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Nikon D40 budget DSLR pics leaked
A few days ago, two mysterious images of a Nikon D40 appeared on the website of German electronics retailer Neckermann. Although the posting has since been removed, that hasn't stopped Digital SLR enthusiasts from poring over the images and the specifications (6 megapixel CCD, 3 point focusing, and the absence of an auto focus motor and a status LCD), both of which suggest that this camera will be aimed at the bottom end of Nikon's DSLR line-up -- if it actually exists, that is. While elitists may moan at the potentially limited feature set, anything that blurs the line between consumer and pro-level cameras is fine by us, especially if it reduces prices.
Contest reminder: deck out tech for Halloween, sing an Engadget song, shoot some sweet photos
We've given away an enormous amount of kit these past few weeks, but we've got some pretty big prizes up on the block right now. We know you'd like to go on with your weekends unhindered by any obsession with competing for a Nikon D80 DSLR, VidaBox SLIM Media Center PC, or a Zune, but sorry, we want to see what you're made of.Halloween contest - VidaBox SLIM home theater PCCare to take on 2005 runner-up Cameron R? (Movie above, no sound.) Make a gadgety Halloween costume! Send it in by Wednesday, 11:59pm EST, November 1st. Full details on how to enter here, let's make it happen.Gadget photo contest - Nikon D80 DSLR with lensShoot the best gadget or tech themed photo! Send it in by 11:59PM EST, Sunday, the 29th. Full details on how to enter here.Engadget theme song contest - ZuneThe final pre-release Zune! Write the Engadget theme song; Send it in by 11:59PM EST, Sunday, the 29th. Full details on how to enter here.Oh yeah, we have some other contests going on right now, too: Seriously, you can win a Philips 42PF9631D 42-inch plasma Xbox 360 Premum pack!
Nikon Coolpix S9 compact reviewed
The digicam-happy folks at Digital Camera Review recently got a chance to give Nikon's Coolpix S9 compact digital camera a thorough going over, finding it fairly well-suited to those looking for a simple, inexpensive camera, but obviously not intended for more demanding photogs. The camera itself packs a 6.1 megapixel sensor, 3x optical zoom, and 2.5-inch LCD into a compact 3.6 x 2.3 x 0.8-inch, all-metal package, though it lacks the WiFi connectivity of some of its Coolpix brethren. Performance-wise, the S9 came through with generally good image quality, though Digital Camera Review found the reds a little to orangey for their taste. They were also disappointed with the cam's lackluster battery life (enough for about 100 shots) and surprisingly noisy zoom motor, as well as lack of manual exposure controls. At least it won't put too much hurt on the old bank account, retailing for $250 with a number of retailers already offering it for closer to the $200 mark.
Engadget's relaunch giveaways: a Nikon D80 DSLR with lens!
Photographers in the house, we've got a winner for last week's S7c! Bryan W is taking home the prize! Thanks to everyone for joining our Flickr group, we hope you'll have fun sharing gadgety photos with your fellow Engadget readers. This week, however, we're going all out. We've got Nikon's new flagship consumer DSLR to give away, the D80; here's the low down to whet your appetite: 10.2 megapixel CCD sensor 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens (approx 7.5x zoom) 2.5-inch LCD 1600 ISO (with auto ISO mode) 11 area autofocus, auto white balance Continuous 3fps shooting In-camera red-eye correction, etc. All in all this kit would set somebody back $1,300, so we're gonna pull out all the stops on this one. This week it's going to be a photo contest, and to take home the D80 we want you to send us your finest, most creative photo of (or making use of) electronics or consumer tech. We know it's open ended, but we want you to do something that stands out -- the key is to grab our attention and stand out from the crowd. (In other words, just having a dramatically lit, well framed shot of an iPod probably won't win you this camera.) Slightly photoshopped images are ok, but the source image(s) must be yours, but judging will be about the merit of the photo, and not of your ability to manipulate it. Submit your entry to us at contest at engadget dawt com with D80 in the subject (please, no larger than 10MB or it will bounce). Have your entries in by Sunday, the 29th to be eligible. Engadget's editors will select the photo that takes home the prize. As always, please mind the rules! You may enter other Engadget contests, however... You may only enter this contest once; if you enter more than once on this particular contest post you'll be automatically disqualified and barred from all future giveaways. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) You may enter future Engadget relaunch giveaway contests though! You can only win once. (If you win and then try to go for a second prize during our relaunch giveaways, you'll be automatically disqualified, etc.) This contest is open to the US only, sorry! Be prepared to prove the photo is yours! You will be shipped your D80 in a few weeks when all our contests are over. Thanks for your patience! Good luck, and be sure you've entered our other contests, as well! Fourth shot at a Zune Win a VidaBox SLIM for the best Halloween costume! Seriously, you can win a Philips 42PF9631D 42-inch plasma Win yourself a Slingbox PRO Xbox 360 Premium Pack here! HD has a Helios X3000
Engadget's relaunch giveaways: the third (and last) Nikon S7c WiFi camera
Aight photophiles, we've got a winner for last week's S7c! Briant G, you're our man! Thanks to everyone for entering -- you still have chances to win a ton of gadgets, including another Nikon Coolpix S7c WiFi-enabled digital camera. We saw this 0.75-inch thick shooter announced at Photokina as one of their new flagship feature-point and shoots. What you might win today features: 3x optical zoom 7.1 megapixel sensor 3-inch LCD 802.11b/g WiFi with T-Mobile Hotspot support 1600 ISO and image stabilization 30fps VGA movie mode 14MB internal memory To be entered to win this fine piece of photographic equipment, all you have to do is join the Engadget Flickr group. What can we say, we do love Flickr! You must join up by this Sunday the 15th to be eligible for our random selection -- only members of our Flickr group will be eligible. As always, please mind the rules! You may enter other Engadget contests, however... You may only enter this contest once; if you enter more than once on this particular contest post you'll be automatically disqualified and barred from all future giveaways. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) You may enter future Engadget relaunch giveaway contests though! You can only win once. (If you win and then try to go for a second prize during our relaunch giveaways, you'll be automatically disqualified, etc.) This contest is open to the US only, sorry! You will be shipped your S7c in a few weeks when all our contests are over. Thanks for your patience! Good luck, and be sure you've entered our other contests, as well! A third shot at a Zune We have a Samsung HL-S5679W DLP with LED backlight! Get yourself a Slingbox AV! Here's a second Xbox 360 Premium pack
Engadget's relaunch giveaways: a second Nikon S7c WiFi camera
Aight photophiles, we've got a winner for last week's S7c! BooLeiU, come on down! Thanks to everyone for entering -- you still have chances to win a ton of gadgets, including another Nikon Coolpix S7c WiFi-enabled digital camera. We saw this 0.75-inch thick shooter announced at Photokina as one of their new flagship feature-point and shoots. What you might win today features: 3x optical zoom 7.1 megapixel sensor 3-inch LCD 802.11b/g WiFi with T-Mobile Hotspot support 1600 ISO and image stabilization 30fps VGA movie mode 14MB internal memory To win this fine piece of photographic equipment, leave a comment below with your favorite subject or location to shoot. Entries must be made by this Sunday the 7th to be eligible for our random selection. As always, please mind the rules! You may enter other Engadget contests, however... You may only enter this contest once; if you enter more than once on this particular contest post you'll be automatically disqualified and barred from all future giveaways. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) You may enter future Engadget relaunch giveaway contests though! You can only win once. (If you win and then try to go for a second prize during our relaunch giveaways, you'll be automatically disqualified, etc.) This contest is open to the US only, sorry! You will be shipped your S7c in a few weeks when all our contests are over. Thanks for your patience! Good luck, and be sure you've entered our other contests, as well! A Philips 42PF9631D 42-inch plasma! Hows about an Xbox 360 Premium pack? Another shot at a Zune! We've got the new Slingbox Tuner!
Engadget's relaunch giveaways: Nikon S7c WiFi camera
Mondays don't have to be total wash -- you still have chances to win a ton of gadgets, including this, our latest up on the block: a Nikon Coolpix S7c WiFi-enabled digital camera. We saw this 0.75-inch thick shooter announced at Photokina as one of their new flagship feature-point and shoots. What you might win today features: 3x optical zoom 7.1 megapixel sensor 3-inch LCD 802.11b/g WiFi with T-Mobile Hotspot support 1600 ISO and image stabilization 30fps VGA movie mode 14MB internal memory To win this fine piece of photographic equipment, leave a comment below with the name of your favorite photographer (and/or the title of your favorite photograph) in our comments by this Sunday the 30th to be eligible for our random selection. As always, please mind the rules! You may enter other Engadget contests, however... You may only enter this contest once; if you enter more than once on this particular contest post you'll be automatically disqualified and barred from all future giveaways. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) You may enter future Engadget relaunch giveaway contests though! You can only win once. (If you win and then try to go for a second prize during our relaunch giveaways, you'll be automatically disqualified, etc.) Contest is open to US only -- sorry! You will be shipped your S7c in a few weeks when all our contests are over. Thanks for your patience! Good luck, and be sure you've entered our other contests, as well! Be the first to win a Zune! We got two Slingboxes for ya, too! And a Philips 42PF9631D 42-inch plasma! Hows about an Xbox 360 Premium pack?
Nikon intros five new Coolpix models
With the Photokina trade show just around around the corner, we've been expecting an onslaught of cameras, and Nikon today proved that its no slouch; the venerable manufacturer has introduced a total of five new members to its lineup of Coolpix consumer cams. We'll start out with the S7c, a compact 7.1 megapixel shooter highlighted by a huge 3-inch LCD, maximum ISO of 1600, and like the previous P3 and S6, that sweet WiFi radio for wirelessly sending your winning shots over the internet (including through email). You're also getting 30fps VGA movie capabilities (with sound), electronic image stabilization, 14MB of internal memory, but as usual, only a 3x optical zoom. Keep on reading for pics and deets on the rest of the new Coolpix posse...Update: Oh, and did we mention T-Mobile Hotspot users will also be able to use the S7c with their WiFi account using at Coolpix Connect feature? Because they can. Not bad.
Nikon D80 DSLR review roundup
After months of teasing, sifting through tons of officially unofficial deets, finally getting some good pics of the camera itself, and being envious of all those previewers who got their grubby hands on this beauty before anyone else, the dust has begun to settle and the verdicts are out. It probably doesn't come as a surprise that the Nikon D80 DSLR is essentially everything we hoped for, and the bottom line seems to be that this digicam borrows a myriad of features from the wallet-abusing D200, but won't force you to refinance your home (well, hopefully not) in order to own one. For the Nikon faithful, this one's a no-brainer, but for those without any particular allegiance, it probably wouldn't hurt to give Sony's Alpha A100 a once over, considering its noteworthy bonuses -- such as the Super SteadyShot and anti-dust features that you won't find on the D80 -- before pulling the trigger. Nevertheless, reviewers are (practically) unanimous in giving their recommendations to this camera, especially at the sub-$1,000 (sans lens kit) price, but comb these reviews with your own discerning eyes before jumping on (or off) the D80 bandwagon yourself. Read - HardwareZone Read - Imaging Resource Read - CNET Read - ePhotoZine Read - Nikonians
Nikon scores FCC approval for D200 DSLR WiFi transmitter
Looks like Nikon is intent on rocking the WiFi on its digital cameras, despite some pesky security concerns with the implementation on its Coolpix P1 and P2 digicams. This new WT-3 Wireless Transmitter that's just gotten FCC approval, however, looks to be fairly substantial, so maybe it won't be so easily susceptible to the same problems. It's also quite a bit more capable, not only wirelessly transmitting photos to your PC, but directly to an FTP server or printer as well. The transmitter will also apparently let you control your camera from your computer, and works with 100BaseTx/10BaseT wired networks if WiFi's not your thing. According to the FCC filings, the transmitter's designed to work exclusively with Nikon's D200 digital SLR, but it seems fairly likely that the same technology could be put to use with other cameras sooner or later.[Via MobileMag]
Nikon D80 DSLR preview roundup
Well that was quick. Barely hours into day one of the Nikon D80's official existence, we're seeing hands-on previews galore coming from camera review sites that have been very evidently sitting on this one for a bit. Not that we're complaining -- and neither are the reviewers. The general consensus seems to be that the D80 is basically the D200 for nearly half the price. Going for around $999 street, the D80 packs in plenty of features derived -- or just plain ripped -- from the Nikon D200 and D2x, and uniquely stores the resulting images on that stash of SD and SDHC cards most everybody has these days. We'll look forward to full reviews to get all the juicy performance details, but we're sure that the 10.2 megapixel CCD and those speedy shutter times won't go unrewarded.[Thanks, Mike]Read - PopPhotoRead - DPReviewRead - Imaging ResourceRead - LetsGoDigital
Nikon's D80 finally official
Ok, alright already, we get it, the Nikon D80's officially real. We've been waiting for this one for the last few weeks, but by now any real mystery about the device has surely gone up in smoke. So, what've we got? The D80 features a 10.2 megapixel (uh huh) DX format CCD, Nikon F lens mount, 3D Color Matrix Metering II, 11 area autofocus, 0.18 second bootup, 80ms shot response, and... apparently an SD slot? (from the release: "Images are processed instantly and recorded quickly to the inserted SD memory card." (This is the first time we've seen an SD slot appear in a high end DSLR in, well, a while.) Then there's also the 3fps rapid fire shots, and 2.5-inch LCD; elsewise, besides the bundled 18-135mm lens the body comes with, Nikon is releasing a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (and we thought Samsung had rough product names) for the D80, with a 4.3x zoom and Vibration Reduction II OIS. The lens is going to be available worldwide in October (if you have to ask how much, it's probably not for you), but the camera's due September, and will set you back $999 body alone, or $1299 for the body with that 18-135mm lens.[Thanks, Blake & Trevor]
More Nikon D80 DSLR deets leaked?
We're not entirely sure how much more you needed to knw about the Nikon D80 that's due to be announced tomorrow, but from the looks of things it's not going to differ all that greatly from their other more professional offerings; the camera will have a 170 degree viewing angle 2.5-inch LCD, 0.18 second startup time, 3fps continuous shooting, and a £699 UK price tag (about $1,300), which, unfortunately, is without lens. Guess we'll find out for sure tomorrow, eh?
Nikon Coolpix P1 WiFi cam vulnerable to attacks
Nikon's WiFi-equipped Coolpix P1 introduced last year seemed to be a step in the right direction. Decent enough as a camera, the P1's big selling point was its WiFi transfer capability -- anything that lets us pull one more cable from our desk immediately gets our attention. And while we were hoping for some hacks to expand the functionality a bit, this isn't exactly what we had in mind. According to Informit, in addition to sending your vacation pics flying through the air, the P1 can also open up your PC to a whole range of attacks, including DoS attacks and infected JPGs and executables, not to mention allowing others to potentially intercept your photos. The bad news, if that wasn't bad enough, is that there apparently isn't any easy fix outside just not installing Nikon's WiFi software on your PC -- thus killing the camera's only wireless functionality. So, unless you can somehow scope out everyone with nefarious intent within WiFi range, you might wanna go back to that trusty SD card reader until further notice.
Nikon D80 pics revealed
No surprises here, Nikon has merely added a few curves and changed a few lines of their D70/D70s camera bodies, but images of a D80 camera have surfaced, and we thought it'd be nice to share. There are just 14 days left on Nikon's little teaser countdown before we can know what else this 10.2 megapixel DSLR will have in store for us, but it's looking fine from where we're sitting. Keep reading to peep a few more angles.[Thanks, Brando]
Nikon teases about upcoming 10.2 megapixel DSLR
Oh Nikon! You kidder, you. The popular pro-cam manufacturer is prepping a new DSLR, and has upped a little teaser on their site referring to the "Next Nikon." Beyond the usual marketing hyperbole of "More power," "More control," "More versatile and "More excitement," Nikon lets slip the megapixel count: 10.2, and the release date: 20 days from now. Word on the street is that the mystery cam will be a replacement to the D70/D70s series, and the 10.2 megapixels will be one welcome improvement from the 6.1 megapixels of the D70.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Nikon tweaks D2X DSLR with new D2Xs
Never one to rest on its laurels, Nikon has taken the already highly-rated 12.4 megapixel D2X digital SLR and tweaked several features that are probably very important to professional photographers (but mean little to the rest of us) to come up with the new D2Xs. The major enhancements to this model include an improved 2.5-inch display, longer-life battery, the addition of a black and white mode, Adobe RGB support in all color modes, and better viewfinder performance; other, less exciting improvements are a new menu color scheme, extra 1/3 stop ISO settings, more Custom Curve options, and electronic viewfinder masking in High Speed Crop mode -- we can't even tell you how long we've been waiting for this last option. Making the best even better usually doesn't come cheap, though, but the D2Xs will only set you back a pretty reasonable $4,700 when it's released next month.
Nikon Coolpix S5 reviewed
Nikon's Coolpix S5, unveiled earlier this year, is a svelte 6 megapixel shooter with a 2.5-inch LCD, non-extending 3x zoom lens and lots of scene modes for point-and-shoot novices. And, as reviewed by DCViews, it offers good image quality, with "excellent" color and "perfect" auto-focusing and auto-exposure, at a price of about $300. Those looking for manual controls should look elsewhere, of course. However, DCViews, perhaps with an eye towards Mother's Day, sees this as "an elegant ladies' camera." We assume there are plenty of guys who would be happy with this one's features, or with its big brother, the S6, which adds WiFi for about $50 more.
Nikon's P3 reviewed
It's not been long since Nikon announced their latest volley of (WiFi enabled) digital cameras, and we've been pretty curious to find out how the P3 in particular stack up to the competition. Digital Camera Review snagged one of those 8.1 megapixel, 3.5x optical zoom, 802.11b/g-equipped shooters to play around with, and they seemed to dig the camera in whole with its Vibration Reduction (VR) image stabilization and manual features, even despite its chunky size and drab aesthetics. The WiFi still isn't apparently anything to write home about -- and it won't be until your camera doesn't require a host computer to do things like move around photos (or post them on the Interwebs) -- but the P3 definitely seems to have the hobbyist-ready features and image quality to make up for the limited use wireless and its size.
