Nikon refreshes Coolpix brand

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To mark the tenth anniversary of it’s Coolpix series of digital compact cameras, Nikon is refreshing the brand with a smart new logo, a new website (no URL yet I’m afraid, since it doesn’t launch until later this week), and most importantly a range of eight new camera models.

The most significant of the new cameras is the P5000, Nikon’s first high-end compact in nearly three years. Aimed at photography enthusiasts, it features a 10-megapixel 1/1.8in CCD, 3.5x zoom lens (36-126mm equivalent), 3200 ISO maximum sensitivity and VR optical image stabilisation. It has a 2.5in LCD monitor and an optical viewfinder, as well as a hot-shoe for mounting an external flashgun.

Shooting options include 16 scene modes, program auto, aperture and shutter priority as well as full manual exposure. There will be two additional lens adapters available, a Telephoto Converter lens which extends the zoom to 378mm, and a Wide-angle Converter lens which produces a focal length of 24mm. The P5000 launches at the end of March with an RRP of £329.99.

The L series of Lifestyle cameras gets three new models. The L10 and L11 are almost identical apart from their sensor sizes which are 6.0 and 5.0 megapixels respectively. Both cameras feature 3x zoom lenses, face detection technology, in-camera red-eye correction and Nikon’s proprietary D-Lighting function, available in playback mode, which helps to improve underexposed images or shots taken with too much back light by creating a copy of an image with added light and detail wherever necessary, leaving well-exposed areas untouched.

The L11 features a 2.4in monitor, while the presumably cheaper L10 only has a 2.0in screen, but both cameras have 16 Scene modes, Best Shot Selector, maximum sensitivity of 800 ISO and SDHC memory card compatibility. Both cameras will be available from the end of February. The L11 has an RRP of £129.99, while the price of the L10 has yet to be announced.

Also in the L-series, the new L12 is a 7.1-megapixel camera with a 3x zoom lens, 2.5in monitor and ISO 1600 sensitivity. Like the L10 and L11 it also features face detection technology, in-camera red-eye correction and the D-Lighting function. It goes on sale at the beginning of April with an RRP of £149.99.