PMA 2007: The Nikon Coolpix S500 is a 7.1 megapixel camera with a 3x zoom lens (35-105mm), Vibration Reduction to combat camera shake, ISO 2000 capability, 2.5 inch monitor and One-touch portrait button. The Nikon S500 will cost £249.99 / €369 / $299.95 and be available at the end of March.

Nikon UK Press Release

Always at the forefront of innovation within the photographic industry, Nikon has announced the COOLPIX S500, a camera that combines extensive features and the latest technology.

This solid yet lightweight camera is encased in a stylish stainless-steel body. Sleek design and classic contours make this model as striking to look at as the quality pictures it produces, and is testament to Nikon’s commitment to quality.

The technology and the features inside the COOLPIX S500 are worthy of their impressive casing. The combination of 7.1 megapixels of resolution and the powerful 3 x Zoom-Nikkor lens with a range of 35-105mm enables the COOLPIX S500 to deliver excellent picture detail whether the subject is a close-in portrait or a broad panorama, even after the photograph has been enlarged.

The Vibration Reduction function is able to compensate for camera shake to produce clearer, steadier pictures, and also prevents blurring in lower-light conditions. Light-sensitivity of up to ISO 2000 further guarantees picture clarity in unsteady or poorly-lit conditions.

Nikon is constantly seeking ways to make the experience of taking a photograph as simple and as exciting as possible. All functions are optimised to respond immediately, ensuring that the user never misses a fleeting opportunity for a great shot. The COOLPIX S500 powers up in an impressive 0.8 seconds and has a practically imperceptible shutter release time lag of less than 0.005 seconds.

The results achieved with the COOLPIX S500 can be fully appreciated using Nikon’s exclusive PictureProject software, which makes it simple and straightforward to edit, organise, transfer and share images. Compatibility with a range of feature-extending plug-ins also makes it easy to add new capabilities on demand.

Nikon COOLPIX S500 Feature Highlights

VR image stabilization
The COOLPIX S500 features proven lens shift VR (Vibration Reduction) technology originally developed for interchangeable lenses used with Nikon SLR camera systems. Nikon’s exclusive VR system provides the ability to shoot at shutter speeds as much as three steps slower without blurring the image, helping to overcome camera shake and stabilize shots of unsteady subjects. Active the whole time the COOLPIX S500 is turned on, VR also stabilizes images displayed on the 2.5-inch high-resolution LCD, making it easier to frame shots and capture the moment as intended.

ISO 2000 capability
Light sensitivity can be manually set as high as ISO 2000, allowing the camera to select faster shutter speeds and prevent blurred results when shooting in lower lighting conditions or when capturing fast-moving subjects. A new image-processing engine with enhanced noise reduction and an improved signal-to-noise ratio preserves high image quality, even when shooting at the high ISO settings it makes possible. In High Sensitivity mode, the ISO setting is automatically adjusted from ISO 50 to as high as ISO 1600 to ensure optimal exposure and carefree shooting in lower light.

Anti-Shake button
One press of the button activates Anti-Shake mode for clearer results in low light or at telephoto focal length settings. High-ISO automatically sets the optimal ISO and works with VR (Vibration Reduction) to deliver steady results, while BSS (Best Shot Selector) selects and saves the sharpest image from up to ten sequential shots.

One-touch portrait button
The One-touch portrait button makes it easier than ever to take great-looking photographs by offering direct access to a selection of three innovative functions that provide the ability to actually improve the quality of images within the camera. Face-priority AF* automatically finds, then focuses on people’s faces for crisp, clear results time after time. In-Camera Red-Eye Fix automatically compensates to help eradicate traces of the annoying red-eye effect that can sometimes be encountered during flash photography. Completing the set is D-Lighting, which can be applied to improve underexposed images or shots taken with too much backlight. D-Lighting automatically creates a copy of the image with detail added where necessary, but with well-exposed areas left completely untouched.

* Face recognition capability may be limited in some shooting conditions.

Nikon COOLPIX S500 Other Features

? Light weight with highly compact dimensions
? Choice of 15 Scene modes
? Macro shooting enables shooting from as close as 15cm (5.9 in.)
? Help button to display simple explanations for functions on the main menu
? Carefully positioned large control buttons and the user-friendly rotary multi selector
? Menu display available in a choice of 20 languages
? Improved Graphical User Interface (GUI)
? List by date
? Date counter
? Calendar function
? Selection of movie recording modes
? New rechargeable Lithium-ion battery EN-EL10 delivers high performance in a compact package
? Time zone function allows setting of home town and the time zone for easy image sorting after traveling
? SDHC card compatibility
? Approx. 26 MB of internal memory
? USB connectivity enables swift data transfer to computers and other peripherals
? PictBridge support

Nikon Digital Camera COOLPIX S500 Specifications

Effective pixels:
7.1 million

Image sensor:
1/2.5-in. CCD; total pixels: approx. 7.38 millions

Lens:
3x Zoom-Nikkor; 5.7-17.1mm (35mm [135] format picture angle: 35-105mm); f/2.8-4.7; 5 elements in 5 groups; Digital zoom: up to 4x (35mm [135] format picture angle: 420mm)

Focus range (from lens):
50cm (1 ft. 8 in.) to infinity (?), Macro close-up mode: 15cm (5.9 in.) to infinity (?)

Monitor:
2.5-in., 230,000-dot, TFT LCD with anti-reflection coating

Storage media:
Internal memory (approx. 26 MB), SD memory cards

Movie:
With sound: TV movie (640) at 30fps, Small size (320) at 30fps/15fps, Smaller size (160) at 15fps; Without sound: Time-lapse movie at 30fps, Stop-motion movie

Image size (pixels):
3072 x 2304 (High: 3072*/Normal: 3072), 2592 x 1944 (Normal: 2592), 2048 x 1536 (Normal: 2048), 1024 x 768 (PC: 1024), 640 x 480 (TV: 640), 3072 x 1728 (16:9)

Vibration Reduction (VR):
Optical lens shift VR

ISO sensitivity:
ISO 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 2000, Auto (auto gain ISO 50-1000)

Built-in flash:
Range: (W) 0.5 to 7.5m (1 ft. 8 in. to 24 ft. 7 in.), (T) 0.5 to 4.0m (1 ft. 8 in. to 13 ft. 1 in.)

Interface:
USB

Languages:
Czech, Danish, German, English, Spanish, French, Indonesian, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Finnish, Swedish, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, Korean, Thai

Power sources:
Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL10 (supplied), AC Adapter EH-62D (optional)

Battery life:
Approx. 180 shots with EN-EL10 battery (based on CIPA standard)

Dimensions (WxHxD):
Approx. 88 x 51 x 22 mm (3.5 x 2.0 x 0.9 in.) excluding projections

Weight:
Approx. 125 g (4.4 oz.) without battery and SD memory card

Supplied accessories*:
Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL10, Battery Charger MH-63, USB Cable UC-E6, Audio Video Cable EG-CP14, Strap, PictureProject CD-ROM

Optional accessories:
AC Adapter EH-62D

* Supplied accessories may differ by country or area.
 
PictureProject System Requirements  
OS
Macintosh: Mac® OS X version 10.3.9, 10.4.x

Windows:
Windows® Vista(32bit), Windows® XP Home Edition/Professional, Windows® 2000 Professional pre-installed models

Note
CD-ROM drive required for installation. Only built-in USB ports are supported

Your Comments