Product Description

The CoolPix P5000 features advanced functions that are skillfully packed into a solid body, magnesium alloy front panel for durability in a lightweight package. The CoolPix P5000 includes an optical viewfinder to helps achieve accurate composition in direct sunlight and other brightly lit conditions helping you capture sharp images while minimizing the effects of camera shake. The CoolPix P5000 features 16 specially programmed modes to automatically handle focus, exposure, white balance and other adjustments that help you take great pictures easily. High light sensitivity up to ISO 3200 allows you to tackle scenes and situations far beyond the capabilities of conventional compacts, offering new power to capture fast-moving objects with outstanding clarity and gives you great exposure in significantly lower light. 3.5x Optical Zoom-Nikkor 7.5-26.3mm (35mm format picture angle - 36-126mm), f/2.7-5.3, 7 elements in 6 groups 4x Digital Zoom (35mm format picture angle - 504mm) ISO Sensitivity - 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 2000, 3200, Auto (auto gain ISO 64-800) Built-in flash - Wide Range 1 to 26 feet 3 inch (0.3 to 8.0m), Tele Range 1 to 13 feet 1 inch (0.3 to 4.0m) System Requirements - Macintosh Mac OS X version 10.3.9, 10.4.x, Windows Vista (32bit), Windows XP Home Edition/Professional and Windows 2000 Professional Dimensions - Width 3.9 x Height 2.5 x Depth 1.6 inch (98 x 64.5 x 41 mm) excluding projections Weight - 7.1 ounces (200 grams) without battery and SD memory card

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27373 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Nikon
• Model: 25565
• Released on: 2007-03-21
• Dimensions: 2.40" h x 1.60" w x 3.90" l, 1.00 pounds
• Memory: 21MB
• Display size: 2.5

Features

• 10-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 20 x 30-inch prints
• 3.5x Zoom-Nikkor lens; 2.5-inch LCD screen with optical viewfinder
• Optical vibration reduction/image stabilization minimizes effects of camera shake
• Progrram, Aperture, Shutter, and Manual Exposure modes
• Hot shoe for i-TTL compatible Nikon speedlights

Manufacturer Description
The new Coolpix P5000 combines 10.0 effective megapixels and a 3.5x optical Zoom-Nikkor glass lens for exceptional image quality and stunning prints as large as 20 x 30 inches. Optical VR Image Stabilization minimizes the effect of camera shake, while the bright 2.5-inch LCD and optical viewfinder make composing and sharing pictures easier than ever. Optional telephoto and wide-angle converters allow you to expand the camera’s capabilities and enhance your creativity.

The Coolpix P5000 also features 16 specially-programmed modes to automatically handle focus, exposure, white balance and other adjustments that help you take great pictures easily.

Nikon Coolpix P5000 Highlights

Versatile Shooting Modes The new Mode dial gives access to four exposure modes that advanced photographers desire for even greater control over camera operations. Programmed Auto (P) mode automatically selects shutter and aperture settings for optimal exposure. Shutter-priority Auto (S) lets the photographer automatically select a desired shutter speed, and the camera sets the optimal aperture setting. Aperture-priority Auto (A) offers 10-step control over the aperture setting in 1/3 EV increments to let the photographer control depth of field, while the camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed to achieve optimal exposure. Manual (M) exposure mode gives the photographer full control over both aperture and shutter speed settings. In addition, a selection of 16 Scene modes and seven different movie modes can be easily accessed via the Mode dial and high-resolution 2.5-inch LCD.

VR Optical Image Stabilization Originally developed for Nikon SLR lenses, the Optical Image Stabilization system helps you overcome camera shake. The system automatically detects and compensates for small movements that would otherwise cause images to blur, and enables a shooting experience similar to shooting at shutter speeds three stops faster, while also providing a smoother image on the LCD. The result is sharper pictures when shooting in low light, taking advantage of the 3.5x zoom when using the optical telephoto converter lens. Great for shooting steadier movies as well!

Strong, lightweight, magnesium alloy construction The Coolpix P5000 features advanced functions which are skillfully packed into a solid body that features a magnesium alloy front panel, for durability in a lightweight package.

3200 ISO capability See what you’ve been missing. High light sensitivity up to ISO 3200 allows you to tackle scenes and situations far beyond the capabilities of conventional compacts, offering new power to capture fast-moving objects with outstanding clarity and gives you great exposure in significantly lower light.

Incredible, bright 2.5-inch LCD The Coolpix P5000 includes an optical viewfinder whichs helps achieve accurate composition in direct sunlight and other brightly lit conditions which can sometimes make an LCD monitor difficult to use.

3.5x optical Zoom-Nikkor lens with Vibration Reduction High-quality lenses deliver high-quality pictures. Nikon Coolpix VR Image Stabilization technology is incorporated into the lens and helps you capture sharp images while minimizing the effects of camera shake.The power of the 3.5x optical zoom lens, 36-126mm (35mm equivalent), plus 4x digital zoom equals 14x zoom range. Macro capability lets you shoot as close as 1.6 inches, and this combination is supported by Nikon’s world-renowned optical technology, delivering clear, crisp images backed by image-stabilizing VR assurance.

Innovative Automatic Features The Coolpix P5000 features 16 specially-programmed modes to automatically handle focus, exposure, white balance and other adjustments that help you take great pictures easily.

Nikon In-Camera Innovations

• Auto image rotation Detects pictures that have been taken with the camera held vertically and automatically rotates the image for in-camera LCD playback.
• In-camera cropping Allows you to crop out the part of the image you don’t want and keep the part you like.
• Best Shot selector Enables the camera to take a series of photos and automatically select the one with the sharpest focus.
• Noise Reduction mode Minimizes digital artifacts in long exposures.
• Audio voice recordings Records up to 5 hours of sound over the built-in microphone and played back over the built-in speaker.
• In-Camera Red-Eye Fix This in-camera feature automatically fixes most typical occurrences of red-eye.
• D-Lighting Compensates for underexposed images or insufficient flash by automatically adding light and detail to selected shots where needed -- without affecting properly exposed areas.
• Optimize Image options Easily accessed optimization options closely tailor results to the scene at hand or the intended use of the image. Image sharpening, tone compensation, color mode, saturation and hue adjustment is controlled by the user-selected choice of Normal, Softer, Vivid, More Vivid, Portrait, Custom or Black and White options.
• Face-Priority AF Automatically finds and focuses on people’s faces to ensure superb portraits with clear, crisp focus
• Live Histogram function Graphically indicates shadow levels on the left and highlights on the right and helps you avoid under/ over exposure before shooting.

Customer Reviews

Impressed with this camera
I have had my P5000 for less than a week and really am impressed with it. The color is good, the photo quality is good. For such a small camera, it has good ergonomics and most functions are easily accessed by by buttons or dials. It has full manual controls and noise levels are very good for a 10 MP camera. The VR stabilizing function works well. It makes the perfect accompaniment to my D50 and D70 when I need a smaller purse or pocket-sized camera.

P5000 First Impressions Very Good
I was looking for a small portable camera to complement my Nikon D70 and D80 DSLR. Small enough to fit in my pocket or on my belt, light enough to always have with me, yet have advanced capabilities and produce good quality photos when I did not have a DSLR with me.
I have tried many cameras from Nikon and Canon. The P5000 has the right set of features and price to meet my needs. The Canon G7 does have some superior features, but is larger and weighs more so does not fit in my shirt pocket but OK in coat pocket, and is ~$100 more. I have had the P5000 for almost a week and it has been on my belt in the leather case every day. Very travel friendly. I also have the small light SB-400 iTTL Flash in my brief case to add more Flash capability and it is great.

Picture quality is finally what has to be good. The P5000 produces very good IQ with that "Nikon Color" I am used to. I tested the P5000 in good lighting versus my Nikon D80, Nikon S7c and CoolPix 5400. The D80 wins hands down as the best quality. But the P5000 is much better that my other CoolPix. Plus going back and forth from the D80 to the P5000 was smooth due to button placement and similar shooting style. The hand grip on the P5000 is excellent for such a small camera too. I have posted my test pictures on another site if you look at Nikon Talk Forum on DPreview dot com and search for "P5000 vs S7c vs 5400 First Impressions"

Cheers

A VERY NICE CAMERA WITH ONE FATAL FLAW
I bought and returned this camera.

If I returned it, then why did I give it a respectable 4 rating? Because in many (most) situations, it takes very nice pictures, it is small and stylish, it has full manual controls, it has a hotshoe for an external flash, it can accept different lenses, and it takes SD cards.

Why did I return it? Because it has one fatal flaw. Despite being billed as the flagship point & shoot camera for Nikon, and despite the many cutting edge features, and despite the great qualities noted above, the auto focus is VERY SLOW. It makes this camera almost unuseable if your subjects are moving kids, which is why I bought the camera. I lost at least 1/2 the shots that I tried to take of my kids because I couldn't get them focussed. If you read the various photography forums, there are several workarounds that help somewhat, but at the end of the day, the AF is still slow.

If you don't plan on taking candid shots of your kids, then this could be a great camera for you. I took several hundred wonderful pictures before I returned it. Just not of my kids.

By the way, I ended up buying a Fuji F31FD. I won't go into great detail about the pros and cons of this camera (and it has both), but I'll just say I kept it and I like it. The AF is much faster, and it has the added bonus of being one of the best (if not the best) low light cameras on the market today.