Nikon Coolpix P5000 Nikon Coolpix P5000 Review, May 2007 Simon Joinson

Based on a production Nikon Coolpix P5000 Just when Nikon fans had given up on the company ever producing a serious enthusiast compact camera again (thanks to the arrival of the affordable DSLR), along came the P5000, the nearest thing to a high-end compact since the demise of the Coolpix 8800 and 8400 a couple of years back. Its a big leap forward from the previous, slightly disappointing P (performance, apparently) series cameras, with a more complete feature set, a flash hot shoe and a much more sensible design (previous models were modeled on a bar of soap, and offered similar handling). Although nowhere near as advanced as the real big beasts of this sector, it is much more compact than cameras like the Canon G7, and it does come with a decent level of expandability (add on lenses, flash etc) - and its very keenly priced. So is this the camera to put Nikon back on the enthusiast compact map? Lets find out, starting with the headline spec:10 megapixel 1/1.8-inch CCD3.5x Zoom-Nikkor lensLens shift VR (Vibration Reduction)ISO 64-1600 (3200 in 5MP mode)BSS (Best Shot Selector) identifies and saves the sharpest image automatically from ten sequential shotsP/A/S/M modes plus 16 scene modesCompatibility with system-expanding accessoriesMacro shooting enables shooting from as close as 4cm (1.6 in.)SDHC card compatibilityApprox. 21 MB of internal memoryFace-priority AF, In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, D-Lighting2.5-in wide viewing angle TFT LCD with anti-reflection coatingNikon Coolpix P5000 specifications Street priceBody MaterialSensorImage sizesMovie clipsFile formatsLensImage stabilizationConversion lensesDigital zoomFocusAF area modesAF assist lampFocus distanceMeteringISO sensitivityExposure compensationExposure bracketingShutter speedApertureModesScene modesWhite balanceSelf timerContinuous shootingImage parametersFlashViewfinderLCD monitorConnectivityPrint complianceStoragePowerWeight (No batt)Dimensions

• US: $360 • UK: £260

Metal and plastic

• JPEG Exif V2.2• DCF• DPOF • Motion JPEG AVI

Lens-shift VR

Yes (optional)

up to 4x

• Contrast Detection AF• Macro• Infinity lock• Manual focus

Yes

• 30cm (1 ft.) to infinity (∞) W, 70cm(2 ft. 4 in.) to infinity (∞) T• Macro close-up mode: 4cm (1.6 in.) to infinity (∞) W, 40cm (1 ft. 4 in.) to infinity (∞) T

• Through-the-lens (TTL) metering• 256-segment matrix• Spot• Center-weighted• Spot AF area

• Auto (64 - 800)• ISO 64• ISO 100• ISO 200• ISO 400• ISO 800• ISO 1600• ISO 2000 • ISO 3200 (5MP or lower only)

• -/+ 2EV• in 1/3 EV steps

1/2000 to 8 s

• Six blade iris diaphragm• 10 (in steps of 1/3 EV)

Face-priority AF, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night Portrait, Party/Indoor, Beach/Snow, Sunset, Dusk/Dawn, Night Landscape, Close up, Museum, Fireworks show, Copy, Back Light, Panorama Assist, Voice recording

• 10 or 3 secs

Normal, Softer, Vivid, More vivid, Portrait, Custom, Black-and-white

• Built-in• Range: (W) 0.3 to 8.0m (1 ft. to 26 ft. 3 in.), (T) 0.3 to 4.0m (1 ft. to 13 ft. 1 in.)• Flash Hot Shoe• Auto, Auto with red-eye reduction, Anytime flash, Flash cancel, Slow sync., Rear-curtain sync.

• Real-image zoom viewfinder• Approx 80% coverage

• 2.5-in wide viewing angle TFT LCD with anti-reflection coating• 230,000-dot• Approx 97% coverage (record mode)

• USB• AV out (NTSC / PAL)

PictBridge, DCF, DPOF, EXIF print

• SD / SDHC / MMC card (optional) • Approx 26MB internal memory

• Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL5 (supplied)• AC Adapter EH-62A (optional)

Approx. 200 g (7.1 oz.) without battery and SD memory card

Approx. 98 x 64.5 x 41 mm (3.9 x 2.5 x 1.6 in.) excluding projections

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window.To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top.DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C.

This article is Copyright 2007Simon Joinson / dpreview.com and the review in part or in whole may NOT be reproduced inany electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author.For information on reproducing any part of this review (or any images)please contact: Phil Askey

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