Nikon Coolpix cameras in low light

Does anyone have experience with Nikon Coolpix cameras (and low light conditions?)

I routinely carry a Nikon Coolpix S1, which works great when lighting condtions are good. For example, it never fails to deliver a decent image during the day. But when approaching dusk and worse, in the evenings, it fails completely. Flash helps of course, but pictures look artificially exposed and lose warmth.

I've seen shots taken from friends with Sony, Canon and other similar cameras, and the quality looks much better. Does anyone have an understanding of whether or not Nikons simply aren't competitive in this range of camera?

Many thanks, Brian

Hi,

I am new here, and i have Nikon Coolpix 8800, it is old model but it has nice results.
The problem with this camera is that it is very noisy, very slow, and ofcourse at night shots or low light with flash it can be better but not if the ISO goes up above 400, not sure of new Coolpix models.

How does the coolpix fail? How long of an exposure is it when the quality degrades appreciably? Is the reduction in quality primarily because of image noise? If not, the camera's auto white balance could also be what is causing poor quality. Forcing a tungsten or fluorescent white balance could be of help.

I have a Coolpix 7900 and a Fuji F20.For day pictures,the Coolpix is better and the color is just superb.Not even the slightest trace of purple fringing or exposure problems.But when the light levels drop...camera over! The Fuji is very,very responsive,and great for low light,but I still prefer the image quality of the Nikon.There's something "artificial" about the color you get with the Fuji,and the images are not as responsive to post processing as the Nikon's.That said,the Fuji is much more flexible and better for people who don't want to think too much before taking a picture.