The Nikon Coolpix S9100 shoots decent-looking but slightly grainy video in bright light. Note, however, that the camera's word score of Good for overall video quality is heavily skewed toward its performance in well-lit situations, and its video capture doesn't perform well in low-light environments. Its top-mounted stereo microphones generally do a great job of recording audio, and for audio capture the camera earned a score of Very Good.

You can view the videos we used for our video- and audio-quality subjective tests, under both and . Select 1080p from the drop-down menu in the lower-right corner of each player to see the full-resolution clips.

According to CIPA, the Nikon Coolpix S9100 takes around 270 shots per charge of its lithium ion battery, which is enough for a battery-life rating of Good.

So far in 2011, the Nikon Coolpix S9100 is our top pick as a fully automated pocket megazoom camera for casual users who couldn't care less about manual controls but still want to take good-looking and creative photos. The S9100 also has the image quality, lens versatility, and creative modes (the post-shot retouch and effects modes, in particular) to keep experienced photographers more engaged than they might expect out of a camera with no manual controls. The Coolpix S9100 knows what it takes to get the best shot in nearly any situation, and then just does it. This camera offers great performance and value for the price.