Nikon Coolpix L2, L3, and L4 Digital Cameras - Press Release

[Photo-John]

Three compact digital cameras offering exceptional design and high-quality finish, with the easy operability to let anyone take a better class of picture

TOKYO – Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the introduction of the COOLPIX L2, COOLPIX L3 and COOLPIX L4. These three entry-level digital compact cameras combine high-quality components like a 3x Zoom-Nikkor lens and a bright 2.0-inch LCD with in-camera image-improvement features, in lightweight and compact, yet elegantly finished bodies.

All three cameras boast powerful 38-116mm (114mm for the COOLPIX L4) Zoom-Nikkor lenses (35mm equivalent), providing the liberty to zoom in for tight personal portraits, or zoom out to take in expansive outdoor scenes. The CCD delivers higher performance within tighter dimensions, greatly adding to the cameras’ compact portability while offering generous effective megapixel values of 6.0 for the COOLPIX L2, 5.1 for the COOLPIX L3, and 4.0 for the COOLPIX L4, ensuring the refined image clarity that you’ve come to expect from other members of the COOLPIX family. All three also feature a bright, easy-to-view 2.0-inch LCD that’s now even easier to operate with new icons and function selection, and easier on the eyes thanks to a new color scheme.

The actual design of the COOLPIX L2, L3 and L4 is streamlined and comfortable to hold, and features a smooth, elegant finish that suggests a much higher level of sophistication. The curved grip contributes to both design elegance and shooting stability. The genuinely compact dimensions and light overall weight make them ideally suited to take along wherever the user may go. Adding significantly to this convenient portability is the advantage of AA-size battery compatibility. One of the most widely available battery sizes in the world, in alkaline, lithium, rechargeable or other forms, this advantage allows the user to continue shooting without worrying about international battery availability.

Unique to current COOLPIX digital cameras are a range of Nikon capabilities that give the user the power to automatically improve recorded images in-camera. Available in playback mode, the D-Lighting function selects and creates a copy of images with excessive backlight or insufficient flash illumination, adding light and detail wherever needed while keeping other areas as they were. The Face-priority AF* function automatically detects and then focuses in on people’s faces, regardless of where they are in the frame, ensuring superb crisp-focus portraits. The In-Camera Red-Eye Fix function analyzes each image, automatically finding and then correcting the accidental red-eye that sometimes occurs in flash photography, for more natural-looking portraits.

A choice of 15 different Scene modes – 4 with Scene assist – makes it so much easier to achieve desired results in a wide range of everyday situations. Just choose the Scene mode best suited to the subject at hand, and the COOLPIX L2, L3 and L4 automatically select the ideal settings for exactly the picture you had in mind, whether indoor party or outdoor nighttime fireworks display. Scene assist displays useful framing guides in the monitor, helping the user compose the shot for optimal results.

All three COOLPIX cameras are compatible with widely available SD memory cards. 23MB of internal memory for the COOLPIX L2 and L3 and 10MB for the COOLPIX L4 allow the user to keep right on shooting when no additional memory is available, as well as easily moving images from one SD card to another.

These three COOLPIX digital cameras offer movie-shooting capability** in three sizes: TV movie size (640) for viewing on TV or computers, convenient Small size (320), and Smaller size (160) for extended recording or Internet usage.

With the COOLPIX L2, L3 and L4, ease of use and convenient enjoyment don’t stop when the shooting does. Printing is simplified as well, with PictBridge capability enabling connection to a compatible printer without the need of a computer in between. USB connectivity eases transfer of data to computers and other peripherals. Completing the convenience package is the complimentary PictureProject accessory software, which greatly simplifies the importing, editing and organizing of your images, and includes other options that add to the fun of digital photography, and even offers compatibility with a range of plug-ins that allows functions to be extended on demand.

* Face-recognition capability may be limited in some shooting conditions.
** COOLPIX L4 without sound.

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

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Nikon COOLPIX L2/L3/L4 Feature Highlights

High performance from a small CCD
Utilizing space-efficient design parameters that help facilitate the compact size of the COOLPIX L2/L3/L4, the 1/2.5-inch CCD adds the advantage of outstandingly high performance. Boasting effective pixel values of 6 million for the COOLPIX L2, 5.1 million for the COOLPIX L3, and 4 million for the COOLPIX L4, the CCD enables the capture of crisp-focus images that retain their high quality even when significantly enlarged.

3x zoom capability
The remarkably compact dimensions of the COOLPIX L-line cameras belie the incorporation of powerful 38-116mm (114mm for COOLPIX L4) Zoom-Nikkor lenses (35mm equivalent), ensuring the freedom of a 3x zoom. These precision lenses allow zooming in for tightly composed portraits, or zooming way out for expansively wide views, providing greater compositional independence than the average digital camera. Macro mode allows shooting from as close as 4cm for the COOLPIX L4, and 10cm for the COOLPIX L2 and L3.

Simple-to-use features improve images in-camera
A range of unique Nikon functions enables the photographer to actually improve images in-camera. Available in playback mode, the D-Lighting function selects and creates a copy of images with excessive backlight or insufficient flash illumination, adding light and detail wherever needed while keeping other areas as they were. The Face-priority AF function automatically detects and then focuses in on people’s faces, regardless of where they are in the frame, ensuring superb crisp-focus portraits. The In-Camera Red-Eye Fix function analyzes each image, automatically finding and then correcting any accidental red-eye, which sometimes occurs in flash photography, to produce more natural-looking portraits.

AA-size battery compatibility
Despite their compact dimensions, the COOLPIX L2, L3 and L4 are compatible with AA-size batteries, one of the most widely available battery sizes in the world. The power to shoot approximately 180 shots for the COOLPIX L2, 200 shots for the COOLPIX L3, and 250 shots for the COOLPIX L4 when using alkaline batteries greatly augments their compact convenience.

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Nikon COOLPIX L2/L3/L4 Other Features

• Unique combination of all-round quality, ease of operation, and elegant styling makes COOLPIX L2, COOLPIX L3, and COOLPIX L4 the compact digital camera of choice for entry-level photographers
  
• Compact, portable dimensions for COOLPIX L2 and L3 of 91 x 60.5 x 26mm (3.6 x 2.4 x 1.0 in.) (W x H x D); COOLPIX L4: 86.5 x 60.5 x 34.5mm (3.4 x 2.4 x 1.4 in.)
  
• Light weight for COOLPIX L2 and L3 of approx. 120g (4.2 oz) (without battery and SD memory card); COOLPIX L4: approx. 115g (4.1 oz) (without battery and SD memory card)
  
• BSS (Best Shot Selector) automatically selects the shot with the sharpest focus from a series of consecutive images
  
• Blur Warning informs user after shooting if an image is blurred
  
• Time zone function enables local time to be set regardless of where you are in the world
  
• Single AF and Continuous AF selectable in Movie mode
  
• Capture modes: Single, Continuous and Multi-Shot 16 for COOLPIX L2 and L3; Single and Multi-Shot 16 for the L4
  
• Built-in flash: features settings for Auto, Auto with red-eye reduction (In-Camera Red-Eye Fix), Off, Fill Flash and Slow sync.
  
• Noise reduction provides more attractive results in low-light conditions
  
• Digital zoom of up to 4x
  
• Choice of White Balance
  Auto with TTL control, 6-mode manual (Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Flash and White Bal. Preset)
  
• USB connectivity allows quick and easy data transfer to computers and other peripherals