Digital Camera Review

Digital Camera Review

At PMA in Orlando Florida, Nikon recently announced their new point and shoot Coolpix digital camera line up for 2005. Topping the list is the new Nikon Coolpix 7900. The Nikon Coolpix 7900 is equipped with 7.1 effective megapixels and a 1/1.8inch type CCD, a 3x Zoom-Nikkor ED Glass lens with a 38-114mm (equivalent) focal range. For added visibility, the Coolpix 7900 includes a 2-inch, 115k pixel LCD screen. From a glance at the specs, it appears that the Nikon Coolpix 7900 is positioned to perform on par with others in its price point. The model down from the Coolpix 7900, the Nikon Coolpix 5900, has 5.1 effective megapixels and a silver body. The 7.1 megapixel Coolpix 7900 is the only black bodied Coolpix model sold in the US and has been marketed as the ideal compact digital camera for the photo enthusiast. Expect to see the Coolpix 7900 available in April 2005, at an MSRP of $449.95 (USD).
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Connectivity
Software
The software packages included are PictBridge, ArcSoft, Picture Project and QuickTime. These will help users get their pictures off their cameras and onto a personal computer if they don’t already have an imaging software component.

Jacks, ports, plugs
There is only one port plug on the Nikon Coolpix 7900, and it’s for the USB terminal. It’s located on the left side of the camera body and is covered by a gray rubber port cover.

Direct Print Options
Utilizing the Transfer button and PictBridge software users can out put their pictures with the touch of a button. This is a standard feature, and is a good option to have as printing units are becoming increasingly more common.


Memory
The Nikon Coolpix 7900 has 13.5 megabytes of internal memory and can receive any SD memory media. The photographer these days is only limited by the memory capacity. The memory card slot is on the right side of the camera body and is nicely concealed by a color matching port cover.

Other features
D Lighting - The D lighting setting compensates (after a picture has been taken) for the lack of foreground lighting to avoid creating pictures with black shadows or no depth. It’s unclear just how well this feature will work when really pushed, but preliminarily, it appears to be effective.

Help Button - The new help button included on the Coolpix 7900 is pretty cool, provided it answers the item in question. The feature is easily accessible by pressing the telephoto zoom button inside any menu.

Underwater Mode - The Nikon Coolpix 7900 includes a new underwater scene mode that is sure to be a hit with frequent vacationers and scuba divers.

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