Nikon, Ricoh Introduce 2 New Digital Models

By TWICE staff -- TWICE, 10/25/1999

Nikon and Ricoh bolstered their digital camera lines, with each company introducing models that will hit stores in time for the holiday selling season.

Nikon extended its CoolPix digital camera line last week with the introduction of the CoolPix 800, while Ricoh is scheduled to start shipping the RDC-5300 digital camera this week.

The 2.11-megapixel CoolPix 800 is expected to hit store shelves in early November and utilizes a conventional camera layout, unlike other CoolPix models that feature a rotatable lens.

The CoolPix 800 will carry a suggested retail price under $700, making it a less expensive option than Nikon's high-end CoolPix 950.

It will ship with an 8MB CompactFlash card capable of storing 200 low-resolution images and has a battery life of 100 minutes, even with the 1.8-inch LCD running. Its high-speed continuous mode will shoot up to 30 frames per second at 320 x 240 resolution.

Nikon also incorporated its Best-Shot Selector (BBS) technology in the 800. BBS allows the user to shoot 10 images in five seconds, then it analyzes the images, selects the best one and discards the remainder.

Ricoh's RDC-5300, with a $699 suggested retail price, is a 2.3-megapixel unit with 8MB of built-in memory and a SmartMedia card slot. The 5300 is USB ready and has a 3x optical zoom lens. The lens has a Super Macro feature that enlarges a frame by up to 69% for enhancing close-up shots of small objects.

The RDC-5300 can be used for video-conferencing, and all of the camera control features are automated. -- Doug Olenick