Nikon (http:///www.nikonusa.com) has released two new CoolPix cameras: the S8100 and P7000. Both will be available later this month. The S8100 has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$299.95; the P7000 is $499.95.

The S8100 offers a 12.1-megapixel backside illumination CMOS sensor and a 10X zoom that will capture fast-moving subjects in still images and HD (1080p) movies. It not only features high-speed shooting at five full resolution frames at up to 10 frames-per-second (fps), but a pre-shooting cache that records up to two shots before the shutter-release is fully pressed.

For fast action shots, the S8100's Sports Continuous mode records up to approximately 120 fps.  With Subject Tracking, the S8100 automatically tracks a designated subject by activating autofocus (AF). The S8100 also adopts Nikon's exclusive Expeed C2 image processing engine, which is customized to each CoolPix model to further drive enhanced performance, outstanding image quality and HD video, according to the folks at Nikon.

The 10.1-megapixel CoolPix P7000 features a 1/1.7-inch CCD sensor coupled with a 7.1x Wide Angle Optical Zoom-Nikkor ED Glass Lens. It also adopts Nikon's new Expeed C2.

The P7000 records HD video at 720p at 24 frames-per-second (fps) with optical zoom and autofocus control. A CoolPix first, users can now record audio with an external stereo microphone via the microphone input. An accessory microphone or Nikon Speedlight can be mounted on the P7000's hot shoe.