By the time you read this, byThom will likely be closed for our annual summer Mental Health Month. This year, we'll be closed from August 4th through September 4th. Unless something extraordinary happens, I'll be off the Internet for the month, I won't be bothering my shipping assistant or workshop assistant about anything, we won't be shipping book orders you make during that period, and I probably won't answer email questions I receive (sometimes I can't help myself). The one exception: I'll probably write a short comment about Nikon's financials shortly after they're posted on August 5th (it will be below this story, so scroll down to find it).
I use this period to forget about the day-to-day things that consume me trying to run a one-man shop, to get some work done on long-term projects, to play with images, to think about what I ought to be doing in the future, and generally anything that isn't what I normally do each day. While it sounds like fun, it's actually hard to do. It usually takes me a week or so to get the Web site, books, reviews, scheduled assignments, and other byThom bits off my mind and get into what I call "contemplative mode." It then takes another week before that mode actually starts to get into full gear and I can manage to enjoy a day without doing anything or thinking about anything that is connected to the business. That usually gives me just one week of completely thinking in another space, followed by another week where I have to start transitioning gently back into the reality of having to earn a living. I've turned down some interesting assignments due to my "mental vacation" in the past, but I'm always glad I did, because the brain needs to get away from it all and enjoy some spa time once in a while, too. It makes those other 11 months of the year more enjoyable and productive. The reason I usually choose August for this offline exercise is that it is usually my slowest month: many of you are on vacation, Nikon's announcements usually come in July, my clients don't usually schedule assignments in this period, and starting with Labor Day (an American holiday) in early September, things start to get hectic again leading up to the big holidays at the end of the year.
Don't worry, I'll hit the ground running when I get back. Yes, I've sandbagged a couple of things that won't appear until I restart the site updates on September 5th (otherwise all you'd see that day is a post along the lines of "I'm back, and boy is my mind fresh"). Yes, I know this month-off thing sounds all very European. But have you ever talked to a European at the end of August? Some even have smiles on their faces ;~).
Finally, a word of thanks. Your continued support of this site and my work is what allows me to take these mental health days and try new things. So thank you. Ultimately, we both benefit from my taking time off, as a fresh, pampered brain is a productive one. So, until September 5th: stay healthy, be safe, and enjoy yourself. That's what I'll be trying to do.
Coolpix Refresh
Aug 4 (news, then opinion) The expected Coolpix refresh has been made. Nikon introduced four new Coolpix models:
- Coolpix S70: a basic 5x folded lens design camera (i.e. no lens extension when turned on). 12mp. 28mm to 140mm f/3.9-5.8 equivalent. 3.5" OLED touch screen. US$399, September, four color choices.
- Coolpix S570 (replaces S560): a midrange 5x collapsing lens design camera. 28mm-140mm f/2.7-6.6 equivalent. Gets some added people-photo features (Face Priority, Smile Timer, Blink Proof, and Skin Softening). US$199, September, four color choices.
- Coolpix S640: the higher end 5x collapsing lens design camera. 12.2mp. 28mm-140mm f/2.7-6.6 equivalent. Faster autofocus, short shutter lag, and Quick Retouch are the big new features. US$249, September, four color choices.
- Coolpix S1000pj: Basically an upscale S70. 12.1mp with that 5x lens. Gets some added people-photo features (Face Priority, Smile Timer, Blink Proof, and Skin Softening). The big addition is that of a projector (projects out the front of the camera, up to 40" in size). Includes a remote control to operate camera and projector. US$429, September, black only.
Other than the S1000pj, all the new Coolpix have several color choices (what the heck is "Calm Black" as a color? Is there an "Excited Black" option waiting in the wings?).
Two things come to mind in looking at the latest Coolpix:
- Most of the Coolpix models now have a simple, look-alike nature to them. It's difficult to distinguish one from another, and the same basic design seems to be iterated over and over, with the main changes coming internally. On the one hand, this is good, as it means that time and money aren't being wasted on style, even in the so-called Style (S) lineup. But at the same time, it doesn't appear to me that much is happening functionally, either. More and more the Coolpix lineup feels like "placeholders," cameras that are expected to sell just because of the Nikon name and give Nikon a presence across all cameras. I now count almost two dozen Coolpix models that have had the same basic S570/S640 design. So if I have an S600, why would I buy an S640? It's not as if there's a huge pent-up demand for people buying their first camera. And the minor tweaks don't exactly make for much in the way of upgrade demand, either.
- Nikon has long had someone in the Coolpix product management team with a gimmick fetish. Indeed, gimmicks date back all the way to the original Coolpix models: the Coolpix 300 had the ability to write on an image displayed on the screen with a pen. The long-forgotten SQ was like a piece of jewelry to be worn. And innovation happens every now and again with the Coolpix, the 900 being the start of a long line of twist-body cameras. But the interesting thing is that none of these things seem to last long--they make a big splash at introduction, mainly because Nikon gives them a big splash. But public acceptance isn't exactly all that great. So the addition of a mini-projector in a Coolpix seems to fall in this tradition: interesting, but not exactly something that's going to shake up the market (even more so because the technology is available to anyone, so if Nikon really has found something that people want in their pocket cameras, it'll be copied by everyone within a year). Worse still, the mini-projector is already available as an add-on, and many of them will work with multiple items you own: phone, camcorder, camera, netbook, etc. Thus I don't see a built-in projector being anything except less flexible.
#2 is indicative of a theme I've been harping on as of late: the Japanese camera makers have lost the pulse of the real camera user. While I don't object to having a video capability in my camera, that feature doesn't make my camera a better still camera. Meantime, it still doesn't appear that they understand simple needs, like true raw histograms, a "freeze all settings" button for panos, bracketing that actually works for HDR, and a host of other simple things that would make our camera a better still camera. Of course, asking for such things in a Coolpix would probably get the Japanese engineers laughing all the way to the Salaryman bar, but um, hey guys, all those things would have been better additions to the P6000 than an Ethernet interface that is only usable for MyPictureTown.
I don't mind seeing Nikon try oddball things like putting a projector into a Coolpix (see my "play" comments below the picture at the top of the page). I do mind that things that should be high on the list of functional improvements don't seem to be on any camera's update list. My own personal list of needed still camera improvements--many of which could be done easily in firmware--now sprawls to several pages, even in bullet list form.
You might wonder why I'm using the latest Coolpix introductions to repeat this particular design rant. That's because nowhere is it more obvious than in the Coolpix line that Nikon's products are just more me-to designs. How do you sell a Nikon over a Sony or Canon compact? Brand name? Price? Ubiquity? How about trying "it's a better camera, silly!" There was a time when that was true of many Coolpix models. It is far less true today, if it is even still true at all. In the Coolpix line Nikon has transformed themselves from "the better camera maker" to "we're a consumer electronics company, too." An obvious question to ask is this: at what point will that happen with DSLRs, too?
One reason why the Coolpix models all look so me-to is that Nikon uses "reference design" bases created by another company, as do many of the compact camera makers. There are perhaps a half dozen providers of these reference designs, of which three seem to be getting most of the action. Essentially, what happens is that you get much of the camera part pre-done for you (CPU, memory, display, flash, sensor, ADC, SD write mechanism, etc.). Around that you wrap your own lens, case, battery, and menu system. Some base designers have allowances for imaging ASICs, like EXPEED and DIGIC, while some go further and provide lens and other goodies. But just as with film, it's actually the user interaction that makes or breaks a camera. Getting the camera set for what you want it to do, then feeling that it "performs" as you do it. That's within Nikon's control, and that's the part they keep failing at for me.
Sorry, Nikon, still no Coolpix for me. Ironically, a true consumer electronics firm, Panasonic, seems to make a better camera than you do.