The new Coolpix S1 builds on a trend that was pioneered by ultra compact cameras such as the Canon Powershot S400/500 series and most recently was boosted by credit card sized cameras such as the Sony Cybershot DSC-T1. The new S1 shaves off a few millimeters of the DSC-T1's dimensions and represents Nikon's smallest digital camera to date (3.5 x 2.3 x 0.8 inches).
According to the manufacturer, the S1 focuses on simplified operation with a fast boot time that enables quick snapshots. Among the new features of the camera is "Face Priority AF" as function that automatically senses the presence of a human face within the frame and sets accurate focus accordingly. Beyond faces, the S1 can also automatically detect and fix red-eye directly within the camera, Nikon said. Boot time of the camera is less than two seconds; the maximum shooting speed is 1.8 frames per second.