Nikon P6000
Nikon have announced a new compact digital camera. It’s pro-sumer grade and becomes their top-of-the-line model (this may change, see below).
The P6000 is a very interesting model. It has a built-in GPS for Geotagging of images, supports external flashes, has a 28mm wide-angle which zooms 4x to 112mm (35mm equivalent) plus its got an optical viewfinder and supports ISOs from 64 to 1600 at full resolution with 3200, 6400 at 3 mega-pixels. There even a LAN connection - it’s a shame it’s not WiFi but perhaps that interferes with the GPS?
There are some not-so-good points though. Firstly, Nikon have seen fit to create yet another RAW format. It’s called NRW and is only supported out-of-the-box by plug-ins for Windows. So that’s all those Professional photographers that use Macs (and there’s a lot of them) out in the cold. Hopefully, the next version of Adobe’s Camera RAW will support it but I’d stay away until I could confirm that.
Secondly, Nikon are using one of the new hi-resolution CCDs. In this case it’s the lower of the two new resolutions (for which I suppose we should be grateful) at 13.5 mega-pixels. I’ve yet to see a test of this chip in any camera but I can’t help but think it’s going to be noisier than last year’s 12 mega-pixel and the 10 mega-pixel chips before that.
Update
Adobe now support the P6000 in their RAW converter.
Rumours
There’s a number of rumours flying around at the moment about cameras that may (or may not) appear at Photokina.
One is for a Nikon Pro compact (not Pro-sumer) that uses the sensor from the D60, an APS sized chip. This would make it an obvious rival for the Sigma DP-1 but I’ll believe it when I see it. I can believe that Nikon would put a larger chip in a compact model but going all the way to APS has so many headaches I’m doubtful. Still, the Leica M8 and the DP-1 have big chips so it is possible.
Canon are also rumoured to be releasing a G10 (with a 13.5 mega-pixel chip) which would be a direct rival for the P6000. There’s also whispering that they are releasing a Pro model with a larger chip with Canon CMOS technology (the ‘GSi’). Nobody has yet suggested an APC sized chip but now that the Nikon rumours state they’ll be using one it’s surely only a matter of time before the Canon rumour boards suggest the same for the mythical ‘GSi’.
Finally, the EOS 5D replacement rumours rumble on. See Northlight’s site. I really wish I could link directly to the posting but Northlight continues to shun the use of a proper blogging system such as WordPress. I see they have added lots of animated adverts though. 
Anyway, see if you can find the bit dated 6th August 2008 - “NDA breaking” and also look here for all the latest bits on the 5D’s replacement. The “spec” of this supposed camera changes daily but with luck Canon will actually release some form of cheaper, smaller full-frame camera by Photokina.
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August 8th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Are there any other cameras using the new RAW format? There seems to a Windows Vista requirement, so is this in fact a Microsoft format? Using proprietary lock-in formats like this seems dangerous from the users’ point of view.
August 9th, 2008 at 8:03 am
@ Juha
As far as I know this is currently the only camera using the NRW format, the Nikon SLRs are still using NEF. It appears to be a Nikon format, not Microsoft’s but they may of signed a deal with Microsoft of course (this is pure speculation).
We’ll just have to wait and see if the next iteration of Lightroom and Camera RAW, plus all the other RAW processing packages support NRW or not. Personally, I use a Mac and I won’t be going back to Windows to use the P6000. There are plenty of other, more open RAW cameras around - GX200, GR-D2 and the LX3, not to mention the rumoured Canon G10 and GSi which will hopefully not be Windows only.