Nikon COOLPIX S500 Digital Camera Announced

The ultimate in responsive performance elegantly wrapped in the world’s smallest body

Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the introduction of the COOLPIX S500. Blending sophisticated styling and quality construction with advanced features and high performance, the COOLPIX S500 brings pure enjoyment and new meaning to carrying a compact digital camera.

Combining 7.1 effective megapixels of resolution and a new high-performance image-processing engine with a 35-105mm (equivalent with 35mm format picture angle) 3x Zoom-Nikkor lens, the COOLPIX S500 ably captures everything from panoramic vistas to close-up portraits with outstanding clarity and true-to-life color.

Nikon chose stainless steel for the body to deliver an elegant package that clearly demonstrates dedication to quality materials and craftsmanship. Not only does it provide a solid metallic feel and reassuringly firm grip, but the chic contours and classic camera appeal of the most compact digital camera* among competing models also flaunt its appeal. The same dedication to engineering excellence is also found in the slim design of the lens and its image-stabilizing optical lens shift VR unit. In some regions, the COOLPIX S500 will be available in a choice of Urban Black or Silver body colors.

The COOLPIX S500’s stylish countenance conceals the heart of a true high performance camera. All functions are optimized to respond immediately and to free users to capture special moments at will, while enjoying being part of the experience. For example, the COOLPIX S500 boasts both the world’s fastest power up time* which allows for the LCD monitor to appear within 0.6 seconds and the world’s fastest shutter release time lag* which is 0.005 seconds when Response priority is set.

Custom developed for the COOLPIX S500 is a new lens shift VR unit that compensates for camera shake to produce the sharpest possible images, even when shooting in lower light. And extended light sensitivity up to ISO 2000 prevents blurred shots when shooting in lower light, or when capturing fast-moving subjects.

The COOLPIX S500 ships with a complimentary copy of Nikon’s exclusive PictureProject software. Powerful yet delightfully easy to use, PictureProject is the fun and efficient way to organize, edit and share photos with family and friends.

* Models equipped with optical vibration reduction as of February 20, 2007 (according to research conducted by NIKON CORPORATION).

Note: Specifications, design, product name, standard accessories, and release schedule may differ by country or area.

Nikon COOLPIX S500 Feature Highlights

VR image stabilization
The COOLPIX S500 features proven lens shift VR (Vibration Reduction) technology originally developed for interchangeable lenses used with Nikon SLR camera systems. Nikon’s exclusive VR system provides the ability to shoot at shutter speeds as much as three steps slower without blurring the image, helping to overcome camera shake and stabilize shots of unsteady subjects. Active the whole time the COOLPIX S500 is turned on, VR also stabilizes images displayed on the 2.5-inch high-resolution LCD, making it easier to frame shots and capture the moment as intended.

ISO 2000 capability
Light sensitivity can be manually set as high as ISO 2000, allowing the camera to select faster shutter speeds and prevent blurred results when shooting in lower lighting conditions or when capturing fast-moving subjects. A new image-processing engine with enhanced noise reduction and an improved signal-to-noise ratio preserves high image quality, even when shooting at the high ISO settings it makes possible. In High Sensitivity mode, the ISO setting is automatically adjusted from ISO 50 to as high as ISO 1600 to ensure optimal exposure and carefree shooting in lower light.

Anti-Shake button
One press of the button activates Anti-Shake mode for clearer results in low light or at telephoto focal length settings. High-ISO automatically sets the optimal ISO and works with VR (Vibration Reduction) to deliver steady results, while BSS (Best Shot Selector) selects and saves the sharpest image from up to ten sequential shots.

One-touch portrait button
The One-touch portrait button makes it easier than ever to take great-looking photographs by offering direct access to a selection of three innovative functions that provide the ability to actually improve the quality of images within the camera. Face-priority AF* automatically finds, then focuses on people’s faces for crisp, clear results time after time. In-Camera Red-Eye Fix automatically compensates to help eradicate traces of the annoying red-eye effect that can sometimes be encountered during flash photography. Completing the set is D-Lighting, which can be applied to improve underexposed images or shots taken with too much backlight. D-Lighting automatically creates a copy of the image with detail added where necessary, but with well-exposed areas left completely untouched.

* Face recognition capability may be limited in some shooting conditions.

Nikon COOLPIX S500 Other Features

• Light weight with highly compact dimensions
• Choice of 15 Scene modes
• Macro shooting enables shooting from as close as 15cm (5.9 in.)
• Help button to display simple explanations for functions on the main menu
• Carefully positioned large control buttons and the user-friendly rotary multi selector
• Menu display available in a choice of 20 languages
• Improved Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• List by date
• Date counter
• Calendar function
• Selection of movie recording modes
• New rechargeable Lithium-ion battery EN-EL10 delivers high performance in a compact package
• Time zone function allows setting of home town and the time zone for easy image sorting after traveling
• SDHC card compatibility
• Approx. 26 MB of internal memory
• USB connectivity enables swift data transfer to computers and other peripherals
• PictBridge support

Note: Available colors may differ by country or area.

Nikon Digital Camera COOLPIX S500 Specifications

*Supplied accessories may differ by country or area.