Nikon Coolpix A Hands-on Preview

March 2013 | By Richard Butler

Preview based on a pre-production Coolpix A

A number of factors have helped spur a great increase in the diversity of camera types now available. The Nikon Coolpix A - an APS-C compact with a fixed 28mm equivalent F2.8 lens - is the latest example and is something that would have seemed incredibly unlikely just a few years ago.

The ongoing competition from smartphones has prompted manufacturers to look for ways to offer higher image quality from compact cameras (and carve out the kinds of profit margins that no longer exist in the compact market). Meanwhile, the advent of the mirrorless camera has helped demonstrate that there's an enthusiast market that wants something other than a DSLR. And, in a quirk of fate, the popularity of smartphone shooting has helped introduce a new generation of photographers to the experience of shooting with prime lenses.

The large sensor, fixed-lens camera is a prime example of this new diversity, and the Coolpix A is just the latest offering. The 28mm-equivalent Nikon joins models from brands including Fujifilm, Sony and Sigma in offering small cameras with prime lenses.

The Nikon Coolpix A is built around a 16MP CMOS sensor - the same one that performed so spectacularly well in cameras such as the D7000. The sensor's microlenses have been designed to work with the camera's wide-angle lens, to reduce corner shading, despite the wide-angle lens mounting fairly close to the sensor. It doesn't gain the on-sensor phase detection elements that have started appearing on some of its contemporaries, however.

The Coolpix A follows the lead of the Pentax K-5 IIs and Nikon's own D7100 in doing away with the optical low-pass filter. We can only assume that Nikon's engineers have concluded that attempting to process out any additional moiré was the lesser evil, compared with the sharpness usually sapped by the filter.

Nikon Coolpix A key specifications

16.2MP 'DX' format CMOS sensor
18.5mm (28mm equivalent) F2.8 lens
ISO 100-6400 (with 12,800 and 25,600 equivalent extension settings)
3.0" 920k dot LCD
14-bit uncompressed NEF Raw shooting capability
Up to 4fps continuous shooting
1080p movies at 24, 25 or 30fps
i-TTL compatible hotshoe

As with those other brands, this is an unashamedly enthusiast-targeted product. Nikon makes clear that the camera is primarily intended as a second camera for DSLR users, with PASM exposure modes brought to the fore, and a menu system that's 'much more DSLR familiar than Coolpix familiar.' So, while the Coolpix A does offer nineteen scene modes, including 'Pet Portrait,' they are all clustered together under a single option on the mode dial, leaving room for two user-definable positions.

The Coolpix A will be available in a choice of two colors - DSLR-style black and a 'titanium' colorscheme that brings to mind the elegant Contax G-series rangefinders.

In addition to its external controls and interface being consistent with Nikon's DSLRs, the camera is also compatible with Nikon DSLR accessories. It uses the same 7.4Wh battery as the 1 System J-series cameras and has an i-TTL compliant flash hotshoe. Sadly, though, while it does include a built-in flash, it isn't able to operate as a remote flash commander, so you'll have to attach at least an SB700 to the body to gain the ability to control flashguns remotely.

28mm equivalent Nikkor lens

The Coolpix A has a lens with 7 elements arranged in 5 groups, with one of those being an aspherical element. Nikon promises 'professional quality' in terms of sharpness and corner consistency. Mounting a wide-angle lens so close to the sensor poses a problem, one that Nikon says they've overcome in two ways, first by applying an anti-reflective coating to the sensor. Then they designed the microlenses to cope with the sharp angles from which light will approach the sensor.

The Coolpix A has a dedicated manual focus ring, which can be used to override autofocus at any time. In front of it is a slim screw-off ring that covers a thread which can be used to mount an (optional) adaptor, to allow the use of 46mm filters or the HN-CP18 hood.

The lens extends when you power up the camera, so startup isn't immediate (although it's still pretty quick). It has a 7-bladed diaphragm and a lens shutter that work together for essentially silent operation. We do not yet know the how fast the flash sync speed is, though.

Movie shooting

The Coolpix A can capture 1080p movies at 24, 25 or 30 frames per second and save them in the MPEG4 format with H.264 compression. The camera allows limited exposure control (you can set exposure before recording and adjust exposure compensation in some exposure modes), but it doesn't include an external mic socket, limiting audio quality. The Coolpix A does offer the ability to trim the videos it's shot in-camera, if you simply want to edit a single clip for upload to the web, though. You can also extract a single fame as a still image.

Optional accessories

The Coolpix A has been designed to share a range of Nikon's DSLR accessories, including flashguns, IR remotes, GPS and Wi-Fi modules - clearly in the hope that existing Nikon users will add the camera to their kit bags. The only unique accessories are a hot shoe mounting optical viewfinder (which will costs around $450) and an UR-E24 adaptor/lens hood pack that allows the use of 46mm filters (recommended price around $130).

The DF-CP1 optical viewfinder includes brightlines that mark 90% scene coverage.

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.

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Comments

Total comments: 431

Love the compact design and compatibility with speedlites, but yeah way too expensive.

2 upvotes

Seems expensive for what it is, and I would of preferred a fast wide-angle to short telephoto lens rather than a prime. I'm of the opinion that prime lenses should only be available for inter-changeable lens camera's thus giving you a choice. A fixed prime lens camera doesn't.

0 upvotes

I was interested until I saw the price. Yikes ! Seriously, what is Nikon thinking ? They hurl themselves right out of the competition range. The Sony RX-100 is so much more interesting now. This would make the perfect compact camera for high quality infrared photography where a zoom lens is not really needed. The relatively big sensor and fixed lens would produce very clean and sharp images. They would have to reduce the price by a few hundred dollars and even then.

0 upvotes

Sadly lots of people will buy this poor-excuse-for-a-competitive-product simply because of the Nikon name.

0 upvotes

Timid steps into X100's turf.

Styling and ergonomics: Having consistent styling across it's range of lower-end cameras is not necessarily a good thing for this model, which doesn't look like it sets itself apart from it's smaller-sensor siblings.

Lens: With cameras such as the X100s and the RX1 on the market, this, with a f2.8 lens is rather underwhelming. I guess if you compare yourself with the Leica X2's price, you can convince yourself that you've designed a camera that delivers outstanding value.

But... it is definitely a good point and shoot for the masses. If the price point better reflected the ho-hum lens, it could gain mass-market appeal - from beginning enthusiasts to vacationers, who want a no-brainer camera for getting great pictures.

Is this just a marketing test, were they under pressure to produce a x100s competitor but lacked the time to develop a lens that could be sharp at larger apertures, or are they just not wanting to be too threatening to the 1 line?

3 upvotes

With that viewfinder they should be selling the gold steampunk version...

1 upvote

Do they do market research at nikon or do they just do what they want?

3 upvotes

i think Nikon have already proven they know more than most fan boys about what customers want. Not a small group of stats obsessives on the internet. The 1 series was berated on here as sensor being too small, no one would want it, useless, probably poor in low light, etc blah etc. And it is now the number 1 selling Compact system camera. they sell twice as many as the next most popular format. Id say they know what they are doing

0 upvotes

D7000 sensor with contrast detect AF?

I am rather curious to learn if Nikon has made any progress in this field. They really need to ...

0 upvotes

CDAF in the D7000 is likely to be limited by the lenses, rather than the sensor, so I wouldn't try to extrapolate too much.

0 upvotes

Falconeyes, I don't know about the D7000 CDAF, but the D800 is fine, very fast and accurate. Also the V1 is extremely fast and accurate.

0 upvotes

At this price?noooooooooo

Wish it was a FF fixed focus compact at the price.Hope eventually they move towards that.

0 upvotes

Nikon is still playing games, this presumably has aperture change within live view - something not available below the d800 in their dslr range.

This 'A' offering is more akin to what the v system should have been, apsc based, this new offering by Nikon is far too little too late. The camera is carefully designed not to interfere with Nikon's lucrative camera tearing and interchangeable lens strategies - the hefty price without optical or electronic viewfinder reflects that too.

Moreover, taking the anti-aliasing filter away as if it did not have a purpose in the first place, while keeping the Bayer pattern, is odd to say the least.

As far as value goes, I feel Nikon have just been trading on their name of late and that is not a sustainable long term market strategy.

Comment edited 5 minutes after posting

5 upvotes

The reason the D800 has true aperture change in LV is an extra motor which physically moves the aperture blade lever (something introduced by the Pentax K-7/K-5 bodies which have a mechanically controlled aperture too). You can even hear its noise. The D600, D7000, D7100 lack such a motor but e.g., the K-5 body was more expensive than D7000.

The Nikon A has an electronically controlled aperture and therefore doesn't have this restriction.

To assume Nikon is playing games while at the same time not understanding the technological basics is bad character.

0 upvotes

...else, Nikon is "playing games".

1 upvote

No need to be personal FE. ("...is bad character" bit)

Most d600 buyers wouldn't know they were short the necessary extra motor, as d300s, d7000, d7100, d5100 owners don't. Its a tearing strategy, something owners only find out when they go to change the aperture in live view, a purposeful omission in models below a certain level.

Understanding how its done doesn't excuse why its done.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 11 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

Comments like these may hit a sensitive chord with Nikon-fans-for-life. But that doesn't make them less accurate.

Nikon and Canon seem to have a similar "me too" strategy for certain markets (ie: mirrorless) by offering a camera only their fans will buy, and that does not be threaten the rest of their line.

It looks like there are these executives higher up, who think that as long as you introduce products that will not threaten the rest of your lineup, customers will not buy from the competition instead. Obviously DSLR is their cash-cow, and they won't let any mirrorless nonsense ruin that.

0 upvotes

"a purposeful omission in models below a certain level."

If the cheaper models had all the features of the high-end ones, they probably wouldn't be cheaper.

1 upvote

Interesting camera, but sooooo much overpriced. 1100 euro is just too much.

0 upvotes

This looks like a really nice compact carry camera. Better than a Canon S110 or Sony RX100 and smaller than a Fuji X100. The only rub is the price is awfully high.

I know this will sound selfish, but I hope the Coolpix A is a flop, so I can pick one up at their clearance sale.

An awful lot of cameras look a lot better once the price is adjusted downwards (Pentax K-01, Pentax Q, Nikon 1, etc.)

3 upvotes

don't you wish it had a faster lens?
or
that the x100s was more compact?

0 upvotes

you need to compare it Canon EOS-M, not to S110:)

0 upvotes

If it had a fast lens, then it might be worth $1,000.

As it is right now, I will pass on it.

0 upvotes

No EVF.
No CLS.
No Mic In.

Too bad. It would have been a No Brainer

0 upvotes

This is a great camera design. It is for prime wide angle shooters. It cost to much. The f/2.8 is not fast, nor slow; but does keep the size down nicely.

A 35mm actual, optimized prime, and yielding 50mm angle of view(on DX), would have been far more interesting; even with more lens protrusion. That, really needs to be an auto folding prime, as well. If you do not think this is possible, look at the old XA film camera, and it's, very little, lens protrusion/(smooth hump); for carry. No fold. The Olympus XA is 35mm actual, and is full frame.

The HUGE news here, is a DX (mirror-less) compact!!!! This is the right direction. This is where Nikon might survive. This needs a non-hump, built-in EVF, and removable lenses! Both DXL(well call them) special pancakes, to optimism that shorter flange back distance, and a DX adapter(with fast AE/AF), for when you do not care about protrusions, such as telephoto, and you want to use your other F-mount lenses!

..and where is phase detect, fast AF?

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 4 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

they are too significantly invested in their DSLRs and the 1 family. they can't allow for what you are asking. you'll just have to jump ship to get what you want. sorry to say.

2 upvotes

Not at all interested in this camera. BUT, agree that the real news is, it's a DX mirror-less camera. Perhaps another new camera is coming with a DX sensor, "pro" style external controls, EVF, fast PD AF, etc. that many of us would love to see.

Could be that the "D400" is really the D7100 after all and the $1700 US Nikon DX camera is actually...the V300??

0 upvotes

I think the people comparing this to the Fuji X100 are ignoring how much smaller this camera is. You could slip this into a coat pocket easily; it's a really slim and neat compact camera. While the Fuji is smaller and lighter than a DSLR, it still needs a separate camera bag.

Having said that, I'd still much rather have the Fuji if I was in the market for a fixed lens camera. I love its retro look, and for me its great viewfinder easily outweighs any size difference.

2 upvotes

I think the X100 comparison is appropriate.
Let's face it this is an enthusiast camera.
Your grandma is not going ot buy this to slip into her handbag.
This is a camera for people who understand f-stops and sensor size and FPS etc.
And those people might care about size, but I think they care about capability more.
And the X100 is close enough in MSRP/RRP and general ball park capability.
Except, for all its other sins, it's likely the Nikon will have autofocus, instead of just having autofocus printed on the box.
Boom! Boom!

0 upvotes

Yes, a comparison to the Leica X1/X2 is more appropriate. Smaller than the X100/X100S, f/2.8 rather than f/2, no viewfinder. It seems smaller than the X2, though, and the extending lens makes it more pocketable.

28mm-e is wider than I like, however, and CDAF is not a forward-looking feature given the competition from the X100S. The X2 still manages decent AF speeds, unlike the X1, so we should not dismiss the A out of hand. I just wish they made a B in the 40mm-e to 50mm-e range.

The titanium colorway is a throw-back to the film-era 28Ti, not the Contax G, albeit without the 28Ti/35Ti's distinctive analog top dials (which were frankly an affectation and hard to use in practice).

0 upvotes

f2.8....4 fps.....external viewfinder....and 1100$ (+ few hundred for the external viewfinder)......no way !

They got me with the D600 crap (vs the new D7100)

no more Nikon for me!

Next...

1 upvote

Handsome camera. I haven't bought a Nikon since the Coolpix 900, but I wouldn't be so fast to write this off.

I'm sure Nikon would prefer to have a faster lens to pair with this body/sensor combination, but apparently they don't. So they can choose to wait until they have the perfect camera, which makes them no money and sacrifices impatient customers to other brands. Or they can sell what they do have right now to the limited market for it that also exists right now. Which makes some money to offset the R&D to-date, and also signals to their customers that they're at least moving in the right direction.

Anyway, with an APS-C sensor I'd expect this camera could still have reasonably decent ISO performance and DOF even at f2.8. I'm curious to see some samples.

Comment edited 32 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

I'm sorry guys, this seemed interesting at first, for sure great for a coat pocket, DSLR IQ landscape shooter. But 1000 GBP?! This translates to roughly 1600 US dollars. Aha, look elsewhere for idiots, count me out.

4 upvotes

The silver camera that hits you on page 2 is beautiful: dignified and classically proportioned, and the lighter colour suits dabblers like me who don’t always want to pretend they’re pro PJs in a war zone. It’s quite different from the Panasonic LX3, but it reminds me of that camera a little. It will age very well.

Comment edited 33 seconds after posting

2 upvotes

i would love a 1.3 crop mode!

0 upvotes

As per usual, an interesting proposition is ruined by a ridiculous price tag - plus that silver version is alarmingly ugly.

0 upvotes

i am wondering why sony and oly are losing money in their camera departments if their offerings are so much better than nikons, as the comments here suggest.

maybe it´s because their customer base thinks cheaper is always better and prefer a bargain on consumer electronics to the higher price of a photographic product.

if you would be in for quality you´d all have sigmas.

0 upvotes

It's nice of Nikon to give people extra oil on their sensors, but I'll stick with my cheapo Olympus, thanks.

3 upvotes

you think this is a photographic product? a gripless, viewfinderless, f2.8 28mm? I get it, the 1100$ makes it a photographic product. or is it the Nikon emblem?

4 upvotes

From what you write it follows that this should result in a textbook fiasco, given the ridiculously high price.
I, however, fear than it will be somehow pushed to the market and will have some kind of success.

Who knows, maybe it will be a really good camera with mind-boggling IQ; but a reasonable price, given all that's involved should, imho not exceed half of what is stated.

0 upvotes

and every body is losing money, are you suggesting the eos m sold better than the omd or nex7?

2 upvotes

...Now that’s a good point Reason. Leaving balanced attributes out(the components we have already seen done), is a recipe for failure.

Price is one of those attributes. No one want to drop $1000 on the concrete, or be hit over the head, for a darned camera.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 2 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

If it was 7 or 8 hundred dollars maybe....

Which it will be soon enough.

And if the viewfinder was a hundred....

Wait, scratch that. It has a viewfinder already. The LCD. Why would I want to press this tiny thing up to my face when I don't need to?

1 upvote

Anyway, good for Nikon. It's a start.

0 upvotes

...and also not.

0 upvotes

C'mon, guys, you mention Contax but not Nikon's own 35Ti? Surely that camera is part of the reason Nikon offers this one in a "titanium" color scheme. I'm sure Nikon views this as something of a digital 35Ti. Like that camera, this one is dramatically overpriced, but would actually be pretty appealing after the inevitable big price drop.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

As a a digital version of the Nikon 28Ti.

1 upvote

I was wondering if anyone was going to mention the 28Ti and 35Ti. the 28Ti is still a rather expensive camera, even used. I have the 35Ti and it is a great camera. I still use it regularly. This will have plenty of fans. Nikon isn't targeting everyone with this and that is fine, they have plenty of mass market cameras available.

0 upvotes

I could live with an external 'dumb' finder on an APS-C camera, if it had controls and snap focus function similar to the Ricoh GRD series; or a useful DOF scale on the lens or on the screen (like the X1 or the Fuji X's) or a focus wheel like the Sigma DP series.

But as it is, an X100 with the 28mm adapter is simply a much better buy. Or wait and see what the GRD V may bring.

0 upvotes

It has a pretty decent distance scale on the right side of the screen, clearly seen in this video. No DOF scale, but I don't trust those anyway. And there's a configuration for quick AF while in MF, so it ends up being about as useful as snap focus. Looks like a winner to me. A little over priced, but I'll probably pay the freight...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0a-bbHX9O3M

Comment edited 14 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Distance scale!

Nice, thanks Ray!

That pretty much changes my opinion of this camera. From a 'meh' to 'I just might get one if it were around USD $800.'

I'm probably one of very few people here who are thankful it's only an f/2.8 lens. I'd rather have a compact lens than a large f/1.8 VR lens.

Definitely starting to look interesting to me.

0 upvotes

Like Canon's, another uninspiring metoo - one that may eventually sell at >50% discounts.

More constructively: In stead of entering 3 yrs later on busy mirrorless markets --already dominated by Sony, Oly, Panny, Samsung, Fuji-- IMHO Canikon would do better by shrinking their FX dSLRs (except the pro range).

I, like many others, still have a stale budget awaiting for <1-lb. FF bodies w/ OVF. The mirror can be vastly reduced in size (e.g. divided). Or just use EVFs better than NEX7's. But don't assume that 95% of the market are pros, people who drive to their shooting site, or that a big lens requires a big body to balance (no scope is balanced then)...

2 upvotes

I was all set to cheer for Nikon with this camera. Compact! Ditch the viewfinder! 28mm wide! Big sensor! But then it says f2.8?!? Really? I mean the fuji has f2.0 for that money WITH a viewfinder. The whole point of cutting the viewfinder is saving weight/money. Then there's the RX100 which granted has a smaller sensor but it also goes to f1.8. Doing the math, that's basically a wash in equivalence for considerably less money. It doesn't have a hot shoe, but it does have this optical zoom thing which may or may not be useful...

Sheesh. For a company who knows how to make great lenses, you sure gimped this camera with a slow lens Nikon. I would have expected f1.8 at this price.

EDIT: RX100 is STABILIZED 28mm equiv f1.8 as well.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

4 upvotes

I also wonder about the AF system. Does this borrow from the 1 series? Some kind of on sensor PDAF trying to mimic a DLSR? Is it simple CDAF? If it's the last one, you have to wonder about the speed since Nikon's no expert in dedicated CDAF.

0 upvotes

Yes, but do not forget the famous RX100 is a low ISO camera, and slow on the long end. It's no where near its asking price.

0 upvotes

@neod: the rx100 may be slow on the long end, but this camera doen't have a long end. so what's the excuse?

1 upvote

If you want the wide angle, then great - I'd consider buying this.

I'd prefer a 35mm Equivalent though. Even if it was 2.8. Then it would be a hard choice between this and an x100s.

Right now, I'd go for the Fuji.
I can't be the only one.

3 upvotes

I want a FF 12mp (nikon D3s sensor) in a compact with a sharp 50mm f/2 somekind of VF and a better battery say al least 500 shots for 1,500$.

I'll buy that :)

2 upvotes

I want an APSC compact with zoom lens and a VF (EVF or usable OVF with at least 90% coverage). I will buy that ;-)

0 upvotes

you wouldn´t.

0 upvotes

$1100 Plus another $450 for an optical viewfinder. Yikes.

I am sure some will love it, but I'll wait for the interchangeable lens version sure to follow.

0 upvotes

the same people who will love the RX1

0 upvotes

I do not understand why most manufacturers build their compacts with collapsible lenses. It makes the camera so rickety and vulnerable. The original Olympus Mju 1 with its sliding cover was a clever and durable construction. Quickly and intuitively ready to shoot and it still fitted in a shirts pocket!

This new Nikon looks like the next priss of a camera for a crazy price.

0 upvotes

For $1100 I'm thinking would it hurt to stuff in $30 worth of GPS/wireless chips?
Right now it looks like a me too (or a me too late).

Even then I'd still not buy - not a comment on the camera so much as my income. I'd need to have a lot more discretionary income than what I do, to spend money on something like this. While it's not necessarily a one trick pony, I think I'd end up using it like one, so it does not have enough utility to price to win a slice of my current discretionary funds.

But like someone else commented, if they'd be kind enough to release an 18mm f2.8 DX F mount I'd buy that.

0 upvotes

For $700 I might consider it but at $1100 I'd rather spend another $100 and go with the Fuji X-100S that comes with a parallax corrected viewfinder, split image manual focusing and a more useable focal length.

4 upvotes

It does't come in pink with purple polka dots! Fail! My Nex 3 that I painted with pink nail polish kills this over priced old pine cone. Let's compete with Youtube comments to see how dumb we can be. Anyone else in?

0 upvotes

At a lower price and with an (optional) full-featured EVF, that'd be a definite maybe. Nikon needs to talk to Olympus about that and maybe do some licensing.

As it stands, it's just another bigger-sensor compact and the "meh" sentiment is overwhelming. Looks nice though.

0 upvotes

Nice idea! But a fixed 28mm equiv lens, f/2.8 lens, and $1,100? or $1,550 with EVF? really?

It's time for Olympus or Panasonic to release a fixed lens M43 camera with the OMD sensor, a 35mm equiv f/2.0 lens in a body that is even smaller and cheaper than this.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

5 upvotes

A fixed lens m4/3? Why? Why not just slap the 20mm 1.7 on a GX1? Why handicap the body with a fixed lens?

2 upvotes

It's an OVF, not an EVF. That said, your point stands.

0 upvotes

Well, fixed lens can be better optimized to the sensor/camera. Yet pancake, and possibly even fold-able, primes (50mm equivalent please) can be optimized almost as well, visually, and absolutely, for size.

This stuff about that old Oly XA film lens, I keep mentioning, is I know, it is not perfect optically (what is?); but the little distortion would be less on DX, and hasn't anyone heard of JPEG auto distortion, and CA fringing correction? We are talking, a pocket rocket here, right? That 35mm would be the perfect 50mm angle of view. Now note: it was a f/2.8 as well; but we need f/1.8, like the Nikon 35mm AF-S DX prime; but made a little smaller. If the m4/3 lens can have a 20mm f/1.7 pancake that tiny, then we can do that, for DX too! Most of that prime is circuitry, and not glass. There's room for a 35mm (50 angle) f/1.8; without much bulge!

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 7 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

The "holy" grail is:

A. DX (APS-C) sized state of the art sensor qualities (DR,Color depth, High ISO). Else, whatever size yields a truly clean ISO 1600.

B. Normal focal angle, optimized prime (preferably removable, really wider optional, and super telephoto primes, perhaps with adapters to F-mount lenses)

C. f/1.8 thinner DOF.

D. Instant AF, with state of the art sport/kids tracking. (Hybrid phase?)

E. Non-jello, stabilized, 1080p video, with full control, and silent focus.

M4/3 is getting darn close to putting these qualities in your jeans pocket(at normal angle). APS-C, or DX can do it too, if they will. Yes, equivalent telephoto will be bigger; but all you have to do, is get the normal focal angle in your pocket; with removable lenses. Then, your can bring your tele(or wider), only when needed.

Of course, they can mess all that up, without other basic balances. Such as good NR JPEG'S, tweak-ability, feel, grip, etc.. Why isn't all this, and at affordable prices, their job?

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 11 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

I also want a camera like the Sony RX100 with a bigger sensor to use at concerts when DSLRs aren't allowed.

0 upvotes

I pray this isn't Nikon trying to wrestle DX SLR users into going FX as the only option for upgraded hardware or face the risk of dumbing down. If it is, I'll add a word in there to the good Lord of photography for Canon's 7D mkII to hurry up and make an appearance.

0 upvotes

I'm sorry to disappoint you all, but this seems to be the perfect compact camera.

3 upvotes

Yup. We're all disappointed in you. ;-P.

2 upvotes

hahahahahahahaha!!!
Good grief thats funny man. I took it as a joke at least...

2 upvotes

none says it is not. The price is not perfect, just the double it is worth.

1 upvote

I'll wait till the price drops like the V1 (which can be had for $299 with a VR lens!) before even considering this. But still, it looks VERY compact for a camera with an APS-C sensor.

If they made a mirror-less interchangeable lens version of this at this size and scrap the 1 series, it might actually be quite a hit. They could call it Nikon A mount and make some nice compact mirror-less version of APS-C sensor supporting lenses. Now that would be better.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

I do not agree on scrap the 1 series, it has advantages, ultra fast AF, wide DOF, what gives better sharpness when traveling and general shots due to small sensor. 1 series are good cameras, but not for 1000$ for the V2. A V2 at 600$ with the zoom would be ok. It makes good shots. There is a system that can fit just any need you have, none of them serves for all. I do avoid FF since DOF is too shallow, what ever the lens you use. So, having a V2, a NEX and a RX1 would be the solution to go for, or say a 1 incher, an apsc and a ff. Only then you are good for just any type of photography. Nikon 1 series has it's place beside this one, or even an apsc IL system, but both are overpriced. Note that 1 series sells best in the J range at lower price and most in pink or red. V series are less bought because of the too high price.

Comment edited 58 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Next camera they put out without a VF gets a kick in the nuts.

1 upvote

Does it take really fine pictures -- really fine? If not, then I'm for a NEX-7, and bother my wife and her everlasting breadknife.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

1 upvote

Wait what Sony will serve us in the NEX series with the new 20 mpix sensor. It will show up soon. The A58 is only the start shot of this sensor. I even have an idea as if the Nikon D300 replacement will have that sensor, it would be a great choice, and it makes sense.

0 upvotes

I also think it compares poorly - price-wise - to the NEX models.

If you want pocketability, the 3N doesn't look much bigger. Has a flip-out screen, battery lasts longer. With the 16-50mm you lose only 1 stop I guess at 28mm (f/4?), but are much more flexible otherwise.

If you want the viewfinder and dials, the 6 is somewhat bigger, not that much. It can be had for say, £550 body only. Splash out and get a MF 28 mm 2.8 and an adapter for an extra £50 and the only thing missing is auto-focus - peaking function works really well here.

The 5's sit in between these.

And that's only the NEX system. Then there's other fast compact zooms, the RX-100, the Canon G1X, the Fujis...
Hard to see how anybody except Nikonistas will find this attractive, even at half the price.

Comment edited 52 seconds after posting

4 upvotes

Lenses for Nex are much larger than this.

1 upvote

not the wide angle pancake, which is what you're stuck with on this camera. No, the NEX3 with that pancake is both similiar in size, capability, and considerably cheaper. And it has the option to add an evf or, you know, change lenses.

1 upvote

It's nowhere near similar in size. This Nikon's positively diminutive. That, and the 16/2.8 pancake is kind of mediocre.

0 upvotes

May as well say a NX300 with the fantastically superb 30mm pancake lens. That blows any NEX lens out of the water.

0 upvotes

Even the Zeiss?

0 upvotes

NEX3N is smaller for about 2 mm, with a pamcake lens, like the 20-2.8, it is just 10 mm thicker

0 upvotes

I don't get it!

1 upvote

That's what she said!!!

0 upvotes

$450 for an OVF? That's a peace crime. You can get a perhaps moderately slummocky third-party 28mm OVF for ca. $150. Only mebbe without bright lines.

Comment edited 8 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

SSDD.

1. No built-in viewfinder
2. Non-interchangeable lenses

Point & Shoot.

The Fuji X20 has it beat by a mile and basically costs the same

1 upvote

The X20 beats it in many respects but at almost half the price.

2 upvotes

like 16mpx apsc sensor?

0 upvotes

The sensor size might be the ONLY advantage Nikon A has against the X20. Still, kudos for the X20 for having a 2/3 non-OLPF sensor, an LCD-overlaid OVF, a variable zoom, 1080P at 60 fps with 30+ Mbps captures, EXTERNAL microphone input, 240fps capture, faster, wider f2.0 lens, up to 4 stops of optical image stabilization, VERY solid construction, and did I mention almost half the price?

Comment edited 4 times, last edit 6 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

cant argue with the list!!

0 upvotes

Yup. The X20 has everything except a decent sized sensor.

0 upvotes

so does the P7700 from your point of view - but they don't have an APSC sensor!

0 upvotes

Fuji the the rescue!!!! It's not about a feature race, at all.

With a gazzillion percent markup, they only have to sell a (relatively) small number to working Nikon pros, who won't bat an eyelid at the price, and use it as a tax deduction anyway.

For their purposes, a diminutive, all metal Nikon with near-DSLR IQ will be far more attractive than another brand.

In that context, Nikon may well have come close to hitting the mark.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

I assume there's a distance scale associated with manual focus controls for zone focussing? Seems pretty critical on a camera like this.

0 upvotes

Don't assume anything.

1 upvote

I saw a video - it definitely has a reasonably precise distance scale on the right side. No DOF scale, but I rarely trust those anyway. A distance scale is all I need to work with.

0 upvotes

it has got a fixed LCD screen so it's not useful. No tilting LCD = no buy

1 upvote

Its 1994 all over again, the reincarnation of the 28ti, discontinued because of poor sales apparently.Hope this one works out better,Shame about it costing as much as Current Olympus Pens with a couple of decent lenses thrown in. Is the NX RAW converter extra?

2 upvotes

+1000000 man
Its like they actually think a big sensor is all it takes. For that kind of money (body+vf) you can get the pricey omd and the 20mm f1.7 and run CIRCLES around this thing

0 upvotes

The OM-D is not pocketable like this one. It competes with the RX100 and Leica X2, not with m43 system cameras.

1 upvote

For that price tag, they sure compete...
If you want smaller size, there are far cheaper cameras.
if you re are concerned for more than size, there are far better cameras in the same price.
Its a BIG NO-NO as i see it...

0 upvotes

I was not even thinking omd, even an EPL-5 with a couple of mid price primes will outperform this one .

0 upvotes

$450 for an optical viewfinder? That's almost as much as the cost of the camera itself!!

2 upvotes

Too
Much
Money

6 upvotes

Damn. If it had a 35mm equiv lens and a built-in viewfinder, I'd have pre-ordered one by now. As it is, no.

5 upvotes

Should've been 28mm f/2 instead of 18.5mm f/2.8...

6 upvotes

I would love to have a compact sized aps-c camera with a true normal lens, too :)

4 upvotes

I agree. If you are going to make a fixed lens aps-c camera 28mm focal length is the way to go (42mm equivalent).

In the days of film the really nice (full frame) range-finder cameras Olympus and Minolta used to make nearly all had 38mm or 40mm lenses on them. There was a good reason for that.

Also yet another digital camera that doesn't have a tilting LCD. Do companies like Nikon not realise how useful this is and how easy it is to do in the digital age?

They are not the only ones and the manufacturers seem obsessed with making camera that mimic old film range-finders to the extent they leave off this genuinely useful feature. Fuji are just as bad with their aps-c interchangeable lens cameras.

3 upvotes

I like how wide it is. That said, it's too slow.

1 upvote

Total comments: 431