Nikon Point and Shoot and Non-DSLR
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The front of the Nikon Coolpix P5000 looks like a standard compact digital camera. The labeled Nikkor 3.5x Optical Zoom VR lens is located on the right side and is decorated in chrome. Along the bottom edge of the lens’ rim are its specs: “7.5-26.3mm, 1:2.7-5.3.” There is a larger chrome ring around the base of the lens that protrudes about a quarter of an inch from the rest of the camera body. Above and to the right of the lens is the built-in flash; it isn’t directly on-axis with the lens, which is unfortunate. To the upper left of the lens is the optical viewfinder with the Nikon logo just below it. Below the “on” of the logo is a round auto focus assist/self-timer lamp. To the lower left of the lens is a hole in the body that serves as the built-in microphone, with a Coolpix logo beneath it. On the left side of the front is a sizable hand grip with a rectangular rubber patch. At the top of the patch is the shutter release button on its curled edge of chrome.

 

 

Back

The back of the P5000 looks like a cross between a DSLR and a compact. Most compacts cram all the control buttons to the right of the LCD screen, while DSLRs tend to have more buttons and scatter them around a larger area.

 

The Nikon P5000’s 2.5-inch LCD screen is almost centered, but it leans more to the left side. On the far left edge, though, is a vertical strip of five buttons. The top button is labeled “Fn” for “function.” The next button down can change the LCD’s display; the Playback button, Menu button, and Delete button are below that. All of the buttons are circular and raised on a platform on the camera body.

 

Below the LCD screen is a Nikon logo and above the screen is a miniscule optical viewfinder on a tiny plastic protrusion. Also on the protrusion and to the right of the viewfinder are two LED indicators; the top one is labeled with the flash icon and the bottom one “AF.”

 

To the right of the LCD screen is an inch-wide area with a comfortable thumb rest at the top and a round multi-selector below it. The multi-selector has a central OK button and icons around it to show what the control does when not wandering through menus. From the top and moving clockwise, the icons are flash, exposure compensation, macro, and self-timer. An icon below the multi-selector indicates that the OK button doubles as a transfer function for printers and computers.

 

Across the top edge of the camera, a few features are visible from the back. The curled metal of the hot shoe can be seen on the left. The mode dial has ribbed edges and is located just right of the viewfinder. On the right edge is the similarly ribbed control dial. 

There isn’t much to speak of on the left side. There is a strap eyelet on top and a series of holes that serve as the speaker on the bottom.

 

Another neck strap eyelet sits at the top of the right side, which is considerably thicker. At the bottom of this side are two tiny rubber doors. The bigger of the two is labeled USB/AV, while the smaller one opens a little hole to the battery compartment where the AC adapter can fit through.

 

The top of the Nikon Coolpix P5000 looks thick. The lens and hand grip protrude from the front, and the optical viewfinder protrudes from the back. The left side of the top has a long and narrow neck strap eyelet. To its right, but still very much on the left side, is the hot shoe that accepts Nikon Speedlight SB-400, SB-600, and SB-800 flash units. A Coolpix P5000 logo sits near there, with the optical viewfinder’s housing sticking out the back. To the right is the circular mode dial, which is labeled with a mix of icons and text. On the right side of the P5000’s top is a chrome oval plate that surrounds the shutter release/zoom ring, power button, and command dial. The shutter release button is circular and domed, and it is surrounded by the zoom ring that has a small nub which can be pushed right and left. The much smaller power button is located to the bottom left of the shutter release. Hanging over the back of the camera is the command dial, which is just slightly smaller than the mode dial. On the right edge, but visible from the top, is the neck strap eyelet that matches the other side.

 

The bottom of the camera has a battery door on the left side and a tripod socket in the center.

 

 

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