Nikon Unleashes Seven New Compacts, Sets Sights on Wi-Fi and GPS

Nikon just overhauled its entire compact/superzoom lineup, so we thought we’d give it a go at a broad overview. New camera models are the Coolpix P520, L820, AW110, S9500, S9400, S5200, and S31; and all of them are trying to compete with your smartphone by offering a mix and match of great zoom, Wi-Fi connectivity and GPS.

Not all of them are worth mentioning in detail, but we’ll hit the highlights in the next couple of paragraphs.

The P520 superzoom (above) is at the top of the heap, offering 42x zoom coupled with an 18.1-megapixel sensor, a 3.2-inch articulating screen, built-in GPS, and compatibility with Nikon’s WU-1a Wi-Fi adapter. It’ll run you $450. Next up in terms of noteworthy-ness is the 18.1MP S9500 (top), boasting a true compact form-factor with 22x zoom, built-in Wi-Fi and GPS, and a price tag of $350.

For the rugged, action-adventure types, the followup to the AW100 (creatively enough, the AW110) pictured above outstrips its predecessor in all things tough. For $350 it can go 60ft underwater, be dropped from 6.5ft in the air, and it won’t freeze until the temps drop bellow -14-degrees Fahrenheit. It sports 16MPs and, of course, it too has Wi-Fi and GPS built-in.

The rest are basically cheaper versions of the previously mentioned cameras. The 16MP L820 (above) is a 30x super-zoom downgrade from the P520 for $280; the 10MP CCD S31 is a less-rugged, more family-friendly version of the AW110 for $120; the 18.1MP S9400 is an 18X, Wi-Fi-bereft version of the S9500 for $300; and finally, the S5200 is the bottom end of the S-models mentioned, offering 16MPs, 6x zoom and built-in Wi-Fi for $180.

Here are a few pictures of those last three:

If any of those caught your eye, you can read more about them in the official Nikon press releases for the new S-series cameras, the AW110, the P520, and the L-series cameras (including a couple we didn’t mention) at their respective links.