This is the first in a whole new series of Coolpix models

Aug 22, 2012 08:34 GMT  ·  By

As we said yesterday (August 21, 2012), Nikon was going to launch the Coolpix S800c camera today, and it did, so here is what makes the first Android-loaded camera tick.

The press release describes the Coolpix S800c and two other cameras that we will eventually cover individually. Nikon promises buyers of the Coolpix S series that they will be able to “capture of sharp, blur-free and beautiful images that can be extremely difficult to capture with smartphones.”

The company mentions phones because they are the normal turf of Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), and they aren't half bad at shooting pictures and video themselves.

The $350 / 280-300+ Euro  Coolpix S800c (set to ship in October 2012) is better at this thanks to the 10x optical zoom and the 16-megapixel CMOS sensor.

That said, the 3.5-inch AMOLED screen still makes the product resemble a phone, to a certain extent, when beholding it from behind.

It also bears noting that Android brings along certain perks that almost turn the Coolpix S800c into a cameraphone. “Almost” because there is no way to make calls with it.

Internet access is available, for one, via the built-in Wi-Fi connection. Once it is set up (just like on an Android phone), it permits images to be posted on social networking sites (Google+, Facebook, and Twitter), among other things.

Secondly, support for Google Play and built-in Google apps exists as well.

Thirdly, it is easy to transfer images and videos, even in high resolution, to other devices, through the Upload to Smart Device app.

Everything else on the spec sheet is what comes with the territory of being a Nikon pocket photo/video camera, though some things stand out: wide-angle 25 mm to 250 mm NIKKOR lens (equivalents in 35-mm [135] format), built-in lens-shift vibration reduction function (VR), capacity for recording 1920 x 1080p/30-fps full-HD movies with stereo sound, and recording in slow motion.

The other cameras that Nikon launched are called Coolpix S6400 and S01. We will write about them soon.

Photo Gallery (2 Images)

Nikon Coolpix S800c
Nikon Coolpix S800c
Open gallery