For long-zoom lovers - Nikon debuts updated P610 60x superzoom, S9900 30x travel zoom
posted Monday, February 9, 2015 at 9:13 PM EST
Many members of Nikon's Coolpix family have undergone a refresh today, with the new Coolpix P610 (P610 vs P600) 60x superzoom and Coolpix S9900 (S9900 vs S9700) 30x travel zoom being two of the stand-out models. As these models are concerned, however, Nikon seems firmly in the "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" camp. While there there aren't major overhauls in design or features, there are a few welcome improvements over their predecessors.
The Nikon P610 maintains the same powerful 60x optical zoom lens -- offering a 24-1440mm-equivalent zoom range in 35mm terms -- and 16-megapixel, 1/2.3-inch type CMOS sensor. The camera also features Dynamic Fine Zoom (for an additional 2x zoom multiplier) as well as 4x standard digital zoom enhancement for a whopping 5760mm-equivalent zoom!
Nikon has updated the HD video recording on the P610, which now goes up to 1080/60p. Nikon also gives the camera a new in-camera Time Lapse Movie mode and an easy-to-use sweep panorama mode. The EVF on the P610 also gets a substantial boost with a 921k-dot-resolution display over the 201k-dot EVF of the P600, and the new camera features both GPS and NFC connectivity.
Over on the Nikon S9900, successor to the S9700, key physical features like the 30x optical zoom and 16-megapixel, back-side-illuminated CMOS sensor remained unchanged from its predecessor. However, the S9900 does gain a very useful and versatile 3.0-inch, vari-angle LCD screen over the fixed one from the older model.
The S9900 also gains the new Time Lapse Movie Mode also found on the P610, as well as NFC connectivity for easy pairing and sharing with compatible smart devices.
Both cameras are set to be available in March 2015, with the Nikon Coolpix P610 arriving in two body colors -- black or red -- at a list price of around US$500, while the Nikon Coolpix S9900 comes in black or silver colors for around $350. Read more about Nikon's latest superzoom over on our Nikon P610 First Impressions Preview, and Nikon's new sleek, pocketable travel zoom over on our Nikon S9900 First Impressions Review.
