Nikon Gets Connected With New Wi-Fi Coolpix

By Greg Scoblete -- TWICE, 9/4/2006

Melville, N.Y. — — Melville, N.Y. — Nikon added new capabilities to the latest model in its Wi-Fi-enabled Coolpix digital camera line, introducing the industry's second model capable of sending e-mails directly from the camera.

The 802.11b/g-enabled Coolpix S7c will be loaded with Nikon's Coolpix Connect service for sending image e-mails through T-Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspots. To kick-start adoption, the camera will be bundled with a free subscription to a year of T-Mobile Wi-Fi access.

The camera can store up to 30 e-mail addresses internally. Images are uploaded from the camera to T-Mobile servers while a thumbnail and Web URL are sent to e-mail recipients, directing them to a higher resolution image online, which can then be downloaded or viewed as a slideshow online. The photos won't be stored on a public Web site, but an invitation-only gallery.

Users can store up to 50MB worth of images online for up to two weeks free of charge. After two weeks, the images will be purged.

It is the first Nikon camera and the industry's second model after Kodak's EasyShare One to offer in-camera e-mail. The camera can also use wireless networking to send images to a PC or to a PictBridge printer with a wireless adapter.

The 7-megapixel S7c features a 3x optical zoom Nikkor lens, a 3-inch LCD, 15 scene modes and Nikon's Vibration Reduction (VR) image stabilization technology.

The camera also sports a new anti-shake mode which engages VR and the best shot selector function while simultaneously upping the camera's light sensitivity. A new high sensitivity mode lets users shoot at ISO 1600.

A dedicated portrait button combines three existing in-camera technologies (red eye removal, D-Lighting and Face-priority AF) into a single shortcut.

The S7c also features Nikon's Pictmotion built-in slide show creation technology alongside a rotary dial for scrolling through images at a pace of 10 frames per second.

It ships this month for a suggested $349.