Nikon Introduces Six New Cameras, Including High-End Coolpix P7100
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Updated 8/24/2011: An earlier version of this story listed the Nikon Coolpix P7100's video-capture frame rate as 30 fps. Nikon has since amended that frame-rate spec to 24 fps.
The new Coolpix offerings include a top-of-the-line replacement for the Coolpix P7000, two pocket megazooms, a touchscreen-operated ultracompact camera, the company's first waterproof/freezeproof/shockproof model, and Nikon's third-generation projector-equipped PJ-series camera.
Nikon Coolpix P7100: Step-Up Successor to the Coolpix P7000
The flagship Coolpix P7100 is a high-performance fixed-lens camera, with DSLR-like manual controls and several new enhancements to last year's excellent Coolpix P7000. Key new features include an adjustable 3-inch LCD screen, a front-mounted control wheel for accessing some in-camera settings more quickly, new creative effects, and faster start-up and shutter-response speeds, according to Nikon.
The P7100 also comes equipped with a built-in neutral density filter, a 1.2-frame-per-second burst mode at full resolution, RAW mode, 720p high-definition video recording at 24 fps, and a button to lock focus and exposure.
Available in mid-September at $500, the Coolpix P7100 should give the cameras on our top 10 chart of point-and-shoots with manual controls a serious run for the money.
Nikon Coolpix S8200: Automated 14X Pocket Zoom
We loved the Nikon Coolpix S9100 released earlier this year, and this 14X-optical-zoom model looks like its slightly smaller sibling. The 16-megapixel Nikon Coolpix S8200 replaces the Coolpix S8100, offering a low-light-optimized CMOS sensor, a stabilized zoom lens that reaches from 25mm ultra-wide-angle to 350mm telephoto, and 1080p video recording.
Equipped with a 3-inch LCD screen and a body that's about 1.3 inches deep, the Coolpix S8200 will go on sale in mid-September for $330. It will be available in three colors: black, silver, and red.
Nikon Coolpix S1200pj: Pico-Projector Cam With iPad Hookups
Two days after we featured 2010's Coolpix S1100pj projector-camera in our roundup of the most unusual-looking cameras we've ever seen, Nikon has replaced it with a souped-up successor, the Coolpix S1200pj.
The projector has some new tricks, too, thanks to a bundled 30-pin connector that lets you hook it up to an iPad, iPhone, or iPod and use it as an external projector. Like last year's model, it also hooks up to a computer for use as an external projector.
On the camera side of the equation, the Coolpix S1200pj offers a 14-megapixel CCD sensor, a 5X-optical-zoom lens, and a 3-inch-diagonal touchscreen.
Slated for availability in mid-September, it's priced at $430 and will come in black and pink.
Nikon Coolpix S6200: A More-Pocketable Pocket Megazoom
Truly pocketable high-zoom cameras are one of the latest trends in the point-and-shoot world, and the fully automated Coolpix S6200 continues that trend with a 10X-optical-zoom lens in a body that's about an inch deep.
Its price tag is significantly smaller, too: The Coolpix S6200 is priced at $230; it will be available in mid-September, in black, silver, blue, red, and pink.
Nikon Coolpix AW100: Nikon's First Rugged Compact Camera
Rugged pocket cameras are another fast-growing point-and-shoot segment, and the Nikon Coolpix AW100 is the company's first entry in that category.
The camera's 5X-optical-zoom range reaches from 28mm to 140mm, and the lens fits in a body that measures just 0.9 inch deep. Nikon says that the Coolpix AW100's CMOS sensor is optimized for low-light shooting, another rarity in ruggedized cameras. The camera shoots 1080p video in addition to super-slow-motion 240-fps footage at a reduced resolution.
Another interesting feature is the Coolpix AW100's Action Control mode, which lets users navigate the camera's settings by shaking and swinging the camera. The mode is designed to help photographers operate the camera with gloves and mittens on, since users may call upon the camera to work in very cold weather.
Due in early September, the Nikon Coolpix AW100 is priced at $380 and will be available in black, blue, and orange.
Nikon Coolpix S100: Fashionable OLED Touchscreen Camera
The ultraslim S100 also has a range of in-camera creative modes, including a 2D-to-3D image conversion mode that automates 3D image effects for photos capture with its single lens.
Due in mid-September for $300, the Coolpix S100 will be available in black, red, gold, and purple.
This story, "Nikon Introduces Six New Cameras, Including High-End Coolpix P7100" was originally published by PCWorld.