Nikon Coolpix P5100 - Expert Reviews

Review summary: Nikon's latest flagship compact digital camera, the Coolpix P5100, reminds me of Marlon Brando's classic line from the movie, On the Waterfront: "I could've been a contender!" The P5100 teases photographers with almost everything you could ask for in ...

Pros: Ergonomic design and controls, Pocketable size and weight, Bright, high resolution LCD screen, Strong image quality, Usable high ISO capability, Realistic color rendition, Optical viewfinder, Flash hot shoe, Spot metering

Cons: Auto focus needs bright light, No RAW format, Card write speed is average, Slow shot-to-shot speed, No continuous shooting in scene modes, Battery life is average-to-short

Verdict: An evaluation of the Nikon P5100 quickly boils down to one's expectations and photographic needs. In certain conditions, the Nikon P5100 offers an attractive set of features and delivers strong performance that largely doesn't disappoint. But when the ...

Review summary: The Nikon Coolpix P5100 couples a sensor resolution of 12 megapixels to a Nikkor-branded 3.5x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilization. The Nikon 5100 offers up a 2.5 inches LCD display with a higher-than-average 230,000 pixel resolution, as ...

Pros: Compact, attractive, sturdy magnesium body design ; Well laid-out buttons, well-designed menu system ; Excellent, natural color with good contrast ; Faster autofocus than predecessor ; iTTL flash hot shoe ; Adapter ring for Nikon Coolpix converter ...

Cons: No live histogram ; No RAW file format ; Some consumers may find the P5100's natural color less appealing than the more typical over-saturated color of most digicams ; Slow shot-to-shot and continuous mode performance ; Face Priority autofocus can be ...

Verdict: For the enthusiast, the Nikon P5100 offers full program, shutter, aperture, and manual exposure modes as well as 15 scene modes appreciated by less experienced photographers. Hi-ISO and movie modes are also provided. Adding to the Nikon P5100's ...

Review summary: The Nikon Coolpix P5100 is a rather disappointing camera. Although it has an extensive feature set and handles well, its overall performance nothing short of pathetic. Noise is present at all ISO settings, with ISO 200 being the highest relatively ...

Pros: Great lens sharpness, consistent up to corners, Low optical distortion, Accurate image colors, Solid flash performance, Effective stabilization, Good build and handling

Cons: Poor coverage of LCD preview (94%), High image noise above ISO 200, Useless ISO 1600, Quite slow at everything, Poor LCD visibility, Odd user interface

Pros: Sharp pictures, good colour balance, nice design

Cons: Has trouble handling high contrast, some haloing and fringing issues, sluggish burst mode

Verdict: Nikon's P5100 is a solid advanced camera and while it has a few issues, most notable is the difficulty in high contrast shooting scenarios and a very slow burst mode, it provides an adequate option for users after manual functionality in a sturdy and ...

Review summary: The P5100 is the kind of camera you can grab just as you're going out the door and stuff in a jacket

Pros: Very light ; Some nice features

Cons: Uninspiring image quality ; Dodgy interface ; Poor display

Verdict: At the rear of the camera is a slightly wishy-washy 2.5-inch LCD, which is easily overpowered in bright sunlight - thankfully there's a conventional optical viewfinder for such situations. Other points worthy of note include a Nikon Speedlite ...