So let's break it down a bit...

Nikon D4
The Nikon D4 ($6,000 body w/o lens) is an update to the 2007 D3. This is Nikon's high-end, full-frame sensor camera and is a beast to behold. This version provides a modest uptick in resolution and frame-rate and adds a hefty dose of horsepower in the auto-focus, high-iso, low light category as well as video capture. Nikon has really suffered behind Canon in the area of video capture and this is a their attempt to steal some of that thunder away. I'd have to venture to say that Nikon is targeting professional news and sports photographers for the most part. If you are into landscape photography and the like, you'll probably be more interested in the new D800 I'll talk about in a bit due to its substantially higher resolution.

I'm not going to get into the technicals, I did cover that in my original write-up when the D4 was announced last month. Look for its release in February and more details after getting to spend more time with the camera beyond my 15 minutes at CES.

Nikon COOLPIX P510

Nikon COOLPIX Line-up
Nikon's latest COOLPIX line-up is becoming available for pre-order online. One standout in the line-up is the new COOLPIX P510 superzoom camera featuring a 16.1 megapixel sensor (geek note: 1/2.3-inch CMOS) and a spectacular 42x Zoom NIKKOR ED Glass Lens.

We are talking about a camera that can shoot from 24mm wide-angle then zoom to an amazing 1,000mm to capture distant images. In addition it has the ability to do close-up macro mode allowing you to focus as close as 0.4 inches away from the lens for real close-ups.

To put this level of zoom into perspective, check out the picture to the right.


Expect the P510 to be shipping on March 22nd at $430. Be sure to check out all the new Nikon COOLPIX cameras.

Nikon D800
And the big news of the day is the introduction of the Nikon D800...the pro-sumer, full-frame sensor replacement for the aged D700. The D800, like the D4 mentioned above are FX-Format sensors. This means that they accept pretty much all of Nikon's lenses including full-frame or cropped sensor (DX) lenses as well as old film camera lenses. Of course, if you use a cropped DX lens you are only using a small part of the full sensor inside of the D800 but at least you are not throwing the lens away.

The excitement around this camera starts with its all-new 36.3 million-pixel resolution sensor and its EXPEED3 processing unit designed to handle all those pixels.

• Wide sensitivity range of ISO 100 to 6400, expandable to Lo 1 (ISO 50 equivalent) or Hi 2 (ISO 25600 equivalent)
• 51-point AF system with enhanced performance in subject acquisition and focusing in low-light situations
• Glass pentaprism viewfinder with approx. 100% frame coverage (FX format) 
• Approx. 921k-dot, wide-viewing angle, 8-cm (3.2-in.) LCD monitor 
• Newly developed shutter unit tested for over 200,000 cycles; shutter speed up to 1/8,000
• Continuous shooting at approx. 4 fps* (FX, 5:4) and approx. 5 fps* (1.2x, DX)
  • *With EN-EL15 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
• MB-D12 Multi-Power Battery Pack (optional) that enables high-speed continuous shooting at approx. 6 fps* in DX format
  • *When using batteries other than EN-EL15 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery.
• The D800E option is a unique alternative that realizes the sharpest images possible but can introduce moire patterns if not careful

Not only does this system focus on high-pixel photography but it has a strong focus on video clearly targeting the Canon 5DMKII and 7D's dominance on the DSLR cinematography realm...

"Recording of 1920 x 1080p/30-fps full-HD movies is supported, and users can choose to record using the FX-based movie format or the DX-based movie format according to recording conditions. The FX-based movie format offers a shallow depth-of-field with an emphasis on blur characteristics while the DX-based movie format enables recording of movies that bring subjects closer when lenses with short focal lengths are used. The D800 is also equipped with a headphone jack and supports precise adjustment of microphone sensitivity. In addition, it supports simultaneous display of movies or the movie live view display in the camera monitor and on an external monitor. Further, the D800 responds to the needs of professionals who require uncompressed movie files with the ability to record movies directly to an external HDMI recorder in movie live view mode."

Matter of fact, some early video we have seen really shows a lot of promise. Here's a film short produced with the D800.


The D800 seems to really fill a Nikon market gap nicely, providing amateurs and professional studio/landscape photographers with a nice-sized, powerful full-frame camera. Nikon has provided some sample photography and more details if you are interested in checking them out.

Nikon's great comeback
Don't get me wrong. Nikon makes great camera gear. The Nikon D5100 is a wonderful DSLR for under $1,000. Definitely one of my favorites pick of the last year. And of course, loyal Nikon purchasers have always had something new and interesting to keep their eye on. But Nikon has lacked a bit of sex appeal of late to help them garner new consumers or steal people away from Canon or the other manufacturers camps. After reading all the hot news captured here, you have to give Nikon credit, in the last 30 days they have provided details on a really powerful line-up for 2012! I am glad to see Nikon back in the game with some impressive gear. Canon has really dominated the innovation in this space for quite some time. Speaking of time, I guess time will tell if these latest introductions will all pan out well and deliver on the promise but I'm looking forward to testing some of these out in the coming months and providing you with more insights as they unfold.

Looks like a good year for photography lovers!

Larry Pacey, award-winning designer tracks the latest news on consumer products, electronics, appliances, smart devices, networking and the gadget lifestyle.

For the latest news follow me on: ------------------------------ OR ------------------------------- Follow me on Twitter @WouldntMindThis Please comment below and share your thoughts. If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to email me at wouldntmind@gmail.com. Just my 2-cents, Larry

Pre-CES news leak on the new Nikon D4 professional digital SLR camera. The release is dated January 10, 2012 and we are scheduled for a press event is January 6th. With an shipping date of February 2012, it will be coming out a month before the new Canon EOS-1DX.

• Substantially lighter body
• Available by February 2012
• Suggested retail price: $6,000
• The ISO range is listed again as 100 to 102,400, expandable to 50 to 204,800
• 91,000-pixel RGB metering sensor
• Face detection/recognition
• 100% viewfinder coverage (obviously)
• Illuminated function buttons
• Dedicated video button
• Includes H.264 B frame compression
• Contrast detect AF in movie recording
• Low-pass filter for video recording
• Smooth aperture feature for video recording

• Full-frame 18.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor 
• All-new Dual DIGIC 5+ Image Processors deliver high quality image capture at up to 12 fps (14 fps in Super High Speed Mode) 
• Powerful ISO range of 100 - 51200 (up to 204800 in H2 mode) 
• All-new, 61-Point High-Density Reticular AF and 100,000-pixel RGB Metering Sensor that uses a dedicated DIGIC 4 Image Processor
• March 2012 availability
• Suggested retail price: $6,800

Anyone that has spent any time with me will know I carry my Canon Powershot S95 everywhere I go. I love its pocketable size and amazing F2 aperture lens that results in some amazing photos. The announcement today of a forthcoming Powershot S100 is something I will keenly follow as the details unfold on comparisons with its predecessor.

The new camera looks quite similar on the outside except for some subtle hand grips that may or may not be a welcome addition. But the guts of this device is all new...

Also available in this brushed titanium finish

1) An all-new 12 mega-pixel imaging processor from Canon debuting on the S100 imaginatively called DIGIC 5. This new processor is 2 mega-pixels higher resolution than the S95 and is 6 times faster, allowing for more complex image processing and noise-reduction. In theory this could help but the proof will be the inevitable side-by-side comparisons.

2) A new lens that offers greater range of zoom comparing its wide-angle (24mm vs 28mm) and improved zoom up from 3.8x to 5x. It maintains its F2 aperture at wide-angle same as the original but goes up to F5.9 (not great) at full telephoto. The original stopped at F4.9 but that was because it was only a 3.8x zoom. Adding the extra zoom capability in such a small size inevitably results in this drop off. So I'll be interested to see the photos generated from full zoom in night-time and non-full daylight shots.

3) With the power of the new image processor, the camera also is afforded some pretty amazing upgrades in the video capture area. The camera now shots full resolution video 1920x1080 at 24 frames a second. Canon has also added the ability to zoom during recording...a feature lacking in the S95.

This isn't your regular inexpensive point-in-shoot camera clocking in at $430 retail pricing. But as I've written about before, the photos that come out of an S95 can easily be mistaken for photos taken with high-end prosumer camera gear.

All together, this sounds great but I'll post an update once I get time to play with one. You'll catch my write-up at Wouldn't Mind This blog.

Look for the S100 to be available in November.

You can read a brief hands-on comparison report with images at dpreview.com

Canon also announced the PowerShot SX40 HS which shares similar technical inners but includes an impressive 35x optical zoom (24mm - 840mm) as well as some other key features for products in this zoom camera category. This is not a product I usually look into but might follow-up with some details when it comes out in September.

PowerShot SX40 HS

Press Release if you are interested is below...

Canon U.S.A. Announces PowerShot S100 and PowerShot SX40 HS Models With New DIGIC 5 Image Processor Providing Enhanced Resolution and Faster Shooting Speeds

Featuring Full HD Video Recording, High-speed Burst HQ and Intelligent IS

• A large 3.0-inch wide LCD screen for easy viewing of those images and menu options.
• GPS capabilities² where satellites collect data of the latitude, longitude and altitude of an image's location, which is then stored to the image's EXIF data³. A map utility software is included with the camera to view the locations where images were captured. There's also an internal GPS logger to track the day's photographic route.
• A full range of shooting and recording modes similar to those found in DSLR cameras including RAW + JPEG and a control ring on the front of the camera for quick, manual adjustment of key functions such as ISO, zoom and focus.
• Compatibility with the HF-DC2 High-Power Flash, which is an optional flash accessory that operates wirelessly and increases the effective flash range up to approximately 30 feet.

• An incredible 35x optical zoom range (24mm-840mm) with image stabilizer and a 12.1-megapixel CMOS image sensor -- part of the HS SYSTEM – the camera can capture low-light images of enhanced image quality up to ISO 3200.
• A 2.7-inch wide vari-angle LCD has been included for easy viewing of images and menus from almost any angle.
• Improved Smart AUTO settings to ensure the settings are intelligently selected based upon the cameras 32 predefined shooting situations.
• The Zoom Framing Assist button, which helps the user steady the camera when tracking a moving subject at extreme telephoto settings keeping it in focus.