Nikon S02

Nikon S02 is Nikon's Ultracompact camera first launched on September of 2013. It comes with a 13 MegaPixel, CMOS 1/3" size sensor with a maximum resolution of 4160 x 3120.

The S02 is positioned #70 out of 151 in Ultracompact cameras & all-around #1030 out of 1465 for cameras in our database. Remember to check our Smart camera search to get camera rankings based on your custom requirements.

Below is a diagram of multiple criteria used in the scoring system.

You can look at the S02 from various angles in the gallery below.

Here is a checklist of pluses and minuses of the Nikon S02 based on aspects which are oftentimes viewed as essential in a camera.

The sensor spec on the Nikon S02 is 4.8mm x 3.6mm (1/3"). The 17 mm² sensor has the ability to resolve 4160 x 3120 pixels using aspect ratios of 4:3. The camera comes with Image Stabilization (Digital). Optical stabilization is superior than digital stabilization since the latter might cause cropping.

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The CMOS sensor has 13 megapixels and gives a native ISO range of 125 to 1600. Sadly, RAW files are not saved so you have less room to maneuver in post.

The graphic underneath illustrates the S02's sensor size in comparison to other common sizes. The S02 sensor has a crop factor of 7.5 and is showcased in green.

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To get an idea of various aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.

Nikon S02 is 0.22 pounds (100g or 3.53 oz) & the dimensions of the camera is 77mm x 51mm x 18mm (3.0" x 2.0" x 0.7"). The weight of normal Ultracompact camera is 121g and the Nikon S02 is lighter as compared to other rivals.

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Underneath is a picture of the Nikon S02 with a soft drink to help you get a feel for its size.

The top view underneath will highlight the button design on the S02.

The S02 features a fixed lens offering a focal range of 30-90mm making it a 3.0 x zoom which is not very good however it might be handy in some scenarios.

At it's widest 30mm, it comes with an aperture of f3.3 making it somewhat sluggish and not very good for low light occasions and you will struggle to get good bokeh. You could also have to increase your ISO setting producing noisy pictures. With the long end, 90mm comes at f5.9 making it very sluggish and you would have to choose slow shutter speeds.

The S02 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• HDMI Yes

Cameras which include NFC and / or Bluetooth support are able to be used wirelessly through smartphones. You will be able to copy pictures and at times alter settings without the hassle of connecting directly with the camera.

Some apps also stream a Liveview and click the shutter when you aren't close to the camera. If the camera provides a HDMI port, it can easily be hooked up to an external screen. Virtually all cameras enable you to charge the battery through the USB socket.

The maximum video resolution on the Nikon S02 is 1920 x 1080 and you can record in MPEG-4 format. 1080p resolution can provide a good balance for quality and file size but FULL HD will not give you any room to downsample. The body doesn't feature a microphone and / or headphone socket so you have absolutely no control over the audio. It is probably a better idea to take a look at an alternative model if you require decent audio for your video clips.

There is no weather proofing on the Nikon S02 so you have to be cautious in wet and dusty situations.

The Nikon S02 comes with a 2.7" fixed display screen having a resolution of 230k dots.

Additionally the display screen is touch friendly so you are able to set focus points and adjust settings using your fingers.

Photography Glossary

The View Finder specifications for Nikon S02 are below:

• ViewFinder None

For sunny outdoor situations that make the camera screens washed out and hard to see, viewfinders can be very helpful.

Nikon S02 comes with just in-built flash without external flash ability.

Nikon S02 comes with only Contrast Detect Auto Focus & is missing Phase Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot more quicker and accurate as compared to Contrast Detect autofocusing. The camera comes with Face detect which makes it helpful for people photography.

Nikon S02 lacks manual focus. Manual focus can be good for low light or you want more accurate focus control.

The battery (Built-in) on the Nikon S02 is designed to last for 210 photos according to the CIPA specifications which is about the same as it's competition. The general Ultracompact camera battery life is 214. Nikon L32 offers the highest possible (320) battery life for this group of cameras.

Below is a list of Ultracompact cameras having the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Nikon L32
S02 vs L32320 nonono

Olympus TG-870
S02 vs TG-870300 nonono

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Panasonic FP5
S02 vs FP5260 nonono

Sony TX20
S02 vs TX20250 nonono

Sony TX55
S02 vs TX55250 nonono

The following graph gives a overview of the Nikon S02 for specific kinds of photography. To understand more, browse to the specific section underneath.

The Nikon S02 gets a points tally of 33 which is low, meaning that it is simply not appropriate to use for portrait photography. Photographing portrait photos leans heavily to sensor dimension, RAW support together with the flexibility to work with off-camera lighting.

With a reasonable points total of 58, the Nikon S02 is somewhat suited to use in street photography. A decent street photography camera gives a perfect balance of image quality plus portability.

A low sports photography points total of 38 indicates the Nikon S02 is simply not appropriate for shooting sports. A camera must have good tracking plus fast continuous shooting for sports photography.

Portability is very crucial in getting a travel camera. All things considered, the Nikon S02 gets a modest 59 for a travel camera which makes it somewhat acceptable for your vacations.

For anyone planning to choose a digital camera for landscape pictures, the most important factor will be image quality. The Nikon S02 with it's low rating of 33 for a landscape camera is simply not appropriate among it's competitors.

A vlogging camera preferably should have a moving display, mic port and if possible image stabilization. Considering all things, the Nikon S02 is simply not appropriate as a vlog camera as it receives a low rating of 33.

If you are trying to find replacements to the S02, here is a collection of the top rated cameras which fall into the class of Ultracompact.

The chart just below gives you a summary of the S02 vs it's highest scored rivals shown earlier.

There are a bunch of cameras you might regard as alternatives. To browse through a extensive comparison, simply click on the "compare" link.