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| (Credit: Nikon) |
Nikon introduced the Coolpix P100 with a backlit CMOS sensor that sounds familiar. The camera can snap 10 frames a second and captures full 1080p HD video. The Nikon P100 pairs its sensor with a 26x optical zoom lens and sensor-shift image stabilization. It will retail for $399 when it goes on sale next month.
The P100 actually has less resolution than its predecessor, the 12.1-megapixel P90. The new P100 has 10.3 megapixels packaged on a back-illuminated 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor. The new back-illuminated image sensor is said to produce better image quality in low light, among other improvements. Several manufacturers have released cameras in the past few months with backlit sensors: the Fuji HS10 and Sony HX5V, to name a few. The P100, HS10, and HX5V all have about 10 megapixels, 10 fps full-resolution burst modes, high dynamic range functions, and full 1080p HD video.
The Nikon P100 distinguishes itself with its 3-inch vari-angle LCD screen that has excellent 460,000-pixel resolution, an upgrade from the P90’s 230k-pixel LCD of the same size. The new camera, announced February 2, also has an electronic viewfinder. It measures 3.3 x 4.5 x 3.9 inches, making it smaller than the Fuji HS10 but bigger than the Sony HX5V. The Fuji is fitted with a 30x optical zoom lens, while the Sony has a much shorter 10x lens.
The Nikon Coolpix P100’s lens measures 26-678mm, securing its place in the super-zoom digital camera category. The P100’s lens is an improvement over the P90’s 24x, 26-624mm optical zoom lens. The older version also has CCD-shift image stabilization, but doesn’t pair it with electronic stabilization like the P100. For comparison, the Fujifilm HS10’s 30x lens measures 24-720mm and has an SLR-like manual zoom grip instead of allowing the lens to be controlled electronically like on most compact digital cameras.
The P100 has manual, semi-manual, automatic, and 17 scene modes as well as its movie mode. Included in the list is a night landscape mode that uses the backlit sensor’s power to snap a quick succession of shots and then merge them together to reduce noise in the final image. The P100 also has a sport continuous mode that shoots up to 120 fps at up to 1.1-megapixel resolution, with an option to record images before the shutter release button is actually pushed. The older P90 has a similar mode that snaps up to 15 fps at up to 3 megapixels, but maxes out after 45 shots.
The new Nikon has the company’s “smart portrait system” that combines a host of up-and-coming technologies such as smile timer, which detects smiles and then automatically takes the picture. The P100 also has a blink-proof function that takes five shots and saves one with all eyes open, and a skin softening feature. The blink-proof and skin softening features are new to the P-series; the P90 has the smile timer though, along with the in-camera red-eye fix and face priority auto focus that both cameras share.
The Nikon Coolpix P100’s most unique backlit CMOS-inspired feature looks like its night landscape merging mode. There is stiff competition in the backlit category though: the Sony HX5V has a compass and GPS functionality and sells for $350. The Fujifilm HS10 goes on sale in April for $499 and has interesting features like a 1000 fps movie mode, an eye sensor with its electronic viewfinder, and a motion remover mode that wipes moving tourists and other objects from the background of pictures.
