TOKYO, Feb 19 — Japan’s Nikon Corp will likely beat its digital camera sales forecast for the financial year to March on strong demand in China and other parts of Asia, the head of its camera division said today.
Digital cameras are now the main profit driver for Nikon as demand for steppers, its other main product, which produce semiconductors, has yet to fully recover from the global economic slowdown.
Nikon, which competes with Canon Inc in high-end cameras, said earlier this month it aimed to sell 3.55 million digital single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras in the year to March and 11.5 million point-and-shoot compact cameras.
SLR cameras, a high-end model that uses interchangeable lenses, are the most lucrative and the fastest-growing segment of the digital camera market.
“Our SLRs and interchangeable lenses will probably be beating our own targets,” Nikon Executive Vice President Makoto Kimura told Reuters in an interview today. “Demand in Asia — especially in China — has been growing strongly.”
Besides camera bodies, camera lenses are another product that generate fat profit margins for Nikon and Canon.
Nikon aims to sell 5.15 million interchangeable lenses in the current business year, according to its official forecast. That would be up from 4.87 million units last year.
Kimura said it is possible to raise revenues in the camera division to 700-800 billion yen (RM26-30 billion) in three to five years by further boosting sales of its digital cameras and expanding camera-related services. He did not elaborate.
Nikon expects sales at its camera unit to come to 560 billion yen in the current year to March.
Shares in Nikon closed down 3 per cent at 1,967 yen, underperforming the Nikkei average, which fell 2.1 per cent. The interview was published a few minutes before the market closed. — Reuters
In 2001, I conducted a search for the best camera with a street price under $300. Ive repeated the experiment every year since.
Wow, have things changed.
Back in 2001, every camera on the market had an eyepiece viewfinder; today, almost none do. Back then, all $300 cameras ran on AA batteries; today, they all use rechargeables.
Then, you got a whopping 1.3 or 2.2 megapixels; now, 12 or 14 is standard. Then, some cameras could actually zoom wow! up to 2X. Now, shirt-pocket cams with 10X or 12X zooms arent unusual.
Its time to ask the question once again: How much camera can $300 buy me?
Below, reviews of nine answers to that question. Most are amazingly small, attractive, competent little machines with 12 megapixels, 3-inch screens and hi-def video capture.
All have image stabilization and face recognition, for sharper, better exposed shots. The Panasonic, Fujifilm, Canon and Casio models have unusually wide-angle lenses for capturing vistas but can also zoom in 10X or even 12X. (Theres usually some distortion at the corners at the widest view, but thats a small price to pay for this kind of versatility.)
But small, cheap cameras still saddle you with shutter lag (the delay after you press the button), low-light compromises (blur or grainy noise), and blown-out highlights (bright areas of pure white, with no detail). If you want a camera without those bummers, buy a bigger, more expensive interchangeable-lens model.
Canon Powershot Sd980 ($280 street) Sleek, squished-capsule shape. Canons first touch screen. Drag a finger or tap to flip through photos, magnify them, focus off-center. Can tilt the camera various ways to trigger certain functions, too. Other highlights: a glorious wide-angle lens, OK picture quality, high-definition video. Quick circuitry; minimal start-up time and shutter lag.
Real drag: The 3-inch screen is shaped like a hi-def movie, so when youre shooting stills, you get black bars on either side, so the usable screen is much smaller. Touch screens eat up battery; only 240 shots a charge on this one.
Casio Exilim Zoom EX-H10 ($262) Another quirky, breakout camera from Casio. Best parts: wide-angle, 10X zoom, astonishing 1,000-shot battery three times the norm.
Has 38 presets not just Sunset, Beach and Portrait, but all kinds of crazy special effects. Multi-Motion Image places several copies of your moving subject (ski jumper, skateboarder, whatever) against a single background. Dynamic Photo mode is hard to use, but very cool: cuts your subject out of one photo, places against background of a completely different photo, a la greenscreen, for a still composite photo or short movie.
Fujifilm FinePix F70EXR ($197) Low light is always a small-camera bugaboo.
Cheap little sensors produce blur or grain, indoor or after sunset. But F70EXR has largest sensor of the batch (.5 inches), and in EXR mode, can combine the light from two adjacent pixels on that sensor. Result: clearer, more colorful low-light photo (at half resolution, 5 megapixels instead of 10).
Zooms quickly, though noisily, while shooting video; cant shoot hi-def. Overall, wonderful, sharp pix. But camera takes time to learn.
Kodak EasyShare Z950 ($183) Kodaks traditional niche strikes again: design clarity. Important controls on top and they light up. Price: $183, a steal for a camera with 10X zoom, full manual controls and hi-def video.
Zooming while filming is another small-camera problem.
On the Fuji, audio track picks up zooming noise; on the Samsung, audio cuts out completely while zooming; on the Panasonic, zooming is incredibly slow to avoid noise. But Kodak zooms nice and fast and almost silently (though it blurs in and out of focus while zooming).
Downsides: Its big, bulky and very slow. Pictures are only average. Have to charge battery in the camera (so cant keep a spare charging).
Nikon Cool)ix S8000 ($299) Just released, so for near term, youll pay list price. Nicely thin, compact 10X zoomer. As with Sony, Samsung and others, can wait to snap automatically when subject smiles. Like Casio and others, can apply a fake-looking smear to skin tones to minimize blotches, wrinkles.
Hi-def video with stereo sound and dedicated Movie button is a plus, but cant zoom.
Amazing-looking screen. Photos generally excellent, except when the autofocus misses.
Olympus Stylus 7000 ($184) Super-light, very cheap 7X zoom. Panorama mode stitches consecutive frames together automatically as you swing your arm. Illuminated controls: nice. HDMI jack for showing photos in hi-def on a TV.
Lots of bad news, though: No hi-def video, no zooming while filming, horrific shutter lag, no autofocus lamp for low light, a nonstandard USB cable to get the photos off. And still with the nonstandard memory cards (XD or MicroSD)? Get with it, Olympus!
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 ($244) The camera that wants to be a camcorder. 12X zoom, usable during filming (which is pristine hi-def); stereo audio; dedicated Start/Stop button for video. (Caution: Factory setting uses weird format AVCHD Lite that few video-editing programs can handle. Motion JPEG format available instead, but lower quality and 16-minute clip maximum.)
Homely software ALL CAPS MENUS, anyone? but clear.
Terrific screen (super-high-res, like the Nikons). Doesnt just recognize faces recognizes particular faces, which you can name (Uncle Stu) but doesnt do much with that information.
Pictures are excellent, but screen doesnt brighten up as necessary, as rivals do making it very hard to compose shots in low light.
Samsung DualView TL225 ($274) Crazy amount of tech in this one. Small, secondary screen on the front. Nearly invisible in sunlight, but great for self-portraits, for counting down to the self-timer snap, and even for holding attention of children (the camera can play a little cartoon on that screen).
Main screen is the biggest on the market, at 3.5 inches. Smooth, responsive touch screen: draw an X for Delete, swipe across for Next Picture, tap to change settings like flash. Tilt or shake the camera to trigger playback functions, too.
Bummers: Have to charge battery inside camera; have to transfer the photos using bizarro nonstandard cable; movie audio cuts out completely, weirdly, while you zoom; requires a cell phone memory card (MicroSD).
Also, touch screen does a real number on battery life (180 shots). Camera is too flash-happy.
But very good photos.
Sony Cyber-Shot W290 ($180) Least expensive camera here, but few other virtues.
Buttons tiny and cramped. Have to zoom by holding down buttons, rather than turning a ring around the shutter button.
Shoots hi-def, but cant zoom while filming.
The first with an auto-fire-when-subject-smiles mode but a dedicated shutter button on top just for that feature? Really?
The top 3 (plus 1) As the ridiculous megapixel race winds down at last, camera companies are now putting effort into differentiating their cameras and wow, are there some weirdies here, from the two-screened Samsung to the green screen mode of the Casio to the camcorder-wannabe Panasonic.
And if you can choose only one?
Ive got three favorites this year, for different reasons.
The Fujifilm F70EXR is superior in low light (and has that 10X zoom).
The Panasonic Lumix SZ3 takes great hi-def movies (12X zoom). (The Nikon S8000 is extremely similar, but costs much more.)
The Samsung DualView TL225 zooms only 4.6X, but offers that huge touch screen and the amazingly handy small front screen.
The Kodak EasyShare Z950 gets an honorable mention. It doesnt quite match the big boys photo quality, but what you get for $183 is amazing.)
Oh and for the price and pocketability, all three of this years winners take very good photos. Thats always a nice feature to have in a camera.
Samsung is a company more commonly associated with HDTVs and smartphones, but the company’s camera announcements at PMA 2010 in Anaheim made it clear that they’re very serious about cameras.
The highest-end announcement of the day is the 10-megapixel Samsung TL500, which sports an incredibly bright and fast f/1.8 lens as well as a very large sensor for a point-and-shoot camera.
The 0.59-inch CCD sensor in the TL500 is the same size as the sensor found in highly-rated advanced cameras such as the Canon PowerShot G11 and Canon PowerShot S90, and the f/1.8 aperture on the wide-angle end is larger than the aperture on either of those Canon cameras. That should translate to excellent low-light performance and the ability to shoot with very fast shutter speeds, as well as shooting photos with a very shallow depth-of-field when using the TL500.
What’s more, the TL500 features an ultra-wide-angle 3x optical zoom lens, ranging from 24mm to 72mm and bolstered by dual optical/digital image stabilization; that 24mm on the wide-angle end offers more coverage than the PowerShot G11 and PowerShot S90.
One glaring omission is the lack of an optical viewfinder on the TL500, which is mitigated quite a bit by the inclusion of a 3-inch-diagonal, swiveling AMOLED screen. The TL500 also offers full manual controls, aperture priority, shutter priority, and RAW shooting capabilities, as well as a beginner-friendly Smart Auto mode.
In a nod to the Olympus Pen EP-2, the TL500 also has a horizonally scrolling control wheel for in-camera settings; unlike the Olympus, the TL500’s adjustment wheel is on the front of the camera, where the shooter’s index finger might rest on the grip.
The TL500 also records standard-definition (640-by-480) video at 30 frames per second. The intriguing camera is slated for availability in the Spring for $450.
Samsung TL350: Look Out, Casio High-Speed Cameras
The slick, 10-megapixel (CMOS) Samsung TL350 has a high-speed shooting mode that takes up to 10 full-resolution snapshots per second, as well as a video mode that captures 1000 frames per second at a highly-reduced resolution (138-by-78 pixels).
In normal video mode, the TL350 shoots 1080p video at 30fps, and also offers an HDMI-out port for viewing clips on an HDTV.
The TL350 has a 5x optical zoom lens that matches the TL500’s reach on the wide-angle end: 24mm to 120mm. Full manual controls, aperture priority, shutter priority, Smart Auto mode, RAW shooting, dual optical/digital image stabilization, and a 3-inch AMOLED screen round out the TL350’s bag of tricks.
The Samsung TL350 is due in the Spring for $350.
Samsung HMX-U20 and HMX-U15: Look Out, Flip
Also coming in the Spring are two new pocket camcorders, both of which record 1080p high-definition video (H.264) at 30 frames per second. The Samsung HMX-U20 also offers a 3x optical zoom lens—a feature you rarely see on a pocket camcorder—and the ability to shoot 10-megapixel still images.
The slightly lower-end HMX-U15 lacks the optical zoom lens, but adds the ability to take 14-megapixel photos. The camcorders also have stereo mics on the front of their faceplates to record audio.
Both camcorders offer flip-out USB connectors and one-touch uploads to YouTube, as well as HDMI-out ports, SD/SDHC storage slots, digital image stabilization, and an angled grip that Samsung says reduces arm strain while shooting footage.
The U20 and U15 boast a time-lapse recording feature that lets the shooter combine several shots snapped at a fixed interval to create an instant time-lapse video. The 3x optical zoom U20 will sell for $250, while the U15 will cost $230.
Samsung AQ100 and SL605: Waterproof and Scratchproof, Respectively
Rounding out today’s Samsung announcements are two ruggedized cameras, both with budget-friendly prices.
The waterproof Samsung AQ100 is rated to withstand underwater submersion down to 10 feet, and it offers a dedicated “Aqua mode” to optimize in-camera settings for underwater shooting.
Key specs include a 12-megapixel sensor, a 5x optical zoom lens with digital image stabilization, 720p video recording, and a 2.7-inch LCD screen. It’s slated for Spring at $200.
The scratch-resistant, 12-megapixel SL605 has a metal faceplate, rubberized buttons, and an anti-scratch coating that will keep it looking real smooth-like.
Its 5x optical zoom lens ranges from 27mm to 135mm, and it includes a flash-intensity adjusting “Smart Night” mode that Samsung says will eliminate blown-out low-light shots. A 2.7-inch LCD and standard-definition video recording are also in the mix; Samsung says the camera will be available this Spring for just $130.
The Transition “roadable aircraft” makes its debut flight over upstate New York. It’s still just a proof of concept, though, and another prototype is yet to come.
Today’s deals from DealNN include a wide selection of items from printers and iPods to portable storage devices. Most notable being a deal on the Iomega eGo BlackBelt 500GB portable hard drive, which is now available for $99.99 at Buy.com. The Iomega eGo BlackBelt 500GB Portable Hard Drive features Iomega Drop Guard Xtreme technology that enables drop protection up to 84-inches, along with a variety of data backup and protection applications.
This weekend JR.com has dropped the price on the HP Photosmart A646 compact photo printer from $149.99 to $94, a price cut of $55.99. Fujifilm A170 silver 10.2MP digital camera, only $55. Today’s daily deal from Dell.com is on the Fujifilm A170 10.2MP digital camera, which is temporarily priced at $55, but will go back up to $79 tomorrow. Apple’s online store currently has the refurbished 120GB iPod classic for $189 in both black and silver. OnSale.com’s deal of the day features a discount on the 10.1-inch Asus EeePC Netbook, which is now only $249 after a $130 price drop.
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. – The excitement of Super Bowl XLIV was viewed by millions, making it the most watched program in American television historyi. Several professional photographers captured every moment of the action using Canons latest professional digital SLR camera, the EOS-1D Mark IV. With initial camera shipments beginning less than 6 weeks before the game, Super Bowl XLIV was the first major sports event where professional photographers had an opportunity to see for themselves how the EOS-1D Mark IV camera would perform. After the game, Canon U.S.A. chose to interview four of these professional photographers regarding their use of the EOS-1D Mark IV camera and from their comments, it is clear that for these photographers, the EOS-1D Mark IV camera aced its first big test.
“Shooting at Super Bowl XLIV with the EOS-1D Mark IV was a night-and-day improvement compared to previous EOS models. It blew them all away. The 1D Mark IV exceeded my expectations quite a bit” said Daniel Powers, staff photographer, Gannett Co., Inc.
The EOS-1D Mark IV is designed to be the multimedia camera of choice for professionals across all photographic disciplines, with a new 45-point autofocus system, a 16-megapixel Canon CMOS sensor, Dual DIGIC 4 Imaging Processors, and 14-bit A/D data conversion, all at up to 10 frames-per-second (fps), with the widest ISO range Canon has produced to date. “Overall, in my opinion, the EOS-1D Mark IV is the best camera Canon has put out so far. I would have no hesitation recommending it” said Scott Audette, a contract photographer who covered Super Bowl XLIV for Reuters.
The cameras ability to quickly track and maintain sharp focus on subjects helped to produce some amazing results for Super Bowl photographers. The EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR cameras new autofocus system features 45 selectable AF points including 39 high-precision cross-type focusing points along with a newly redesigned AI Servo II AF predictive focusing algorithm capable of tracking fast moving Super Bowl athletes or other moving subjects accurately at speeds up to 10 frames per second. “Ever since Ive been shooting with it, I find that Im able to get entire sequences of sharp images instead of just individual frames. Thats a huge improvement” remarked Tom Hauck, of Tom Hauck Photography, who photographed the Super Bowl on assignment for ESPN the Magazine. “The autofocus and tracking are razor sharp. After the NFL Wildcard Playoff game I was submitting 10 to 12 shot sequences all in crisp focus”
Professional photographers must rely on their equipment for their livelihood and capturing the fast action of the biggest football game of the year is a daunting task. We are proud that select professional photographers shooting for major media companies, have shown us the confidence and trust to rely on the EOS-1D Mark IV camera to shoot such a prestigious event” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A.
Each photographer that Canon interviewed had used the camera at various sporting events over the past several weeks and their reported results were exemplary. “Ive used the camera in daylight and evening shoots, from professional sporting events to collegiate auditoriums and I got great results regardless of the lighting conditions” remarked Powers. Ronald Martinez, staff photographer, Getty Images, had similar sentiments: “The AF tracking is excellent in all the lighting conditions Ive experienced, ranging from football and basketball to hockey and press conferences. The 1D Mark IV cameras AF system grabs the subject very quickly and stays with it. Its been very dependable”
“The AF tracking was spectacular. It reacted very quickly and never skipped a beat, even when subjects were close to the camera and moving fast. One thing that impressed me was the fact that the AF tracking performed just as well at the Super Bowl, which was a night game, as it had a couple of weeks earlier at a day game that I had shot in Green Bay” stated Powers. When asked about the tracking performance of the EOS-1D Mark IV at the Super Bowl, Audette had a similar reaction: “It just works. Over 90 percent of my shots were tack sharp”
Each photographer commented on the EOS-1D Mark IVs new AI Servo II predictive AF performance. Hauck stated, “I noticed that the 1D Mark IV holds focus much better than other cameras Ive used when another subject temporarily blocks the main subject. Because of this improvement, my sequences were consistently sharp” Martinez commented: “I knew I had the shots I needed as soon as I took them. I didnt even have to review them on the LCD. I just handed the memory cards to my runner and kept on shooting”
AF tracking was not the only improvement Hauck noticed. “I have been taking advantage of Canons new orientation-linked focus point selection feature. Ive got the 1D Mark IV set for center focusing in horizontal orientation, and two points above center for vertical orientation. The camera switches automatically as I turn it, which really makes for a convenient feature when youre shooting fast action”
Hauck summed up his overall impression of the camera while photographing a pinnacle play in the games ultimate outcome: “I was in the end zone using a 500mm lens on the Mark IV for the game defining interception and I aimed at the cornerback and started firing as he jumped the route. Once the camera locked on, he remained in focus as he ran the full 70 yards to the end zone. Even as other players came horizontally into frame in an attempt to tackle him, the camera never lost focus. When he cut back, breaking free and getting closer, I rotated the camera from horizontal to vertical without taking my hand off the shutter and even the shots taken while turning the camera remained tack-sharp. I dont believe I have ever fired a consistent 68 shot burst of a single play like that before and produced so many perfectly focused shots”
About Canon U.S.A., Inc. Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked fourth overall in the U.S. in 2009, with global revenues of US $35 billion, is listed as number four in the computer industry on Fortune Magazines Worlds Most Admired Companies 2009 list, and is on the 2009 BusinessWeek list of “100 Best Global Brands” Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Companys RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.
Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office Specifications and availability are subject to change without notice. All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners. i According to the Associated Press “Super Bowl is most watched TV show ever” By David Bauder, AP Television Writer, Feb 8, 4:31 pm EST http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AruostjaqZ6vAguMDfFOOSs5nYcB?slug=ap-superbowl-ratings&prov=ap&type=lgns
The Nikon Coolpix P100 is capable of doing some extraordinary things. It’s chock-full of shooting options centred on a high-speed CMOS sensor married with a 26x superzoom lens. Things like high-speed photo and video shooting, fun modes and settings for near endless experimentation, and 1080p HD-quality movie recording are all here. The P100 is also well designed with easily managed controls once you spend some quality time with the extensive manual (it’s paper, too). However, for all its strengths, the camera’s photos (and video for that matter) just aren’t that good. And for the money, that’s going to be tough for a lot of people to get past. Of course, there are plenty of people who can overlook its imperfections in exchange for the heaps of wow factor the P100 packs. Which one are you?
Design and features
The P100 is an overhaul inside and out of the P90. The changes include an extension of the zoom range out to 26x (just in case you were still having trouble seeing into your neighbour’s house or their neighbour’s house). Instead of the P90’s 12-megapixel CCD sensor, the P100 uses a backside-illuminated (BSI) 10-megapixel CMOS sensor. This sensor improves shooting speed and helps reduce noise in low-light photos. It also allows Nikon to add a few specialty shooting modes we’ll discuss later.
The overall feel is very nice and amazingly compact considering the lens and all that the camera can do. The grip is deep and comfortable, the body is well balanced, and the lens barrel gives you ample space to hold and steady the camera with your left hand. Though you really don’t want to use a zoom like that without a support, the camera does have sensor-shift image stabilisation that Nikon calls Optical VR. Though it’s difficult to hold the camera still with the zoom fully extended, the stabilisation does an excellent job of minimising blur, and when combined with Nikon’s Best Shot Selector you have a better than average chance of getting a sharp shot of a still subject while holding the camera. BSS is a high-speed shooting setting that takes up to 10 shots while the shutter release is pressed and saves only the sharpest shot.
There’s a decent electronic viewfinder and a vari-angle LCD for framing up your shots. The LCD pulls out from the body and can be tilted up or down, but it does not swing out horizontally from the body. Like all LCDs and EVFs, the screen blanks out for a second once you’ve taken a shot, but it’s reasonably fast to recover.
The controls are comfortably placed and responsive. On top are the Mode dial, power button and shutter release with zoom ring. To the left of the EVF is a button for moving from viewing information on the LCD or EVF and a diopter adjustment dial. To its right is a display button for changing what info is viewed on the displays and a movie record button with a switch for picking what type of video you want to shoot (regular or high speed). A horizontal dial above the thumb rest lets you quickly change shutter speed and aperture settings as well as zip through images and videos in playback. The rest of the controls are pretty standard: playback, menu and delete buttons, and a round directional pad with an OK button at its centre. The pad is used for navigating menus (which look sharper than those on older Coolpix models), adjusting timer, flash, focus and exposure compensation settings, and searching through your photos and movies.
The P100’s Macro mode lets you get as close as 0.4 inch from a subject. The camera is also at its sharpest in this mode. (Credit: Joshua Goldman/CNET)
The battery compartment and card slot are under a door on the bottom. The battery life isn’t great for this camera and using the wall adapter takes about three hours to fully charge the battery from zero. Outputs are under a cover on the body’s left side. There’s a Mini-HDMI and a USB/AV port. There’s no accessory shoe for an add-on flash, limiting you to the on-board pop-up one. It doesn’t automatically rise when needed; it remains off until you push a button on the left side of the camera. It’s adequately powerful and there are flash exposure compensation settings available.
This is a look at the range of the P100. The top left shot is at the lens’ widest position. The crop to its right is the actual-pixel size, not print size. The bottom left is with the lens fully extended standing in the same spot as the top photo. The 100 per cent crop on its right, though not great looking, is pretty amazing; that’s the observation deck of the Empire State Building. (Credit: Joshua Goldman/CNET)
On the short list of notably absent features is RAW support (which seems silly to leave out on this model) and automatic picture orientation, something that can be found on cameras at a fraction of the P100’s cost and abilities.
The shooting options are plentiful on the P100 making it much more than a point-and-shoot superzoom. There are full manual and semi-manual options with shutter speeds from eight seconds to 1/2000 second, and an aperture range of 10 steps of 1/3 exposure value. There are, of course, a bunch of scene modes, auto scene recognition, subject tracking autofocus for moving subjects, and a single spot on the mode dial for a group of user-selected settings.
Owing to the high-speed abilities of the BSI CMOS you get four specialty shooting modes. The P100 can do a continuous burst at up to 10 frames per second. Or you can choose a Sports Continuous mode that can capture up to 25, 2-megapixel images at 60 frames per second or up to 60, 1-megapixel shots at 120fps. The P100 also has a Backlit Scene HDR (high dynamic range) option that’ll combine several shots of the same scene to get a single image with a broad range of tonal detail. Lastly, there’s a Night Landscape mode that works similarly, merging several shots using fast shutter speeds allowing you to take clearer low-light handheld shots.
This uses the Night Landscape mode. It takes several photos with one press of the shutter release and layers them to reduce blur and noise. This is completely handheld (no tripod needed) and the print was good at 8×10 inches. The crop is at 100 per cent, not print size. (Credit: Joshua Goldman/CNET)
The P100 has robust movie options, especially compared with past Coolpix models. Regular movies can be recorded at HD quality; 1080p at 12Mbps or 14Mbps, and 720p at 9Mbps, though it is variable bitrate, so more motion means larger files. There are settings for VGA and QVGA, too. All are at approximately 30 frames per second. You get full use of the zoom while recording, a choice of single autofocus that locks when you start recording or continuous AF, and electronic stabilisation. Be warned, though, that you will hear the zoom and if you plan to use the zoom during recording, you’ll want to switch to the continuous AF, which makes near-constant audible chatter. It’s not exactly quick to focus, either. The stereo mic on top does a decent job and there’s a wind filter you can turn on, too.
In addition to the regular movie mode is the high-speed mode with four options, the fastest being 240fps at a resolution of 320×240 pixels. Then there’s 120fps at 640×480 pixels and 60fps at 1280×720. Those all result in slow-motion movies with maximum recording times of 10 seconds each for 240fps and 120fps (that’s 80 seconds in playback) and 30 seconds max for 60fps, which stretches out to one minute in playback. There’s a 15fps option with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, but records at twice the speed of a normal movie. There’s a maximum recording time of two minutes giving you one minute of video. No sound is recorded in these modes and you don’t have use of the zoom.
Performance
Superzooms are notoriously slow when it comes to shooting performance, but the P100 is exceptionally fast for the category. From powering on to first shot is 1.8 seconds with an average shot-to-shot time of 1.4 seconds; using the flash doubles that time. Shutter lag is fairly low at 0.4 second in bright light and 0.6 in dim. And again, thanks to the fast CMOS sensor, the P100’s continuous burst mode is capable of 11.8fps, which is actually faster than Nikon’s stated speed of 10fps. Like all compact cameras that sport this type of burst mode, once you release the shutter you’re waiting several seconds for the camera to catch up and store the images to the memory card.
Image quality
The P100’s photo quality, though decent for a point-and-shoot camera, is no doubt going to let down anyone expecting higher-calibre photos because of its price and design. Superzoom cameras generally take soft, somewhat hazy photos and this one’s no different. The lowest ISO is 160 and things aren’t really sharp there; start adding in more noise reduction as you go up in ISO and subjects only get softer. Plus, subjects have a decidedly digital, processed appearance. Photos are OK at ISO 400, but they start getting yellow blotches to them. The P100 can be locked to use ISO 160 to 200 or ISO 160 to 400; we strongly recommend using the former when you’re in bright conditions. The results above ISO 400 just aren’t good for much beyond small prints and web use. Every user is different, though, and seeing what this camera is capable of, some people will just be thrilled with what they are able to capture and be more forgiving of the results.
(Credit: Matthew Fitzgerald/CNET)
Typical of wide-angle long-zoom lenses, the P100’s exhibits some barrel distortion at its widest position and pin-cushioning when the lens is fully extended. Nikon includes a Distortion Correction option that can be turned on or off in PASM modes. Also, though it’s bad with most superzoom cameras, the chromatic aberration (purple/blue fringing) is terrible with the P100, especially when the lens is zoomed out.
Colours were not accurate in our tests, particularly reds and blues. In our test shots, however, everything turned out bright and reasonably natural looking. Exposure was generally good, though highlights are prone to blooming and clipping. On the other hand, there are plenty of options for adjusting and improving the results.
Though it’s bad with most superzoom cameras, the chromatic aberration (purple/blue fringing) is terrible with the P100, especially when the lens is fully extended. (Credit: Joshua Goldman/CNET)
Video quality is OK, on par with a pocket video camera. Those with hopes of the P100 replacing a fully fledged HD camcorder will likely be unsatisfied with the results.
Conclusion
The Nikon Coolpix P100 is one of those cameras that consumers will love for all that it can do or hate because one of those things isn’t taking superb photos. If it was going to be someone’s primary camera, we would say pass. Those interested in experimentation and want a lot of settings to play with, and a really long lens, but aren’t as concerned about getting the best quality photos and video in return, will likely be thrilled.
Deep understanding of CIS value chain, infrastructure & players,
Key market metrics & dynamics of CMOS image sensors applications.
The CMOS Image Sensor industry is at an historic turning point Image sensors have come a long way since the first introduction of CCD sensor technology in the 1990s. They jump in the 2000s with the introduction of CMOS sensor technology which gave birth to the low cost, high volume camera phone market. Image sensors are now part of our everydays life: from cell-phone cameras, to notebook webcams, digital cameras and video camcorders to security & surveillance systems. In the future, new markets are also emerging such as sensors for medical applications, automotive safety features but also gaming and home TV webcams
The reason why we are now releasing the first report on CMOS image sensor industry is that we feel that we are at an historic turning point of this young, but still maturing industry says Jrme Baron, Market & Technology Analyst at Yole Dveloppement.
Indeed, from 2010 and toward the next decade, the time has come that high-end and low-end markets start converging: digital cameras are on the way to get real HD video camcorder features. Meanwhile, camera cell-phones with auto-focus capability are on the way to get real digital still camera features along with basic video recording functionality.
2010: Year of the CMOS BSI sensor wave? If you are following recent announcements in the digital imaging area closely, you may have noticed that CMOS image sensors are on the verge of making another giant step over CCD technology this year. And Japanese imaging companies seem to be leading the way in this area! Indeed, Sony made the first step last year by introducing its CMOS BSI sensor technology. The Japanese electronics giant is now mass producing the CMOS BSI sensor in its newest video camcorders and digital still cameras.
But Sony is not an isolated case as in early January, many other announcements have followed and not only Casio but also Nikon, Ricoh, Samsung, JVC and Fujifilm all separately announced their first digital camera products using a CMOS sensor based on BSI Backside illumination technology!
So, a lot of interesting announcements in the high-end imaging market have happened early this year. But the low-end image sensor market will not stand by and watch as it is expected that CMOS BSI technology will also appear into different smart-phone camera products later this year. Omnivision is ready and currently sampling its second generation BSI image sensor. Aptina Imaging, Toshiba, Samsung and STMicro are also in the starting-blocks.
Disruptive technologies for digital imaging industry As these markets will progressively converge, key enabling technologies will be developed and are paving the way to the future growth of digital imaging industry, explains Laurent Robin, Market & Technology Analyst at Yole Dveloppement:
CMOS sensor technology will continue to expand and finally take the advantage in the remaining CCD application space as soon as 300mm infrastructure will build-up in Asia and BSI CMOS technology will be made available.
In the high-end camera phone market segment, disruptive new camera module concepts including auto-focus, zoom and image stabilization features will be developed and introduced to the market.
In the ultra-competitive low-end market, the race toward Wafer Level Cameras and digital autofocus features such as eDoF (extended Depth of Focus) will enable the few remaining image sensor players to preserve their margins in this aggressive and cost driven market.
Future CIS markets such as medical and automotive sensor applications will re-use extensively all these newly developed concepts (BSI, WLC, digital zoom) plus will need new features to be developed such as High Dynamic Range and NIR capability.
Authors Jerome Baron is leading the MEMS & Advanced Packaging market research at Yole Developpement. He has been involved in the analysis of the CMOS image sensor industry at the sensor, packaging, assembly & test levels. He is also involved in the research linked to new equipment & materials for image sensor manufacturing. He was granted a Master of Science degree in Nanotechnologies from the National Institute of Applied Sciences in Lyon, France.
Laurent Robin is in charge of the MEMS & Sensors market research at Yole Developpement. He previously worked at image sensor company e2v Technologies (Grenoble, France) and at EM Microelectronics (Switzerland). He holds a Physics Engineering degree from the National Institute of Applied Sciences in Toulouse. He was also granted a Master Degree in Technology & Innovation Management from EM Lyon Business School, France.
CMOS Image Sensors Technologies & Markets – 2010 Report Catalogue price: Euros 3,690 Publication date: February 2010 For special offers and price in dollars, please contact David Jourdan (jourdan@yole.fr or +33 472 83 01 90).
Your digital camera and Mac can work together to capture images as well as display them. Many DSLRs, and a handful of compacts, have the ability to shoot tethered, which means you connect a camera to your Mac via a USB cable, then control the camera remotely. With this kind of setup you can save files directly to your hard drive, preview the images on the computer screen, and even control your camera from an iPhone.
When to tether
Tethered shooting is useful for situations when regular handheld photography isn’t convenient. If you want to shoot birds visiting a feeder, for example, but know your presence will scare them off, position the camera on a tripod and snap the pictures from your Mac a safe distance away. The birds aren’t aware of your presence and you’re able to preview and capture images as if you were standing right next to them.
Tethering is also handy when you need to position a camera in an awkward location, such as up high for a sporting event or a wedding. Some studio photographers use tethering to show their clients large screen views of the images on the computer monitor right as they’re shot. Finally, tethering is helpful when you are shooting large files and want to save them directly to your computer’s hard drive instead of constantly swapping full memory cards in and out.
Tethering is primarily a DSLR activity. There are a few compact cameras, such as the Casio EX-F1 that have this ability, but they are in the minority. And if a camera, such as the EX-F1, does advertise this capability, read the specs carefully to make sure that the Mac necessary software is included with the hardware.
Use the right software
If you have the right software, the setup is remarkably easy. Canon, for example, includes its EOS Utility with DSLRs, which is a terrific application for remote control photography. Just connect your Canon DSLR via its USB cable, launch EOS Utility, and choose Camera Settings/Remote Shooting. Click on the Remote Live View Shooting button, and you’re seeing the world through your camera’s lens on your Mac display.
You can also change many of your camera’s settings, such as exposure compensation, white balance, and ISO, using the control window on your Mac. Once you take a picture via the virtual shutter release button, the image re-appears on your Mac for review. You have the option of saving the files to your Mac, or to both your Mac and the camera’s memory card, creating an instant backup for every shot recorded.
Nikon DSLRs can also be tethered, but unlike Canon, they don’t include the software with the camera. You can purchase Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 ($150) for remote shooting, or try a third party application such as the free Sofortbild, which gets high marks from Nikon users. You can also use the photo management application Lightroom with the free plug-in LightroomTether by Mountainstorm.
Some Nikon and Canon cameras can be tethered to your Mac using Aperture 3. Refer to this Apple Support Document to see if your particular model is supported. As Apple states it on its Aperture 3 tech specs page: “Tethering requires compliance with standard protocols that are not supported by all camera models.”
Other camera brands, such as Olympus, may also support tethering. Olympus Studio ($100) for example, does a terrific job of tethering some of its DSLRs. I tested it with the E-30, and it worked great. If you’re shopping for a new DSLR and tethering is important to you, be sure to investigate what software options are available to you before making your purchase.
iPhones get in on the action
Aperture users can also tether their iPhone cameras directly to Apple’s pro photo management application. You don’t get the remote shooting function, but the images are downloaded directly into the Aperture library of your choosing for instant viewing and storage. Just connect your iPhone to your Mac, select a Project in Aperture to store the images in, then go to File -> Tether -> Start session.
If you don’t want to manually fire the camera on your tethered iPhone, you can use software such as Joby’s free Gorillacam app and set up interval shooting. You can select between 3 and 200 frames captured at intervals from 1 and 120 seconds. Each time the iPhone camera fires, the image is uploaded to Aperture. You could walk away from the entire rig, have a cup of coffee, and have a library of images waiting for you on return.
An iPhone or iPod touch can also be used as a remote control for tethered Canon and Nikon DSLRs, using one of my favorite iPhone apps called DSLR Camera Remote by onOne Software. Download the application to your iPhone, install the free server software on your Mac, and fire everything up.
With the lite version of DSLR Camera Remote ($1.99; ) you can trigger your camera from anywhere as long as your Mac and iPhone are on the same WiFi network. With the pro version ($19.99; ), you can also change camera settings, view captured images on your iPhone, and look through your camera’s viewfinder remotely. If you want to get geeky, you could even set up an AdHoc network with your Mac laptop and us this rig just about anywhere.
Share tethered images on a network Remote sharing gets even more interesting with Image Capture on Macs running Snow Leopard. Since you have your DSLR or iPhone tethered to the computer anyway, why not share it with other Macs on your network? Open Image Capture, select the connected camera under Devices, then check the Share Camera box in the lower left corner. Now go to another Snow Leopard Mac on the network, launch Image Capture, and you’ll see the camera in the Shared devices list. You can view images on the camera’s memory card and even copy them to the computer. This is a great feature for team projects when multiple users want to access a single capture device.
There are many alternatives to holding your camera and pressing its shutter button to record an image, or for those times when you want to take advantage of your large computer hard drive for photo storage instead of using the memory card in your camera. For those situations where that just isn’t practical, explore tethered capture.
Packing a 10x optical zoom into a compact camera isn’t the easiest thing to do in the world, but Nikon has tried with the S8000. At just 27.3mm deep, the Nikon is the slimmest camera in the 10x optical zoom fray (which is albeit a small market). Other cameras like the Olympus Mju 9010 are just a little chubbier.
Other features include a 14.2-megapixel sensor and a high-resolution 920,000-dot 3-inch LCD screen. Like some of the new Coolpix compacts, the S8000 also records in 720p HD video. Nikon is also touting something called a creative slider that adjusts brightness and hue, which we’re assuming is something accessible from the camera menus rather than externally.
There’s also a new image processing engine that claims to reduce noise at high ISO sensitivities (ISO 1600, but expandable to ISO 3200 when selecting manual ISO).
Stay tuned for our review soon; the Coolpix S8000 will be available in black for AU$499.
In 2001, I conducted a search for the best camera with a street price under $300. Ive repeated the experiment every year since.
