Nikon COOLPIX S51c digital camera and my Picturetown service, a picture storage and sharing site

TOKYO – Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the introduction of the COOLPIX S51c, which features a wireless LAN communication function allowing users to wirelessly connect to the Internet to send images. The COOLPIX S51c, which comes in a stylish slim body with a wave surface design, offers many advanced features such as 8.1 effective megapixels, optical lens shift VR (Vibration Reduction) image stabilization, and high sensitivity up to ISO 1600.

Nikon is also launching the my Picturetown service, an image storage and sharing site that integrates image storage, viewing, and transfer. my Picturetown also allows the storage of images transferred from the COOLPIX S51c/S50c by wireless LAN.

my Picturetown URL: http://mypicturetown.com

Nikon was the first company in the world to incorporate wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) communication functions in digital cameras in 2005, and has been promoting higher compatibility with the Internet ever since. Through the release of the COOLPIX S51c and the launch of the my Picturetown service, Nikon offers users new ways to enjoy digital images "anytime, anywhere" by organically linking digital cameras, the Internet, computers, and mobile phones.

Advances in IT technology have ushered in the age of the ubiquitous network offering users connectivity anytime and anywhere, but integrated services that cover the whole range from taking photos to storing, viewing, and sending have not yet emerged in the photo world. Noting this fact, Nikon began exploring the possibility of deploying a new global service that would organically link digital cameras, computers, and mobile phones. Developed through the use of Wi-Fi technology improved by a number of original Nikon refinements, my Picturetown enables the direct transfer of pictures to the Internet and supports picture transfer to various imaging devices as well as Internet services. Photos taken with a digital camera can now be stored by connecting directly to the Internet without using a computer, and uploaded pictures can be viewed with mobile phones and shown by posting them to blogs or social networking services (SNS). Nikon thus proposes a service that allows users to enjoy photos "anytime, anywhere" through the simple and stress-free use of these functions.

Nikon COOLPIX S51c Feature Highlights

• Wireless Internet connection function
  The COOLPIX S51c features a built-in IEEE 802.11b/g compliant wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) communication unit allowing users to wirelessly connect to the Internet via public wireless LAN access points* or a home wireless LAN, and transfer pictures to my Picturetown, from where they can be shown and shared. The following function services are available.
  
  • Picture Bank
    This function provides an online storage service that allows users to transfer the pictures in their digital camera to my Picturetown for storage. This service enables transfer and storage through a wireless LAN without using a computer. Furthermore, in a home wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) environment, the pictures inside the camera can be sent wirelessly just by connecting the camera to an AC power outlet, considerably reducing inconveniences such as having to start up one's computer or removing and inserting SD memory cards.
  • Picture Mail
    Picture Mail lets users upload pictures they have taken to my Picturetown and send emails to registered addresses to notify recipients that new pictures have been uploaded. The URL of the uploaded picture saving destination is attached to each Picture Mail message, making it easy to immediately show pictures to family members located far away or share them with friends. Emails can also be sent from the COOLPIX S51c to mobile phone addresses by utilizing the Picture Mail button that allows picture transfer through one-touch operation. A transmission scheduling function that allows the selection of the pictures to be sent and the recipients has also been added.

  * Public wireless LAN access points can be used in the following locations: Japan (BB Mobile Points Softbank Telecom and HOTSPOT NTT Communications), US (T-mobile), Korea (KT with advertisements) Hong Kong (PCCW) and Singapore (Singtel).

• Expansive wide-angle 3.0-inch LCD monitor for easy viewing
  The high-contrast 3.0-inch LCD monitor features a wide horizontal and vertical viewing angle of 160 degrees, anti-reflection coating, and a high resolution of approximately 230,000 dots for even easier viewing.
• Pictmotion for enjoying slideshows with music on the camera
  Users can automatically create audiovisual shows of up to 200 scenes by combining pictures, movies, and a soundtrack*, and selecting a visual style of their liking.

  * Five original soundtracks are provided in camera. Up to 10 soundtracks (each lasting 10 minutes max.) can be loaded to the camera using Software Suite (Windows version only) or transferred to an SD memory card for use with Pictmotion.

• Three unique Nikon Image innovations for great-looking portraits
  Great-looking portraits are a cinch to take thanks to three unique Nikon Image functions: Face-priority AF, In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, and D-Lighting. The inclusion of the Face-priority AF mode, which enables quick face recognition, and the Face-priority Auto mode, greatly increases portrait-taking performance.

my Picturetown

• Allows storage of large volumes of pictures
  my Picturetown is available with two type of memberships, a Free Account providing 2 GB of storage capacity (free of charge), and a Gold Account providing 20 GB for 350 yen* a month (including consumption tax) in Japan, or $2.99 a month in US.
  

  *Available free of charge on a trial basis until the end of February 2008 (Japan and US residents only)

• Picture viewing on mobile phones*
  Pictures can also be sent to the email addresses of mobiles phones of family and friends for viewing on a computer. Uploaded pictures can also be viewed by logging in to my Picturetown from a mobile phone when away from home.
  
  *Compatible mobile phones are as follows:
  Japan: Docomo (FOMA700 and FOMA900 models or later), au, Softbank (select models)
  U.S.: BlackBerry devices only as of August 2007
• Easy uploading and organizing
  Pictures are stored automatically and sorted by their upload date. Once uploaded, they can also be organized easily through drag-and-drop operation.
• Album creation
  Pictures can be organized into albums, for example by subject or by event. Tags (text information) can also be added to pictures to make them easily searchable.
• Album sharing
  Albums can be shared with family and friends on the Internet through email notification from my Picturetown.
• Picture URL posting to blogs and SNS
  Picture URL can also be directly posted to blogs and social networking services (SNS).
• Slide shows with music
  Pictures can be played as slideshows to the accompaniment of one of four soundtracks.
  

my Picturetown Service Differences and Language Support by Region of Use

• Service differences by region of use
  In addition to owners of the COOLPIX S51c and the COOLPIX S50c (model released in April 2007), my Picturetown is available for use by Internet users residing in Japan and the US. The service differs as follows according to the country of residence and the type of camera.
  

  	COOLPIX S51c/S50c Owners	Internet Users
  Japan and US residents	2 GB, free (Free Account) 20 GB, charged (Gold Account)	2 GB, free (Free Account) 20 GB, charged (Gold Account)
  Residents of of countries other than Japan and US	2 GB, free (Free Plan) Cannot be used from mobile phones.	Not available (Availability to be announced as service becomes supported)

  
  
• Supported languages
  As of the launch of the service on August 30, 2007, Japanese and English are supported. Future support of four additional languages (French, German, Simplified Chinese, and Korean) is planned.

Nikon COOLPIX S51c Other Features

• Light weight with highly compact dimensions
  
• Macro shooting from as close as 4 cm (1.6 in.)
  
• 4x digital zoom extends compositional freedom
  
• Improved menu interface, available in a choice of 23 languages
  
• Time zone function for easy setting of multiple locations
  
• Approx. 13 MB of internal memory
  
• SDHC card compatibility
• USB connectivity
• PictBridge compatibility
• Stop-Motion animation for more creative fun
  

Nikon Digital Camera COOLPIX S51c specifications

System Requirements