Nikon is going to release two new bridge cameras the P90 and the L100 in mid-march.
The P90 is the more everything (zoom, price and pixels) model and is an upgrade of the P80.
Main specs: 12.1 Mpix, x24 optical Zoom 26-624mm (35mm equiv.)
It has a tilting LCD screen, better ED lenses, proprietary lithium battery and charger. 15FPS. All this for around 400$/350Eur.
The L100 is the top of a new budget L-range. It has a bit less impressive specs but comes cheaper.
Main specs: 10 Mpix, x15 optical Zoom 28-420mm (35mm equiv.)
Fixed LCD, no ED glass, 4AA batteries. 13 FPS -Price around 279$/269Eur.
Both cameras are super-zoom bridges which offer range and speed. If you add the 4x electronic zoom, you can reach the 35mm equivalent of a 2500 mm lens on P90 and approx 1700mm on L100 (expect image degradation but still...)
They have the same 3" LCD screen and use the new Expeed image processor found on the D90 and D300.
Clearly either one of these cameras is a prime choice if you want reach, speed and compactness.
Direct competition include Canon SX1, 10 and 110, Fuji S100fd, Casio FH-20, Olympus SP-565 and the announced SP-590 models.
Interesting features
Minimum focusing distance 50cm also at max zoom range which is great for lenses reaching over 400mm. In macro mode the minimum distance is only 1cm which coupled with zoom tele range opens interesting opportunities. Although we have to seen how far the lens extends physically in max zoom tele position.
Reasonably bright lenses, P90 minimum f starts at f/2.8 and reach f/5 at 624mm. On the L100 the range is f/3.5-5.4.
With batteries and cards (SD) both cameras should weight about a pound, but then that's it you don't need anything else.
Possible concerns
Electronic viewfinder - never really a satisfying option
No RAW mode.
Possibly limited video (no zooming or sound) (tbc)
Vibration reduction on image sensor rather than on lens. The latter in principle offers one or even two additional stops.
Image quality should not be a concern at low ISO although probably given the zoom range there will be substantial distortion. However this may be partially compensated by the image processor which on Nikon top SLR does intervene to lessen distortion, vignetting and fringing.
At higher ISO, both cameras reach 1600 and even boast of higher maximum values, respectively 3200 and 6400 although these are reached only in 3 Mpix picture size, so it certainly not for everyday use.
In any case, given also the sensor size, noise may be apparent also at lower ISO values. This is a common lot for compact consumer cameras where noise reduction tend to kick in at relatively low ISO value to produce images which appear pleasant but retain less details.
Nikon while providing top high ISO performances in its professional DSLR models notably those with full frame 35mm sensors, so far has produced a score of compact consumer cameras which are much less impressive in terms of ISO performances, notably for top of the range models such as the P6000.
Ultimately, my biggest concern with these two cameras as well as with the others that constitute other brands', is whether the tele-zoom end of the lens is truly usable given that lens declining max f/ stop complicates and slows down the auto focus performances. One risks ending in perpetual focus hunting especially in low light situation where high ISO join the party to degrade image quality even further.
The announced price seems reasonable. The zoom range is impressive. So we will have to see if the flexibility offered by these compact cameras will go on par with improved image quality/better ISO performance and reactive auto-focus.
The P90 is the more everything (zoom, price and pixels) model and is an upgrade of the P80.
Main specs: 12.1 Mpix, x24 optical Zoom 26-624mm (35mm equiv.)
It has a tilting LCD screen, better ED lenses, proprietary lithium battery and charger. 15FPS. All this for around 400$/350Eur.
The L100 is the top of a new budget L-range. It has a bit less impressive specs but comes cheaper.
Main specs: 10 Mpix, x15 optical Zoom 28-420mm (35mm equiv.)
Fixed LCD, no ED glass, 4AA batteries. 13 FPS -Price around 279$/269Eur.
Both cameras are super-zoom bridges which offer range and speed. If you add the 4x electronic zoom, you can reach the 35mm equivalent of a 2500 mm lens on P90 and approx 1700mm on L100 (expect image degradation but still...)
They have the same 3" LCD screen and use the new Expeed image processor found on the D90 and D300.
Clearly either one of these cameras is a prime choice if you want reach, speed and compactness.
Direct competition include Canon SX1, 10 and 110, Fuji S100fd, Casio FH-20, Olympus SP-565 and the announced SP-590 models.
Interesting features
Minimum focusing distance 50cm also at max zoom range which is great for lenses reaching over 400mm. In macro mode the minimum distance is only 1cm which coupled with zoom tele range opens interesting opportunities. Although we have to seen how far the lens extends physically in max zoom tele position.
Reasonably bright lenses, P90 minimum f starts at f/2.8 and reach f/5 at 624mm. On the L100 the range is f/3.5-5.4.
With batteries and cards (SD) both cameras should weight about a pound, but then that's it you don't need anything else.
Possible concerns
Electronic viewfinder - never really a satisfying option
No RAW mode.
Possibly limited video (no zooming or sound) (tbc)
Vibration reduction on image sensor rather than on lens. The latter in principle offers one or even two additional stops.
Image quality should not be a concern at low ISO although probably given the zoom range there will be substantial distortion. However this may be partially compensated by the image processor which on Nikon top SLR does intervene to lessen distortion, vignetting and fringing.
At higher ISO, both cameras reach 1600 and even boast of higher maximum values, respectively 3200 and 6400 although these are reached only in 3 Mpix picture size, so it certainly not for everyday use.
In any case, given also the sensor size, noise may be apparent also at lower ISO values. This is a common lot for compact consumer cameras where noise reduction tend to kick in at relatively low ISO value to produce images which appear pleasant but retain less details.
Nikon while providing top high ISO performances in its professional DSLR models notably those with full frame 35mm sensors, so far has produced a score of compact consumer cameras which are much less impressive in terms of ISO performances, notably for top of the range models such as the P6000.
Ultimately, my biggest concern with these two cameras as well as with the others that constitute other brands', is whether the tele-zoom end of the lens is truly usable given that lens declining max f/ stop complicates and slows down the auto focus performances. One risks ending in perpetual focus hunting especially in low light situation where high ISO join the party to degrade image quality even further.
The announced price seems reasonable. The zoom range is impressive. So we will have to see if the flexibility offered by these compact cameras will go on par with improved image quality/better ISO performance and reactive auto-focus.
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