Nikon Coolpix L, P, and S-series cameras unveiled

More goodness from the pre-PMA buzz, this time from Nikon who felt compelled to drop no less than seven compact digicams on us today. Let's start big pixels and wireless shall we with the 8.1 megapixel P3 which features 802.11b/g WiFi, a 2.5-inch LCD, 3.5x Zoom-Nikkor lens, and Nikon's Vibration Reduction capability. If you still want WiFi but a bit more style than the curvacious Coolpix S6 (pictured) is sure to please. This 6 megapixel shooter we saw before sports a 3x optical zoom, big 3-inch LCD and that same 802.11b/g WiFi lovin'. Both cameras come in non-WiFi P4 and S5 versions. Rounding out the line-up are three cameras from the entry-level L-series. The Coolpix L2, L3, and L4 each offer 3x optical zooms, a 2-inch LCD, and 6, 5.1, and 4 megapixels respectively. Snaps of the P3 and L2 after the break.

[Thanks, David]

Nikon Coolpix L2

Nikon Coolpix P3

 

[joshua @ Feb 21st 2006 8:48AM]

Amazing features and an awesome look and style. Its just fab.

[BlueLightBandit @ Feb 21st 2006 9:01AM]

Maybe I haven't been paying attention in school enough... but could someone tell me why I need WiFi on my camera?

My phone has it, my PDA has it, my laptop has it and my mp3 player has it.. Heck, my keys just about have it. Isn't this getting a little silly here?

[Mike @ Feb 21st 2006 9:08AM]

Bluelight, I personally would see it as a good thing to be able to print or make room on my camera without having to swap memory cards or hook up to cables or a docking station. Also imagine being able to have the camera automatically upload pictures to a website. These are just a few things that come to mind. I'm sure there are plenty more uses.

[skype_fan @ Feb 21st 2006 9:17AM]

Well I do hope that WiFi means also support for WPA-PSK otherwise I can't use such a toy. (Who always wants to change his network settings only that such a device can access.

[erki @ Feb 21st 2006 9:53AM]

Yeah imagine all the s***t what gets uploaded directly to web. Internet will be so full of crap that it makes my head ache. Less is more you know...

L2 looks really ugly, haven't seen so horrible camera for a long time. Why so gray?

[gideonyago @ Feb 21st 2006 9:55AM]

Any news on how this performs in low-light? Is there an ISO equivalency of what it can do? I'm concerned about its performance and take of noise under certain lighting conditions ...

[John Schaefer @ Feb 21st 2006 9:56AM]

Nikon's twist-cameras are/were the best thing ever for complicated-geometry snapshots. Too bad they feel driven by the bottom-feeding, tradition-bound marketplace to provide lots of me-too traditional form factor cameras and no new action in twisters. Performance innovators set themselves up for strategic oblivion when they stop offering products that their engineers and technical customers think are cutting-edge, and instead offer products that the mass market wants and that are distinguished primarily by the presence of the used-to-mean-superior-performance logotype.

[nemi @ Feb 21st 2006 10:54AM]

when oh when will we get cammeras that record movie clips at HDTV resolution ?

720p is only 3x the data rate of 640x480 recording. Why is More's law not applying to the CPU in cammeras?

I'd pay $50 more for a device with DSP that can do 30fps 720p picture in Mpeg 2 or 4 to a nice 4 Gb SD card.

[furtim @ Feb 21st 2006 1:30PM]

Agreed, John. I've got a four year-old Nikon Coolpix 2500, and I think it's totally the bees knees. But it's four years old, and it only does 2 Megapixels. If Nikon made a camera with a similar twist feature using modern sensor technology and firmware... Man, that'd be SWEET.

But I have to assume there's a reason they don't make them anymore. They must have not sold as well as the other Coolpix cameras. For shame.

nemi: They certainly do make cameras that record HDTV-quality video. They were used to shoot Episode 1, and they cost thousands of dollars. Bleeding edge technology ain't cheap, in money or size. And who says it's a matter of CPU power, anyway? There's more to a camera than raw bit-pushing. Which is why the big HD camcorders are, well, big. And expensive.

[CanuckTFi @ Feb 21st 2006 8:02PM]

They have a Coolpix S4 with rotating head, 6mp, 10x optical zoom. Can still get them cheap off ecost I think. Nice camera, bit bigger than I prefer since I am used to my canon sd400. But it does operate nicely and take good pics.

[Kimberly @ Feb 21st 2006 8:03PM]

I miss the Coolpix with the swivel lens. I wish Nikon knew how much I valued that feature :/

[Amit Inamdar @ Feb 22nd 2006 8:43AM]

i am a comment spammer: [e-mail]

[Susan @ Feb 27th 2006 5:19PM]

I have the old swivel Nikon Coolpix, and am interested in the S4 which also swivels, but the lens cap looks cheap. I also heard good things about the L1, that between the two, the L1 has a quicker focus and better focus.

Anyone, know anything else about the two?