Photography

Nikon adds two superzooms to Coolpix camera range

Nikon adds two superzooms to Coolpix camera range
Nikon has detailed and priced the Coolpix B600 (pictured) and the Coolpix A1000 superzooms
Nikon has detailed and priced the Coolpix B600 (pictured) and the Coolpix A1000 superzooms
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The Coolpix B600 features a 3 inch, 921k dot non-tilting, non-touch display panel
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The Coolpix B600 features a 3 inch, 921k dot non-tilting, non-touch display panel
Nikon has detailed and priced the Coolpix B600 (pictured) and the Coolpix A1000 superzooms
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Nikon has detailed and priced the Coolpix B600 (pictured) and the Coolpix A1000 superzooms
The Coolpix B600 is built around a 16 megapixel back-illuminated 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensor and Expeed image processing engine
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The Coolpix B600 is built around a 16 megapixel back-illuminated 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensor and Expeed image processing engine
The Coolpix B600 point-and-shoot's Nikkor zooms lens has a focal length range equivalent to 24-1,440 mm
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The Coolpix B600 point-and-shoot's Nikkor zooms lens has a focal length range equivalent to 24-1,440 mm
The Coolpix B600 has a built-in pop-up flash
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The Coolpix B600 has a built-in pop-up flash
The Coolpix B600 features a built-in vibration reduction system to compensate for camera shake up to 3 stops
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The Coolpix B600 features a built-in vibration reduction system to compensate for camera shake up to 3 stops
The Coolpix B600's 60x optical zoom prowess can be doubled to 120x with the help of Dynamic Fine Zoom
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The Coolpix B600's 60x optical zoom prowess can be doubled to 120x with the help of Dynamic Fine Zoom
The Coolpix A100 features an electronic viewfinder and touchscreen display panel
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The Coolpix A100 features an electronic viewfinder and touchscreen display panel
The Coolpix A1000 can record 4K video with stereo sound
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The Coolpix A1000 can record 4K video with stereo sound
The Coolpix A1000's lens can manage a 24 - 840 mm equivalent zoom
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The Coolpix A1000's lens can manage a 24 - 840 mm equivalent zoom
The Coolpix A1000's 3 inch touchscreen display can tilt down by 180 degrees for selfie framing
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The Coolpix A1000's 3 inch touchscreen display can tilt down by 180 degrees for selfie framing
The Coolpix A1000 features a built-in flash
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The Coolpix A1000 features a built-in flash
The Coolpix A1000 boasts up to 10 frames per second continuous shooting
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The Coolpix A1000 boasts up to 10 frames per second continuous shooting
The Coolpix A1000's 35x optical zoom can be doubled to 70x with help from Dynamic Fine Zoom
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The Coolpix A1000's 35x optical zoom can be doubled to 70x with help from Dynamic Fine Zoom
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A little over a month after announcing the Coolpix B600 superzoom and the A1000 compact, Nikon has now released the full specs and confirmed US availability and pricing. The B600 features a 60x optical zoom lens, while the more pocket-friendly A1000 zooms out to 35x.

"Customers looking for a compact camera are seeking features smartphones simply cannot deliver, including amazing zoom and the low-light capabilities to capture the moments that matter most," said Nikon's Jay Vannatter. "The Coolpix A1000 and Coolpix B600 are the ideal tools to deliver just that, by providing the photo, video and optical power that users need to take their photography to the next level."

Sporting a roughly DSLR-like shape, the Coolpix B600 point-and-shoot's Nikkor zooms lens has a focal length range equivalent to 24-1,440 mm, with something called Dynamic Fine Zoom allowing photographers to expand the zoom ratio to 120x. At the other end of the zoom equation, snappers can get as close as 1 cm (0.4 in) to a teeny subject in macro mode.

The built-in vibration reduction system can compensate for camera shake by up to 3 stops, while the camera's 4-axis hybrid vibration reduction mechanism nixes blur during video recording. The capture of moving images tops out at 1080p Full HD at up to 60 frames per second though, which may disappoint in today's 4K camera landscape.

The Coolpix B600's 60x optical zoom prowess can be doubled to 120x with the help of Dynamic Fine Zoom
The Coolpix B600's 60x optical zoom prowess can be doubled to 120x with the help of Dynamic Fine Zoom

The B600 is built around a 16 megapixel back-illuminated 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensor and Expeed image processing engine, offering continuous shooting of up to 7 frames per second a full resolution and light sensitivity of ISO125 - 6,400. The contrast AF setup makes up to 99 focus points available.

There's a 3 inch, 921k dot non-tilting, non-touch display panel around back. Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-Fi are included for wireless image transfer and remote operation. And users can expect about 280 stills per charge of its Li-ion battery.

The Coolpix B600 will land next month for a suggested retail price of US$329.95.

The more expensive and more compact of the two new Coolpix releases is the A1000, which is also built around a 16 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor. This model's lens can manage a 24 - 840 mm equivalent zoom, which again doubles with the help of Dynamic Fine Zoom.

The Coolpix A1000's 3 inch touchscreen display can tilt down by 180 degrees for selfie framing
The Coolpix A1000's 3 inch touchscreen display can tilt down by 180 degrees for selfie framing

The 4.5 x 2.9 x 1.6 in (114.2 x 71.7 x 40.5 mm) compact features a 1,166k dot electronic viewfinder and 3 inch, 1,036k dot touchscreen display panel that can be tilted down by 180 degrees (rather than up, as with the Panasonic Lumix ZS80) for selfie framing.

The A1000 supports RAW format image capture for complete tweak control in post-processing image editing software, and can record 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160) videos with stereo sound. Lens-shift vibration reduction helps with the effects of camera shake for photography, while Hybrid VR smooths out the bumps during movie recording.

The Coolpix A1000's lens can manage a 24 - 840 mm equivalent zoom
The Coolpix A1000's lens can manage a 24 - 840 mm equivalent zoom

Elsewhere, there's ISO100 - 6,400 light sensitivity, up to 10 frames per second continuous shooting, and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi onboard.

The A1000 will also hit the shelves in March for a suggested retail price of $479.95.

Product pages: B600, A1000

View gallery - 14 images
4 comments
4 comments
Mark Mitchell
4K video is virtually useless for amateur shooters. It's nearly nonexistent on YouTube, the primary medium for non-pro vids.
Nobody
I can't find anything on shutter lag for these models which is my biggest problem with point and shoot cameras. Low light conditions are where point and shoot cameras should excel over cell phones but seldom do. The super zoom feature is nice but really requires a tripod and external shutter control to really use. I usually use the self timer to avoid shaking the camera when using a high zoom but the subject often moves before the shutter goes off.
FerrisPoobah
Nobody, I'd suggest looking into a remote shutter control for your camera. It would eliminate the shaking issue, and allow you to release the shutter at the moment you would like.
JimFox
Shutter lag, Nobody? My Sony A6300 shoots 11fps in burst mode & autofocus is somewhere around 0.02 sec...