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.