The return of the slideshow: Nikon camera that doubles as a projector



Squinting at the tiny screen, you can barely make out your friend's silhouette against the sunset.

For all its technological brilliance, the digital camera is not the ideal platform to be shown someone's holiday photos.

One company believes it has the answer. Nikon has created a digital camera with a built-in projector to display a succession of images on any flat surface, such as a screen or even a bare wall.

The camera goes on sale in the UK next month priced at £399.99

For many, the concept will bring back memories of the slide projector - and perhaps with it the tradition of returning from sunny climes to bore friends and family with a lengthy show of stills. The Coolpix S1000pj will come with a remote control and projector stand for the full slideshow experience.

It will enable a new generation to sit huddled in the darkened living room, and regaled with foot-high images of elderly relatives at the seaside. Only this time they will be of television quality, with sound and special effects added.

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And there'll be liitle need to change slide reels as the the makers say the camera can project 220 successive projector shots or an hours worth of movie footage.

Depending on how near to the screen the camera is placed, the pictures can be displayed from five inches to 40 inches in size. It can project up to 6ft 6ins away.

And there will be no danger of slides being damaged, blurred or overexposed.

Like most modern cameras, the S1000pj automatically corrects strong shadows, while the lens is designed to reduce vibration.

The camera boasts a picture quality of 12.1 megapixels. Those worried about embarrassing poolside snaps being blown up in high-definition quality on the living room wall may be slightly reassured to learn that it also has a 'skin softening' feature which 'smoothes out uneven skin tones'.

Despite including a projector the Nikon S1000pj is impressively compact

It also features a 'macro mode' for those all-important close-ups with which you can embarrass your children. It lets you capture details as close as three centimetres away.

The camera, which goes on sale sale in the UK next month priced at £399.99, will also be able to shoot a continuous video of up to one hour.

Other manufacturers are expected to quickly follow suit. Mike Pekelharing, of Nikon, said: 'It's packed with everything you need to take amazing photos as well as show off your pictures.

'Sharing photos or videos has never been so easy, or so much fun.'

Eighties revival: The old slide projectors with carousels were heavier and more cumbersome machines

Watch the Nikon projector camera in action...