Nikon Coolpix S6900

Nikon launched the Coolpix S6900 in February 2015 as a camera built entirely around one use case: getting a good photo of yourself without asking someone else. The 3-inch vari-angle LCD flips all the way around to face you, a built-in kickstand props it upright on any flat surface, a front shutter button fires without reaching around the back, and Gesture Control triggers the shutter with a wave. The 12× zoom and Wi-Fi handled everything else.

THE LOOKS

In black, the S6900 is a conventional-looking camera from the front — 99 × 58 × 28mm, Nikon logo, lens barrel, front shutter button — until you notice the kickstand folded into the base and the 3-inch 460k-dot LCD that rotates a full 180 degrees to face forward. Closed up it looks like any other compact. Open and propped on a table it's something else entirely. At 181g it has enough weight to feel solid when propped.

THE SPECS

The 16-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor handles ISO up to 6400 — useful for a camera you're often pointing at yourself in mixed indoor light. The 12× Nikkor ED zoom covers 25–300mm, wide enough for group shots and long enough for anything across the room, with lens-shift VR keeping shots stable at the long end. 1080p/60fps video with stereo sound. Wi-Fi and NFC for direct phone transfer. 9fps burst for fast sequences. SD/SDHC/SDXC, 99 × 58 × 28mm, 181g.

DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

• Built-in kickstand with front shutter button: prop the camera on any flat surface, flip the screen, and shoot hands-free — no timer, no balancing act, no asking strangers.
• Fully articulated 3-inch LCD rotating 180 degrees: flips to face forward for selfies, angles down for waist-level shots, and tucks flat when not in use.
• Gesture Control triggering the shutter by hand wave: raise your hand in frame, the camera detects it and fires — the most natural way to shoot self-portraits from a distance.

THE VERDICT

The S6900 understood the selfie properly — not as an afterthought bolted onto a standard compact, but as the whole brief. The kickstand, front button, Gesture Control, and flipping screen all work together as a complete system. The 12× zoom with 25mm wide angle makes it a proper travel compact when you turn it back around. Black is the version that looks least like a selfie camera and most like something you'd actually carry daily.