The Coolpix S3 is a very surprisingly compact camera - something that the reviewer wasn’t expecting from Nikon. Although it’s 0.8 inches thick, it packs in a lot of decent features such as the big 2.5 inch LCD screen and the completely internal 3x optical zoom lens. This is also a 6 megapixel camera, beating most of the other compact cameras in a reviewed lineup. The controls and menus are easy to read and understand. You even have the option to view the menu as text or as icons. This point-and-shooter may not have full manual mode, but users have the option of selecting over 18 scene modes, most of which have sub-options. Embedding sound clips onto a picture is also easy, and the S3 can serve as a voice recorder, limited only by your memory card and battery. However, audio volume during playback tends to be lower. The movie mode lets you capture 640x480 pixel movies with audio and zoom capabilities, although you can’t zoom during playback. The S3’s photos were great, but the quality was a bit inconsistent. You really need to know the features well for greater consistency.