Nikon CoolPix S570 digital camera

The Nikon CoolPix S570 is a 12.1-megapixel, point-and-shoot digital camera with some nifty features. It's ideal for people who wouldn't be comfortable with a more complex model, and for $249 you get a camera that's also stylish.

At first glance, the Nikon CoolPix S570 looks like a modest little camera, with a slender frame and a frosted silver casing — nothing to write home about. But this baby can take 12.1-megapixel photos — just like the high-end Nikon D3. (But of course it doesn't have the picture control and processing capabilities of a high-end D-SLR.)

In addition to all the standard features of a compact digital camera, such as autofocus and image stabilisation, the CoolPix S570 has a 5x zoom lens, which isn't bad at all for a small camera. A really cool feature is its smile shutter: The camera waits recognises a person's smile and then automatically takes the photo without the user even having to press the shutter button.

Another sweet feature is the skin softening filter, which adjusts the smoothness of a subject's epidermis for magazine-like results. Also worth a mention is the face-priority autofocus. It can automatically detect up to 12 people in the shot and then snap a photograph with all the faces in focus and properly exposed!

Something that makes the CoolPix S570 ideal for the novice happy snapper is the intelligent mode. Depending on the amount of light in the shot, the camera will automatically set the camera to the correct scene mode for shooting. It takes the hassle out of going through the menu to find the right scene mode, but if you don’t mind doing so then there are up to 17 you can choose from.

As for the S570's picture quality, the sensor picks up detail with ease and produces pleasing results, especially in macro mode.

The S570’s zoom is pleasantly fast, although focusing sometimes takes a while. Images have a lot of pixel softening when you zoom in on them; even when you have the camera set on its optimum settings, it still takes grainy, pixelated photos. Fear not, however — they're more than adequate for posting on social-networking sites like Facebook. Another issue we had with the S570 is how long it takes to render an image on the LCD screen; at first it looks out of focus but then it clears up.

We were impressed with the Nikon CoolPix S570. It has a lot of great features and is an ideal camera for a novice happy snapper on a budget; and because it’s incredibly simple to use, it's a great digital camera for a technophobe.

Stay up to date with the latest reviews. Sign up to GoodGearGuide’s Gear Daily newsletters

Follow GoodGearGuide on Twitter: @Goodgearguide