A bootylicious 3.5-inch OLED touch-screen and tasty 720p HD video make the new Nikon Coolpix S70 one hot mama. Read the full story here.
A big bad 3.5-inch Clear Color OLED display stamps the rear of the new Nikon Coolpix S70, which is Nikon's latest incarnation of the fashion cam and also the predecessor to the touch hybrid Nikon Coolpix S230. Not only does the Nikon Coolpix S70 follow in the swanky footsteps of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 by featuring a giant touch-screen LCD in place of external buttons and controls, but the 12-megapixel ultra compact will employ iPhone-like touch functionality, including the ability to zoom via pinch technique.
Nikon also promises the lightest touch sensitivity, thanks to the screen's capacitive nature. We expect to see a beautiful, high-resolution display, and enhanced visibility in bright light, brought on by the anti-glare coating. We'll also get Touch Shutter and Autofocus, which will allow shooters to touch the LCD in order for the camera to adjust the Shutter Speed or focus on a particular point, just like Sony's Spot Focus.
We're curious to see the effectiveness of the new Scene Effect Adjustments, which control parameters of the particular Scene mode in use. Whether or not this is a simple White Balance or Exposure shift is yet to be determined until we get our hands on an official Nikon Coolpix S70 review unit. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580 has a hybrid touch-screen that offers Touch Focus and Exposure sliders bars, and we were fairly impressed with its performance. Hopefully, the Nikon Coolpix S70 will be able to rise to the challenge.
The Nikon Coolpix S70 will also shoot "stunning" (according to Nikon) 1280x720p 30 fps video, which is becoming the standard for mid-level compacts these days. In addition to HD video capture, the Nikon Coolpix S70 will shoot with a 5x optical zoom wide-angle lens and employ Nikon's 5-way VR Image Stabilization System, which fuses Optical and Electronic systems together. There's no talk regarding the actual focal length of the wide-angle lens, so we're not sure if we're getting a gaping 24mm window or a modest 30mm distance. Regardless, the Nikon Coolpix S70 will be able to capture Macro shots from 1.2 inches, which is pretty darn personal.
Nikon's newest fashion compact will have 16 different Scene modes for the Auto freaks, and a Smart Portrait System, which includes a new Skin Softening feature, in addition to Smile Shutter, Blink Warning, In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, Face-Priority AF and D-Lighting. Not only does the Nikon Coolpix S70 offer an arsenal of automatic ammunition, but the sexy compact will have Motion Detection, which automatically adjusts the Shutter Speed based on a tracked subject, and an ISO cap of 6400--though image resolutions will be compromised at higher ISO speeds.
Aesthetically, the Nikon Coolpix S70 appears to be sleek and features a dual textured construction. The camera weighs 5 ounces without the rechargeable battery and is 0.8 inches thick.
The Nikon Coolpix S70 is set to ship in September for $400 and our color choices will be Red & Red, Champagne & Beige, Black and Black or Champagne and Light Brown.
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