Nikon
This is something I’ve been expecting for a while and now it’s a reality. Nikon has taken the pico-projector trend to the next level by building one in to the new COOLPIX S1000pj. Normally I don’t care much about Nikon’s P&S cameras because they tend to be lousy but this one deserves some attention for being the first to be able to project your images on the wall. Unfortunately, I don’t expect this camera to be any better than the other Nikon P&S cameras.
It’s quite a lot of stuff crammed in to a compact package: a camera with stabilized wide angle zoom lens and a projector. At VGA resolution the projector won’t wow you with image quality but this should be way better than having everyone crowd around the tiny screen on the back of your camera to see your party shots.
I’m going to have to check one of these out at the store, just to see it. I’m curious how dark the room needs to be before the projected image is clear though; I doubt this thing is packing a high output LED. I imagine Heat could be an issue when making extended use of the projector and I’m wondering how long it can run the projector on a charge.
Still, neat stuff! Not at all something that interests me at this point but time will tell how popular this convergence is. Hopefully the next camera with an integrated projector at least includes a projector lens cover. Nikon thought to have a built in cover for the camera lens but not the projector… why?
Check out Nikon’s press release for more info and the usual marketing blabber.
Update: Apparently there is information out now (maybe it was before, I didn’t look because I don’t care that much about this camera) about the projector’s performance. The only information that’s new to me is the actual rated output and runtime.
+ Brightness: Up to 10 lumens
+ Image size: 5 to 40 inches
+ Throw distance: Approx. 10 inches to 6 and a half feet (0.26m to 2m)
+ Battery life: about an hour
+ Output Resolution: VGA equivalent
One hour runtime using the projector (variable output power?) indicates that you’ll want to use it sparingly if you don’t want to put a huge dent in your battery charge.
