Rating: 
Summary: AN OUTSTANDING CAMERA - NOTHING COMES CLOSE IN ITS PRICE RNG
Review: This is a very sophisticated camera that appeals to the affluent casual user & the pro-sumer - hence the spectrum of ratings ( its really too sophisticated for the casual user - & has annoyances for the semi-pro user ). This camera is a VERY sophisticated - feature rich camera. Most of the problems noted in the reviews have excellent work arounds ( IE like any other camera ) IE shutter priority, aperature priority, bracketing. What probably frustrates users is that because it is heavily "automatic" - it doesnt solve all picture taking problems "at the press of a button" - you have to use alternative modes in low light conditions, a tri-pod etc - these workarounds are usually buried in menus etc. I have found the battery life excellent "IF YOU DONT USE THE FLASH MUCH". I carry two batteries - I buy the MAHA batteries - they are cheaper & have 20% more capacity & their charge time is just as fast - work with the NIKON OEM charger - forget the OEM NIKON batteries. The Nikon software is excellent & much improved. This camera ( for what I do ) - there is nothing else out there the is like it in a compact package - the ergonomics as simply excellent - & the flip out view finder is essential for what I do. The resolution capabilities, & zoom are fabulous. The small camera bag that can be bought as an accessory from NIKON with the belt loop - SUCKS - this has disintegrated on me & has also almost let my camera depart my body for the pavement !! If you buy this camera - use you VISA - VISA adds another year or two to your factory warranty & forget the consumer add-on warranties ! Im also using a 1Gig IBM microdrive - which has very fast write-times - remember this when you are looking at solid state memory ! Therefore, the recovery time between shots is reasonable. NITS - camera does not recover between shots very quickly - very annoying - have missed some shots - but this is true of all current digital camera in this price range. The power save mode puts the camera asleep when not in use, also causing you to miss candid shots if you are not mindful - I usually pulse the trigeer occasionally to "keep it awake" - this can be adjusted though - which I havent bothered to do .. The competition in this price range - SONY/Minotla 7? - SOny uses over priced proprietary media ( memory sticks) has slightly better resolution & horrible ergonomics ( overall for me not worth it - plus Ive never have a Sony product that has lasted very long - they look great - but my experiance is that they are fragile.) The Minolta in this price range is not as good & eats batteries- but is cheaper - IN THIS PRICE RANGE ONLY TWO CAMERAS - The S0ny & The NIKON period as of 10/2003.. But check the price of the Sony media ...The IBM microdrives can be had for very cheap right now since they have sold out to Fugitsu on the uDrive technology & patents ( Fugitsu now offeres a 4 gig microdrive based on the IBM technology - & again the advantage is writetimes - check this out !! ) If you are going to buy solid state memory - get the VIKING on AMAZON w/rebate, you won't find a cheaper price, yes - even on ebay !
Rating: 
Summary: My Flash Went Bad After Only 2 Months
Review: Exactly two months ago I bought this camera and spent $$$ upgrading the memory and got a battery pack. Yesterday the flash stopped working. I contacted Nikon and described the symptoms and the rep said to send it in. I had read all the glowing reviews posted here BEFORE I bought the camera and the one review that related a similiar flash problem...I thought his was a fluke.....NOT!!!! We have yet to see if I get my camera back from Nikon in a timely manner and the camera,itself, stays healthy.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, with limits
Review: This is a very good quality camera in most respects. The optical quality is superb, the zoom is excellent, and the function is fairly intuitive. It is compact and cleanly designed. I have problems in three areas however. As others have noted, the autofocus is annoyingly slow. Also, you cannot raise the flash manually when you know you will need it. Instead, you must depress the shutter button, which results in an unintended flash photo occuring half the time. Lastly, the close focus limit is rather distant making macro photos impossible. Since it too big to fit in a pocket or purse I am looking forward to a suitable carrying case being available. Overall, it is an excellent value.
Rating:
Summary: It's a camera you can get into.
Review: All I've got to say is that this camera is great! I have owned this camera for 9 months now and have not been disappointed. Colors are accurate and images are precise. If you're looking for a point and shoot camera, this camera works, but once you discover the results, you realize this is a serious camera. The 8X optical zoom lets you get in close for professional results, without intruding. It's a camera you can get into to explore your imagination and photography to it's fullest.
Pros: 5MP, 8Xoptical zoom, point and shot, aperture priority, shutter priority. Plus you can add on lens, filters, and external flash.
Cons: Buy an extra battery or 2, batteries last 90 minutes of continuous use. Using file formats of RAW, or TIF, you'll either need a bigger hard drive or CD burner to save images.
As with most digital cameras, image size & quality dictates the camera's response time.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: This is an excellent digital camera. For the past several years I have had a Nikon Coolpix 950. While it did a good job, I have used Nikon 35 mm cameras for decades and the unusual shape of the Coolpix 950 never felt as comfortable to hold and use as a 35 mm. Also, the 950 was too menu driven to make it quick and easy to use. Problems solved with the Coolpix 5700! Although it is smaller than any 35 mm I've ever owned, it still has the familiar shape. It is also less menu driven, with several buttons that allow you to easily access features so that you can keep your eye on your subject, rather than having to flip through lengthy menus. While there is an extensive menu system, Nikon has provided 4 different user settings, 3 of which you can customize with whatever features you want so that you do not have to constantly be searching through menus to set the camera up for different situations. I have one user setting set up for ease of aperture priority use, another set up for shutter priority use, the third set up for complete manual use. Switching from one user setting to another is easy and can be done while keeping your eye on your subject. I admit that the camera could have actually benefited from being slightly larger, but overall it has a good solid feel and easy to use layout. (People with very large hands might disagree). Only criticisms: (1) The lens is not threaded for filters!! There is a substantial piece of glass in front of this camera and the only way to protect it is to buy some goofy extension tubes and put a filter on that. This is very poor designing for a camera that is intended for advanced amateurs and "prosumers." (2) The auto focus is a little slow. Overall, the lag time for this camera is significantly better than my 950, as well as most other digitals, but the auto focus can sometimes be a little slow and finicky with certain subjects. (3) The LCD monitor on the back is a little too small. Again, the camera would have benefited from a little larger overall size, which would include a little larger monitor on the back. The monitor on my old 950 is substantially larger. (4) Nikon needs to package this camera with at least a 64 MB CF card (or better yet a 128), instead of the almost useless 32 MB card that it currently comes with. (I heard that earlier production models came with only a 16MB card!!). All of that having been said, this is a GREAT camera. I haven't experienced any of the problems with the pop-up flash that others have reported. Perhaps this was an issue with some of the earlier production models. Included in the box is a battery charger, which was an excellent idea on Nikon's part. (There is nothing worse than buying a new toy and you can't even play with it because you can't charge the batteries). 5 MP is awesome, the picture color and balance is superb, and the extensive list of features and flexibility is astounding. If you're looking for a top of the line digital for under a grand, this is the one!
Rating:
Summary: Great camera for a former 35mm SLR amateur photographer
Review: This camera is great, some people complain about being too complicated, but I want to tell you what this camera is. This camera is the top of the line for Nikon prosumer cameras, so shows advanced features other cameras of its kind does not have. It is the last step before buying a professional digital camera, being professional an 'interchangeable lens SLR digital camera'. To fully understand this camera you should have owned 2 cameras before. 1) A 35mm SLR 2) An entry level digital camera if you have that background you'll find the 5700 just great, but if you don't, then you'll be stuck wondering what is an f stop or why you cannot (actually should not) send raw images by e-mail to your friends. Because its lenses cannot be interchanged they must be treated carefully. One of my next adquisitions will be the Nikon 5597 67MM FILTER ADAPTER RING, a 67mm UV filter and a 67mm lens cap. I would also recommend getting the 'Nikon Camera Case for Nikon Coolpix 5700 Digital Camera'
Rating:
Summary: Great Camera, not for everyone
Review: I recently purchased this camera. It is incredible, more than I was hoping for in my first "nice" digital camera. You MUST read the manual in order to be able to understand and use all of the features. Once you figure it out, this is a very versitle camera. I wont bother to list them in my review, read the Editorial Review for the details. Two cautions: First, dont expect the super fast focus you might be used to in a 35mm SLR, this camera does take its time when focusing, especially when it is not in bright light. Second, the compact flash that comes with the camera is not useful for anything. It will not hold more than 1-3 pictures when on the higher settings. It will hold about 10 picutures on the lower settings. If you buy this camera, but a 256 or 512 Compact Flash card along with it or you will be disapointed. This is a great camera as long as you arent trying for fast action shots requiring a quick focus time. I use this camera for 90% of the around the house photography of the kids and such. I also have a 35mm SLR that I use for the action shots though.
Rating:
Summary: Pricey, but Nice!
Review: I've had the camera for about 10 days. It's the second digital camera for me -- so I have something to compare it against. The first one was a FujiPhoto with very similiar features, but 2.3 Mpixels. If you haven't owned a digital camera I can see where you might think the Nikon is difficult to use. After having explored and used all the features, I give the Nikon an "A" for ease of use. The advantage is that the features most often needed are available through readily available buttons, thumbwheels, or a combination of the two as opposed to deeply nested screen menus. If all you want to do is shoot vacation photos, you shouldn't spend $$$$ for a camera. On the other hand, to take advantage of the camera you must spend a few hours with the manual and machine. The Nikon will reward you. The quality is noticeably better -- for at least two reasons. One, the Nikon has 5 Mpixels and then the Nikon glass is reputed to be very good. The lens seems to make for about 2/3 the size and weight of the camera. I'm not sure you would notice the difference between 3x5 photos taken at the company picnic, but get into the fine or high size and use the macro lens for closeup photos of flowers and the detail stands out. On the critical side I have a few comments. Someone else has mentioned the size of the review screen and I agree its a bit small -- smaller than the Fuji even. But then again it does swivel and the camera has a good viewfinder to boot. I've adapted to the size without problem. One annoyance I've found is having to reset the timer after each shot when shooting on the tripod. I don't do that very often -- and who knows, maybe there's a way to set it that I haven't discovered yet. This probably applies to most digital cameras, but for me some of the options are unneccessary (e.g., sharpness, contrast, etc.). I think the filters are better applied through photo software on the computer. I do like the noise reduction feature, though, for long exposures. It seems to do a better job erasing those little white spots than the computer. I like the camera and will enjoy using it. You'll need a case for all the pieces, a CompactFlash with at least 256Mb, and an extra battery. I also recommend a CompactFlash reader so you don't have to hook the camera to the computer and an SB-30 Nikon Speedlight flash. This small, additional flash will more than double your effective range since the camera will also use the internal one simultaneously if needed.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Machine
Review: I'm very impressed with this camera. Yes, the autofocus can take some time--luckily I'm not shooting any type of action. And it can hunt for quite a while in low light, but use of a tripod almost always fixes the problem. The lens is amazing. I've done a lot of still life work with the camera--just zooming in all the way from about 2 to 3 feet away, not even setting the camera in "macro" mode--and the quality of the resulting photographs is completely amazing. The Nikon 5700 is pricey, but it's because of the lens. The lens makes the camera worth the extra $$$. I did have one problem with the camera, which was it started dramatically over- or under-exposing after exposing 2 or 3 images. I was about to put it int he box and ship it back to Nikon for repair, when I decided to reset all the settings back to the factory defaults--which fixed the problem. Some reviewers have noted how the buttons onthe left side of the lens barrel are easy at accidentally press while shooting. Apparently that's what I did. The camera is very small and light, and I agree with many reviewers who say that it is too small/light. I purchased the optional battery pack. Not only does it let you use standard AA rechargables, it adds enough bulk to the camera to make shooting seem more "normal" for someone raised on Nikon SLRs. It also adds a second shutter release and zoom control for shooting in Portrait mode--doesn't sound liek a big deal until you use it, then you realize how completely cool it is, especially if you shoot as many portraits as me. Most of my photography is black-and-white. Not only does the Nikon 5700 let you take pictures directly in black-and-white, but because it uses a digital viewfinder, the can visualize your photographs in bakc-and-white before you take them! This is a very cool feature. Another feature I've found useful for portrait photography is the video cable that comes with the camera. Plug on end into the camera and the other end into your TV, and you can use your TV as a giant viewfinder to compose your photographs! Overall, the Nikon 5700 is a tremendous camera. It's not a camera for everyone, but I am extremely happy with my purchase.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow/confused auto focus
Review: I have always used Nikon 35mm SLR Cameras for my photography hobby and decided to go for a digital and bought coolpix 5700.
The camera takes great pictures, but too slow in focusing. it's got lot of features but takes too many buttons to set. while you are trying set up your camera you'll miss your shots. I been taking it mostly in manual mode because, I have hard time getting the correct exposure from program mode, so I use manual, shutter/apature priority.
My recommandation is if you are taking moving objects, the camera is way too slow (typical digital camera is slow but I find that it's slower than avg), but if you are taking non moving object such as landscape, it takes excellent pictures. my biggest frustration of using this camera is that it's way toooooooo slow. If I get the correct setting for picture in time, the picture quality is excellent, but main problems is setting the camera up correctly ( or I could in my learning curve).
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