NEW YORK
— Nikon and Pentax continued to fill out their
2010 digital camera lines in time for the approaching holiday
selling season by unveiling new point-and-shoot compacts
and, in Pentax’s case, a new d-SLR.
These introductions come on the heels of Kodak, Sony
and Nikon new cameras in August for fourth quarter shipping
(see TWICE, Aug. 30, p. 4).
For Nikon’s new Coolpix models, the emphasis was on
performance and style in a trio of new offerings.
They include the Nikon P7000, which is billed as a true
d-SLR user’s point-and-shoot; the stylish S80; and the
fast, responsive and affordable S8100.
The strategy was similar for Pentax, which took camera
fashion in new directions with a pair of Optio point-andshoots,
one of which features interchangeable skins, and
a new midlevel consumer d-SLR called the K-r that will be
offered in multiple body colors.
Heading the class of new Nikon Coolpix models is the
P7000 (shipping later this month at a $500 suggested retail),
which packs high performance, extensive manual controls,
strong image quality and advanced shooting functions
that should appeal to d-SLR aficionados.
The P7000 includes a 10.1 megapixel 1/1.7-inch CCD
sensor coupled with a 7.1x wide-angle optical Zoom Nikkor
ED glass lens.
All new models include Nikon’s new Expeed C2 highperformance
digital image processing engine.
Other key features include a ISO 100 to 6,400 (expandable
to 12,800) settings, Low Noise Night Mode and a
noise-reduction filter, five way VR image stabilization, a
zoom memory function 28 200mm (35mm equivalent),
720/24p video recording, large optical viewfinder, 3-inch
921,000-dot LCD, Quick Menu dial and macro focusing
as close as 0.8 inches.
The Coolpix S80 (available in the fall at a $330 suggested
retail) features a 3.5-inch OLED touchscreen with an
enhanced interface.
Touchscreen controls have a touch shutter, zoom and
playback.
Other features include a 3.5 inch 819,000 dot OLED
touchscreen, 720p HD video capture, Retouch Menu, 14.1
megapixel CCD sensor, 5x wide angle optical zoom lens,
5 Way vibration reduction (VR) image stabilization, ISO settings
up to 6400 and Best Shot Selector, which automatically
takes up to 10 shots while the shutter release button
is pressed, and then selects and saves the sharpest one.
The camera measures just 0.7 inches thin, and is
available in a choice of six color options.
The Coolpix S8100 (shipping later this month at
a $300 suggested retail) features a 12.1 megapixel
backside illumination CMOS sensor, a 10x zoom and
HD 1080p video capture.
Key features include five full-resolution frames at up
to 10 fps, a pre-shooting cache that records up to
two shots before the shutter release is fully pressed, a
Sports Continuous mode with up to 120 fps shooting,
Subject Tracking, four-way vibration reduction (VR)
image stabilization, up to ISO 3,200 low-light settings,
in-camera high dynamic range (HDR) function,
and a 3-inch ultra-high-resolution 921,000 dot LCD.
The Pentax Optio RS1000 ($150 suggested retail)
and RZ10 ($220) will both ship in October and bring
a range of automatic features to simplify the picture
taking process.
Meanwhile, the new model K-r ($800 body only)
is Pentax’s new answer to the midrange d-SLR segment,
offering advanced processing and rapid shutter
speeds.
The RS1000 is an easy-to-use point-and-shoot
with quick-change cosmetics. Users can change
front panel skins that mount under a plexiglass shield.
They can design skins themselves with included templates,
select them from a gallery of 11 standard skins
that ship with the product, or use an included Skinit
gift card to design and order pre-cut 3M vinyl skins
from
.
Features of the Optio RS1000 include 14-megapixel
resolution, a 3-inch LCD monitor, a 4x optical zoom
lens (27.5mm wide) and a credit-card-sized body.
The Optio RZ10 has a 10x optical zoom lens with
macro focusing, dual shake reduction (mechanical
sensor-shift and digital), Auto Picture mode and a
color choice of black, white, lime and violet.
The K-r d-SLR fits into the midrange consumer
d-SLR consumer market with a 12.4-megapixel lownoise
CMOS sensor, 3-inch 921,000-dot LCD, 6 fps
burst shooting, maximum 1/6,000th second shutter
speed, in-camera HDR, a 100 to 25,600 ISO
range, dual lithium-ion or AA battery power source,
IrSimple high-speed infrared data transmission to
wirelessly transfer images to other devices, 720p HD
video capture, shake reduction, dust removal, and an
11-point SAFOX IX autofocus system with dedicated
AF assist lamp.
The K-r will ship in October in several kit options:
the body only ($800 suggested retail), body and 18-
44mm lens ($850), the body and an 18-55mm and
50-200mm lens ($900), and the body and an 18-
55mm and 55-300mm lens ($1,000).
