ISO comparison

The Nikon Coolpix S30 is so simplified that there are no controls for much of anything, including ISO and white balance, which made it difficult to do our lab testing. However, here are two 100 percent crops from our test scene, one at ISO 80, the other at ISO 400. The ISO 400 shot is darker because there is less light, but you can see the amount of noise and loss of detail. ISO 400 is typically the starting point for what the camera selects when shooting indoors with good lighting. The camera goes up to ISO 1600, but the results only get worse. Basically, the S30 is fine for outdoor use, but I would not recommend it for regularly shooting indoors or in low light.