Nikon has decided to release an update to the Coolpix P5100. Like the Panasonic LX-2 the Nikon P5100 had near perfect specs but fell down on such a major feature that I deamed it unbuyable. It was so painfully slow that you'd be religated to only taking static shots. It's took 2 seconds between shots and in continuous mode it could only muster .3 frames per second. That is in comparison to the G7s 2fps. The Panasonic LX-2 on the other hand had perfect specs but the over diligent noise suppression turned photos taken ISO 400 or higher into Degas paintings.
Now Panasonic has released the LX-3 which according to them has much nicer photos and Nikon has released the P6000. Because there aren't currently any reviews for either we have to speculate on whether they improve apon their forbearers.I've included a chart here that compares the two of them to the Canon G7. I use the G7 here because that's what I have and there's very little reason to buy a G9 if you already have the G7. The only improvements were extra resolution that nobody needed, the ability shoot in raw and a larger LCD screen. The larger screen has the same pixels and cramped some of the buttons and with the CHDK firmware you can shoot in raw with the G7. I did not include every comparison item as many are identical between the cameras so I've included the points where the three differ.
Nikon Coolpix P6000 | Canon PowerShot G7 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 | |
Image | |||
Max resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 3648 x 2736 | 3648 x 2736 |
Low resolution | 3648 x 2432, 3584 x 2016, 3264 x 2448, 2592 x 1944, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480 | 2816 x 2112, 2272 x 1704, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480 | 3968 x 2232, 3776 x 2520, 3328 x 1872, 3168 x 2112, 3072 x 2304, 2784 x 1568, 2656 x 1768, 2560 x 1920, 2208 x 1248, 2112 x 1408, 2048 x 1536, 2048 x 1360, 1920 x 1080, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480 |
Image ratio w:h | 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 | 4:3, 3:2 | 16:9, 4:3, 3:2 |
Effective pixels | 13.5 million | 10.0 million | 10.1 million |
Sensor photo detectors | 13.93 million | 10.3 million | 11.3 million |
Sensor size | 1/1.72" (7.40 x 5.55 mm, 0.41 cm²) | 1/1.8 " (7.18 x 5.32 mm, 0.38 cm²) | 1/1.63 " |
Pixel density | 33 MP/cm² | 26 MP/cm² | 24 MP/cm² |
ISO rating | Auto (64 - 800), Hi-Auto (64 - 1600), 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, (3200, 6400 at 3MP) | Auto, 80 ,100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 | Auto, Hi Auto (1600-6400), 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 |
Zoom wide (W) | 28 mm | 35 mm | 24 mm |
Zoom tele (T) | 112 mm (4 x) | 210 mm (6 x) | 60 mm (2.5 x) |
Macro focus range | 2 cm | 1 cm | 1 cm |
White balance override | 5 positions, manual preset | 6 positions & manual preset | 5 positions, plus 2 manual |
Aperture range | F2.7 - F5.9 | F2.8 - F4.8 | F2.0 - F2.8 |
Min shutter | Unknown | 15 sec | 60 sec |
Max shutter | Unknown | 1/2500 sec | 1/2000 sec |
Flash guide no. | 8.0 m (26.2 ft) | 4.0 m (13.1 ft) | 8.3 m (27.2 ft) (Auto ISO) |
External flash | Yes, hot shoe | Yes, hot-shoe | Yes |
Flash modes | Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow, Off | Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off | Auto, Red-Eye Auto, On, Red-Eye On, Red-Eye Slow Sync, Off, |
Metering | Unknown | Evaluative, Center Weighted, Spot | Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot |
Continuous Drive | Yes | Yes, 2.0 fps | Yes, 2.5 fps, max 8 images |
Movie Clips | Yes, 640 x 480, 15/30 fps, 320 x 240, 15 fps, 160 x 120, 15 fps | Yes, 1024 x 768 @ 15 fps, 640 x 480 @ 30/15 fps, 320 x 240 @ 30/15 fps, 160 x 120 @ 15 fps | Yes, 1280 x 720 @ 24 fps, 848 x 480, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 @ 30fps, 320 x 240 @ 10fps |
Self-timer | 3 or 10 sec | Yes | 2 or 10 sec |
Orientation sensor | No | Yes | Yes |
Uncompressed format | Yes | No (yes with chdk firmware) |
RAW |
Quality Levels | High, Normal | Super-Fine Fine, Normal | Fine, Standard |
Viewfinder | Yes | Optical | No |
LCD | 2.7 " | 2.5 " | 3.0 " |
LCD Pixels | 230,000 | 207,000 | 460,000 |
Video out | Yes | Yes | |
Weight (inc. batteries) | 280 g (9.9 oz) | 380 g (13.4 oz) | 265 g (9.3 oz) |
Dimensions | 107 x 65.2 x 42 mm (4.2 x 2.6 x 1.7 in) | 106 x 72 x 43 mm (4.2 x 2.8 x 1.7 in) | 109 x 60 x 27 mm (4.3 x 2.4 x 1.1 in) |
Notes | Built-in GPS receiver |