Nikon Coolpix S8100 — 12MP compact with 10x zoom, BSI sensor and full HD video, 2010
Announced in September 2010, the Nikon Coolpix S8100 sits in Nikon's S-series of pocketable travel compacts, aimed at buyers wanting a long zoom and full HD video without stepping up to an interchangeable-lens camera.
It carries a 12.1-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor on the common 1/2.3-inch compact format, paired with a Nikkor 10x optical zoom lens spanning a 30-300mm equivalent range at f/3.5-5.6. A 3-inch OLED screen with 921,000 dots serves as the sole viewfinder, and the camera records 1080p HD video with stereo sound plus 10fps continuous shooting.
The back-illuminated sensor was Nikon's answer to rival compacts' low-light claims of the period, giving cleaner results at higher ISOs than the CCD sensors in older S-series models, though noise reduction still softens fine detail indoors.
Used examples turn up cheaply on the UK market as superseded pocket compacts. Worth checking: the OLED screen for burn-in or dead pixels, that the 10x zoom barrel extends and retracts without grinding, battery health given the proprietary EN-EL12 pack, and that the SD card slot door latch is intact.