Nikon S1000pj review

Nikon's latest, the Coolpix S1000pj, is a camera which combines the compact formula with - wait for it - a projector capable of displaying an image as large as 40in. It's very much an innovation, but does it descend both the compact and projector worlds convincingly into one device? The What Digital Camera S1000pj review checks out how it all works...

Nikon S1000pj review - Features

The S1000pj is the world's first compact camera to provide a built in projector and, with the longest side measuring under 10cms (99.5 x 62.5 x 23 mm), that's a pretty impressive feat. No need to carry your laptop around - simply project onto a nearby flat surface to show off your pics. The projector has around an alleged hour of continuous playback from one charge, is up to 10 lumens bright and can project VGA (640 x 480px) images as large as 40in with a throw distance up to 2m. Whilst it's not going to nudge your HD projector from its top spot, it's many times smaller and has certainly has attracted a great deal of interest since its announcement. Think of impromptu presentations to friends, colleagues or the like - a very innovative idea.

The projector aspect aside, the Coolpix S1000pj is a reasonably well-specced 12.1MP point-and-shoot compact snapper. Whilst there's no manual mode, an abundance of scene modes and auto/auto scene mode will see you capture the shot. Vibration Reduction - a combination of lens-shift and electronic (high ISO, though the EVR can be disabled if desired) - will help to keep images sharp. Whilst ISO sensitivity does range as high as ISO 6400, this is only at a maximum output of 3MP. Full size images, up to 12MP, can only be shot from ISO 100-1600.

The S1000pj's rear LCD is a 230K-dot 2.7in TFT, with the camera lens a fairly wide-angle 28mm which, with its 5x optical zoom, will extend to a 140mm equivalent. Auto focus can be tweaked to focus on a particular user-designated area in manual mode or the now more commonly seen Subject Tracking mode will maintain focus once the camera recognises a moving subject in the frame.

Nikon S1000pj review - Design

The Nikon S1000pj keeps everything housed up in a small interior and, given this is projector-meets-camera set up, that's not bad going at all. Available in silver or black, it looks clean-cut and feels well finished. Given the lens is housed inside and doesn't protrude from the body, the limited space available would make it difficult to have a wider and/or longer lens - as it is there's notable light fall off at the wide-angle end.

Menu-wise, the Coolpix S1000pj keeps it very simple - there is the standard d-pad on the rear for macro, exposure compensation, self-timer and flash controls. Menu, Scene, Playback and Erase buttons surround this. Although shutter and aperture settings are displayed on the screen itself it's not possible to change these independently. In fact, ISO is the only major control setting that can be adjusted via the Menu button, which doesn't have a particularly extensive set of options in itself - perhaps a lacking on what could be a much more advanced compact.

Activating the S1000pj's projector is a very simple fare. Simply click the projector button on the top of the camera and an image will project from the front. A focus slide next to this button then needs to be manually adjusted to attain focus. Nothing is automated and there aren't the advanced controls you'd find in a table-top projector for brightness or keystoning - though we'd hardly expect such an advanced level to be found here.