Instant Slide Show

Every so often there comes along a product that catches my eye. Not that I need it and not that I would buy it, but it is just a neat product. So it is with the Nikon Coolpix S1000 pj digital still camera.

This pocket size digital camera has most of the features of any mid-priced camera and is offered by Nikon, one of the world leaders in camera technology. It has a good lens and bright built in LCD viewing screen. The 12.1 megapixel resolution provides clear bright digital images. It is a very good basic camera.

What sets this camera apart from most others is not how the camera captures photos. Rather, it is what the S1000 pj can do after you take the shots. Like most digital cameras it stores the images on a SD card. Unlike most cameras it also has a built in projector so you can use a wall or screen to display the photos. The image can be projected with reasonable quality up to about 40” measured diagonally. Of course the darker the room the brighter the image will appear.

Now this is not a projector that will rival displaying your photos on a large flat screen TV or high power digital projector, but it will provide a way to share the party pictures with the crowd without the need for passing the camera around the room and repeating instructions for advancing to the next picture.

Nikon says that you can get about an hour of projection time from a single charge, but I suggest that if you are going to have a long presentation you use the AC adapter rather than the internal battery. It comes with a remote control for advancing the pictures.

The Nikon S1000 pj can be purchased at most electronic stores and on line. List price is about $400 but I have seen many discounted offers. Shop around. Next time your office mate pulls out his wallet with more pictures of his pet goat, you can trump him with a slide show right on his desk. That alone is worth the price.