gadgets

Nikon's Coolpix S8000 is the world's thinnest compact camera with a wide-angle, 10X optical-zoom lens.

While offering a resolution of 14.2 megapixels, that 10X wide-angle zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens has a versatile zoom range from 30mm to an impressive 300mm telephoto coverage that gets you close to the action while capturing expansive landscapes.

The bright 3.0-inch high resolution VGA (921 000-dot) clear colour display makes images and movies come alive with rich detail and improved contrast.  The large LCD makes it easy to compose and share your pictures with a wide-viewing angle and anti-glare coating.

Performance is quick, with ultra-fast start-up, autofocus and shooting. Sports Continuous shooting enables high-speed shooting at approximately three fps for images up to 45 frames. Video recording is 720p HD at 30fps - with HDMI output for easy in camera playback or your TV or computer.

As expected, the camera comes with Nikon's four-way VR Image Stabilisation System:
• Optical VR Image Stabilisation by lens shift minimizes the effect of camera shake
• Motion Detection automatically detects moving subjects and adjusts shutter speed and ISO setting to compensate for camera shake and subject movement
• High ISO up to 3200 at full resolution capability helps give you better results when shooting in low light or capturing fast-moving subjects  
• Nikon’s original Best Shot Selector (BSS) automatically takes up to 10 shots while the shutter is pressed and saves the sharpest image.

The new Creative Slider creates pictures, in camera, the way you imagine them by simply you adjusting brightness, vividness and colour hue, while new Advanced Flash Control delivers natural flash images even when ambient or assisted lighting is typically insufficient, such as backlight or telephoto shooting.

Or taking pics of people? The Smart Portrait System includes:
• Smile Timer and Blink Proof makes sure you’ll always catch the decisive moment when your subject smiles and Blink Proof function shoots two pictures and automatically saves the one in which the subject’s eyes remain open
• Blink Warning, when activated alerts you that the subject may have blinked and allows you to retake the photo
• In-Camera Red-Eye Fix automatically fixes, while shooting, most instances of red-eye in the camera. You may never see red-eye again
• Face-Priority AF, Nikon’s face-finding technology that automatically focuses on up to 12 faces
• Skin Softening smoothes skin tone at three different levels for optimal portraits.

Still not enough?

Subject Tracking will track a moving subject to ensure sharp focus. The camera will automatically track your subject – even if they temporarily move out of the frame.

Quick Retouch optimises contrast and colour vividness.

Scene Auto Selector automatically recognises the scene in your picture and selects the most appropriate scene mode (6) + auto mode.

D-Lighting rescues dark or backlit images by improving brightness and detail during playback.