CameraProjector
Latest
Nikon patents DSLR camera / projector, high-end photographers may get to join the projection party
Nikon's done the projector-in-a-camera thing before, but the S1100pj was aimed at the compact digital camera crowd. In what appears to be an effort to take its game to the next level, the company has obtained a Japanese patent for a way to give a DSLR those same mythical projector capabilities. Though the patent's english detailed description states that images are "projected on the screen of the photographing instrument exterior via the eyepiece of an electronic view finder," something may have been lost in translation -- the drawings show the projection coming out of the camera's lens, and our hopes and dreams won't let us see anything else. Regardless of how the thing works, we hope that Nikon puts it into production soon, as we -- proud members of the "serious" photo-snapping crowd -- would like to share our pics at parties, too. Hit up the source link for the translated patent documents, but be aware that the link won't work in Chrome (IE or Firefox only) and you'll need to put in "A" for the Kind code and "2011-10098" in the Number field to get them. What, you thought surfing the world wide web was easy?
Pico projector camera concept is, as usual, better than the real thing
Oh, don't get us wrong, we rather enjoyed our time with Nikon's S1100pj projector camera, but this here Pico concept design is on a whole other level. We're talking both in terms of cuteness and inventiveness. You might have recognized by now that one of the Pico's "eyes" is the camera lens while the other is the projector, but what of the "smile?" Why, that's your microphone's sound intake port. And its little feet -- acting as a stabilizing stand when in projector mode -- also double up as covers for the external connection jacks. Masterful. Look for it to appear in your dreams some time very soon.
Nikon rumored to be working on second projector camera with video-in capability
Despite the built-in pico projector and a freakish publicity stunt, Nikon's Coolpix S1000pj camera hasn't exactly been flying off the shelves. That said, French magazine Chasseur d'Images -- a publication with good track record on product leaks -- is reporting that Nikon's cooking up a second projector camera, and this time it'll even work as a conventional pico projector for computers. Sounds pretty swank, but according to Nikon Rumors, we'll have to wait until the first half of August for the next batch of Coolpix cameras to come out. Hopefully it won't be too late for our summer getaways -- otherwise we'll just have to hop on over to another hemisphere.
Nikon Coolpix S1000pj won't be with us until October, others also delayed Update: On time!
Alas, our dream of rocking parties with the projector-packing s1000pj will have to wait an extra month. Turns out that demand for the shooter was so high that even Nikon, whose sole purpose in life is making imaging equipment, couldn't satiate it in time. The new dates for your calendar are October 23 for the 12.1 megapixel, 5x optical zoom S1000pj, and September 19 for its S70 and S570 brethren. The S70 switches out the projector for a 3.5-inch OLED multitouch screen, and should prove quite the attractive proposition in its own right, but for now all we can do is look admiringly from afar. Sigh. Update: Happy news, at least for those of us in the States -- Nikon just let us know the S1000pj will be available in the US as planned on September 17th. Sorry, no word on anywhere else. We'll think of you when we're beaming our photos, though. [Via Impress]
Video: Nikon Coolpix S1000pj projector-cam gets hands on, ads galore
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.
Nikon Coolpix S1000pj projector-cam beams into reality along with friends
Man, the Nikon Coolpix S1000pj has gone from crazy rumor to seemingly-real to whoa-here's-the-press-release in record time -- the compact cam with the integrated projector was just officially announced, along with the three other cams we saw leaked earlier today. Leaked specs for the S1000pj were dead-on: a 12.1 megapixel sensor with ISO 6400 sensitivity mounted behind a 5x wide-angle zoom lens with five-way VR stabilization, and that LED-powered projector that'll put up a 40-inch image for slideshows complete with music, effects and transitions. We're a little less excited about the $430 list price this thing will carry when it hits in September, but on the whole it's a pretty terrific idea and we're completely intrigued -- looks like we'll be saving our pennies this month. Pictures of everything in the gallery, deets on the other cams and a video of the S1000pj after the break.
