Nikon's most powerful point-and-shoot to fit inside your pocket

Feb 1, 2012 15:18 GMT  ·  By

Together with the new S-Series and L-810 Coolpix cameras, Nikon also introduced the P310 point-and-shoot, which comes as the company’s high-end pocketable snapper thanks to its improved features and specifications.

The most important of these improvements is the inclusion of a new 16.1MP back illuminated CMOS sensor, which should provide better low light performance than its counterparts.

The 4.2X 24-100mm f/1.8 (maximum) VR lens should also help in this regard, just as is the case with the high ISO sensitivity of Nikon’s latest creation (the standard ISO 100-3200 range can be expanded up to 6400).

This sensor can also be used for capturing movies in Full HD resolution (1920x1080) with stereo sound at 30 frames per second.

The content captured can be then viewed on the three-inch rear LCD screen with a resolution of 921,000 pixels.

The rest of the features list includes a full range of conventional shooting functions (program/aperture-priority/shutter-priority/manual, support for various in-camera effects, backlight HDR mode, and 360° motion panorama.

Furthermore, two special night modes (Advanced Night Portrait and Night Landscape) are also available, both of these using the HDR features of the camera, for composing the shot using multiple images.

"With the new Coolpix P-series cameras, Nikon is raising the bar for performance and image quality to better accommodate the needs of advanced photographers looking for a compact companion," said Bo Kajiwara, director of marketing, Nikon Inc.

"Both the Coolpix P510 and P310 combine Nikon's legendary Nikkor lenses and advanced features to challenge photographers creatively in environments that call for portability and easy access," concluded the company’s rep.

The Nikon Coolpix P310 point-and-shoot will hit retail later this month with a $329.95 (250 EUR) price tag and will be available in black only.