Nikon goes superzoom with P80
Nikon's new Coolpix P80 has an 18X optical zoom lens and a 10MP sensor.
(Credit: Nikon)Nikon had been eschewing the superzoom category in recent years, with the notable exception of the S10, which had a 10X optical zoom lens and wouldn't qualify as a superzoom in the current market. Now, Nikon has introduced the 10MP Coolpix P80, which includes an optically stabilized 18X optical, 27-486mm equivalent zoom lens, a 2.7-inch LCD screen, as well as an electronic viewfinder (EVF) for a more SLR-like experience. The camera also includes manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and program-exposure modes, along with 15 preset scene modes.
In case your picture doesn't turn out to your liking, Nikon includes its D-Lighting in-camera fixes, as well as in-camera red-eye fix. To help you get it right the first time, the company also includes Face-Priority AF, which in this incarnation can see up to 12 faces in a scene and use them to determine focus. Sensitivity ranges from ISO 64 to ISO 3,200 at full resolution, though you can bump that up to ISO 6,400 if you don't mind that the resolution drops to 5MP. Similarly, the camera's continuous-shooting mode offers a choice of four or six frames a second at full resolution, but you can step up to 13 frames per second, though the resolution drops to 3MP.
Nikon says that the Coolpix P80 will hit stores later this month for a price of about $400.
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Dana Beck