Digital Camera Review

Digital Camera Review

Mar 10, 2007 - By Emily Raymond
Nikon announced the Coolpix P5000 with 10 megapixels, manual controls, and hot shoe at the 2007 Photo Marketing Association trade show in Las Vegas. Geared for enthusiasts, there are plenty of compatible accessories to extend or magnify the existing 3.5x optical zoom lens. The camera is still compact and looks much like other Coolpix P-series cameras with its chunky hand grip and thick housing. The P5000 will retail for $399.
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Model Design / Appearance
The Nikon Coolpix P5000 is built from magnesium alloy, so it is lightweight and durable too. It seems to be very sturdy and was smaller than I’d imagined it to be. It looks like other Coolpix models such as the P4 with its thick, but still compact body and protruding hand grip. The front of the camera looks very much like a compact model, but the back has elements from compact and DSLR models. Overall, I’d say it leans more to the compact look but the hot shoe and placement of buttons make it more sophisticated.
 
Size / Portability
Reading all the specs on the P5000, one might think that this camera would have an SLR-like shape. Not so. It is still compact, although not pocket-sized. It measures 3.9 x 2.5 x 1.6 inches and weighs 7.1 oz without the card and battery, which feels like the perfect weight for this model. This Coolpix has eyelets for the included neck strap on each side of the camera body. The P5000 will most likely require a pouch or small carrying case, and perhaps a full camera bag if users purchase the flash and lens accessories. 
 
Handling Ability
The Nikon Coolpix P5000 has some great handling features for being such a compact camera. The weight feels just right for its size, and the rubber grips and contours fit in the hands nicely. Rubber material wraps around the front of the hand grip where the fingers clutch the body. On the inner portion of the hand grip on the front, there is a divot where the finger tips rest to further ease handling. On the back of the P5000 is a wide and comfortable rubber pad for the right thumb. While the P5000 isn’t SLR-shaped at all, it certainly carries the same comfort found in handling.

 

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size
The power button atop the camera is somewhat small, but it's not much of a hindrance since it is only accessed twice during shooting sessions. Nearby are the domed and nicely sized shutter release button and the surrounding zoom ring control. Mode and control dials also are found on the top of the camera. The mode dial is a bit tight making it tough to turn. The control dial is just right. Both have ribbed edges and protrude from the back for easier rotation. There is a set of five buttons to the left of the LCD screen, and these look similar to Nikon DSLR backs, which a Nikon rep pointed out is part of their strategy to win over DSLR owners who want a compact camera to tote around. The buttons on the side are fitted into tight niches with hard contours around them. This makes the buttons hard to push and even hurts the fingers. The P5000’s multi-selector is on the right side of the LCD screen and looks more like a traditional compact camera component. The selector looks cheap, but it feels fine. All of the buttons fit nicely in the camera body and are intuitively placed and labeled.
 
 
Menu
The Nikon P5000’s menu system is found intuitively with the Menu button. The menus appear with large text but can be changed to display as large icons within the setup menu. Below is the recording menu, which offers live previews with a few of its settings.

White Balance
Auto, Preset (custom), Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Flash
Metering
Matrix, Center-weighted, Spot, Spot AF Area
Continuous
Single (this item was disabled but there will be a burst mode on the production model, the Nikon reps assured me)
BSS
On, On (it probably should have said “Off,” but this is pre-production)
Auto Bracketing
On, Off
Flash Exposure Compensation
+/- 2
Flash Control
Auto, Built-in, Off
Optimize Image
Custom (Sharpening, Contrast, Saturation), Black & White
ISO Sensitivity
Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
Converter
None, Wide Angle, Tele Converter
Image Quality
Fine, Normal, Basic
Image Size
3648 x 2736, 2592 x 1944, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480, 3264 x 2176, 3264 x 1864
AF Area Mode
Auto, Manual, Center
AF Mode
Single AF, Fulltime AF
Fixed Aperture
On, Off
Noise Reduction
On, Off

Some of these settings, such as the white balance, can be set to be changed via the Function button and the control dial – so a larger live view is available. Below is the setup menu, which has its own position on the mode dial.

Menu
Text, Icons
Quick Startup
On, Off
Welcome Screen
Nikon, Animation, Select Image
Date
Set Date, Time
Monitor Settings
+/- 2
Date Imprint
Off, Date, Date & Time, Date Counter
Vibration Reduction
Off, On
AF Assist
Auto, Off
Sound Settings
Button Sound (On, Off), Shutter Sound (1-3, Off), Volume (Loud, Normal, Off)
Auto Off
30 sec, 1, 5, 30 min
Format Memory
Format, No
Language
Japanese, English (the pre-production model had only two languages, but the final product is supposed to have the following: Czech, Danish, German, English, Spanish, French, Indonesian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Finnish, Swedish, Chinese (simple and traditional), Japanese, Korean, Thai
Interface
USB, Video Mode, Auto Transfer
Func. Button
White Balance, Image Quality, Image Size, ISO Sensitivity, Vibration Reduction
Reset All
No, Reset
Firmware Version
Coolpix S8 Ver .52 VR Ver. 05200 1108A (this will likely change too)

The menus are easy to navigate with the multi-selector and easy to read with their large fonts.
 
Ease of Use
The Nikon Coolpix P5000 is aimed at seasoned photographers, but it still caters to beginners and those who value ease of use. It accomplishes this with the inclusion of a help function that can be found by pushing the telephoto end of the zoom ring. When this is done in the menu, the selected option is explained. For instance, the AF Mode is described this way: “Choose how the camera will focus in movie mode.” Although the P5000 has manual and priority modes, it is also equipped with automatic and scene modes. The controls are properly labeled and the interface is intuitive, making it easy to use.
 
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