Nikon Coolpix 5900

Model Design / Appearance
The Coolpix 5900 has a matte silver finish covering the whole body, with some reflective accents around the lens barrel and on the front of the left side (when viewing from the front). The Nikon Coolpix 5900 has an enlarged, contoured left side that creates a stable grip, similar to the one on the Coolpix 7900. Overall, the Nikon 5900 measures approximately 4 inches across, contains well-placed buttons that are easily accessible with the thumb of the right hand, and mode dials accessible with the index finger or thumb.

The Nikon Coolpix 7900 has a sleek aesthetic, cast in black with silver accents. The Nikon Coolpix 5900, on the other hand, blends in with the rest of the more bland Coolpix line, with a characterless flat silver finish. Nikon should take some cues from Apple and the iPod minis with their multiple color finishes, making for a more visually interesting product line. And let’s face it, the iPod minis have shown the tech world that pastels and spring colors have become the new white (or silver in this case). The design and layout of the Nikon Coolpix 5900 is fine, but if Nikon expects the new foray into digital imaging to stand out from the rest of the Coolpix line or other point-and-shoot models, they need to devise a way to separate from the pack.

Size / Portability
Measuring 3.5 x 2.4 x 1.4 inches, the Nikon Coolpix 5900 is a compact camera. Perhaps a little too bulky to slip into the pocket of your tight pleather pants, the Coolpix 5900's light 5.3 oz will still fit nicely into a jacket pocket, purse, or hand bag for that night out on the town. Both lightweight and small, the Coolpix 5900 also has a sleek look, albeit a look identical to lesser models.

Handling Ability
At PMA, I was able to spend some time handling the Nikon Coolpix 5900, and despite the apparent irritation of the Nikon booth guards hovering over my shoulder, I managed to get a decent feel for the camera. The buttons are mostly on the back right side of the camera body, and they are intelligently placed for superior handling. The mode dial on the top of the camera, in addition to the shutter button and the menu control pad, are all intelligently placed in relation to each other. The large 2-inch LCD makes navigating through the menu a delight, although more of the joy can be attributed to Nikon’s awesome menu layout which any technophobe could endorse. The zoom buttons are within reach of the thumb, making it easy to toggle between wide angle and telephoto perspectives.

The Nikon Coolpix 5900 is compact, but the layout of the buttons and dials make it feel large. All too often, the buttons and dials are so small that they’re difficult to navigate. The camera body is small, but not so compact so as to make me feel clumsy while handling it. On these compact digital cameras, users must be aware of where their fingers are so as not to obstruct the lens. It’s a little easier to avoid obstruction on the 5900, considering the retractable/extendable lens barrel. The buttons on the back are within easy reach and the Nikon Coolpix seemed to handle pretty well overall.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size
The Nikon Coolpix 5900 has one major control button located at the lower right corner of the back of the camera body. The placement is spot on, as the thumb falls here naturally when it comes time to use the control button. The button itself is elegantly contoured and circular in shape. Its center is raised in the shape of a plus sign.

Each point of the button/dial engages a different feature, and often each divot between the points engages its own feature. At the center is the circular Enter/Ok button which is simple to press and activate. Nikon has one of the best menu buttons around, and when I get to the menu section, you’ll see that I’m a little partial to the menu layout as well. Overall, the button is well placed, is in easy reach of the appropriate digits, and is large enough to be useful, but not so large as to get in the way. The simplified design definitely makes the camera appealing to any level of point-and-shooter.

Menu
In order to make any adjustments to the picture quality, or to make any advanced photographic maneuvers, users must become acquainted with the menu. Fortunately, on a Coolpix camera, this is neither difficult nor tedious. The menu can be accessed by pressing the "menu" button, located above the main control dial on the back of the camera body. Once engaged, users can turn their attention to the 2-inch LCD screen which makes viewing the menu options easy. Depending on the mode, users can navigate between recording or playback settings using the control dial (the button with the raised plus sign). The bright LCD makes the menu visible while its organized structure makes it very user friendly. Depending on the mode, there are two types of menu configurations: one based on a grid set up (in the AE modes), and one which utilizes a vertical scroll system that is standard on most digital cameras.

Overall, the menu is not crowded and is very easy to navigate, yet covers a plethora of adjustable features. Users can navigate in and out of selections using the right and left arrows, similar to the way they would on the internet, using the back and forward buttons in their browser. The function name is displayed in a bar on the left with the options atop one another. Each setting has an accompanying icon displayed on the right.

The 2005 Nikon Coolpix lineup introduced a new help feature which is great for discerning the icons and other cuneiform-like feature symbols. If you’re a technophobe, and you are feeling lost within the menu, or can’t remember what something does or means, just press the help button. A nifty dialogue box appears when you press the help button, which doubles as the telephoto zoom button once the menu is disengaged.

There are many menu options available in automatic mode: Image, White Balance, Metering, Continuous, BSS, Color Options, Image Adjustment, Image Sharpening, Sensitivity, Auto Bracketing, Saturation Control, AF Area Mode, Auto Focus Mode, and Noise Reduction. These will be discussed in greater detail below.

Ease of Use
Handling in conjunction with navigation and performance are elements I consider when discussing ease of use. How quickly can I get around the camera? How fast can I make a manual adjustment? How reliable are the automatic features? Will I be pleased with this camera’s performance in "easy" mode? I am pleased to report that during my handling of the Nikon Coolpix 5900, I was quite impressed. The camera had great response time for making automatic adjustments, the menu and collaborative buttons and dials are easy to reach and use, and together they work in concert to help users take better photos. The camera is well-built and evenly weighted both physically and aesthetically.

The menu system is one of the best on the market this year, which scores huge points in the ease of use department. All too often, ease of use and handling go out the window when I’m lost in a menu or I can’t decipher the icons. The Nikon Coolpix 5900 is extremely easy to use, and I dare say that most users will find that they can cruise through the menu system to make quick manual adjustments as needed.