Nikon Coolpix P5000 - Expert Reviews

Review summary: Nikon Coolpix P5000You've got to squint a little when looking for a camera equipped with a full set of amateur-friendly exposure controls that's small enough to fit into a jacket pocket; there simply aren't that many available, since most manufacturers' t

Pros: The Nikon Coolpix P5000 has optical image stabilization and excellent exposure, color, and sharpness.

Cons: Slow; LCD unusable in bright sunlight; highly inconsistent color across different ISO sensitivity levels; unusually strong barrel distortion at widest angle despite relatively narrow 36mm-equivalent angle of view.

Verdict: A few performance issues with the Nikon Coolpix P5000 diminish the appeal of an otherwise nice compact camera for amateurs.

Pros: Good ergonomics and compact design. Wide range of exposure and other advanced controls. High-quality LCD complemented by optical viewfinder. Support for external flash units and lens converters.

Cons: Limited zoom range. Not well suited for action and telephoto photography. Average operational performance.

Verdict: The Nikon Coolpix P5000 assembles a flexible range of advanced creative controls in a very compact body with a design that makes for comfortable and efficient shooting.

Review summary: The Nikon Coolpix P5000 sits at the top of Nikon's current line of consumer digital cameras. It offers the kind of photographic control and features advanced shooters want in a portable camera, without the bulk of an SLR. Full manual control. A hotshoe. A

Pros: Very good photo quality when sharpness is bumped up Optical image stabilization Generally solid construction (with one big exception) Sharp 2.5" LCD display + optical viewfinder Many manual controls (though see below) Powerful flash Custom button on back

Cons: Sluggish performance, especially in terms of focusing Soft images at default settings; some details smudged by noise reduction Some redeye, despite two countermeasures Bizarre noise from VR system is picked up by camera's microphone Unimpressive continuou

Verdict: The Nikon Coolpix P5000 is a good compact camera that had a few too many corners cut, in my opinion. It offers a lot of features for both beginners and enthusiasts, but at the same time it's lacking features that would make it a true D-SLR companion. Thro