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Nikon Coolpix S640, S570, S70 leak out, leave little to the imagination
Nikon's Coolpix S1000pj project-o-camera may be the big rumor du jour, but the company's also got plenty of other cameras slipping through the cracks these days, like this trio of new compact shooters. Leading off the lot is the 12.2-megapixel Coolpix S640 (pictured above), which is said to pack a 5x, 28mm equivalent wide-angle lens, a 2.7-inch display, an "ultra-fast autofocus system," a start-up time of just 0.7 seconds, built-in quick retouch features, and your choice of three different colors for $499. Joining it are the 12-megapixel Coolpix S570, which replaces the 10-megepixel S560 and will set you back $349, and the all new 12.1-megapixel Coolpix S70 (check it out after the break), which runs a hefty $599 and includes 3.5-inch OLED touchscreen, a 5x optical zoom, sensitivity setting up to ISO 6400, and your choice of red, black, or champagne colors. No word on a release date for any of them just yet, but it sure seems like they're about to burst out of the gate.
Big lens on Nikon's Coolpix P90 superzoomer doesn't compensate for poor IQ
Nikon announced its plus-sized P90 at the same time as its lilliputian compact the S2220, which impressed us with its great form-factor and low price, but disappointed when it came to the all-important image quality. Its big brother, the 12.1 megapixel, 24x superzoom P90 is now getting put through its paces, and rather unfortunately doesn't seem to perform particularly well either -- at least not when compared to the competition like Olympus SP-590UZ. PhotographyBlog found that PQ was disappointingly low, as photos taken at ISO400 or above were "almost a complete write-off." The cam scores high marks for ease of use and design, but, since the others in this segment aren't exactly torture to hold or use, that's hardly high praise.
Nikon S630 unboxing and hands-on: pretty in pink edition
What's that, another compact digital camera unboxing? Yes, dear readers, we've got a mega-megapixel story cooking for you, and another ingredient has arrived. This time it's Nikon's Coolpix S630, a 12 megapixel, 7x optical zoom compact that features optical stabilization and a particularly vibrant hue. So far we're impressed by the camera's shape, lightness, and build quality, but this one has plenty more testing ahead of it before we make any solid conclusions. Until then, enjoy a few shots of its unveiling.
Teens take pictures of space with balloon, Nikon Coolpix camera
The closest most of us 'round here will ever get to outer space is blogging about the Lunar X Prize, so our inner astronauts get rather giddy any time an amateur makes it to the cusp of the gravity well. The above photos were taken by the Meteotek team, a teacher and his four students from the IES La Bisbal school in Catalonia, Spain. The group designed and launched a balloon kitted out with a Nikon Coolpix and custom built electronics, intending to get some shots at 30,000 feet. Well exceeding their expectations, the $80 digicam (held aloft by a $60 latex balloon) reached over 100,000 feet, at which point it lost inflation and fell to the earth. As the balloon rose, the team was able to map its progress using Google Earth via the craft's on-board radio receiver. After it fell back to earth, the group "travelled 10km to find the sensors and photographic card," said one of the students, "which was still emitting its signal, even though it had been exposed to the most extreme conditions." [Via Switched]
Nikon unveils eight new Coolpix cams
Nikon just dropped the refresh bomb on its Coolpix line, adding eight new point-and-shoots like the P90 here to the family. Here's the rundown: Coolpix S230 and S220: 10 megapixels with a touchscreen that lets you write and draw on your photos. Both have four-way VR image stabilization, blink detection, and are available in several colors; the $229 S230 bumps the screen to three inches from the $149 S220's two and a half and adds ISO 2000 sensitivity. Coolpix S630: 12 megapixels with a 7x optical zoom and an 11fps burst mode, a 2.7-inch LCD, four-way VR image stabilization, blink detection and ISO 6400 sensitivity. Available in five colors for $279. S620: 12.2 megapixels with a 4x zoom, 0.7-second startup time, subject tracking, four-way VR image stabilization, blink / motion detection and ISO 6400 sensitivity. Also available in five colors for $269. Coolpix P90: 12.1 megapixel zoomer with a 24x 26-624mm zoom and 15fps burst mode, 3-inch tilt screen, four-way VR image stabilization, blink / motion detection, distortion control and ISO 6400 sensitivity. $339 in March. Coolpix L100: 10 megapixel with a 15x 28-420mm zoom and a 13fps burst mode, 3-inch screen and four-way VR image stabilization. Only comes in Bright Red for $279 in March. Coolpix L20: 10 megapixels with a 3.6x zoom and a 3-inch display, motion detection and auto scene selection. AA-powered, will come in Deep Red for $129. Coolpix L19: 8 megapixels with a 3.6 zoom and a 2.7-inch display, motion detection and auto scene selection. AA-powered, will come in Bright Silver for $109. Not bad at all, but you've got to wonder why all these companies insist on cranking out so many minior variations on the same theme -- the average consumer has no chance of keeping up. Pictures of all the new shooters in the gallery.%Gallery-43692%
Apple releases Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 2.3
Apple just released an update for RAW camera support for Mac OS X Leopard, Aperture 2, and iPhoto '08. With this new update, the following list of RAW-format cameras are supported: Canon EOS 50D Nikon D90 Sony DSLR-A900 Nikon Coolpix P6000 Apple also notes that this update "addresses issues related to specific cameras and overall stability." You can download this update by opening up Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update) or by downloading the installer package from the Apple Support downloads site.Thanks for the tip, Tony!
Nikon Coolpix P6000 reviewed, not all that cool
The kids over at Photography Blog have finally got their hands on the Nikon Coolpix P6000 that became official back in August and have pronounced it "a mixed bag." It looks good on paper at least, with a 13.5-megapixel sensor, 28mm wide angle lens and built-in Ethernet (a first for a consumer grade camera). Unfortunately, the big ticket items like on-board GPS (for geo-tagging all those coolpix you'll be taking) and NRW file format support (the new "RAW" image format developed by Microsoft and Nikon) are said to be poorly implemented and all but unusable. Even the much-ballyhooed LAN connectivity is limited to something called MyPictureTown. Hit the read link to catch the reviewer holding forth on a number of other salient points, including the camera's DSLR-like hand-grip, optical viewfinder and external flash hotshoe.
Nikon's Coolpix S60, S710, S610 and P6000 with GPS get outed
Well, well. What have we here? A few new Nikon's in the run-up to Photokina, based on looks alone. Up first is the previously rumored Coolpix P6000 (pictured front, £429; $835 $500), a high-end point-and-shoot with a patently absurd 13.5-megapixel sensor, a 4x optical zoom, 2.7-inch touchscreen monitor, built-in GPS for geotagging pics, full manual mode and the ability to capture in RAW. If that's a bit much for you, you can check out the ultrathin Coolpix S60 (pictured back, £299; $581 $350), which packs a 3.5-inch 16:9 touchscreen that controls just about everything, a 10-megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom and an HDMI output. Next up is the S710, which unfortunately gets the aforementioned 14-megapixel sensor, a 3-inch LCD and a 3.6x optical zoom. Bringing up the rear is the 10-megapixel S560 (£179; $348 $250) and the S610 / S610c (£249; $484 $280), the latter of which includes WiFi for instant uploading. Look for most, if not all, of these to show up on shelves next month. Update: The whole gang just got official. Check out the details here. %Gallery-29195%Read - Nikon's Coolpix P6000Read - The rest of Nikon's stable
Purported Nikon Coolpix P6000 turns up online
There's unfortunately nothing more than the image above to go on at the moment but, if it is to be believed, it looks like Nikon could finally be about to bust out a successor to its P5000 series, with this purported P6000 model boasting a revised design and some beefed-up specs. That includes a 13.5-megapixel sensor, a boost to ISO 6400, RAW image support, a new GPS module and, well, everything else you see listed above. Notably absent from that list, however, is any word of a price or release date, though we'd expect those details to be turning up before too long if this rumor does, in fact, turn out to be legit.
Nikon's Coolpix S52c now shipping
Nikon is shipping the Coolpix S52c WiFi-capable point-and-shoot camera as expected. The S52c allows you to upload pictures to your Flickr or Nikon's own "my Picturetown" online image repository via WiFi and comes with 6 months of T-Mobile HotSpot access. Camera specs are pretty respectable, including a 9 megapixel sensor, 3x optical zoom, 3.0-inch LCD, and optical image stabilization. The Coolpix comes in at $279.95 and should show up at retailers soon. Despite Nikon saying it's shipping now, Amazon says it will ship on or around June 15, so hopefully they're just a little slow on the uptake and Nikon isn't lying through its teeth.
Nikon slides out S52 and WiFi-friendly S52c COOLPIX fashioncams
Nikon is fleshing out its "Style Series" of shooters with the COOLPIX S52 and S52c (pictured) compact cameras. The two cameras are pretty much spec-for-spec identical other than the WiFi capabilities of the S52c which allow it to upload shots wirelessly to services like Flickr or Nikon's own "my Picturetown." Otherwise you're looking at a pair of fairly standard compacts, with 9 megapixel sensors, 3x zoom, optical image stabilization and so forth. Both will be available in May, with the S52 retailing for $250, and the S52c arriving at $280.%Gallery-20220%
Nikon intros the Coolpix P80, encourages you to zoom
Not been zooming in on "things" enough lately? Well maybe Nikon can help. The company is introducing the new Coolpix P80 18x zoom camera, which covers focal lengths from 27mm to 486mm -- which is a ton of millimeters. The P80 also sports the camera-maker's fancy pants NIKKOR optics, burst modes in four, six, and 13 FPS, ISO to 6400, and a 2.7-inch, anti-reflective LCD display. The camera has a slew of onboard tweaks that make capturing your family get-togethers or drunken escapades easier (provided the two events are separate), like auto redeye reduction and face detection (Face Priority AF). The Coolpix P80 will be available this month for the astonishing MSRP of $399.99. Check the gallery below for a number of revealing angles.%Gallery-20218%
Nikon's S600 rounds out the new Coolpix lineup
We're not sure how it slipped by before, but Nikon's got one more in its new S-series Coolpix cameras, the S600. The 10 megapixel camera bests the recently-announced S550 with a 2.7-inch LCD, 3200 ISO and optical image stabilization, but cuts the zoom to 4x and jacks the price to $299. The camera will be available in March. [Via gizmag]
Hands-on with Nikon's new Coolpix lineup
Nikon has a raft of new Coolpix digicams at PMA to cover the range of shutterbugs, from "give me more options" to "just a shutter, please." For those who want some more options but just can't commit to a DSLR yet, there's the P60. You'll get to play around with 8.1-megapixels, 15 (!) scene modes, manual mode and 5x stabilized zoom. The heart of the Coolpix lineup belongs to the compact S550, S520 and S210 models. The S550 sports a 10-megapixel sensor and 5x zoom with electonic stabilization. The S520 has true optical stabilization attached to the 3x zoom optics and an 8-megapixel CCD. Finally, the S210 keeps the 8-megapixel sensor, but reverts to electronic stabilization. At the "easy" end of the spectrum is the L18 digicam, with 8-megapixel resolution, 3x zoom and a big 3-inch LCD; available in your choice of navy or ruby red.%Gallery-15025%
Nikon's Coolpix L18 for 8 megapixel point and shooting
Last up for Nikon this morning is their L18 compact point and shoot camera. Pretty decent, but standard specs here: 8 megapixel sensor, 3x Zoom-NIKKOR lens, 3.0-inch LCD, anti-shake AE (adjusts shutter speeds and ISO), face detection, and automatic red-eye correction. It also boasts a "TV quality" movie mode which we're assuming means VGA. Available this March for $140 in ruby red or navy blue.%Gallery-14823%
Nikon's new Coolpix S550, S520, and S210
Nikon's new mid-to-low-enders land tonight, say hi to the Coolpix S550, S520, and S210. Casual photographers take note, only the S520 features optical stabilization, you'll want to try and aim for that instead of messing with any of that electronic stabilization stuff. S550 - 10 megapixels, 5x zoom, electronic stabilization, 2.5-inch LCD, out February for $229 S520 - 8 megapixels, 3x zoom, optical stabilization, up to ISO 2000, 2.5-inch LCD, out March for $229 S210 - 8 megapixels, electronic stabilization, up to ISO 2000, 2.5-inch LCD, our March for $179 Read (S550)Read (S520)Read (S210)
Nikon's Coolpix P60 puts you in control
This time, it's Nikon dishing out the pre-PMA madness. The Coolpix P60 is designed for the consumer looking for "creative control" in their digital shooter. This 8.1 megapixel camera features both programmed auto (including 15 scene-optimized modes) and manual controls, a 5x Zoom-NIKKOR lens and Vibration Reduction (VR) image stabilization. It also packs an electronic viewfinder in addition to that LCD and Nikon's EXPEEDTM image processing to keep noise to a minimum even when shooting at a max ISO 2,000 sensitivity. The kit is powered by a pair of AA-batteries and should pop in March for $230.%Gallery-14822%
Nikon Coolpix P5100 gets reviewed
Merely months after cranking out the P5000, Nikon apparently felt the need to up the ante rather hastily with the Coolpix P5100. Unfortunately, it seems that this unit is yet another shining example of why stuffing a 12-megapixel sensor into a compact camera isn't exactly the greatest of ideas. Granted, the image quality here was noticeably better than that produced by the Fujifilm FinePix F50fd, but performance was sorely lacking when using any ISO greater than 400. Despite that shortcoming, reviewers were quite enthralled by the on board controls and overall ergonomics, and it was also noted that most shots could be brought "under control" with a bit of tinkering. Overall, the crew went ahead and awarded the shooter four out of five stars, suggesting that its reasonable pricetag was much to thank. If you've been eying this one from a distance, you owe it to yourself to check out the full review before pulling the trigger or just blowing it off.
Nikon's Coolpix frenzy continues with L14, L15, S700, and S510
Hope you're not tired of Coolpixes yet, cause Nikon's got another bundle of compact cameras for us, including two new models in its L series and two in its S series. As the model numbers suggest, there's not a whole lot of difference between the L14 and L15 (on the top above), with the former packing a 7.1 megapixel CMOS and a 3x zoom lens that covers a practical range from 38-114mm, while the latter ups things to 8.0 megapixels and a 3x zoom covering 35-105mm. The L15 also boasts a slightly larger 2.8-inch LCD, as opposed to a 2.4-inch one on the L14. Moving into higher-end territory, the Coolpix S700 packs an impressive 12.1 megapixels, a 3x optical zoom and a 2.7-inch LCD in a slim aluminum body, while the also-aluminum S510 boasts 8.0 megapixels, a 3x optical zoom, and a pink color option in addition to the standard black and silver. Look for the whole lot of them to be available sometime next month, with the L14 and L15 running $150 and $180, respectively, and the S700 and S510 setting you back $380 and $300 apiece.Read - Nikon Coolpix L14Read - Nikon Coolpix L15Read - Nikon Coolpix S700Read - Nikon Coolpix S510
Nikon's Coolpix S51c with a lick of WiFi sugar
Mmm mm, WiFi and digital photography go together like brown on Zune (whatever that means). Sprinkle in a 3-inch LCD, optical lens shift vibration reduction, SDHC expansion, and Nikon's new EXPEED image processing and you've got Nikon's Coolpix S51c. Under the hood you'll find an 8.1 megapixel, 1/2.5-inch CCD pumping away in support of that 3x Zoom-NIKKOR glass. All well and good, but the WiFi seems limited to pushing photos up to Nikon's new "My Picturetown" service only. At least from there it "supports picture transfer to various imaging devices as well as Internet services." €299/$407 -- less if you opt for the WiFi-less S51.%Gallery-6583%
