

The Best Shot Selector helped me capture a shot of this angry waterfowl.

Scene Mode

The Scene Mode offers seventeen different options that automatically adapt the camera's settings to a specific situation, such as portrait, sports, sunset, museum, fireworks and underwater. The portrait function even shows people-shaped outlines on the screen to help you set up your shot.

How often do you get a picture of Miles Davis' trumpet or you playing Jimi Hendrix's guitar? Using the museum-specific mode got the most out of the dim, shadow-filled Hard Rock Caf? vault.

Other features that I didn't get a chance to use include an audio-only recorder, a panorama assist mode and a very cool-sounding time lapse photography function.

There's always room for improvement

While I was very impressed with the S1 overall, there were a few minor things that bugged me.

One thing that struck me was the camera's minuscule 12 MB of built-in memory. That's insufficient for regular use; at its highest five-megapixel setting, this means the S1 can only store five pictures. It makes sense to purchase at least one extra memory card, and rely on the built-in memory only as backup.

A better zoom could have got me closer to the royal guard-changing action.

Secondly, there were a few instances where I could have used a more powerful zoom. A 3X magnification is the norm on sleek pocket-size cameras like the S1, and it was fine most of the time, but for truly long-distance shots, it wasn't enough. For example, when we went to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace we were stuck behind a crowd of hundreds. I raised the S1 high over my head hoping to zoom in and make up for it, but it only put me ahead about 3 rows of people. (The digital zoom offers an extra 4X magnification, but there is a noticeable loss of quality and influx of graininess.) Anyone who plans to do a lot of extreme telephoto shooting should probably look to a larger, "pro-sumer" camera which is designed for extensive zoom.

My last qualm isn't a complaint really, just something I noticed. While the LCD screen is extra large and stupendous, there is no manual viewfinder on the camera. The need to use a viewfinder never arose during my week-long trial, but I imagine there might be a few photographic purists out there who still enjoy squinting through the tiny aperture.

To be fair, when you shrink a camera down to this size, it does limit the amount of things you can do with it, and I envision that most of these concerns stem from that.

In the end...

...it's all about what you're looking for.

Looks and personality:

Sleek and unique, the S1 definitely lives up to its "Coolpix" name.

Functionality:

It has a lot more useful options and features than you'd expect in a camera this size.

Simplicity:

I can't imagine anyone would have a hard time using the S1. Even the most technophobic amateur should have no problem getting the most out of this camera.

Cost:

At just under $400, it's a little costly, but as they say, you get what you pay for.

Even through the thick glass atop the London Eye ferris wheel, I still managed to catch a clear, glare-free view of the city.

After living with the S1 for a week, it was understandably hard to let go of. Now my old camera feels heavy and clunky when I use it. Its LCD screen seems pathetically small in comparison. It's just not the same.

But don't take my word for it. The first thing the London cab driver said when he saw me toying with the S1 on the way to the airport...

"That camera's bloody brilliant!"