Hasta La Gadget!

Nikon’s new P7000 compact camera smacks right up against Canon’s G11 (and forthcoming G12). It’s a tough, rangefinder-style camera with looks and specs which are almost word-for-word the same as those on the Canon. And that’s a good thing.

First, the similarities. Both the Nikon and the Canon have 10-megapixel sensors, both of which are a relatively large 1/1.7-inch in size (7.60 x 5.70 mm). Both have a maximum aperture of ƒ2.8, and both go up to ISO 3200 without using any noisy extended modes. Both have hot-shoes, optical viewfinders and lots of chunky mechanical knobs and dials for quickly adjusting settings.

Then things get a little different. The G11’s zoom runs from 28-140mm (35mm equivalent), whereas the Nikon keeps going all the way up to 200mm, and then Nikon continues to pull ahead:

The Canon G-series has notoriously lacked high-def video since the G9, shooting at a pathetic 640 x 480 resolution. Nikon not only beats that, with 720p but adds in a microphone jack for proper sound recording.

Add to this the fact that the P7000 will work with Nikon’s iTTL speedlights and you have a pretty powerful-looking camera, one which can remotely trigger and control a full flash setup, and the $500 price starts to look cheap.

Should you choose this over the (not yet official) G12? Without actually testing one, we can’t say, but if you already shoot Nikon and use off-camera flash, then the answer is a clear “yes”. Otherwise, with the specs this close it will come down to feel in the hand, for which you’ll need to visit an actual, physical camera store. One thing, though: In the pictures, the Nikon viewfinder looks like it might be big and bright enough to actually use, unlike the G-series finders, which are worse than useless.

P7000 product page [Nikon. Thanks, Geoff!]

Nikon Coolpix P7000 digital camera specifications [DP Review]

See Also:

• Nikon Announces P6000: RAW Support, ISO 6400 and Built-in GPS …
• Canon G12: G-Series Regains High-Def Video at Last
• Leaked Canon G11 Specs Show Five Megapixels Less Than G10

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Well well — what’s this? Look like all those rumors about Nikon licking its wounds and gunning hard for the high-end compact camera market were true: this hot little piece is the new Coolpix P7000, Nikon’s answer to the Canon G11. Like we’d heard, it actually drops the megapixel count from the P6000, with a 10.1 megapixel CCD sensor that can hit ISO 6400 sensitivity natively and 12,800 when boosted behind a f/2.8-5.6 7.1x VR zoom lens and a three-inch 921,000-dot LCD display. It also has full manual controls for virtually every setting, an optical viewfinder and accessory hot shoe, RAW support, and a 720p/24 movie mode with VR and continuous autofocus that might actually be useful for more than just casual shooting because there’s a mic jack. There’s also the usual range of Coolpix automatic adjustments and modes, of course, but come on — look at all those manual dials and buttons, people. It’ll hit later this month for $499.99 — we’re definitely requesting a review unit to put this head to head with seemingly-similar G11 and others pro compacts like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5, so stay tuned. PR after the break.

Continue reading Nikon Coolpix P7000 brings manual heat to the prosumer level

Nikon Coolpix P7000 brings manual heat to the prosumer level originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We thought Nikon just wanted to join the burgeoning ranks of mirrorless interchangeable lens shooters that bridge the gap between full-fledged DSLR and pocket-friendly compact cameras. But oh no, as company president Makoto Kimura puts it, Nikon wants to create a whole “new market” with its next big idea. Noting that his lab lackeys have tested all sorts of eccentric possibilities, such as a head-mounted display, Kimura says it’s time for digital cameras to move with the times and Nikon will be ready to take up its usual leadership position. When might that be, you ask? Well, in classic bigwig style, he keeps the roadmap tucked firmly inside the breast pocket of his smoking jacket, but at least we know that Nikon won’t be sitting on the sidelines and letting whippersnappers like Sony’s NEX-5 steal customers away.

Nikon wants to create a ‘new market’ with its new concept originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 06:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve already heard some rumors for both Nikon’s Coolpix P7000 point-and-shoot and its supposed D90-successor, the D7000, but it looks like things are unexpectedly heating up a bit further ahead of Photokina next month. According to Nikon Rumors, the two announcements will supposedly be split up, with the P7000 set to be announced along with some other Coolpixes on September 8th, while the D7000 will be announced on September 15th alongside at least two new lenses and a new Speedlight. As before, the P7000 is still expected to actually drop in resolution to 10-megapixels, and pack some RAW shooting capabilities, 720p video shooting, a 28-200mm equivalent zoom lens, and a 3-inch LCD. Details are still comparatively light on the D7000, but Nikon Rumors has previously suggested that it would boast 100% viewfinder coverage and dual memory card slots.

Nikon Coolpix P7000, D7000 DSLR rumored to be launching September 8th, 15th originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In addition to the S1100pj and S5100, we also had a chance to play with Nikon’s 14.2 megapixel D3100 earlier today. Sadly, due to the non-final firmware, we weren’t allowed to obtain live sample stills and 1080p H.264 clips from the prototype DSLR, so we can’t comment too much on the new CMOS sensor’s picture quality. Still, there were some interesting features to point out here. Most notably, the seemingly solid D3100 has an improved grip compared to its predecessor and our own D5000 — it certainly felt nice and secure in our hands despite the small (and slightly lighter) body. We also dig the new switch (resting by the now-larger dial) for quickly toggling various shooting modes, along with the new spring-loaded live-view trigger and video recording button (both at the top-right corner of the 3-inch 460k-dot screen).

Of course, we couldn’t have gone home without having tested the video mode’s headlining continuous autofocus feature — we weren’t able to tell how much motor noise might have gone into the clips, but the bundled 18-55mm lens was able to autofocus or track subjects at reasonable speeds, provided that we weren’t zooming or moving about too rapidly. The only real bug we noticed was that sometimes the tracking may get overridden by large nearby objects with similar colors, so hopefully the final firmware will reduce this error. Another concern is with the new 1,030mAh battery — no word on how many shots or video hours it can provide, but we shall find out when this $699 DSLR comes out next month.

Nikon D3100 DSLR hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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