Nikon’s D5000 “baby Nikon” is positioned between the D60 and D90 and is not intended to be a replacement for either.

The D5000 lacks an autofocus motor in the body but it does sport a tilt-and-swivel LCD.

Following the pre-credit-crunch boom in digital single-lens reflex cameras (DSLRs), these smaller, stripped-down models seem to be the norm now.

The D5000 fills a gap below the enthusiast grade D90 — Canon’s 500D and Olympus’s E-620 point to a similar market.

Here are the main features of the Nikon D5000

* 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

This is certainly one to watch and, to the right market, sure to be a success.

Nikon has just announced its new Coolpix P80 with 18x zoom. Although described as a compact camera, it looks and feels like a small DSLR.

Nikon’s new Coolpix P80 with 18x zoom

Here’s part of the press release :

MELVILLE, NY (April 10, 2008) Nikon Inc. is pleased to announce the COOLPIX P80, a high-performance compact camera built to satisfy the needs of camera enthusiasts and family photographers alike. The P80 harmoniously integrates a 10.1 megapixel CCD image sensor with Nikon’s innovative EXPEED digital image processing concept and an 18x optical Zoom-NIKKOR lens designed with the compact and comfortable styling of the Nikon COOLPIX brand.

The COOLPIX P80 addresses a need from consumers for an ultra-zoom compact camera that offers unrivaled Nikon performance and clarity, said Bill Giordano, General Manager, Marketing, COOLPIX for Nikon Inc. Nikon is proud to continue delivering the highest quality imaging products for photo enthusiasts and aspiring photographers with a broad range of creative control options and superior imaging ability.”

At around $400, this looks a very interesting addition to the legendary Nikon range.

Last week, my mother (75 years old) told me she was considering a new camera: a nice digital one instead of her old film-based cam. As she liked her old Nikon a lot, she wondered what model to buy.
My first reaction was: “no, stay with film - it’s easy and you have no computer”.

However, it’s very easy nowadays to have pictures printed. So that’s no stopper.
Another thing is batteries: digicams drain batteries so much faster… And, last but not least: these things are so complex!

Stop: none of these issues exist with the wonderful Nikon Coolpix L6: it looks too simple for experienced users, but it’s in fact a very, very clever camera for starters:

• very easy to use
• a huge display
• very long battery life

And, it’s also relatively cheap, for instance here.

Read more about it at Nikon USA.

There are a lot of superzoom cameras around, but this beauty certainly is the smallest. Portable enough to take wherever you go. It’s predecessor was already unique, but the S10 improved quite a bit on quality.

This is the kind of camera I like: very compact, very usable and a huge zoom to get everything close. There are a few drawbacks: it does not have many manual options for the technical photographer and it’s powered by a small, but proprietary battery.

So yes: there are better options for people who want to use all possible options on a digicam, but always at the cost of weight and portability.

For the rest of the world, this wonderful piece of technology is about the best thing you can get. Prices are dropping nicely, it’s available for less than $ 340 .

Besides amazing pictures, it will yield amazing faces, too…