After all the excitement over its new full-frame mirrorless cameras, Nikon has turned its attention to more wallet-friendly compacts with the launch of the Coolpix A1000.
Billed as a "stylish compact digital camera", the new Coolpix A1000 will appeal to those looking for a travel camera thanks to its 35x optical zoom, with a range from 24-840mm. This zoom coverage outdoes the likes of its nearest rivals, the Panasonic Lumix ZS70 (TZ90 outside the US) and Sony Cyber-shot HX99, which both feature 24-720mm zoom lenses.
The long zoom means the Coolpix A1000 doesn't feature a larger 1.0-inch sensor as seen in the likes of the Panasonic Lumix ZS100; instead it's equipped with a more traditional 1/2.3-inch sensor with a resolution of 16MP.
While 16MP might seem a bit measly compared to many current cameras, we actually favour smaller pixel counts on these small sensors, as it should ensure better performance at higher ISOs. Speaking of which, the Coolpix A1000 has a ISO ceiling of 6400, while it also benefits from the ability to shoot in raw - something that not every travel zoom camera offers.
The camera is also equipped with a lens-based vibration reduction (VR) system for stills shooting, while there's a hybrid vibration reduction (VR) system for 4K movie recording.
The Coolpix A1000 also features a built-in 1,166K-dot electronic viewfinder with an eye sensor, while there's a 3.0-inch tilt-angle display at the rear with touchscreen control. There's also a Snap-back zoom button that temporarily shifts the zoom position to the wide-angle side to aid framing when shooting fast-moving subjects or during super-telephoto shooting.
There's a second zoom control on the side of the lens that's designed to enable smooth zooming even while recording movies, while other functions can also be assigned to this control.
The Coolpix A1000 will be on sale at the end of January, priced at £409. US and Australian pricing are still to be confirmed.
