Video: Nikon Coolpix S1000pj projector-cam gets hands on, ads galore
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Aug 4th 2009 12:23PM
posted Aug 4th 2009 12:23PM
The just-announced Nikon Coolpix S1000pj digicam / pico projector has been blowin' up the Interwebs this morning, and we have the video to prove it. First of all, there is a hands-on provided by What Digital Camera over in the UK, and aside from the projector they've uncovered a pretty straight forward digital shooter: 12 megapixel, 5x optical zoom, pretty standard dimensions, and a 2.7-inch LCD. However, the projector itself seems to do the job quite admirably. Sure, it's not an extensive demo, but the image looks clear and crisp. The reviewer deems it "a very, very clever party trick." And if the straight ahead tech demo doesn't get you in the mood to snap pictures and project them onto something, advertisers have offered us two visions of the future: take your pick from a spirited get together choc full o' photogenic American actors, or a somewhat subdued, more elegant affair in the presence of photogenic French actors. All that fun (and more) is to be had after the break.
That lady sure does love some technology lol
is that trevor linden
I like how the pic on the wall has red on the right, but if you are standing where cameraman is standing, she's on your left. Something is awry!
Yeah, but it looks like they're standing against that wall, so the camera man probably just moved forward, and they turned around.
Am I the only one that thinks this will be a huge flop? I think they fact they can fit a projector into that small of a space is amazing, but its not very practical. Plus im sure that thing wont drain the battery at all..
I'm just worried that the projector output will be very low quality or not bright for practical use. If not then this is a very nice thing :)
"Am I the only one that thinks this will be a huge flop?" - Yes.
"Am I the only one that thinks this will be a huge flop?" -Yes
This is the ultimate grandparent pleaser. People use their cameras as a portable slideshow keeping images permanently on the camera to view and show off. Every-time we visit the grandparents, they want to see the latest album of kid pics and viewing it on a 3 inch screen doesn't cut it on aged eyes. I'm thinking of getting one even though I'm deep in the Canon camp.
I just don't get it. I mean I understand the whole "You don't have to crowd around to see the pictures" thing, but that's not enough justification for me. Just make a camera with a bigger screen. The way I see it, this is going to be a mediocre camera with a mediocre-at-best projector.
@Ryan Trevisol
"Just make a camera with a bigger screen"
It's already 2.7", how much bigger will you make it, 5"? Then you will have to make the whole camera bigger. As Pom said it's the ultimate grandparent pleaser. Will a pro used it? Not likely. Will my grandparents? Definitely.
IF the grandparents can figure out how to use it.
"Just make a camera with a bigger screen."
I'd really dig a camera with a 22-inch screen. Why, I'll just attach my Canon to the back of my monitor! Patent!
All my friends look that.
This is better than the uncle who forces you to view fifty photos on his 2inch camera screen; but I wonder what it does to battery life?
Even better that means they can only show you several pics before it zonks out!
(I have no idea how good the battery is...)
This is nice for when people want to see what pictures you just took. They don't need to crowd around you, and you don't need to pass the camera around.
Or if Paris Hilton has one and just had her boyfriend over before her photo-viewing party......
You do need a large, clear wall, preferably white. And the room would have to be dark or dimly lit.
@ kumquat
From what I've seen of these little bitty projectors, dimly lit is still too much light. They look really awesome-ish in pitch dark, about 12 inches from whatever you're projecting on.
This would have been useful if the camera lacked an LCD screen.
Yes, I don't like to take pictures through and LCD either. It's nice for setting up the camera only.
Wow, it's like you can project images on the wall of people that are standing right there to see pictures of themselves projected on the wall of them standing there...... wait a minute.........
Yo dawg, I heard you like.....
Damn, 3D camera or projector camera? Decisions decisions.... I am looking forward to the hologram camera of the future though.
I like how the image on the wall doesn't move at all even though the guy holding the camera is laughing and not keeping the camera still.
who cares when the next gen iPhone will have a projector and an OLED screen....I'm sure there will be a megapixel bump too....bye bye S1000pj
Reality = Where we all live
Fantasy = Where you live with your 10Mpx iPhone with built in projector.
I said 10mp? OLED may be a fantasy, but I can guarantee a projector...u fk face ;-)
It took Apple how long to add copy & paste and you think they're going to give you OLED and a built-in projector?
LOL
A non HD projector? Once again crApple falls far behind the competition.
Sign me up. I love this idea.
Now if they would throw in the ability to save movies and such onto the camera, and use it as a portable movie player as well, then we'd be talking. It would have to have some good speakers thrown in as well.
For (grand) parents and/or those who don't have access to or don't want to fiddle with TV cables or uploading to a PC - and keep* their photos on their camera, this is a great way to view and show off pics of the family at home or away. The perfect Mum camera too.
*With today's huge memory card capacities, this is quite practical for those who only shoot a few hundred pictures a year.
i wonder if you can project and take a picture at the same time ... could make for some really cool pictures .. :D
and i'm pretty sure someone will find a way to make it play movies within 3 weeks of it's release ...
This has got to be the worst idea ever.
Now someone can take an embarrassing photo of you and then project it on a wall with ease for everyone or every stranger to see. This technology will be a relationship destroyer because it'll be abused in public by every stupid idiot with a few bucks in his pocket.
No thanks.
No, Agent Orange was a bad idea
This is great.
Say, I have an idea - don't let someone photograph you when you are in an embarrassing position. What the hell do you do, fly to Boston every week for $500 per hour 'dates'?
"Say, I have an idea..."
You do? Awesome! Feels good for ya to rub a couple of brain cells together for the first time, don't it?
And $500/hr. dates? Twisted. Try $2000/hr. Get it right, chump!
Brilliant idea. You won't use the projector everyday, and you don't have to, but there are moments where you want to show your photos to other people. With the memory cards size increasing, more people choose to leave their photos on the card and don't delete them. Then when you get together with friends, you don't have to connect your camera to a pc to view the photos.
Of course the quality is not the best, of course the battery will drain, but it is a first step and I applaud them for that. Hopefully the technology will progress in the future.
>> "With the memory cards size increasing, more people choose to leave their photos on the card and don't delete them."
People leave pictures on their cameras now... and they don't even have projectors. It's because they don't know how to organize photos on their computer. It's great that a memory card can hold 500 photos... but cameras aren't for long-term storage.
Plus... who wants to scroll through 500 photos on a camera? It would be nice if you could organize photos on the camera into folders... but again... I don't want to encourage people to use their camera for long-term storage
This won't fail. I could see hipsters having "photo show parties", where they get a slice of wall section to themselves, and they display the pictures they took, mounted on a tripod on a slideshow setting. You could do it in an empty art gallery.
I can see the stupid commercials doing just what I described right now.
haha, what a gimmick. Only a company like Nikon produces something like this. I'm pretty sure that the projector will dim overtime and renders itself unusable at any situation. Nikon's choice of folding optics also degrades the image quality with significant amounts of optical aberrations and distortion. Canon on the other hand, is the leader in DSLR photography, which is no surprise that most people prefer Canon point and shoot rather than Nikon. I also find it ironic that the review is captured using the EOS 5D Mark II, which is the camera I have =)
The In-Camera Red-Eye Fix™ creates a smile too!
Spare me your fanboyism.
Why is everyone so negative? Canon dSLRs have had a "direct print" button for ages, even though nobody ever uses it. Here, a point-and-shoot finally offers something other than more megapixels and yet, everyone still complains. Sure, the projector isn't on a par with the one you have in your home theater, sure it's not HD or bright enough to outshine midday sun. But be realistic, you'll most likely use the projector indoors anyway. And it's designed for quick sharing, not pixel peeping.
I for one thing it's a fantastic feature. Teens will love it at parties, kids will play with it in the car, and as previously said, grandparents won't have to put on their reading glasses to see.
It already plays videos you fudge packers!
Watch the first movie.
I am suprised by the negative reactions. Look at the facts.
- Pico projectors were not practical only one year ago. Big strides have been made this year on the technology. From the write ups I have seen, the quality is supposed to be very impressive both in terms of resolution and brightness. Not many people would know first hand as up until this product, they have almost exclusively been tech demonstration platforms.
- The size of the technology is such that it has almost no effect on the weight and size of the device. Again, do some reseach on Pico projector technology and you'll see why.
- The cost of the technology is very cheap. Again, this is directly due to the fact that this is a single chip design (which makes it small too).
So essentially, this adds almost no size, weight, or cost. It has quite a few use case scenarios that are nifty. In an ultra competitive landscape like compact digicams, guess where this is headed. One year from now, nearly all compact digicams will have a pico projector (yes even the mighty Canon to call out an earlier post). It will only be a distinguishing characteristic if it is absent.
Nikon will move a few of these on this feature alone, but soon it will be relegated to the standard parts list. And we consumers benefit. How many dozens of features do modern digicams have that never get used. This has a fighting chance to get used more than many of the new features on digicams over the past few years.
THANK YOU!
Some of these people need some patience.
If only these had a video input from a computer or similar I'd totally buy one. Otherwise it's a pretty useless/expensive feature to be used with the camera only...
Yeah, if it has video/audio I/O it could make for a great portable projector for CPUs, game systems, sat/cable, etc.
What I get from these ads is that both Americans and French have really stupid parties.