By Leonard Goh
07/08/2008
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/digitalcameras/0,39001469,62044626,00.htm

Long-time imaging giant Nikon may be known more for its professional grade dSLRs, but its Coolpix shooters aren't that shabby as well with their stylish design and comprehensive shooting options. Most of the cameras in its new lineup are updates to the S-series and additionally, the Japanese company is unveiling its first touchscreen snapper, too.

The 10-megapixel Coolpix S60 is Nikon's first touchscreen camera, and the only physical buttons to be found are the Power and shutter. Unlike Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-T300 and Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FX520, which have hardware for zooming and/or menu navigation, all shooting operations are done via the large 3.5-inch LCD on the S60. A 5x optical zoom is handy for snapping pictures in different situations, and Nikon claims the intuitive onscreen menu will make taking pictures more enjoyable.

A successor to the Coolpix P5100, the P6000 features a slight resolution bump from 12.1 to 13.5 megapixels. It retains the same extensive shooting modes like Manual, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Program seen in its predecessor, but the new model adds RAW image capture to its portfolio. This pits the P6000 against the much talked-about Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 and Canon's PowerShot G9. Although the RAW format can only be processed in-camera for now, Nikon told us there are software patches planned for Nikon's View NX and Capture NX 2 so they can convert the RAW files, and the updates will be made available before end September.

Nikon claims its S710 is the world's smallest 14.5-megapixel point-and-shoot. We see it as competing head on with Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FX180 and Samsung's NV100HD, which both have almost similar resolutions and Manual exposure modes. It also features a maximum ISO sensitivity of 12,800, putting this shooter on-par with Fujifilm's FinePix F100fd.

The S600 has the world's fastest startup time at 0.7 seconds (for a point-and-shoot of the same class), and now it has to share the title with its successor, the S610. There is no resolution upgrade, but the LCD size has been bumped up from 2.7 inches to 3 inches. For the tech-savvy, the wireless version, S610c, has onboard Wi-Fi to upload images directly to Nikon's online gallery.

All the new models feature Vibration Reduction, which is Nikon's version of an optical image stabilizer (IS). This is good news, and it shows that the company is serious in the point-and-shoot competition against Panasonic and Canon, both of which have cameras that tout the same IS system.

As of press time, the firm cannot confirm the new units' pricing and availability, but we will provide an update once we get the information.

Model name	In a nutshell
Nikon Coolpix S60 Click for more details	Notable features: Full touchscreen operation 3.5-inch LCD with 16:9 aspect ratio 10-megapixel 5 optical zoom lens VR image stabilizer system SD/SDHC card slot and 20MB internal memory 97.5 x 60 x 22 mm; 145g What to look out for: The only button is the shutter and other functions like zooming and menu navigation is done via the touchscreen Pricing and availability: TBA
Nikon Coolpix P6000 Click for more details	Notable features: RAW image format capture M, S, A and P exposure mode Built-in GPS for geotagging 13.5-megapixel 4x optical zoom lens VR image stabilizer system 2.7-inch LCD display SD/SDHC card slot and 48MB internal memory 107 x 65.5 x 42 mm; 240g What to look out for: The RAW image format capture and array of shooting modes make this shooter especially appealing for advanced photographers. Hopefully the software patch for RAW files processing on computers will arrive soon. Pricing and availability: TBA
Nikon Coolpix S710 Click for more details	Notable features: Maximum ISO sensitivity of 12,800 14.5-megapixel 3.6x optical zoom lens VR image stabilizer system 3-inch LCD display SD/SDHC card slot and 42MB internal memory 92.5 x 57.5 x 24 mm; 155g What to look out for: Nikon claims that the S710 is the world's smallest 14.5-megapixel point-and-shoot with a 28mm wide-angle lens. Pricing and availability: TBA
Nikon Coolpix S610 Click for more details	Notable features: 0.7 second startup time 10-megapixel 4x optical zoom lens VR image stabilizer system 3-inch LCD display SD/SDHC card slot and 45MB internal memory 94 x 57 x 22.5 mm; 125g What to look out for: Nikon claims its S610 has the fastest startup time for a 10-megapixel point-and-shoot with a 28mm wide-angle lens. Pricing and availability: TBA
Nikon Coolpix S610c Click for more details	Notable features: 0.7 second startup time Onboard Wi-Fi 10-megapixel 4x optical zoom lens VR image stabilizer system 3-inch LCD display SD/SDHC card slot and 45MB internal memory 96.5 x 57 x 22.5 mm; 155g What to look out for: As with the Coolpix S52c, you can upload images wirelessly to Nikon's mypicturetown online gallery with this snapper. Pricing and availability: TBA
Nikon Coolpix S560 Click for more details	Notable features: 10-megapixel 5x optical zoom lens VR image stabilizer system 2.7-inch LCD display SD/SDHC card slot and 44MB internal memory 93 x 54.5 x 23.5 mm; 130g What to look out for: Although the pricing has yet to be announced, we think this shooter may be the most affordable of the lot, at the same time sporting the stylish metal chassis with a handy 5x optical zoom. Pricing and availability: TBA