Photography and Digital Camera

Preview based on a pre-production Nikon D5000

The recent boom in DSLR sales has seen all the major manufacturers adding bulked-up or stripped-down entry level models, repositioning their offerings to make sure that anyone willing to put up with the size and weight of a DSLR will look at one of their models. The whole thing has often left existing DSLR owners a little lost – ‘why isn’t there a direct replacement for my camera?’ – but has undoubtedly meant there are many more attractive, accessible cameras on the market just waiting to entice first-time DSLR owners.

And its into this maelstrom of DSLR proliferation that Nikon launches its latest baby DSLR, the D5000. The name will come as no surprise to anyone within earshot of the rumor mill but the camera itself may present some more surprises. Having confused many people but made huge ground with its simplified D40 and D60 range, it appears Nikon has again decided that simply replacing models isn’t the best way to address the market. So here we have a camera that genuinely seems to sit above the D60 (rather than continuing in parallel until the stock runs out), and below the D90. Like the baby Nikons, the D5000 doesn’t have an autofocus motor built into the body but does gain a tilt-and-swivel LCD, as a series of leaked images that have made their way around the internet would have you expect.

The idea of an upper-entry-level DSLR (for want of a better term), that sits below the ‘enthusiast’ grade D90 (with its twin control dials, big battery and pentaprism viewfinder), is hardly a radical one – the Canon 500D and Olympus E-620 seem to cater to a similar market. So what does this new Nikon have to offer either the tech-savvy first-time DSLR buyer, or the owner of an older entry-level model wanting newer features but unwilling to slavishly follow the manufacturer’s ‘upgrade path’?

Nikon D5000 Key Features

• 12.9 megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor (effective pixels: 12.3 million)
• 2.7″ tilt and swivel LCD monitor (230,000 dots)
• Movie capture at up to 1280 x 720 (720p) 24 fps with mono sound
• Live View with contrast-detect AF, face detection and subject tracking
• Image sensor cleaning (sensor shake)
• 11 AF points (with 3D tracking)
• IS0 200-3200 range (100-6400 expanded)
• 4 frames per second continuous shooting (buffer: 7 RAW, 25 JPEG fine, 100 JPEG Normal)
• Expeed image processing engine
• Extensive in-camera retouching including raw development and straightening
• Connector for optional GPS unit (fits on hot shoe)
• New battery with increased capacity
• 72 thumbnail and calendar view in playback

Sample Photo

Nikon D5000 vs D60: Key Differences

The D5000 could easily be seen as a D60 with a tilting screen added, and most of a D90 stuffed into it. As such it offers quite a few feature improvements over its little brother:

• 12.3 MP CMOS sensor (D60: 10.2 MP CCD)
• Tilt/swivel screen
• Live View with contrast detect AF
• Movie Mode
• Wider ISO range
• 11 point AF system with 3D tracking (D60: 3 point AF)
• Control of Active D-Lighting intensity
• Automatic correction of lateral chromatic aberration
• Choice of JPEG quality in RAW+JPEG shooting
• Extra retouching options
• More scene modes
• Faster continuous shooting
• Bracketing

Review based on a production Coolpix S10. Firmware Version 1.0

Announced in August, the Coolpix S10 is the latest incarnation of Nikon’s ‘twisting body’ camera design that can be traced all the way back to the original Coolpix 900 in 1998, though – like the S4 before it – this one manages to squeeze in a big 10x optical zoom. Design tweaks aside, the S10′s biggest enhancement over its predecessor is the inclusion of CCD-shift image stabilization (or Vibration Reduction, ‘VR’ as Nikon calls it), pretty much an essential for a camera with a zoom this big. The maximum ISO has also been boosted to 800 and there are a couple of interesting new features. The big zoom market is a crowded one, and truly compact models such as this have rarely impressed when compared to their bulkier ‘SLR-like’ cousins. Let’s find out if the Coolpix S10 has what it takes to offer the ultimate ‘pocket’ super zoom, starting as ever with the headline features:

Headline features

• 6.0million effective pixels
• 10x optical zoom (38-380mm equiv.)
• Swivel lens design
• Image-sensor shift VR
• Wide viewing angle 2.5″ TFT screen
• Two-mode VR (Vibration Reduction) system (lens-shift)
• BSS (Best Shot Selector) identifies and saves the sharpest image automatically from up to ten sequential shots
• Exposure BSS mode
• 4cm macro
• Face-priority AF
• In-camera red-eye removal & ‘D-Lighting’
• 15 Scene modes
• Pictmotion function
• 16MB internal memory + SD card storage

Key specifications

Review based on a production Kodak C875

Announced in August 2006 the C875 is the new flagship model in the entry-level Kodak EasyShare ‘C’ range, and the most interesting yet. Where most previous C series cameras have offered basic, beginnner-friendly ‘point and shoot’ operation at very low prices, the C875 transplants the functionality of Kodak’s higher-end Z and P series cameras into an inexpensive, compact body. This – plus the 5x optical zoom and 8MP resolution – puts the C875 in direct competition with Canon’s A series and some of the higher-end models in the Olympus FE range, yet the price (well under $200 if you shop around) is incredibly low for the features and specification on offer. So we decided to find out if this budget-priced Kodak really is punching above its weight or if it’s a lightweight through and through. Let’s start with the headline features:

• 8.3 million pixel 1/1.8″ CCD sensor
• 5x (37-185mm equiv.) Scheider-KREUZNACH Variogon lens
• 2.5-inch wide viewing angle LCD screen
• P/A/S/M modes
• 22 scene modes
• ISO 64-800
• Smart scene feature
• KODAK PERFECT TOUCH technology for better, brighter pictures
• MPEG-4 VGA movie mode

Key specifications