Nikon COOLPIX S33 Waterproof Digital Camera (White) (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

After looking at several waterproof cameras, I decided to take the risk and buy this one, as it was cheap and seemed OK and considering it was a Nikon, I took the risk. When camera arrived I could see it was really cheaply made: entirely of plastic, not many options to adjust the camera, as other better models would give you. One thing that really bothered me (right when I got the camera) is how the battery has to be charged: you must open the battery door below the camera and plug the USB cable there, leaving the battery door opened at all times its charging! Since its a camera that is supposed to be sealed (for waterproof), this door should be handled carefully and leaving it open for several hours to charge the battery is, in my opinion, an issue... I have kids and eventually they would run close to the camera or try to get it and I was afraid it would simply break and then the whole cameras purpose is over... Then, we went on a trip to the beach and I started realizing the other problems in the camera: it took very long time to focus and then to release the shutter at several times... meaning I lost several moments from my kids because the camera simply didnt take the picture. That for me was really bad and made me angry... why would I want a camera that wont click the picture when I need it? also, to start taking a video, there is a huge lag after you press the record button... something like 1-2 seconds... so if you want to film something, be prepared in advance or you will lose the beginning of your movie clip... Another thing that happened to me very frequently: I forced the flash ON as I was taking some pictures with the sun in the back and the flash would not fire in several occasions, so the subject was very dark and I had to re-take some pictures (or worse, lose another moment!!)... After coming back form my trip and looking at the pictures at the computer, I realized that the video sound is horrible! Underwater I could understand - and couldnt care less - but for shooting videos in a dry scenario I was expecting some decent/average sound, but it was all muffled! So for these reasons, I decided to return this (cheap) camera and invest some more money and get something better... If these things wont bother you, go for it... The good aspect for this camera: the image quality is good - especially if its just for a weekend getaway at the beach/pool... video image is good as well... so for the image quality I decided to give 2 stars...

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Unfortunately, this camera takes better photos above water than underwater. Clear, vibrant photos outside the boat; underwater, its a different story. If the water is absolutely clear and you are not moving at all, the photos are good. With any action in the water disturbing the clarity, the photos are awful. I can say it is the camera and not the circumstances because my daughter was using her Olympus Tough next to me for 6 days of snorkeling and her photos were far superior to the CoolPix. As far as user-friendly, there is a HUGE problem with the CoolPix that I cant believe they have not changed: when you go to press any of the buttons down the left side of the screen, it is very easy for another finger to accidentally press "record" which is on top of the camera. Many times I was recording without knowing (sounds silly, but it is easy to do). Really hate this camera.

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For the price this is a great camera, but it does take a long time to focus on something. If you dont wait for it to focus the pictures are almost always ruined. This is not a highspeed camera at all. I havent tried it underwater, but I have seen pictures from others and I wouldnt be afraid to use it underwater. Best water application I can think of is if you were in a downpour, and either had no way to keep it dry or you were taking pictures out in the rain. Other cameras would definitely be toast. Update 05/17/2017 - We are buying a new camera. This camera is the absolute worst in low light situations. The videos that you can take are almost always ruined by the fact that the microphone picks up everything around the camera, including just handling the camera. Shaking the camera just a little shows up so badly in the videos they are unusable. Any time you take a picture in low light using any one of the auto settings shows up blurry in the pictures. When I say low light I want to emphasize that any indoor application that has lights inside is too low of light. The auto flash hardly ever goes off and is totally useless in its application.

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