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Just Posted: Nikon Coolpix A preview - hands on with the DX compact

Mar 5, 2013 at 04:01:00 GMT

PREVIEW NIKON PREVIEW

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We've had a chance to use the Nikon Coolpix A - the company's DX-format, fixed-lens compact. The Coolpix A features a 16MP APS-C sensor with no optical low-pass filter and a 28mm equivalent F2.8 prime lens. Nikon has done a lot of work to make the Coolpix A consistent with its DSLRs, from its interface to its compatibility with accessories.

Click here to read our hands-on Nikon Coolpix A preview

Nikon Coolpix A

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Comments

Total comments: 449

I believe that Fuji should be celebrating this Nikon, drinking Sake and laughing until burst.

0 upvotes

The great minds at Nikon have done it again. I can't fathom what they have been smoking.

Either you put in a zoom lens or a 35mm equivalent.
And what's with the nearly $500 optical viewfinder??

Is this company for real? Seriously? Are your executives on crack or something?

3 upvotes

A little cheaper than the Sony one for RX1, it's a bargain :)

0 upvotes

The viewfinder costs MORE THAN A NEW NIKON P7700 !!!

Must be one hell of a viewfinder ;-)

7 upvotes

Sounds like it's just 90% hell.

Bit of a puzzling offering....

1 upvote

Its not a view finder it is a fool finder. If you see someone with one he has been parted with his money.

5 upvotes

Looks like a very nice camera.

However is APS-C overdoing it?

I would have been happy if they put the 10mp 1 inch sensor in.
Or even a 2/3" sensor with around 6-8 mp.

0 upvotes

@ $1100? ;-)

1 upvote

28mm is good for me. Most of the time we are shooting at the widest setting (28mm - 24mm ) anyway.

You can always crop it but not the other way round.
You might even be able to crop it in camera.

2 upvotes

But you can't crop away distortion. And 16MP probably don't offer enough resolution for more than say 50% crop (if you still want reasonable quality).
On the other hand of course: No fixed lens camera will ever satisfy every potential customer.

1 upvote

No one has ever cared about distortion in a photojournalists image. You will not be doing professional architectural photography on a point-and-shoot.

So, your distortion complaints do not matter.

Besides, have you seen the images? There is no distortion.

0 upvotes

For $1100, this should have incorporated the Series 1's hybrid AF and be packaged with a free Coolpix P330. Taking the D5100 sensor and stripping the AA filter just doesn't cut it.

Of course, if they had put hybrid AF in this thing, it would have telegraphed their next moves in the entry-level DX segment.

Somebody at Nikon decided that Sigma couldn't have the incredibly lucrative SD1/2 Merrill market all to themselves. Yep. Expect this on fire sale by Christmas, like every other Coolpix.

I think I'll go back to waiting for the D7100 and some really good DX lenses. Then maybe I'll throw up my hands and buy whatever Olympus comes out with next.

Sheesh.

1 upvote

Ugly. Slow and too wide. No viewfinder.
Fujifilm must be having a hearty laugh.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

20 upvotes

Nikon just sold a few thousand Fuji X-100s cams

7 upvotes

When come out the Nikon Coolpix B? :)

Anyway, here is a video from this model:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8dVE9gu96A

1 upvote

At 1:52 of that video ... he says "Your camera should be second nature to you......"

To that I would add .... "Your camera ..... SHOULD HAVE A VIEWFINDER!!!"

Dang beautiful camera non the less. They will sell like hotcakes!!

Agreed though.... 28 is a little too wide for this type of camera - Which is probably why VR isn't needed.

Comment edited 9 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

There is a viewfinder. It's an option that only costs $450.

0 upvotes

A whole cow went into that guys outfit.

2 upvotes

f/2.8 and no VR = showstopper (for my uses). 1/2000 shutter, but nothing about a built-in ND filter?

This sounds like a potentially great idea that has enough things "up" with it to drive a lot of potential purchasers away. Like how the OVF costs more than the Oly/Panny/Sony add-on EVFs, for example, and I agree wholeheartedly with other posts that a 35mm EFOV lens would have more appeal.

4 upvotes

Just noticed the specs say no image stabilization?

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

1 upvote

I can't get the "preview" to work. Anyone else having the problem? It is working for the 330 preview

0 upvotes

Working okay for me!

0 upvotes

clear your browser cache and try again. Everything should be working.

0 upvotes

LOL! Fuji X100S owns this in every way for about the same price! Good thing I ordered mine already! ;)

13 upvotes

Fuji loses in terms of pocketability. It is much less offensive as well due to its very small size. Believe me or not, this camera is designed for a true street photographer, but not a appearance perv.

3 upvotes

I think 28mm is a bit to short of street photography, as 35mm is would be a bit better choice. Plus, ovf/evf can come more in hand for street than just a screen.

0 upvotes

You will find in due time that the IQ on the Coolpix A to be much better than on the X100S...

0 upvotes

Most Nikon prices drop like a stone as soon as they hit the streets specially when sales figures start coming in.

Think no viewfinder built in is a big mistake...

2 upvotes

Should have been a 35 equivalent lens

10 upvotes

Agreed. I was about to get excited about this camera until I saw that. Between that wide angle, and 2.8 lens, it's going to be a challenge to get any sort of DOF control with that fixed lens. And that, to me, diminishes some of the appeal of the larger sensor.

0 upvotes

Yes. 35mm and a little brighter. It's pretty hard to construct very fast wide-angle lenses. 35mm f 2.0 probably wouldn't even be more expensive (but so much cooler).

1 upvote

The viewfinder accessory costs more than a 50mm f1.4g lens????? I want whatever they are smoking.

11 upvotes

I still think you shouldn't use "DX format" as a general term of photography, instead say "APS-C format" or "APS-C format (called DX format by Nikon)". By saying "DX format", you're kind of making your self part of Nikon PR and make us believe that "DX format" is a regular, general term.

I see that in the intro to this artice you use first "DX" and then "APS-C" equivalently. But to people unfamiliar with Nikon PR speak, it might not be clear hear that "DX" and "APS-C" mean the same thing.

Yes, it is a small quibble; but i always get nervous when a single manufacturer's PR speak gets adopted as general English, when there is already a clear term without brand affiliation.

5 upvotes

That's why we've used both. Since many stores, any adverts and existing Nikon users may well use the term DX, we need to include it, but we've also explained, both here and in the preview, that it's an APS-C sensor.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

8 upvotes

That's because it's referring to Nikon's DX format, not a generic APS-C.

2 upvotes

@ vFunct. I totally agree with you. For instance, Canon's APS-C format is little bit smaller than the one of Nikon, Sony, etc. Use of DX is more accurate.

2 upvotes

Hi, thanks all for your replies. I feel that at least here APS-C and DX are equivalent, standing for a certain class of sensor size, notwithstanding small differences in size between different manufacturers.

I still feel that "APS-C" is more widely understood than "DX" and should be mentioned first, with "DX" marked as corporate speak.

2 upvotes

wouldve preferred a 35mm equivalent lens

1 upvote

Ditto. Would have been a nice street shooter if it had a 35mm eqv. lens. The silver model does remind of the Contax TVS series which I loved, btw.

0 upvotes

1100$?

A D5100 + 28mm 1.8G costs less, for 2 extra stops of light ! This makes it a perfect street photog combo, a 18.5mm 2.8 is nice but way to wide, even on DX !

I bet we'd need to wait 2 more years for it to integrate a bright zoom lens

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 3 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

and the D5100 fits neatly in your pocket!

4 upvotes

goodluck putting that d5100 + 28mm 1.8g in your pocket

2 upvotes

and so, what would you use a fixed 18.5mm prime for ? Even for group portrait it is to wide !

1 upvote

For one f1.8 - f2.8 is NOT 2 stops. Secondly a 28mm f1.8 G on a D5100 is not going to give you a 28mm equiv FOV. Closest I can see would be a D5100 with 20mm f2.8, which is going to be in the same ballpark, have less controls and be MUCH bigger.

2 upvotes

~1.5 stop is already A LOT ! Indeed, a 28mm 1.8 does provide a ~40mm focal length which is about perfect for street photography and party shots - it is already too short for portraiture so a 18.5mm 2.8 (~28mm) is way to wide for regular shots, I dont see the reason for such a camera too offer such a fix wide angle, the panasonic lumix 7, fuji X20 or Canon G1X offer better specs for a lower price.

2 upvotes

NEX-5R & 20/2.8 is $899 (bought separately, I'm sure Sony will make a new bundle just for the laughs), and it is probably smaller. With PDAF, and optional OVF (~$100) or EVF (~$230) AND interchangeable lenses.

1 upvote

Wow. This segment is getting interesting!

1 upvote

It's depressing to me. SO many "almosts" and no wins yet. RX100 and X100s are close. I'm still waiting for a pocketable camera with a fast normal prime. If this was a 30mm f2 instead of a 18 f2.8, I think it would be worth the price.

1 upvote

Should have incorporated a EVF for $1100.

17 upvotes

I agree. For $1100 and an EVF I'd consider it, but no EVF at this price no way . . .

7 upvotes

Agree. It's overpriced at 1100 but I think that price will drop soon after release

4 upvotes

Yay, let the "what I would have done if I had the nerve to charge X dollars" comments begin! It's a time honored tradition to ascribe fictional dollar values to certain features, assume how much profit there is and compare it to what it should be, and then go spend the leftover money (from the fictional difference between what is and what should) on the features those greedy camera execs stole from you!

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 58 seconds after posting

2 upvotes

But what is the business sense of putting very high "overpriced" suggested retail prices on your products and then watch them drop?
Personaly I think it is a bad strategy and cheapens the brand.
Just my 2 cents

3 upvotes

It is a great camera.

1 upvote

Over-priced camera
Over-priced accessories
Under-specified
Inflexible

Other than that... and the probability that Nikon's contrast detect autofocus will still be very poor... it's just perfect!

0 upvotes

Total comments: 449


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