Nikon Coolpix S8000 14.2MP Digital Camera With 10x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Black)
You may know that I am always on the
move for new info on
new technology. Now, I
came across a really
nice article that discusses technology from a different
perspective. Today’s new post is titled Nikon Coolpix S8000 14.2MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Black) .
Nikon Coolpix S8000 14.2MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Black)
- 14.2 megapixels for stunning prints as large as 20 x 30 inches
- 10x wide-angle optical Zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens; 3.0-inch VGA (921k-dot) Clear Color Display
- 720p HD movie recording at 30fps; HDMI output
- Creative Slider creates pictures, in camera, by simply adjusting brightness, vividness and color hue
- 4-way VR Image Stabilization System; Smart Portrait System
Nikon Coolpix S8000 14.2 MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Black) - 26191
List Price: $ 299.95
Price:
You may know that I am always on the
move for new info on
new technology. Now, I
came across a really
nice article that discusses technology from a different
perspective. Today’s new post is titled Nikon D5100 16.2MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-inch Vari-Angle LCD Monitor (Body Only) .
Nikon D5100 16.2MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-inch Vari-Angle LCD Monitor (Body Only)
- 3-inch, 921,000-dot Super-Density horizontal type Vari-Angle LCD Monitor
- In-camera Special Effects Mode
- In-camera HDR (High Dynamic Range)
- Stunning Full 1080p HD Movies with Full Time Autofocus
- High Resolution 16.2 MP DX-format CMOS sensor
- The contents of the box - EN-EL14 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery, MH-24 Quick Charger, DK-20 Rubber Eyecup, UC-E6 USB Cable,
- And EG-CP14 Audio Video Cable, AN-DC3 Camera Strap, DK-5 Eyepiece Cap, BF-1B Body Cap, BS-1 Accessory Shoe Cover, Nikon ViewNX 2 CD-ROM
List Price: $ 749.00
Price:
You may know that I am always on the
move for new info on
new technology. Now, I
came across a really
nice article that discusses technology from a different
perspective. Today’s new post is titled Nikon Coolpix S6000 14.2 MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Silver) .
Nikon Coolpix S6000 14.2 MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Silver)
- 14.2 megapixels for stunning prints as large as 20 x 30 inches
- 7x wide-angle Optical Zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens; 2.7-inch Clear Color Display
- 720p HD movie recording at 30fps; HDMI output
- 4-way VR Image Stabilization System; Smart Portrait System
- Advanced Flash Control; EXPEED Image Processing
Nikon Coolpix S6000 14.2MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Silver-primary) - 26213
List Price: $ 199.00
Price:
October 6th, 2011 - 02:17
Compact but Capable,
I owned the very good Sony DSC-W350 (which I liked very much), but I managed to leave it in a rental car. Between the time I bought my Sony and now, Nikon released a new line, so I figured I’d give one of their best compact point and shoot cameras a try. I use a lot of Nikon’s DSLR equipment, but their point-and-shoots have been a bit disappointing to me over the years. But I liked the S8000 and decided to give it a try – and I’m glad I did…it’s a wonderful point-and-shoot, even better than the Sony in every way.
First, I place a lot of emphasis on the size and shape of the camera and whether it just feels natural in my hands. The S8000 is very small and light, and sometimes really petite cameras just feel awkward to me. I’m happy to say that the S8000 gets it about perfect – it’s easy to hold, the controls feel like they’re where you expect them, and I never accidentally hit say, the power button when I’m looking for something else. I also tend to like designs that put the lens in the middle of the camera, as opposed to some designs (like the otherwise very good Panasonics) that tend to put the lens off-center. With very little practice, I feel like I can work the Nikon with my eyes closed, and I never feel awkward with it.
The built-in LCD monitor is also very good and easy to read under most conditions, except maybe in very bright direct sunlight. Still, my eyes aren’t fantastic, but I have no trouble navigating the menus or reviewing shots after I’ve taken them. As an added plus, the menus are structured in a way that’s similar to Nikon’s DSLR cameras, so if you’re familiar with Nikon’s other products, you’ll feel right at home here.
It’s also a fast camera. I don’t find the start-up time to be particularly quick, but once you have it on, focus, zooming, shutter lag, flash recycle and so on are very, very fast indeed. The autofocus system seems to be about as fast as the system in my Nikon D3 most of the time, which is really impressive to say the least. With some of the older point and shoots I’ve owned, I felt like I’d miss shots because of shutter lag or how long it took to focus…not so with the S8000.
As for image quality, I have to say that I was skeptical that a 10x lens could perform as well as I want. Honestly, I’d rather have a super sharp 4x than a mediocre 10x, and this was my biggest concern with the Nikon. Well, I’m happy to say that I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the wide zoom range in the Nikon – this is one really high performance lens, at least when you look at it in combination with all the other features the camera offers. It does great close-ups, letting you focus up to about half an inch from your subject. It seems to have a great optical anti-shake capability, permitting you to hand-hold the camera in fairly dark situations without resorting to a flash. The wide-angle end of the spectrum looks natural without some of the distortions you sometimes see on this type of camera. The worst thing I can say about the lens is that it has some purple fringing at the long end of the range – nothing that can’t be fixed in Photoshop, but it is noticeable.
Overall, I don’t see much difference in the 10x lens on the Nikon versus the excellent 4x lens on my former Sony in terms of image quality. The Nikon seems to produce slightly warmer colors with more saturation and just a generally more vivid appearance. The Sony was more natural looking, but not a lot of difference otherwise. I do notice that Nikon seems to apply slightly less digital sharpening than Sony, but this again is easily corrected in whatever editing software you use if you want to. Frankly, some cameras tend to push the sharpening a bit too far, and portraits tend to come out looking a bit harsh as a result. The Nikon gives you a more natural look that most people will find pleasing – plus you can always add sharpening after the fact if you need to.
If you’re a novice, one thing to keep in mind is that at the telephoto end of the zoom range, the S8000 is equivalent to a 300mm on a 35mm camera. This offers quite some magnification – but it also amplifies your tendency to get blurry pictures by inadvertently shaking the camera (for instance, as you press the shutter release). Nikon’s vibration reduction system helps a lot, but you really need bright lighting (hence, high shutter speeds) to get consistently sharp pictures with this end of the zoom range. I’m sure we’ll see subsequent reviewers complaining about fuzzy images at the long end of the zoom range, and no doubt this will be why. As a side note, the camera includes a tripod socket, so it’s possible to get perfect pictures in low light, even at the 300mm end of the range – but I rarely see people carrying around a five pound tripod for their six ounce camera.
The camera goes out to ISO 3200, but in my use so far, I’d only recommend up to ISO 400 for images you intend to…
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|October 6th, 2011 - 02:58
Good Camera HUGE video flaw,
I bought this camera because I wanted a camera that could both take high quality pictures of objects from a far away distance and took HD video. The Quality of the pictures of this camera are good from a far distance. I could easily read signs when zoomed in that I could not read from looking at them. I am a structural engineer so I needed something that I could read the structure types and be able to idetify the structures from a distance, in this it did its job.
Now the down side of the camera. The video quality of the video was excellent as well as the sound. The HUGE overlooked flaw is that recording indoors or out there is a high pitched squealing noise in the backround of every video no matter if it was played on lcd, computer, tube tv, or the camera itself. I tried the camera instore and it did the same thing (after I had taken it home and tested in depth). I have also seen example videos online where you can here the distinctive squeel.
If you are getting this camera for the picture quality only, look no further; but if like me you wanted HD video as well I would suggest looking at another camera.
Update***
I just purchased the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3, and wow. When comparing the photos I had saved with the Nikon and now the new photos I have taken of the exact same objects, the Panasonic clearly wins big. Along with my complaint of the Nikon’s video the Panasonic also has a clearer HD video and stereo sound with no annoying whine in the background. And now the best part. I purchased it off amazon at $235, which is $65 less than the Nikon. I would highly recommend checking out the Panasonic Lumix first.
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|October 6th, 2011 - 03:47
Good performance and beautiful outlook,
After a few days’ research and testing between Canon S90 and Canon SX210 at 2 shops, I decided to get a Canon S90 for its better image quality.
But when I went to a third shop, aiming to get Canon S90, I was shown on the computer screen the 2 photos (jpeg) taken at the same place (indoor) a few seconds ago, one by S90 and one by Nikon S8000. The photo taken by S8000 rendered the true colors, just as what I saw under the lighting, and the image did not have jagged edges as in Canon S80 when magnified at the computer. Then a couple of shots confirmed that the noise control between the two were not as I expected. At least under ISO 400, Nikon S8000 photos did not provide more noise than Canon S90. Actually, at ISO 125, I did observe that Nikon’s resolution was better. And the LCD screen resolution of Nikon was also higher than Canon S90. True, Canon S80 allowed one to take RAW images and manual control, but I wanted a travel zoom camera and would not like to work with RAW images or excess processing of the images(otherwise I would take my DSLR.) And Nikon 30mm-300mm provides a much more flexible zoom than Canon’s 28mm-105mm.
Having Nikon DSLRs myself, I had the impression that DCs were not Nikon’s strong areas. But the test shots gave me enough confidence to get a Nikon S8000 back home and gave it a try. Under sunlight, the photos were so pleasing and much better than I have expected from a DC. The image sizes can be either at 4:3 or 16:9. At 300mm, the image is still very acceptable and at 30mm, I detect very little distortion. I mainly shot photos using the AUTO mode but the MACRO and FOOD modes are extremely useful. The FOOD scene, allowing me to change the color tones of the photo, gives such delightful photos of the dishes! To summarise, Nikon S8000 is a very pleasant surprise for me. I got the silver one which had a very solid build and cool design. To top it all, I got a grey Nikon umbrella (which could be used as a reflector) and Coolpix camera bag for free at a local Asia dealer.
For the limitations, Nikon’s menu seemed to be a bit less user-friendly than the old Panasonic DC I owned. I also hope there will be more reviews comparing S8000 and other cameras, especially at high ISOs.
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|October 6th, 2011 - 03:52
outstanding “prothusiast” D-SLR, solid upgrade from my D5000,
As a long-time owner of the Nikon D5000, and former owner of the Nikon D60, I was eager to purchase the D5100 after seeing the announcements and pre-reviews. Being one of the lucky ones to buy the D5100 with 18-55VR kit earlier this week, I’ve had a few days to play with this camera and can honestly say it’s a solid upgrade to the D5000 I’m replacing, and should be on the short list of consideration for any “prosumer” looking to purchase a D-SLR with outstanding image quality, performance, and low-light capability in a lightweight, compact (for an SLR) body. And, unlike the D5000, this D-SLR finally has a usable Live View and HD video capabilities both with continuous autofocus.
First of all, it’s important to understand where the D5100 fits in Nikon’s capabilities. It is considered a “high-end enthusiast” D-SLR which means that it shares the same image sensor as the high-end D7000 without some of the higher-end features. If you’re like me, very few of the D7000′s features justify its extra cost and weight. The D5100 offers nearly the same image quality as its bigger brother in a less-expensive, smaller package, while adding a few tricks the D7000 doesn’t have including an articulating display that helps you frame hard-to-reach spots.
Compared to its lesser-priced but still excellent brother the D3100, the D5100 offers improved image quality, speed, and resolution, along with a higher-resolution articulating display. For me, this is the sweet spot in Nikon’s consumer D-SLR offerings.
The 18-55VR (3x) f3.5-f5.6 kit lens provides surprisingly good performance and image quality, although you’ll likely outgrow it quickly. I have uploaded a few sample images taken with the D5100 and 18-55VR to show its performance and surprisingly good bokeh (pattern of blurred background) in large-aperture and macro shots.
For lens upgrades that include an AF-S autofocus motor, if you don’t mind changing lenses, the Nikon 55-200VR is an outstanding value with excellent image quality, or consider the Nikon 18-105VR (5.8x) lens included with the D7000. If you don’t mind some distortion and image softness, the 18-200 VRII (18x) lens may be your perfect “walkabout” lens. For me, I bought the pricey but outstanding Nikon 16-85mm VRII. Don’t forget the Nikon AF-S 35mm f1.8 (if you can find it).
Low-light performance is outstanding with this camera, and the level of detail captured by the D5100 is excellent, even at higher ISOs. You’re best capturing in RAW or RAW+JPEG mode (three different JPEG compression levels are offered) if you need to go back and fine-tune exposure or other settings after the shot. Nikon also offers “Active D-Lighting” which is a highly effective method for improving dynamic range of a photo to equalize the difference between high and low-light areas of a photo.
Interestingly, the improvement in image quality compared to my D5000 isn’t dramatic. Given the incredible improvement I saw when upgrading from my Nikon D60 to the D5000 perhaps I had unrealistic expectations for this new sensor. But in most image settings, even low light, the improvement is noticeable but subtle. That speaks more for the outstanding quality and low-light sensitivity of the D5000 sensor (which is shared with the D90) than it speaks against the D5100. With the D5100 you get higher resolution for improved cropping, and the 14-bit RAW images offer greater dynamic range for more flexibility after the shot is taken.
Speaking of RAW format, as with any new camera, there is a bit of a wait until updates are available for your favorite camera software. As of May 18th, Adobe, Apple, and Nikon have added support for the D5100 RAW files, so you can use Aperture, iPhoto, Nikon View NX2 (v2.1.1 and later), Nikon Capture NX2 (v2.2.7 and later), Lightroom 3 or Photoshop CS5 (via Adobe Camera RAW 6.4 or later). If you use other photo software or another platform, you may want to verify RAW support for the D5100.
Compared to my D5000, Nikon has gone back and addressed most of my concerns on ergonomics and performance:
- camera body is roughly 10% smaller and 10% lighter
- 16.2 megapixel CMOS DX-format image sensor (shared with D7000) captures 14-bit RAW images and offers +1fs greater low-light sensitivity
- ISO 100-6400 range with expansion to 25,600 ISO (D5000 minimum is 200 and expansion to 12,300)
- high resolution (920k pixel) display for greater detail in image previews (although I had to bump up the default brightness one notch for accuracy)
- side-mounted articulating display no longer interferes with tripod (the D5000 display is inconveniently hinged at the bottom)
- dramatically improved (now usable!) LiveView mode with continuous autofocus even in HD video mode (more on that later)
- full HD 1080p movie capture without the “jelly effect”, in more standard H.264 mode up to 22 min (D5000 is AVI…
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|October 6th, 2011 - 04:26
Nikon D7000 Sensor for $400 cheaper,
This is a fantastic new offering from Nikon. You get most of the best parts of the D7000 for 1/3 cheaper. If you are looking for a starter camera or a back up body to the D7000 this is it.
Here are the major differences between the D5100 and D7000.
D5100
Exact same sensor and processing abilities as the D7000. Some of the best Image Quality available in any DSLR. ISO 3200 is very usable with low noise.
- Swivel screen while the D7000 is fixed — Since the contrast autofocus (ie Live View) is not very good on either of these cameras this is not really a player unless you are using a tripod. Then the swivel screen is very useful.
- 4 fps vs 6 fps for D7000 – No big deal 4 fps is plenty fast to fill your card with similar looking pictures. Also, in RAW D7000 buffers out pretty fast and then slows down anyway.
- 11 focus points vs 39 for D7000 – Most of the time not really a big deal. Sometimes all those extra points get in the way and slow you down.
No internal auto focus motor while the D7000 has one — If you don’t have any D series or older lenses this is not an issue. If you do, they will not autofocus on this camera.
- Only one SD slot vs 2 for the D7000 — A big difference when getting paid to shoot. Otherwise, always format your cards in your camera and not on the computer. Doing that I have never had a failure. (Jinxed myself now)
Not weather sealed vs D7000 partially weather sealed – Don’t drop either one in the water and keep both out of dust.
- Has less external switches than the D7000 – This means you need to go to the menus more often which slows things down. This can be severely annoying or not depending on your shooting style. The D7000 handles better but this is not a deal breaker on the D5100.
Built in flash is not a commander for Nikon Creative Light System while D7000 is — If you don’t use off camera flash or you use radio triggers this is not a big deal.
1.2 lbs vs 1.7 lbs for D7000.
Overall the D5100 is a great camera. The D7000 have some extra features that make it worth the extra money but if you don’t need them you get all the fantastic D7000 IQ for 2/3rd the price.
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|October 6th, 2011 - 04:54
Fantastic Picture Speed, HD Movie Taking and Crystal Clear Pics,
I wanted a small point & shoot camera that would be easy to take with me, that had a great optical zoom, that took HD movies and most importantly could take quick pictures. I tried out many cameras in stores before finding this one and so far have been very, very pleased. I am able to quickly capture my kids smiles and the pictures are super clear. Plus, you are able to zoom while in movie mode. The 7x optical zoom is fantastic. I love that I can touch up photos right on the camera and right from the get go the camera was easy to use. I find that the buttons are set up very well in a user friendly manner.
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|October 6th, 2011 - 05:31
Another wonderful camera from Nikon!,
This is my third in the Nikon Coolpix line, and I love it just as much as my previous ones! If you’re a fan of any Nikon Coolpix, this will certainly be something you like!
My only disappointment is that there isn’t a “Sports” setting anymore, which was something I used a lot on my older models. However, the camera takes such fast pictures that it hasn’t really become a problem as of yet.
Battery life is good… haven’t taken the time to see how many pictures it has per charge, but it’s held up through at least 200 pictures at a graduation I went to recently without any battery indications.
The charger is different than previous the Nikon Coolpix cameras I’ve owned, as it plugs directly into the camera as opposed to having to remove the battery. I’m not sure whether I like this, because the AC OUT cover is kind of stubborn to come out. Again, it’s nothing that’s become a problem.
The HD movie is pretty cool. I haven’t recording much with it, but the quality on it is wonderful. The record button is on the back of the camera, by the menu, which makes it extremely easy to switch from camera to movie. No setting change! This is definitely one of my favorite features, and is perfect if you like to take both stills and video!
The zoom is great, and takes crisp shots from a good distance!
The smart portrait feature is fun, but probably not something I’ll really use. It’s a good replacement if you don’t want to use the self-timer, but again, it’s kind of a pointless feature. Still interesting, though.
I haven’t played with the Subject Tracker yet, to be honest. I’ll add more to this once I get a chance to mess around with it for a little while.
Overall, it’s a great camera! Not too heavy, though certainly a little bulkier and heavier than my previous Coolpix camera. Hope this helped!
***EDIT 7/24/10
Okay, after playing with the HD movie, I must say that it’s pretty great if you don’t mind that it plays on quicktime. The quality is amazing… hard to imagine a digital camera could make video this clear! The Quicktime thing is fairly annoying, and makes editing stuff in Movie Maker a pain, since you have to use a media converter to change the format.
I did find out the sports feature does still exist, though not in the same place it has been on my previous Nikon Coolpix cameras. You have to use the menu settings and go under continuous – Sports. A little inconvenient, but I was happy to find it is still on the camera!
The battery life is amazing. I took around 900 pictures in one night, as well as 15 minutes of movie and it is still not in need of a charge! With as many pictures as I take, battery life is a BIG thing for me!
Overall, I still think it’s a wonderful camera and still recommend it after a few months of constant use. Nikon never disappoints!
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|October 6th, 2011 - 05:44
Nikon Coolpix s6000,
This camera rocks! The pictures are so crystal clear that it is like looking at them in person! I also like the 7x optical zoom, which you are able to use during video recording. It has easy buttons to operate and there are tons of options to play with and very user friendly. It also takes close-up pictures up to 3mm that are NOT blurry! It has lots of options to have automatically set and very easy to switch to when chanigng scenery or from portrait to landscape. It also has the option of choosing one of your own pics as a screen saver every time you turn on the camera. I like that I can change colors of photos (i.e. black & white, sepia) with the press of a button or use the “vivid color” option. It has a great stabilizer and facial recognition software to remove red eye, tell you when someone has blinked in a pic or can soften skin in a photo. I also have a Fuji Finepix SLR camera, but wanted a smaller point and shoot camera for my honeymoon to Alaska this summmer and I am psyched to use this one!
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