Digital cameras keep getting more and more sophisticated, yet their aim is simple: to help you avoid taking a bad photo. The latest offerings from Nikon are a case in point. From the point-and-shoot model Ashton Kutcher is seen frolicking with at dinner parties on TV to the latest entry-level digital SLR, Nikon digicams strive to help you make the most of your photo opps.
NIKON COOLPIX S70
The
Nikon COOLPIX S70 features an all-new 3.5-inch
Clear Color Display with touch-screen controls for enhanced shooting and playback. The screen provides instant response to the lightest touch, and
Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) technology offers vivid color reproduction and sharp contrast without afterimages.
The 12.1 megapixel camera features a sliding lens cover/power switch and a completely “button-free” experience, allowing you to focus and shoot simply by touching the subject in the camera’s display.
The camera does have a shutter button, which you can use alternatively, but the touch-screen does everything else, including adjusting the 5x NIKKOR lens wide-angle zoom lens. With the swipe of a finger, you can scroll through images, pinch with two fingers to zoom in or out, or switch between thumbnail/full-screen views.
Nikon's Scene Auto Selector feature automatically recognizes shooting situations and adjusts camera settings accordingly, and like all COOLPIX models, the S70 uses Nikon's EXPEED image processing system. Five-way image stabilization (VR) is also on-hand to minimize blur in low-light or unsteady conditions, and to ensure beautiful portraits, a Skin Softening feature smoothes and evens skin tones. The camera even captures HD video at 1280 x 720 pixels (720p).
The S70 has a MSRP of $399.95 and offers a choice of colors and textures, including Red/Red, Champagne/Beige, Black/Black, and Champagne/Light Brown. For more information, visit the COOLPIX S70 Microsite.
NIKON D3000
The Nikon D3000 is an affordable answer if you want to make the transition from a point-and-shoot digital camera to a Digital SLR. For the intimidated, the D3000 provides Guide Mode, which suggests appropriate settings and helps you take great pictures right off the bat. The system also assists with reviewing, organizing and deleting images.
Sculpted with softly-rounded corners and a comfortable grip, the 10.2-megapixel D3000 is compact yet boasts a bright, three-inch 230,000-pixel LCD screen. An eleven-point autofocus system makes it easy to find and focus on a subject. Shooting fast-moving objects is also less difficult thanks to Advanced 3D Subject Tracking and the camera's ability to shoot up to three frames per second.
In-camera retouching preserves the original images yet allows you to easily apply a variety of special effects without using a computer. The D3000 also inherits the Soft Filter and Color Outline Retouch options from the Nikon D5000. All-new is a Miniature effect, which changes the appearance of distant subjects to look like close-ups of miniature models.
The camera uses Nikon’s highly-regarded EXPEED digital image processor, and its exclusive 3D Color Matrix Metering II allows you to compare your currently-framed image against an onboard database of more than 30,000 images, ensuring optimum settings, even when conditions are extreme.
Also included is an integrated Dust Reduction System, consisting of active sensor cleaning that activates when the camera is powered on or off and an Airflow Control System to keep dust particles from reaching the camera's CCD sensor.
The Nikon D3000 outfit, including an AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR image stabilization zoom lens, has an MSRP of $599.95. For more information, visit the D3000 Microsite.
