Nikon follows up Canon’s August megalaunch with one of its own, announcing five new Coolpix cameras – including Wi-Fi-capable models – that will become available in Australia some time in October.
![]() Nikon follows up Canon’s August megalaunch with one of its own, announcing five new Coolpix cameras – including Wi-Fi-capable models – that will become available in Australia some time in October. In alphabetical order the new Coolpix models are: The Nikon Coolpix L1 [Right], a lightweight compact digital camera offering 5x optical zooming performance and the ability to improve images in-camera. It also features a 6.2 effective megapixel CCD specially designed to deliver higher performance within smaller dimensions. The Coolpix L1 features a large, bright, easy-to-view 2.5-inch LCD monitor — complemented by an easy-to-navigate menu system — that makes it easy to adjust settings, compose shots and play back the results on the spot. The Coolpix L1 will be available in Australia in October at an RRP of $499. ![]() – The Coolpix P1 and P2 are the new Wireless models. Nikon says they are ‘the first digital compacts to offer on-board Wi-Fi capability’, although it’s a close run race with Kodak. The Coolpix P1 and Coolpix P2 add the advantage of built-in Wi-Fi LAN support (IEEE802.11b/g) to realize new picture-taking potential that does away with the need for wires and cables. In addition to USB connectivity, wireless transfer allows the photographer to send pictures from the memory card or the camera’s internal memory (32MB for the Coolpix P1; 16MB for the Coolpix P2) direct to a selected computer on command. Wireless shooting automatically transfers each picture to a selected computer as soon as it is shot. Wireless printing delivers the convenience of cable-free direct printing to PictBridge-compatible printers. Featuring 8.0 and 5.1 effective megapixels respectively, the two Ps both feature 3.5x zoom capability, with both models incorporating a powerful 36-126mm Zoom-Nikkor lens (35mm equivalent). The Coolpix P1 and Coolpix P2 also have continuous shooting capability at up to 2.3 frames per second. The Coolpix P1 and P2 will be available in Australia at RRPs of $799 and $649. ![]() – The Coolpix S3 has a slim, elegant, ultra-portable design, and features a 6.0 effective megapixels sensor and the full suite of Nikon functions. The aluminium-bodied Coolpix S3 is available in Ivory White, Champagne and Burgundy andis just 19.7mm. The 3x zoom Nikkor lens makes use of Nikon’s “right-angled” optics system, which enables the lens to function throughout its focal range without ever protruding from the camera body. A large, bright 2.5-inch LCD monitor substitutes for a viefinder. A choice of Graphic User Interface (GUI) gives the user the ability to select functions by either name or icon. A handy HELP button displays easy-to-understand explanations for functions on the main menu.
The Coolpix S3 lets the user take up to 190 shots (approx.) with a single Rechargeable Battery EN-EL8, with a speedy start-up time of just 1 second and continuous shooting at up to 1.6fps. ![]() – The Coolpix S4, which along with the Coolpix S3 represents the latest in the new Nikon “S series” features a 6-Megap[ixel sensor, a large LCD monitor and 10x zoom capability in a swiveling body that allows the lens and LCD sections to move independently. The Coolpix S4 10x Zoom-Nikkor lens delivers 38-380mm performance (35mm equivalent), giving the user the freedom to capture everything from extreme close-ups to architecture and landscapes. It’s swivel-mount enables easy shooting from the waist or overhead, and allows better composition for self-portraits. The swivelling section neatly encloses and protects the powerful zoom lens, and there’s a zoom lever located on the top of the body for easy operation. The Coolpix S4 also features a newly-designed grip and a large, bright 2.5-inch LCD. It is extraordinarily slim for a 10x zoom model (with a depth of 37mm) and weighs just 205g. The Coolpix S4 will be available in Australia in October, with an RRP of $649. All these cameras share the full Nikon suite of in-camera picture enhancement features, including: Face Priority AF – identifies up to three faces within a scene and then sets the camera’s focus point accordingly. The function even tracks the faces if they move about during composition. In-Camera Red-Eye Fix – identifies eyes in an image, detects the red colouring and removes it automatically. D-Lighting – adds light and detail to the dark areas of pictures while leaving well-exposed areas as they are. After applying D-Lighting, the camera saves a corrected copy to the camera’s internal or removable memory, leaving the original image untouched. D-Lighting corrections can be made at any time. In addition, the Coolpix range of cameras feature a Blur Warning function to alerts the user whenever a shot may have been compromised by camera shake, providing a chance to take another image before leaving the scene. See www.maxwell.com.au for further details.
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