WOW, you would think with the awesome DSLR offerings they would have some nifty coolpixies up their sleeve, but all we get is a mixed bag with lots of disappiontment!

Let's recap the last announcement:

L14: kudos for class leading battery and not much else
L15: kudos for 2.8" LCD and VR at low price and not much else
S510: kudos for fast focusing and VR, acrylic LCD might be nice
S700: 12mp was inevitable but why does more MP come with higher ISO? Also, if this is a premium model, where's the fast focusing!
S51(c): Ugh! 8mp upgrade...that's IT?!?!? c'mon! also notice it's 4.5mm longer and 9mm taller than the S50! This will be noticed. They couldn't even get the lens back to the 35mm wide that the S7c had.
P50: finally a 28mm wide, but why on the budget Performance model? many gripes here: no optical VR, no priority modes, 1/2.5"CCD, no magnesium, no Li ion batt, no RAW. Why put the best field of view on the most crippled coolpix in the line?
P5100: two major omissions, RAW and wide angle. NOBODY wanted two more megapixels!! EVERYBODY wants fast focusing, RAW, 28/24mm wide, weatherseals, more LCD density, and better high ISO performance. Nikon has not listened to its customer base!!

Looking at the bigger picture Nikon has only improved focus speed in one model and its at the lower end. They have added wide angle to only one model and its crippled. They have missed a big opportunity to improve their internal zoom camera. They have not updated their style superzoom, and they still have a massive hole in their lineup around the preformance superzoom. Their "flagship" still has a boring lens and no RAW.

Once again Nikon has taken the cheapest upgrade path possible, dipping into Sony's existing bag of sensors. They have once again let the beancounters and marketing department win out over what they know in their hearts is a failing and uninspired lineup. Nikon knows what a camera should be, but they instead try to push mere consumer electronics against giants like Sony, Panasonic, and Canon. They really need a cuop in the coolpix department to wrest power away from the beancounters. The DSLR division get it, what's with the fixies?!?! Inspiration will bring customers! Put the horse before the cart and watch what happens!!!