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Nikon Coolpix 5000

Nikon moves into the 5 megapixel era with a new chip, new lens, and new body, but no retreat from the legendary Nikon feature set!

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Page 1:Intro and Highlights

Review First Posted: 9/18/2001

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5.00 (effective) megapixel CCD delivers images up to 2560 x 1920 pixels
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New Nikkor lens provides 28-85mm equivalent zoom range
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"Articulated" LCD tilts/swivels 270 degrees
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White balance bracketing and noise reduction modes extend capability
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Hot shoe for direct flash connection

 

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Manufacturer Overview
Nikon is one of the few companies that you can say truly needs no introduction in the world of photography. Their name has been identified with professional and high-end amateur photography for a good 5 decades now, and they've been very successful at translating that long history of expertise into the digital arena. Their 2.1 megapixel Coolpix 950 and 3.3 megapixel Coolpix 990 and 995 digicams have led the popularity charts at the high end of the "prosumer" market segment since their respective introductions. The key has been the combination of excellent picture quality with an amazing range of features, all calculated to give the photographer the maximum control over the picture-taking process.

With recent announcements and introductions of five megapixel cameras from Minolta and Sony, many have wondered what Nikon might have up its sleeve. Well, wonder no more, on September 18, 2001, Nikon announced their 5 megapixel Coolpix 5000. While the body design marks a radical departure from Nikon's long-familiar swivel-body configuration, the controls and features will be very familiar to fans of the earlier high-end Nikon prosumer models.

Back in September, I just posted a "First Look" review, as the unit I received for preliminary evaluation was an early prototype, not suited for showing sample photos from, nor for conducting my usual quantitative performance tests. I've now had hands-on a production model of the camera, and can report on the results of the full range of all my tests. Read on for all the details.

 

High Points

  • 5-megapixel CCD delivering image resolutions as high as 2,560 x 1,920 pixels.
  • Real-image zoom optical viewfinder and 1.8-inch color LCD monitor with swivel design.
  • 3x, Nikkor 7.1-21.4mm lens, equivalent to a 28-85mm lens on a 35mm camera.
  • As high as 4x digital zoom.
  • Automatic and manual focus control.
  • Maximum aperture of f/2.8-4.8 depending on zoom setting.
  • Available shutter speeds from 1/4,000-second to 8 seconds, five minutes in "bulb" mode.
    (NOTE that the top shutter speed under most shooting conditions is 1/2,000 second)
  • Optional noise reduction for shots longer than 1/4 second.
  • Program AE, Flexible Program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual exposure modes.
  • 256-segment Matrix, Center-Weighted, Spot, and AF Spot metering modes.
  • Seven White Balance modes with a White Balance Bracketing mode.
  • Auto sensitivity or ISO equivalents of 100, 200, 400, and 800.
  • Image Adjustment menu, Sharpness, Saturation, and Noise Reduction controls.
  • Continuous, High Speed Continuous, Ultra High Speed Continuous, Multi-Shot 16, Best Shot Selector, and Movie (with sound) shooting modes.
  • "Clear Image Mode" for reduced noise in low-resolution images.
  • Built-in self-timer.
  • Built-in flash with five settings.
  • External flash hot shoe.
  • Images and movies stored to CompactFlash Type I or II memory cards.
  • Uncompressed TIFF, JPEG, and Motion JPEG file formats.
  • USB cable and interface for quick connection to a PC or Macintosh.
  • Power supplied by rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack (included) or optional AC adapter.
  • NTSC or PAL video outputs with appropriate cable included.
  • Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) compatibility.

 

 

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