Nikon Coolpix P100 monster zoom digicam: CMOS plus full HD movie recording

Nikon have unveiled details of its flagship point’n’shooter, the dSLR-styled 10MP Nikon P100 which can rattle off images at in Stirling Moss-esque 120fps bursts, and serve up full HD video.

There’s a mighty big lens strapped on to this baby in the shape of a hefty 26x (26mm-678mm. f2-5) zoom, which can go all the way down to 0.4 inches while in macro mode.

With a lens this long, it’s a good job that Nikon’s ‘5-Way Vibration Reduction (VR) Image Stabilisation System’ is onboard to try and keep things sharp.

The camera can deliver full resolution high-speed shooting at 10 frames per second (fps), and also boasts the ability to blast off images at a ludicrously fast 120FPS bursts, although we’re only talking about piddly 1.1MP images, making it a bit of a pointless gimmick.

Movie mode
Unlike many digicams, the P100 lets you zoom while recording, with the camera being able to shoot MOV (H.264) format at HD 1080p (1920 x 1080) 30fps, HD 720p (1280 x 720) 30fps, VGA (640 x 480) 30fps, or QVGA (320 x 240) 30fps.

The P100 also offers high-speed movie capture creating slow-motion video by shooting at up to 240 frames per second, with a switch on the back letting you switch between the two.

Say hello to CMOS
The P100 is the first Coolpix to switch to CMOS, dropping down to a more sensible 10 megapixels which should improve low light performance.

More usefully, there’s an in-camera high dynamic range (HDR) function, and an interesting Night Landscape mode which combines a series of consecutive shots taken at a fast shutter speed into a single image with reduced noise when taking handheld shots at night.

There’s full manual and semi-manual shooting modes available, backed by a ton of scene modes, auto scene recognition, subject tracking autofocus for moving subjects and all the usual gubbins, but the lack of RAW support seems a bit of a daft omission.

Pricing looks pretty keen, with the P100 set to retail for around $400 (£250) next month.

Nikon P100 features:

• 10.3 Megapixels for stunning prints as large as 16 x 20 inches. Sharp resolution to capture the finest details, crop creatively and produce incredible enlargements

• Extraordinary 26x Optical Wide-Angle Zoom-NIKKOR ED Glass Lens offers quality optics that provides exceptional images. The NIKKOR ED lens is built on a proud heritage of producing precision camera optics that delivers superb color and razor-sharp results. Unbeatable compositional freedom is available with its wide-angle (26mm) to super telephoto coverage (678mm). Sweeping landscapes can be captured as well as zoomed-in close-ups of the action taking place on the baseball or soccer field!

• New backside illumination CMOS sensor optimized with Nikon’s exclusive EXPEED image processing concept ensures natural-looking pictures of incredible quality and quick response so you won’t miss that special moment

  • High-speed 10 fps enables high-speed continuous shooting for full 10MP images, ideal for sports and action
  • Sports Continuous shooting with pre-shooting cache option enables high-speed shooting at approximately 120 fps for images up to 1.1MP
  • Advanced Night Landscape mode combines a series of consecutive shots taken at a fast shutter speed into a single, clearer image when taking handheld shots at night
  • Backlit Scene HDR (High Dynamic Range) merges different exposures of the same scene to create an image with a range of tonal detail that could not be captured in a single photo

• Incredible, Bright 3.0-inch vari-angle high resolution HVGA (460,000-dot) Clear Color Display makes it easy to compose and share your images and movies with brightness adjustment and anti-glare coating

• New Full HD movie with stereo sound and HDMI output Full 1080p HD movie recording at 30fps made better with stereo sound built-in microphone, dedicated movie-record button and HDMI output for easy in camera playback or on your TV or computer

• 5-way VR Image Stabilization System

  • Optical VR Image Stabilization by sensor shift minimizes the effect of camera shake
  • New Hybrid VR Image Stabilization by combining sensor shift and electronic stabilization minimizes the effect of camera shake
  • Motion Detection automatically detects moving subjects and adjusts shutter speed and ISO setting to compensate for camera shake and subject movement
  • High ISO up to 3200 at full resolution capability helps give you better results when shooting in low light or capturing fast-moving subjects.
  • Nikon’s original Best Shot Selector (BSS) automatically takes up to 10 shots while the shutter is pressed and saves the sharpest image

• Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual Exposure modes gives ultimate control over your pictures

• Smart Portrait System includes:

  • Smile Timer and Blink Proof makes sure you’ll always catch the decisive moment when your subject smiles and Blink Proof function shoots fives pictures and automatically saves the one in which the subject’s eyes remain open

  • Blink Warning, when activated alerts you that the subject may have blinked and allows you to retake the photo

  • In-Camera Red-Eye Fix™ automatically fixes, while shooting, most instances of red-eye in the camera. You may never see red-eye again

  • Face-Priority AF Nikon’s face-finding technology that automatically focuses on up to 12 faces

  • Skin Softening smoothes skin tone at three different levels for optimal portraits

• Subject Tracking will track a moving subject to ensure sharp focus. The camera will automatically track your subject – even if they temporarily move out of the frame

• Quick Retouch optimizes contrast and color vividness for beautiful images

• Scene Auto Selector automatically recognizes the scene in your picture and adjusts camera setting

• D-Lighting rescues dark or backlit images by improving brightness and detail during playback

• Active D-Lighting adjusts highlights, shadows and contrast while shooting

• 17 Scene Modes for optimized shooting in various settings

• Macro shooting as close as 0.4”

More info: [Nikon]