Nikon Coolpix 5000Nikon moves into the 5 megapixel era with a new chip, new lens, and new body, but no retreat from the legendary Nikon feature set!<<Image Storage & Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Test Results & Conclusion>> Page 11:Video, Power, SoftwareReview First Posted: 9/18/2001 |
Video Out
US and Japanese versions of the Coolpix 5000 include an NTSC video cable for connecting to a television set. European models will doubtless support PAL timing and connections, given the Video Mode option in the settings menu. All images that would normally appear on the LCD are routed to the external video display so that the television screen becomes an enlarged version of the LCD monitor and can be used both for image playback and composition.
Power
The Coolpix 5000 runs on a rechargeable EN-EL1 lithium-ion battery pack, housed inside the hand grip, or an external AC adapter which plugs into the front of the camera (available as a separate accessory). The camera can also utilize one 6V 2CR5/DL245 lithium battery, or six AA batteries via an external Power Pack (also available as a separate accessory). Nikon estimates that a fully charged battery pack should provide about 100 minutes of recording time, with the LCD monitor enabled, a figure that agrees almost exactly with my own measurements. Working with the LCD monitor disabled greatly increases battery life with the Coolpix 5000, and the ability to switch the autofocus mode from Continuous AF to Single AF saves some battery power as well.
The table below summarizes my power measurements on the Coolpix 5000. The drain in milliamps was measured at the external power terminal with no battery inserted, at the specified 8.4 volts. I used these numbers to calculate battery life in each operating mode, correcting for the increase in current drain at the lower terminal voltage of the battery. The good news is you can blithely leave the Coolpix 5000 on all day with the LCD off without depleting the battery significantly. The bad news though, is that the rather low energy density of the EN-EL1 pack gives a runtime in the camera's worst-case operating mode (capture mode with the LCD powered up) of only 100 minutes or so. This is fairly short of an "enthusiast" camera, the users of which are more inclined than most to spend an entire day actively shooting. You'll definitely want to purchase a second EN-EL1 battery pack to go along with your camera, and will very likely want to consider an external battery pack for much longer run times. Here's a table with the power-consumption numbers I measured:
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(@ 8.4 v) |
(650mAh, 7.4v EN-EL1) |
| Capture Mode, w/LCD |
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| Capture Mode, w/LCD, w/MicroDrive (Drive spinning/not) |
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| Capture Mode, no LCD |
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| Capture Mode, no LCD, w/MicroDrive (Drive spinning/not) |
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| Half-pressed shutter w/LCD |
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| Half-pressed w/o LCD |
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| Memory Write (transient) |
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| Flash Recharge (transient) |
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| Image Playback |
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| Image Playback, w/MicroDrive (Drive spinning/not) |
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Nikon has now officially certified the use of IBM's MicroDrives in the Coolpix 5000. Although their press release on the topic didn't indicate any adverse consequences, their original communications on the topic expressed concern about higher power consumption and shorter battery life. I don't have one of the newer (supposedly lower-power) MicroDrives here, only one of the original 340 MB units, but nonetheless used that to test power drain in the Coolpix 5000, with the results shown above. Power drain doesn't actually look all that much higher than with a CF card, but note that the drive remains spinning for about 30 seconds at a time, after it needed to be activated to record or display a photo. This would definitely contribute to more power drain than you'd find with a flash memory card, especially if you were running with the LCD display off.
I mentioned external power packs above: Another consequence of the LiIon battery technology used in the 5000's power pack is that the camera requires a higher voltage on its external power jack to operate. This isn't an issue for studio use, but it does mean that most of the NiMH-based external power packs out there won't power the 5000 in the field. Fortunately, Maha Energy makes a LiIon external "PowerBank" (shown above, sold under the "PowerEx" brand) that will power the 5000 just fine. For about $60, this (very nicely packaged) unit will power the 5000 for a total of about 5 3/4 hours in capture mode with the LCD operating, when used in conjunction with the internal battery. (!) This is a fantastic run time, just what you'd need for all-day intensive shooting. One note - Maha makes both NiMH and LiIon versions of the PowerBank, make sure you get the LiIon model for the 5000. (Model number MH-DPB140LI.) You can order these online from Here's a link where you can find them online for a good price. Highly recommended! (For more information, read my review of the PowerBank packs.)
Although I didn't get to play with one, and so don't have a product photo of it, Nikon apparently will also offer an accessory power grip for the Coolpix 5000, which will incorporate 6 AA cells into its body. With 1700 mAh cells, this would provide about 2.5x the power of the standard EN-EL1 LiIon pack, a very welcome boost for serious shooters.
Included Software
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Packaged with the Coolpix 5000 is a software CD containing Nikon View Version 4, a complete suite of ArcSoft programs, including PanoramaMaker 2000, PhotoImpression, PhotoPrinter Pro, PhotoStudio 2000, and VideoImpression 1.5 (phew), iView Multimedia MediaPro Demo (Mac only), Canto Cumulus 5.0 Demo, and Altamira's Genuine Fractals 2.0LE. A USB cable also comes with the camera, for quick connection to a PC or Macintosh. The Nikon View software allows you to quickly download and organize images, and works with the camera's Auto Transfer option (in the Playback menu). When Auto Transfer is turned on, Nikon View will automatically download images as soon as the camera is connected, saving you a little time. The functions of the ArcSoft programs are more or less self-explanatory, based on their names. PanoramaMaker stitches multiple overlapping images together into larger panoramas. PhotoImpression lets you edit and retouch your photos, then use them to make cards, calendars, and other projects. PhotoPrinter Pro is a handy utility for printing multiple digital photos on each sheet of paper, saving expensive inkjet supplies. PhotoStudio is a pretty general image editing and retouching application. VideoImpression is an easy to use tool for editing video and still images into multimedia presentations.
Of all the software included, only Nikon View and the ArcSoft packages are other than trial or "demo" versions, offering only a subset of the packages full capabilities, or full capabilities for a limited time. Still, they're good for checking out some interesting software you might not get a look at otherwise. Canto's Cumulus is one of the best image database packages out there, and iView MediaPro is an excellent "media organizer" for Mac users with a multitude of handy functions. (Well worth the $50 registration fee, if you're a Mac user, IMHO.) Genuine Fractals is a tool for "resampling" digital image files to much larger sizes. The LE version is limited to input files of 10 megabytes or smaller, and to creating output files 64 megabytes or smaller. Other than the size limitations, the product is fully functional. (The only problem is that the Coolpix 5000's highest-resolution images are about 14 megabytes in size. - This means you can only use Genuine Fractals on photos shot at the 1600x1200 pixel image size or smaller, which would really be a little pointless - You'd be trading away half the resolution the camera was capable of before you got started.
In the Box
Packaged with the Coolpix 5000 are the following:
- Lens cap
- Neck strap
- NTSC Video cable (PAL for European models)
- 32MB CompactFlash Card
- USB cable
- Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery EN-EL1
- Battery Charger MH-51
- Software CD containing Nikon View Version 4, Complete ArcSoft imaging software package, iView MediaPro Demo (Mac only), Canto Cumulus 5.0 Demo, Genuine Fractals 2.0LE
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