Nikon USA Press Release

Nikon Kicks off the ‘D50 Digital Experience’ Multi-City Road Tour, Proving To Consumers That Incredible Photos are Incredibly Simple to Take with a D50

MELVILLE, N.Y., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/—This fall consumers in major cities across America will have the chance to see for themselves what the buzz surrounding digital SLR cameras is all about, as Nikon today embarks on a national multi-city road tour to put its newest, lightest and easiest-to-use digital SLR camera - the D50 - directly into the hands of curious consumers. Nikon’s “D50 Digital Experience” tour kicks off today at the St. Louis County Fair and Air Show in St. Louis, Missouri, and will continue on to stops in 11 major cities across the country, helping people experience firsthand how easy taking incredible photos can be using the D50.

As part of the tour, a custom wrapped SUV and box-trailer convoy will make its appearance at popular local fairs and festivals within each of the 11 cities planned. At each stop, a six-member tour team will be equipped to offer attendees a complete experience of Nikon’s hot new D50 digital SLR camera. Large photo displays and plasma screens will offer valuable tips and tutorials, while interactive displays will offer detailed product features and information. The tour will also feature a “mock photo shoot” studio along with the latest Epson(R) inkjet printers, so attendees can shoot pictures and print samples from the D50 on the spot. Attendees can ask available Nikon and Epson experts questions on digital SLR photography and printing techniques, and even borrow a D50 camera to “test drive” it to their fullest satisfaction.

Within each city, Nikon will also give away a brand new D50 digital SLR camera with an 18-55mm Zoom-Nikkor lens, valued at $799.95. By entering the camera giveaway on-site at each event, participants will also be automatically entered to win one national prize - a spectacular photo-trek for two to Sweden with American PHOTO(TM) magazine and world renowned photographers and Nikon mentors, Joe McNally and Reed Hoffman. This sweepstakes can also be entered online at http://www.nikondigital.com/D50experience/.

“At Nikon we’re constantly amazed with the reaction we get from consumers who try one of our D50 digital SLR cameras. Its virtually instantaneous response time, superb intuitive design, and simple layout of controls, all lend to a very satisfying initial experience that allows most people to take great pictures within minutes of picking up the camera. In fact their admiration for the camera is often topped by their appreciation of the remarkable image quality they see in prints made directly from the camera,” said Steve Heiner, general manager, Marketing, Digital SLR Camera Systems at Nikon Inc. “Energized by this reaction, Nikon is taking this remarkable camera on the road with the D50 Digital Experience tour allowing thousands of people to try the camera and witness how quickly and easily they can take incredible photos with little or no effort,” he added.

Digital SLR cameras have grown rapidly in popularity over the last several months and Nikon’s recent introduction of the 6.1 megapixel D50 further spurred excitement and interest among a broad range of consumers including family memory-keepers as well as photo enthusiasts. The D50 Digital Experience tour will be an excellent resource for consumers to get a hands-on experience with the camera and judge its advantages for themselves.

The Nikon D50 Digital Experience Tour 2005: Dates and Locations
Nikon’s D50 Digital Experience tour will stop at local events, fairs and festivals in 11 cities across the country during September 2 through November 5, 2005. A detailed schedule for the tour is outlined as follows:

  Date               City & State     Location/Event
  Sep 2, 3, 4, 5       St. Louis, MO     St. Louis County Fair and
                                Air Show; at the Spirit of
                                St. Louis Airport
  Sep 9, 10, 11         Denver, CO       Oktoberfest; at Larimer
                                Square
  Sep 16, 17, 18       Seattle, WA       West Washington Fair; at 110
                                9th Ave SW in Puyallup, WA
  Sep 23, 24, 25       San Francisco, CA   San Francisco Blues
                                Festival; at Fort Mason’s
                                Green Meadow
  Sep 29, 30 & Oct 1, 2   Los Angeles, CA   Original Harvest Festival;
                                Ventura County Fair Grounds
  Oct 6, 7           San Diego, CA     Various area stops
  Oct 8, 9           San Diego, CA     North Island Speed Fest; at
                                Naval Base Coronado Island
  Oct 14, 15, 16       Chicago, IL       Halloween Pumpkin Plaza; at
                                Daley Plaza
  Oct 17             Chicago, IL       Various area stops
  Oct 21, 22, 23       Boston, MA       Head of the Charles Regatta;
                                at Charles River, Boston
  Oct 26             Philadelphia, PA   Sponsored Double Decker
                                tours in downtown
                                Philadelphia
  Oct 28             New York, NY     Central Park (Healthy
                                Halloween); at Central Park,
                                NY
  Oct 29, 30           New York, NY     Park Avenue South Autumn
                                Fair; at Park Ave 17th-23rd
                                St.
  Nov 4, 5           Washington, D.C.  Colonial Days; Williamsburg

The Ultimate Family Camera
The Nikon D50 is a user-friendly digital SLR camera that is fast and responsive so you never miss an important moment, delivering incredible quality images that can easily produce 4x6 inch to poster-sized prints. It stands out as ideal for families searching for that perfect camera to capture timeless memories during important occasions and life events such as weddings, first homeruns, birthdays, prom night, and golden anniversaries, among others. The D50 is the perfect combination of intelligent, easy-to-use features and impeccable image quality, and at a new low estimated street price of $799.95 (for the D50 outfit with the AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED lens), it represents an excellent value for its capabilities. Key features of the D50 include:

—Nikon’s smallest, lightest and easiest-to-use digital SLR camera to
    date
—6.1 effective megapixel Nikon DX Format CCD image sensor for
    images with vivid color and sharp detail and ability to make prints as
    large as poster size
—7 Digital Vari-Program modes, including Auto, Portrait, Landscape,
    Child, Close Up, Sports, or Night Portrait
—Incredible battery performance, delivering up to approximately 2,000
    images on a single charge
—Large, 2.0-inch LCD screen
—High-performance digital processing technology that renders images with
    brilliant color and sharp details
—Refined 5-Area autofocus system with class-leading low-light detection
—2.5 frames per second continuous shooting up to 137 frames (Full
    resolution images with JPEG NORMAL compression and a Lexar 60X or
    SanDisk Ultra II 256MB SD Card)
—3D Color Matrix Metering II for accurate exposure, even in tricky
    lighting situations
—High-quality AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED lens (included
    in D50 Outfit), plus compatibility with over 50 world-class Nikkor
    optics
—Complimentary PictureProject software included for automatically
    importing pictures to a computer, e-mailing or auto enhancing them,
    running slideshows, burning CD/DVDs* and much more.

For a complete list of D50 features and specifications, visit http://www.nikondigital.com/.

About Nikon
Nikon, At the Heart of the Image(TM). Nikon Inc. is the world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology and is globally recognized for setting new standards in product design and performance for its award-winning consumer and professional photographic equipment. Nikon Inc. distributes the Nikon Total Imaging System of consumer and professional digital SLR cameras, Nikkor optics, Speedlights and System Accessories; Nikon Coolpix(R) compact digital cameras; Coolscan(R) digital film scanners; 35mm film SLR cameras; Nikon software products and Nikon sports and recreational optics. At the heart of every Nikon camera is Nikon’s Exclusive Feature System, making it easy for anyone to take amazing digital pictures. Through the Nikon Spirit Initiative(TM), the company, plays an active role in supporting aspiring and advanced photographers through a variety of philanthropic organizations, educational programs, events and workshops. For more information, dial (800) NIKON-US or visit http://www.nikonusa.com/, which links all levels of photographers to the web’s most comprehensive photo learning and sharing communities.