Nikon Corporation has just released Nikon Coolpix S1000pj – the world’s first camera with a build-in projector.

The idea to implement a mini-projector into the camera is brilliant. How many times have you been showing pictures to your friends or family.. whether by trying to download it on the PC first or by gathering your loved ones around a tiny display screen? This projector option is meant to save a lot of time and it is simply fun! This YouTube video directed by Matt Uhry shows a bit more about how it works.

I can definitely see applications in the world of pervasive street gaming, real-time visual projection storytelling, cross-platform productions, street theatre and dance. However, there are several things that need to be taken into consideration before an old-fashioned slideshow fan as I am will be willing to spend about £350 for such piece of hardware.

nikon-coolpix-camera

The build-in projector is a little bit more complicated device than one might think. You need a dark room, because the projector’s output for this camera is only 10 lumen (1 lumen is a light of on candle). Even then, the projected image becomes pretty dim if you move the camera more than a couple of metres away from your projection surface. But the projector’s such a novelty that it’s easy to overlook the limitations and just gawp with a mixture of nostalgia and fascination. The projected image’s resolution is limited to VGA only, but the image isn’t bright or big enough for anyone to notice. The projector mechanism makes quite a difference to this camera’s size, too. It has a super-slim design with a non-extended lens, but it’s on a bigger scale than usual.

Taking into account all written above Nikon S1000pj is a rather average camera with a unique feature that will either leave you whether totally or utterly unimpressed. However, as far as I am concerned I would probably wait until the time when something with a higher resolution and lower price will appear on the market. Especially after observing the price and quality transformation that other popular products such as iPod and iPhone underwent in the past. Just remember that you can get the same basic picture quality and features for half the price, so you’re paying plenty for that dinky little projector.