Nikon

With no new SLR models for PMA, star of the Nikon booth, hardware-wise, is the D200 (and the new 105mm VR macro), though with no less than seven new compacts there’s a lot of space given over to the Coolpix range. The new L2, L3 and L4 seem fairly solid for budget models, and the slimline S5 (along with its wifi-enabled sibling the S6) is attractive if a little on the large side to be considered a real ‘ultra compact’. The P3 and wi-fi P4 offer a nice range of features in a body style that reminds us of the (dare I say it) Canon SD550, and they handle very well too. Perhaps the most interesting product on show this week is the new image editing application, Nikon Capture NX, which we got to see in action for the first time. Capture NX is a real departure for Nikon (and is the first real fruit of its relationship with Nik Software), and is as far as we can remember the first time a camera manufacturer has attempted to wrest some of the image-editing market away from Adobe, which – it must be said – has seen off much bigger fish over the years. On first impressions it would seem that Capture NX has much to offer the photographer wanting something easier and more intuitive than Photoshop (which is expensive and full of features aimed at the graphics / pre-press user).