Steve's Digicams - Breaking News - Nikon 02/16/2005 Press Release

Nikon Offers New Features, Greater Freedom And Higher Resolution To Entry-Level Photographers With The Addition Of Three Easy To Use, Yet Powerful New Coolpix Digital Cameras

Download the Coolpix 4600/5600 pamphlet
Download the Coolpix 7600 pamphlet

MELVILLE, NY, February 16, 2005 – Nikon today unveiled three easy-to-use new Coolpix digital cameras designed expressly for everyday digital photographers who desire spectacular images, without relying on a computer to enhance or improve their shots. With new technology and convenience features incorporated into Coolpix compact digital cameras, beginning digital photography requires only three simple steps – turn on the camera, frame the shot and press the shutter button. These three new cameras - the 4-megapixel Nikon Coolpix 4600, the 5.1-megapixel Nikon Coolpix 5600, and the 7.1-megapixel Nikon Coolpix 7600 – are each designed to appeal to consumers as they experience digital photography in their everyday lives.

"Nikon has consistently expanded the digital market by developing products and technology that help produce beautiful images, regardless of the photographer’s skill level," said ¬¬Bill Giordano, General Manager of Marketing for Nikon, Inc. "These three dynamic new cameras respond to the public’s growing desire for high-featured, easy-to-use digital cameras that simply take great pictures."

Nikon has packed these new products with more features that improve the image directly within the camera, dramatically improving the simplicity of taking a beautiful photograph and getting great prints, whether you choose to print at home, online or at a favorite retailer. All three new Coolpix cameras boast Nikon’s renowned In-Camera Red-Eye Fix™ technology, which automatically detects and corrects red eyes in most typical situations without the need to press buttons or select and highlight the eyes in playback.

Nikon’s exclusive new D-Lighting feature is another new addition that can turn throwaway shots into frame-able memories. The D-Lighting feature can be selected in Playback mode — automatically compensating for insufficient flash or excessive back lighting in order to obtain balanced exposure throughout the frame. All three cameras are also equipped with Blur Warning, another feature unique to Nikon which alerts the user when a shot is compromised by camera or hand shake, allowing another shot to be taken before leaving the scene.

The Coolpix 4600, 5600, and 7600 are phenomenally easy to use. In fact they’ve been designed to appeal not only to beginners of all ages, but also to people who’ve never even considered buying a digital camera before. With a redesigned graphic user interface (GUI) that lets the user navigate functions by either menu item list or icon, they enable the beginner to find the right mode at the right moment to achieve the best results, time after time. Furthermore, with a handy new "Help" button that displays a description for each selected function on the main menu, the process has been made easier than ever before. The cameras also feature a large, bright 1.8-inch LCD screen— making it easy to compose shots and view recorded images at any time. They have been designed to consume much less power, making it possible to take almost twice as many images when using regular AA alkaline batteries.

Like their predecessors, these new Coolpix cameras will also feature Scene Modes, which allow the camera to adjust to the most typical shooting environments - Sunset, Fireworks, Indoor, Portrait, etc. - with the turn of a dial. The Coolpix 4600 and 5600 also feature an entirely new Scene Mode – Underwater Mode - which produces more satisfying, true-to- life colors when using the optional WP-CP3 waterproof case to shoot scenes while snorkeling or scuba diving to a depth of 130 feet. This exciting new addition increases the number of Scene Modes to 16.

Creative snap-shooters have the option of five Color Options, enabling the selection of "sepia" tone, "black-and-white" and even "cyanotype, for example, to change the entire look and feel of a shot. The new Coolpix products also have 14MB of internal memory, allowing images to be recorded without additional memory media.

The Coolpix 4600, 5600, and 7600 also make it easy to capture action in an expressive manner with movie shooting capabilities. These cameras offer a choice of three simplified Movie Modes — TV, Small and Smaller. The Coolpix 5600 and 7600 even have the ability to capture video with sound. They can also be easily connected to a TV, using the included video cable, to share the fun with friends and family.

The announcement of the Nikon Coolpix 4600, 5600 and 7600 digital cameras is centered around making the entire digital process more convenient. Their PictBridge compatibility makes it possible to print directly to a printer, without the need for a PC. For those who enjoy organizing and sharing their photographs on a computer, Nikon Coolpix cameras ship with Nikon’s proprietary PictureProject software, a user-friendly photo management software designed expressly for use by Nikon Coolpix photographers, that offers a broad selection of cataloguing, editing and sharing functions. This software package is aimed at providing a central location that is simple, intuitive and seamless for Coolpix digital photographers.

All three cameras will be available at retail nationwide in March 2005 with the Coolpix 4600 retailing for .95*, the Coolpix 5600 retailing for .95*, and the Coolpix 7600 selling for .95*.

* All prices listed in this announcement are MSRP

Nikon...If the picture matters, the camera matters?. Nikon Inc. is the world leader in precision optics, 35mm and digital imaging technology and is recognized worldwide for setting new standards in product design and performance for its award-winning consumer and professional photographic equipment. Nikon Inc. distributes the Nikon Total Imaging System of professional 35mm film and digital SLR cameras, Nikkor optics, Speedlights and System Accessories; 35mm compact cameras; Nikon Coolpix® compact digital cameras; Coolscan® digital film scanners; Nikonos® underwater photographic systems; and Nikon sports and recreational optics.