While maybe not as fancy as the new megapixally Coolpix models (and getting nowhere near the 12.4-megapixel D2X), this revamp of Nikon’s D2H SLR camera certainly looks like an improved work horse. The four megapixel D2Hs brings a number of improvements to the party, including 8 fps for a continuous burst of up to fifty pictures, 3D-Color Matrix Metering II and support for the sYCC color profile. Look for some features from the ongoing D2X development as well, like support for the 802.11b/g Wireless Transmitter and GPS devices. In layman’s terms: It takes pics, it sends pics, it tells you what your longitude and latitude were when you took the pics.

The D2H raises the bar even further, it has a brand new Nikon designed 4.1 million pixel ‘JFET sensor’ and is capable of capturing eight frames per second for up to 40 frames (five seconds of continuous shooting at 8 fps). The D2H also adds a whole lot more including a new eleven area AF module (Multi-Cam 2000), 37 ms shutter lag and just 80 ms viewfinder blackout, a new ambient external WB sensor, an orientation sensor, RAW + JPEG format, a huge 2.5″ 211,000 pixel LCD monitor, a new lightweight Lithium-Ion battery (with detailed in-camera readout) and USB 2.0. The other ‘big news’ about the D2H system is the new WT-1 802.11b wireless transmission add-on which allows you to FTP images back to a server as you shoot them*.

GPS support and improved wireless support (with WT-2 transmitter for 802.11b/g) were also added. A new LCD screen of the same size but with increased resolution and a higher refresh rate was added to the body. The screen’s playback mode now supports 15x zoom instead of the 8x of the D2H, with RGB Histogram.

The recent boom in DSLR sales has seen all the major manufacturers adding bulked-up or stripped-down entry level models, repositioning their offerings to make sure that anyone willing to put up with the size and weight of a DSLR will look at one of their models. The whole thing has often left existing DSLR owners a little lost – ‘why isn’t there a direct replacement for my camera?’ – but has undoubtedly meant there are many more attractive, accessible cameras on the market just waiting to entice first-time DSLR owners.

And its into this maelstrom of DSLR proliferation that Nikon launches its latest baby DSLR, the D5000. Nikon’s recent strategy of inexpensive, simplified models caused a lot of confusion. The D40, D40X and D60 removed the autofocus motor, making them smaller and less expensive but limiting the choice of lenses that could be autofocused. Despite this oft-criticised move, the cameras sold very well, prompting the major third-party lens makers to create versions of their popular budget lenses that would focus on these baby Nikons. However, it appears Nikon has again decided that simply replacing models isn’t the best way to address the market. So here we have a camera that genuinely seems to sit above the D60 (rather than continuing in parallel until the stock runs out), and below the D90. Like the baby Nikons, the D5000 doesn’t have an autofocus motor built into the body but does gain a tilt-and-swivel LCD.

The D5000 shares the same 200 to 3200 nominal ISO range (with ISO 100 and 6400 options available), and the ability to use “Active D-Lighting” (Nikon’s proprietary feature that boosts shadow details and helps prevent overexposed highlights so you don’t have to spend as much time editing your photos after you take them).

There’s built-in image sensor cleaning, a continuous shooting rate of “up to” 4fps, and live-view with contrast-detection auto focus. In addition to the typical DSLR manual exposure modes, there are five advanced scene modes that can help ease the transition worries of folks coming into the camera from more fully automatic compact digitals. The D5000 also has automatic and selectable D-Lighting to provide a wider dynamic range, 3D Color Matrix Metering II with scene recognition exposure system, a built-in flash, and a shutter tested to more than 100,000 cycles.

Almost exactly two years after the D80 was announced comes its replacement, the rather predictably named D90. The D80 has been one of Nikon’s quiet successes, and even today, despite being positively Methuselah-like in digital camera terms it continues to sell and often makes its way into our top 10 most clicked on cameras. Because it looks so similar to the D80 the D90 appears at first glance to be one of those rather subdued incremental upgrades, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find there’s plenty to keep Nikon fans happy.

With 12.3 megapixels, the newly-designed DX-format CMOS image sensor and Nikon’s proprietary EXPEED image processing concept, the D90 is a quality-guarantee. Advanced features such as Live View, Scene Recognition, Active D-Lighting, Picture Control and an ISO sensitivity range of 200-3200 (ISO 6400 equivalent on Hi1 and ISO 100 equivalent on Lo1), allows creativity in almost any setting. And to ensure all these features are easy to use, they are packed in an ergonomic body with an intuitive operational layout.

The D90’s EXPEED technology has been optimised to realise the high-quality, high-speed image processing capability for which Nikon’s professional D-SLRs are renowned. The D90 delivers images with extraordinary detail and expanded enlargement capacity, thanks to its improved DX-format CMOS image sensor and an effective 12.3 megapixels. The ISO sensitivity ranges from 200-3200 (ISO 6400 equivalent on Hi1 and ISO 100 equivalent on Lo1) providing low-noise images that are rich in detail and offer tonal gradation beyond expectation. It also enhances the performance of other powerful features such as Live View and the new Face Detection System. To address the issue of lost detail in high-contrast lighting situations, Active D-Lighting adjusts the contrast between images’ light and dark areas by localising tone control as an image is captured. And for extra creativity, Picture Control allows you to customise the look and mood of your images by choosing from six settings, including new Portrait and Landscape modes.

The D50 is especially good for kids, sports and action compared to more expensive fixed-lens cameras. I prefer it over everything else from other makers because it’s so easy to use, works fast, focuses fast, responds immediately to your inputs and the image quality is fantastic. The D50 is a far cry better than any fixed-lens camera, even the much more expensive Sony DSC-R1. Unless you really understand abstract concepts like White Balance fine tuning you’ll never find anything missing from the D50. Don’t let the low price fool you: it’s a great camera and I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between prints from a D50 compared to a $5,000 D2X. I’ve seen 4 x 5 foot enlargements from the D50 that look superb. The only limit to the D50′s picture quality is the photographer, not the D50.

It’s especially attractive for photographers moving up from digital point and shoot cameras who want the added flexibility of an SLR, but aren’t quite ready for the higher prices of Nikon’s more expensive DSLRs. In addition to aspiring new photographers, the Nikon D50 should also be desirable for more experience photographers wanting an inexpensive, fun to use DSLR. We’ll talk more about that later.

With the D50, Nikon has a comprehensive line-up of DSLRs. Their Nikon D70 is a huge market success, offering a winning combination of image quality and performance. In addition, the price was very low compared to similar DSLRs. Its success sent a shockwave through the photographic community and not only encouraged a new group of photographers to go digital, it also caused some scrambles among other manufacturers.

Full manual control is also available, so for more advanced photographers or for those looking to expand their hobby, the D50 still offers all they need. Continued shooting of up to 137 pictures makes action photography a reality while pictures are instantly recorded on SD memory card. A new hi-speed USB 2.0 connection supports fast transfer of images when connected to a PC. This is where D70/D70s owners will sit up and take notice as they still have to make do with a relatively slow 1.1 USB connection.

As most DSLRs today use CompactFlash as the preferred back-up medium, it may come as a bit of a surprise to see this digital camera – just like most compacts – employ SD-cards. If this is your only camera this is fine, as it is obviously the memory card of the future. However if you would like the D50 as a back-up to your other Nikon DSLR this would necessitate the need to carry SD-cards as well as CompactFlash cards. A better option then would be to buy the D70s instead, as the price difference between the two cameras is just about the same as the cost of a large SD-card.

Lately, in addition to the main benefit of allowing extreme low- and high-angle shooting, the company has taken advantage of the design as a way to build longer zoom lenses into relatively small camera bodies. The latest, called the Nikon Coolpix S10, includes a 10X optical zoom lens that covers a 35mm equivalent of 38mm to 380mm with a fixed maximum aperture of f/3.5, giving it one of the fastest 380mm-equivalent lenses in a compact camera. The camera also sports a 6-megapixel CCD sensor with sensor-shift image stabilization–Nikon refers to this simply as VR–to help keep that long lens steady.The Nikon Coolpix S10 is an update to the company’s existing Coolpix S4 model, adding a couple of very useful features. The popular Coolpix S4 was Nikon’s first swivel-bodied digital camera model since the Coolpix SQ was launched way back in February 2003 (and the first to retain the styling cues of its extremely popular prosumer swivel-bodied models since the Coolpix 4500 in late May 2002).

There have been imitators, but no company has been quite so successful or synonymous with the concept. Inside the swivelling body of the Nikon Coolpix S10 reside the core features of the S4 model — a 10x optical zoom lens equivalent to 38 to 380mm on a 35mm camera, coupled with a 6 megapixel imager, and a 2.5 inch LCD display. Where the S4 had an ISO range of 50 to 400, the S10 boosts the maximum to ISO 800. Even more significantly, Nikon has adopted a shift-type sensor stabilization system for the Coolpix S10 — which should make it quite a bit easier to get a sharp exposure at the telephoto end of that powerful lens!Nikon have brought that design bang up to date with a 10x optical zoom lens (38-380mm), large 2.5 inch LCD screen and maximum ISO of 800. Advanced Vibration Reduction helps to combat camera shake by shifting the camera’s sensor, an essential feature with such a long lens, whilst the unique swivel body allows greater freedom to shoot from different angles. The Nikon S10 also features the usual trio of Nikon technologies, namely Face-priority AF, D-Lighting and In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, to help improve your photos. Other features include a 6 megapixel sensor, PictMotion movies, one-touch portrait button and 15 different scene modes.