(Nikkei BP Group)
(No.1 High-Tech News Site in Japanese)
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| Nikon Debuts Two Digital Cameras With 2.11M Pixels
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February 22, 1999 (TOKYO) -- Nikon Corp. announced two digital cameras
with a charge-coupled device featuring 2.11 million pixels.
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The COOLPIX950 has a 3x optical zoom lens and the COOLPIX700 has a single-focus
lens.
Both models incorporate a built-in buffer memory to hold 10 images and
have a Best Shot Selector function by which the cameras can select the
least-blurred image among a series of images taken continuously.
The COOLPIX950 retails for 125,000 yen (US$1,055) and is slated to ship
in March 25, 1999. The price and release schedule of the COOLPIX700
are not yet set.
The CCD with 2.11 million pixels measures 1/2 inch and employs a Cy,
Ye, Mg and G complementary color filter. Users can choose the recording
resolutions of 1,600 x 1,200 pixels, 1,024 x 768 pixels and 640 x 480
pixels.
The COOLPIX950 (see photo) features a 3x optical zoom
lens, the focal length of which is equivalent to the 38mm to 115mm length
of a 35mm film camera.
The camera employs the Nikol lens, a name given to a lens Nikon has developed
for the company's high-end cameras. It is capable of a focal distance
from 30cm to infinity and can close to the subject up to 2cm in macro
mode.
The body is designed in black as the key tone, and is modeled after the
F5, the company's single-lens reflex camera for professional users.
Magnesium alloy is used for the body material.
The camera is characterized by a processing time reduced sharply from
conventional models. The startup time is slightly more than two seconds,
and the time between shooting and playback mode is about two seconds.
The release time lag from pressing the shutter halfway until complete
pressing is as short as about 0.1 second.
The camera permits continuous exposure up to 10 1,600 x 1,200-pixel pictures
at a rate of about 1.5 frames per second. This is enabled by the built-in
buffer memory, and it enables users to take do one-time shooting continuously
without waiting for recording of the captured image.
While the processing capabilities are enhanced, the battery life is kept
almost at the same level as the conventional models. Four AA alkaline
batteries enable continuous exposure for about 60 minutes while using
a liquid-crystal display (LCD) monitor.
The camera features a 2-inch, low-temperature poly-silicon thin-film
transistor LCD. It measures 143mm x 76.5mm x 36.5mm, and weighs about
350g without batteries.
The COOLPIX700 with a single-focus lens features the Nikol lens capable
of a wide focal length equivalent to a 35mm film camera. The camera
has a black body like the COOLPIX950, but is built with aluminum alloy.
It is capable of a focal distance from 30cm to infinity, and can close
in on a subject up to 9cm in macro mode.
With no zoom lens, the camera operates on batteries continuously for
about 80 minutes of image-capturing, longer than the COOLPIX950's operating
time. At 114mm x 67mm x 38.5mm and 270g without batteries, it features
a 1.8-inch TFT-LCD monitor. Other specifications and functions are almost
the same as those of the COOLPIX950.
Both models use a CompactFlash card for the recording media with an 8MB
card. The PK-SC2, a connection kit to a PC, retails for 9,800 yen (US$80),
and the TC-E2, a double teleconverter, retails for 14,000 yen (US$120).
The company plans monthly production of 20,000 units for the COOLPIX950
and 10,000 for the COOL PIX700.
Related stories:
� Ricoh to Sell High-End Digital Camera with USB
Port
� Fuji Photo Film to Sell 2.3-Million-Pixel Digital
Camera
� Sony Unveils Digital Camera with 2.1 Million
Pixel CCD
(BizTech News Dept.)
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