Hands-on – Nikon Coolpix S1000pj projector camera

Yesterday, I got to be one of the first UK journalists to get their hands on Nikon's brand new Coolpix S1000pj compact – the world's first camera with built-in projector.

Following on from the pico projectors we've seen sneaking into phones of late, a camera complete with the functionality certainly seems like a logical progression – and Nikon have managed to squeeze it into the S1000pj without compromising on skinniness.

Although it may seem a bit gimicky, from our hands on with this pre-production model, we found that the built-in projector works well, and will project both your still images and videos onto any flat surface.

You activate the projector by pressing a button on the top of the cam, and then you can focus your images by using a slider.

The projector can display images up to 40-inches, but as the images get bigger they lose sharpness and vividness – as with normal projectors. Bringing the camera closer to the surface you're projecting on makes for smaller but more detailed results.

Your pictures will only project in VGA, but the camera in itself is 12.1 megapixels with a 5x optical zoom, and sensitivity up to ISO 6400.

You'll also get the Scene Auto Selector mode for top pictures and minimal effort, anti-shake functionality, face tracking and a Skin Softening feature for that airbrushed look.

All in all, I found that the S1000pj was a lot of fun, and can certainly see how the added functionality would be a draw for consumers looking for more from their high-end compact.

It makes huddling around its 2.7-inch LCD screen with your friends a thing of the past, and gives you the ability to show off your snaps wherever you are, without the need to hook it up to your PC.