Nikon finally confirmed the arrival of the D5200 to the U.S. at CES 2013, and added two new members to the Nikon 1 Compact System Camera (CSC) series. Other announcements include a pair of CX lenses, and a Wi-Fi-enabled Coolpix point-and-shoot.
The 24.1-megapixel D5200 DSLR (shown above) was announced in Europe this past November, but Nikon officially announced the U.S. availability and pricing on Monday. You can pick one up stateside this February for $799 (body only), or $899 with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR kit lens. It will be available in black, red, or bronze.
We expect the D5200 to be a winner since we liked the D3200, which has the same resolution APS-C sensor. What brings the D5200 up a big notch is the fact it has the same 39-point AF system and 2,016-pixel RGB metering of the D7000, another camera we really enjoyed using. Even with its 24MP resolution, the new DSLR speeds along at 5 fps and takes 1080/60i videos with stereo sound. ISO sensitivity ranges from 100-6400 and is extendable to 25,600. The D5200 also has a 3-inch vari-angle LCD monitor rated 921K dots to take stills and movies from virtually any position. The camera has loads of art filters that can be used to add some nice custom touches to your stills and videos. The D5200 is not Wi-Fi enabled (for shame!) but Nikon has an optional Wi-Fi adapter that works with the free Wireless Mobility Utility app to communicate with your tablet or smartphone.
On the CSC front, Nikon doubled down on its Nikon 1 series of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras by adding two new models, the J3 and S1. The 14.2MP J3 costs $599 with a 10-30mm kit lens, while the 10.1-megapixel S1 is $499 with an 11-27.5mm lens. The company also announced a new VR 10-100mm f/4-5.6 non-power zoom lens for $549 and a VR 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 lens for $499, bringing its CX mount 1 Nikkor glass collection to eight lenses.
Check out our review of the Nikon 1 J3 mirrorless camera.
The J3 and S1 both sport a feature working its way into many 2013 cameras – hybrid AF – which combines phase-detect and contrast-detect AF for faster response. In fact, the J3 can rip off 15 fps for 22 frames. It’s fascinating to see Compact System Camera makers add features that make their offerings more like DSLRs. Beyond the faster focusing and improved burst options, the J3 has a mode dial on the top deck that you can spin to change shooting parameters rather than hassling with menu screens. The Sony NEX-6 CSC made similar changes, as will other new models we expect in the months ahead. Even with that, CSCs are still much smaller than DSLR rigs, so there’s a real plus for going mirrorless. The J3 comes in a palette of colors: black, white, silver, and burgundy. It has a 3-inch LCD rated 921K with an ISO range of 160-6400.
Priced at $499 with a kit lens, the new Nikon 1 S1 is clearly aimed at the Olympus PEN PM1. The camera can fire 15 fps for 15 frames, has a built-in flash, an ISO range of 100-6400, and its 3-inch LCD is rated 460K pixels. The S1 arrives in early February in your choice of black, white, red, pink, and khaki.
Interestingly, Nikon didn’t put Wi-Fi in any of these cameras, instead pushing the same Wi-Fi adapter it offers with its DSLRS. This seems a bit backward, since competitors are building Wi-Fi into their cams.
Also new at CES from Nikon is the 16-megapixel (BSI CMOS) Coolpix S6500 for $219. This is a compact long-zoom digicam, due in late January, and has a 12x lens (25-300mm) with lens shift vibration reduction. The camera has a 3-inch LCD screen, takes 1080p videos with stereo sound, and has a top ISO of 3200. You have a choice of colors – silver, red, black, red, or orange. Unlike the other cameras announced, the S6500 does have built-in Wi-Fi, so it can interact with your smartphone using the Wireless Mobility Utility app.
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