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New Pro lenses from Nikon
Adding to Nikon's line of professional prime full-frame lenses, and announced along with the new D7000 camera, Nikon today announced the new AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f1.4G, and the AF-S NIKKOR 200m f2G ED VRII lenses. Both lenses are pro-grade, and are optimized for stills and HD video. They share Nikon's Nano-Crystal Coat and Silent Wave Motor technology, and each has a nine blade aperture for a natural bokeh.
The new AF-S NIKKOR 35mm F1.4G adds to the line of f1.4G lenses Nikon has announced this year. It is a very useful lens, with a versatile … Read more
Nikon D7000: The midrange model to beat?
It's been a long time coming, but Nikon has finally unveiled its new midrange model, the D7000, in one of the most eagerly anticipated announcements of the year. The D7000 doesn't replace the D90; it's launching at a higher price than the D90 did, and the D90 is still widely available. Instead, the D7000 takes on the Canon 60D in the price class up from the D90, with a host of improvements that portend well for the new camera.
What's new? Lots. The D7000 incorporates a new Nikon-designed 16.2-megapixel sensor coupled with its Expeed 2 processor; with this pairing Nikon ups its analog-to-digital conversion to 14-bit processing, which has the potential to produce a noticeably better dynamic range. There's also a new (presumably better) metering sensor, more sophisticated autofocus system that falls somewhere between the D90 and D300s in sensitivity, and a viewfinder with 100 percent scene coverage.
It's also Nikon's first dSLR to rise to 1080p HD video, with the added bonus (for whatever it's worth) of full-time autofocus during video capture. And the body's construction, though not quite as tanklike as the D300s, incorporates an all-metal chassis with magnesium-alloy covers (the rest is polycarbonate), and is sealed against dust and moisture like the D300s.
There are also some changes from the traditional Nikon body design that I think are great. The D7000 has custom settings available via the mode dial (rather than just through a powerful but confusing menu interface) and a dedicated movie record button. It also provides two card slots in a category that generally only offers one, and uses a new battery grip that supports AA batteries.
Here's where it sits in the product line and the competitive field:… Read more
Costcentral.com has the Nikon Coolpix S6000 14MP Digital Camera for $196.34, after $53.61 savings.
Nikon P7000: Completely different from its predecessor
Given its roots, Nikon's lag in the increasingly crowded enthusiast compact market strikes me as odd. Not only does the company lack a competitor for the popular Canon PowerShot S90 (and its presumably potentially-as-popular replacement, the S95)--even Samsung has a competitor for that in the TL500--but its G11/LX5 competitor the P6000 has been languishing, unloved for 2 years. Nikon seems to be attempting to rectify that with the Coolpix P7000, in part by following the same path Canon took from the G10 to the G11. And really, the P7000 seems like a complete reworking of the P6000 rather than just an update.
The most notable step on that path is a welcome return to a lower-resolution sensor. Consumers will eat up those marketing-driven resolution boosts but the hobbyists always push back, in this case to the same 10 megapixels as the rest of its class. Like the G11, the P7000 goes a little retro-dial happy, with an exposure-compensation dial as well as a "Quick Access" dial behind the pop-up flash for calling up ISO, quality, histogram, bracketing and MyMenu settings; I'm not sold yet on a dedicated dial for the latter compared to the speed of using the four-way navigation switch on the back of the camera. Another recanted feature includes the GPS, though I'd've thought they would have replaced it with integrated Eye-Fi support. And I hope it wasn't dropped because Nikon attributes the failures of the P6000 to GPS' inability to carry it out of relative obscurity.
Other changes include a new sloping-top design with a completely new control layout, a longer zoom lens, larger LCD and HD movie capture. Here are the basic specs:… Read more
Nikon lights up Coolpix S8100 megazoom
Nikon has a decent 10x compact megazoom in its 2010 Coolpix lineup, the S8000. Its photo quality definitely falters in low-light conditions, which could be corrected with the S8100. Along with using the company's latest image processing engine, the Expeed C2, this 10x compact (30-300mm, 35mm equivalent) is packing a 12-megapixel, backside-illuminated CMOS sensor. Like other BSI CMOS cameras we've tested, Nikon is promising improved handheld low-light photos as well as faster shooting performance.
Nikon claims the S8100 can shoot at 10 frames per second at full resolution for five shots; not as good as competing models but … Read more
Nikon's newest Kutchercam: the Coolpix S80
Judging by the user reviews for the Coolpix S70, people either loved it or wanted to find a Nikon executive nearby so they could personally smash them in the face with it. Its update, the Coolpix S80, hopefully inspires more of the former and less of the latter with a new touch-screen display and interface and some extra shooting features.
The camera body is redesigned and slightly slimmer, but still packs a 3.5-inch OLED touch screen, though this time around it has an 819K-dot resolution. To minimize screen clutter while shooting, Nikon uses a tabbed interface, which is good … Read more
