Rating: 
Summary: This camera will drive you insane!
Review: I read the user warnings: impossible low light autofocus, poor manual focus with no distance indicator, battery eater, buttons on the side can't be found when you need them but always hit by accident, no filter threads. I thought, "It's a Nikon. Must be operator problems." I was wrong.This camera has a good flash and works well with Nikon external flash units, but there's a catch. The camera will not focus under conditions when you normally need a flash! No focus assist light, and the manual focus...you've got to be kidding: Hold down a button on the side of the camera while turning a knurled wheel on top. Under really bright conditions, you can sort-of tell when the image is in focus, but under those conditions, you probably don't need manual focus. If you think maybe you'll just estimate the distance under dim light and dial it in, well guess what? The focus distance indicator is a bar which slides between a flower and a mountain. How's that for precision measurement! Yep, it eats batteries. Buy two spares ($$ ouch!) and a rapid charger plus a car adapter. You'll always have batteries on you mind when you use this camera. You can turn off Continuous Autofocus and reduce battery drain, and noise, significantly, though. I found a press-on adapter for $25 to use standard threaded filters. That helped, but should not have been necessary on a $900 camera. And just wait till you hit the file type button by mistake--and discover you've changed from Fine (JPEG) to RAW, and have to wait 45 seconds for the 15MB file to save to CF, while you scratch your head trying to figure out what happened. Yes, the menus are a little complex and mastering the extensive feature set may take a while, but that's to be expected with this many features, although some would be better placed for quick access. Built-in macro focusing is good, too, but an aperture smaller than F8--at least F11 or F16--might give the depth of field you need for close-up photography. The 8:1 zoom is nice, with 35mm equivalent of 280mm, but the wide angle end is weak with only 35mm wide angle instead of the more usefull 28mm equivalent. And given the price of this camera, image stabilization should be included for hand-holding the telephoto zoom. But it's the low light focus that will drive you screaming into the night. A helper pointing a small flashlight or a laser pointer at your subject will help the camera to focus (you'll get used to the Canon people laughing at you), but you'll still be guessing on the composition, since the viewfinder display goes nearly black in low light. If Nikon could at least update the firmware to display manual focus distance in feet--that would be a help, but just try and contact anyone interested! You get referred to the incredibly lame FAQs and "knowledge base" every time! If you really want the precision framing of TTL viewfinders on a digital, save your money for a true digital SLR.
Rating: 
Summary: Nikon CoolPix 5700 Way Way Above Average!
Review: I owned a Nikon N70, then switch to digital Kodak DC4800. Both are excellent camera of its class. Now I switch to Nikon Coolpix 5700, and realized this is THE camera to own if money is no object. Nikon's metering system with build-in speed light create excellent night time pictures. The focusing is excellent at daytime, and a little slower at night, but by manually adjusting the ISO setting, Apeture and shutter speed, you can easily get an excellent night time picture. The size of the camera is bigger than most compact, but much smaller than most SLR camera. Easily held with just one hand, comfort grib, and the magnesium alloy body is professionally built.
The lens, oh man, the lens, is the best feature because of Nikon's ED lens, 8x optical zoom, this camera can easily shoot sporting event pictures with ease. The 5-megapixel prints are unbelieveable. The best thing about a high mega-pixel camera is that you take the picture, you CROP the picture down, and it's still so detail and clear.
I have always kept my Nikon N70, even when I was using the kodak DC4800. Now, I can truly say that I will be selling my Nikon N70, and my two lens, because the new Nikon Coolpix 5700 replace the performance of my Nikon N70, and it's 8x zoom lens is almost the equivalent of my 35-80mm and 70 to 300mm lens.
Keep in mind that this camera does consume power, a fully charged battery will only last about 70 minutes, because both the LCD display or the eletronic viewfinder consume power.
Unfortunately, I brought my Nikon 5700 from a New York retailer that sent me a japanese model, but it's still the same camera, only that if it breaks down, Nikon will now repair it, even if you want to pay cash for the repair. Therefore, if you worry about camera breaking down, you have to make sure it's a USA model. One last thing, there are too many features the camera have for me to mention here. The most important point is that this camera has all major control of a profession SLR if you want to use it, it also can be fully automated to take picture with your worry. Its size to to big at all to carry for a 10 days even thought its not as small as other digital camera. Its lens has a great optical zoom range that will let you capture details photographs. And the quality, the workmanship of this camera is first class all the way.
Rating:
Summary: No Problems
Review: My first digital camera. At first I was a little overwelmed with all the buttons but after a few hours of reading it finally made sense. Most of that was my denseness. I am more than happy with quality of pictures. Still learning but that is all part of the game. Have shot in very low light and pictures come out with great definition and color. Thank-you Nikon. 1st rate camera.
Rating:
Summary: One terrific camera
Review: Although I am pretty familiar with Nikon's digital controls having owned a Coolpix 880, I recommend spending some time with the instruction manual: Not because I think the camera is that complicated, but so that you can fully appreciate what the 5700 can do! This is an excellent camera if you really want a digital SLR but can't justify the cost; the 5700's electronic viewfinder behaves like a true SLR while the 8x optical zoom (not digital, which is nearly worthless) covers most lens focal lengths. I love my film cameras (also Nikon), but there are many advantages to owning a digital camera. Not only can you see your results right away, but the digital nature has some cool advantages - want to shoot in B&W? Don't change film, just change a camera setting. The viewfinder in the 5700 will also show in B&W! That's pretty cool. At a decent resolution with moderate compression, I can get 1,100 images on a ... 256 MB card. Yes, that's one thousand one hundred - at a quality that will produce a very decent 8x10 print. How many rolls of film is that? Of course the Nikon quality is exceptional, from the ED glass in the optics to the very strong alloy body. I do not feel that the size is too small, but I do find the positioning of the right camera strap a wee bit awkward. If you do consider digital, with the 5700 or not, I do recommend buying extra memory cards - the prices are low and the 16 to 32 MB cards that usually come with the camera will fill too quickly, especially if you want to use the full 5 MP resolution. Also, battery life is a problem. Buying those ... lithium batteries for the 880 (same battery as the 5700) nearly bankrupted me until I bought Nikon's rechargable battery system (which the 5700 comes with - kudos to Nikon). Buy an extra battery or two - you will not regret it! Indeed, shell out the bucks for the 5700, you won't regret that either.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely awesome.
Review: The Coolpix 5700 is my 5th digital camera (3rd Nikon) - and no previous camera compares. The 8:1 zoom alone is worth the price of admission (it's what I'd been waiting for.) Until this camera I had a firm rule of no camera without an optical viewfinder. I had seen too many digital camera users stuck in very bright or very low light, unable to use their cameras. I warily decided to make an exception based on the fact that in addition to other compelling features of this camera - e.g., 8:1 zoom, 5 megapixels - I got through-the lens-viewing, albeit electronic. Well, this electronic viewfinder is so good that in my opinion this camera really is an SLR. In fact, I don't know why they can't call it that. It does have viewing through the lens, whether there's a flip-up mirror or not. I would imagine terminology will eventually change to allow such cameras to be called "Electronic SLRs." I disagree with other reviews I've read that talk about a steep learning curve. I found learning this camera rapid and intuitive. Especially if you've used any of the previous Coolpix models, you'll find everything just where you would expect it to be, but more refined and elegant than in previous models. It is very easy to navigate the menus and to set up. And of course in the default full-auto mode it works just like any point-and-shoot. There's no reason anyone can't pick up this camera and use it right out of the box. A reason why I haven't bought any previous high-end digital SLR was a concern about size and weight. I had to have a camera I could carry around my neck for bicycle touring. Pictures I'd seen of the Coolpix 5700 made it look rather large and heavy. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's virtually the same size and weight as my previous Coolpix 995 - like a compact 35mm camera. It also is the easiest to grip and manipulate of any camera I've owned - it seems to cling to your hand. I love the easy shutter release button. A complaint about previous Coolpix's was that for me pressing the overly stiff and "clicky" shutter release button would cause the camera to move. No so with the 5700. I love the fact that there is a large, REAL lens cap, cleverly designed so that it simply moves out with the zoom if you forget to take the cap off before power-up. I also like the real hot flash shoe. This camera's a winner - the best of any I've had.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent camera with a steep learning curve
Review: Before you begin reading, if you are thinking of buying the 5700 or the 8700. Don't. The Nikon D70 is out and nothing can compare to a true SLR. If you still want to read go ahead. Having shot close to 5,000 pictures with this camera, take my word for it, the Coolpix 5700 is an excellent camera. It does however have a few limitations which stop me from recommending it whole heartedly. Lets start with the negatives first. 1. At anything above ISO 200 film speed the pictures start showing a lot of noise (this however is true with almost all digital cameras). However if you get a regular sized printout of your picture the noise is not that apparent, blowing up the picture is another matter though. Also if you're always going to keep the camera on auto mode, you need not worry about this problem, the folks at Nikon know the limitations of the camera and don't let it go into higher film speed modes in automatic mode.
2. The enormous amounts of options, menus, buttons etc. can be bewildering at first. Again if you're only pointing and shooting on auto mode, this is not that worrisome a problem. And honestly i bought the camera specifically because it had so many options! Having said that Nikon could have found better ways to get to the most useful options quickly. This camera almost rules out spontaneous picture taking because by the time you've set it up the way you want it, the moment is long gone.
3. The 32 MB card included with the camera is way too small. 256 MB would have been better. IBM's 1GB Microdrive is best.
4. In low light conditions the Coolpix gets confused and finds it hard to focus quickly. Migrating from a film based SLR (also a Nikon) I found this problem to be a bit annoying. Also the Coolpix is not happy taking action or sports shots which require quickness from the camera.
5. Like any other camera, digital zoom is just marketing nonsense. It almost always makes the picture worse, buy the telephoto lens if you need more zoom. But with an 8X zoom lens (35-280 mm equivalent), you really won't need anything else. Having pointed out all the negatives let me just say now that the camera is excellent. The picture quality is awesome, and if you are really into photography, playing with all the options available in the user modes is great fun. I personally have one mode set up for Black & White pictures, another one for continuous picture taking and the third one for manually adjusting the aperture and shutter speeds. The other digital camera I own is a Minolta Dimage F100. Even though that is a great little camera its biggest fault is the fact that it uses up batteries like there's no tomorrow. With the Nikon that problem is solved by the rechargable EN-EL1 battery, which can operate for about 2 hours continuously and can take about 150 pictures on one charge. I was put off with EVF (Electronic viewfinder) initially, as it cannot compare to an SLR's view. But i've gotten used to it overtime and i find that it actually works quite well. And there's always the option to use the highly adjustable LCD monitor at the back. Ultimately, the best thing about the 5700 is ofcourse the versatility that only a digital camera can provide. You take a picture, look at it, say ah-ah this is not exactly what i wanted, tweak the settings try again, and so on, until you get that perfect picture. In summary, the Coolpix 5700 has all the goodies you'd expect from one of the best camera manufacturers in the world. Don't buy it as a replacement for an SLR because it isn't (though it comes close). It is simply the best prosumer digital camera out there, and in my case it has made me a better photographer than i ever was before. I think that should be praise enough.
Rating:
Summary: I really like this camera!
Review: I've only had the camera two days, but I'm already enjoying it. I was a little nonplussed to have buttons on the side that are on the back of my 995, but the focus is better, and it takes closeups (at the farthest focal length without going past what's between the W----T. I learned with the 995, and this one is the same, that if you go to 1X, 2X or 4X, etc., you'd better have the camera on a tripod. My 995 doesn't go on a tripod, and it doesn't even have a place to plug in a remote control switch, so I'm glad that this one does. :) I'm going to enjoy this camera very much.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best digicams available...
Review: Yes, this camera has flaws. It is not perfect. It has problems with low light. The buttons on the side can be hard to use, and it can be difficult to find the right one when you do want to use them. But this is still one of the very best digicams on the market, for any amount of money. Nikon has introduced a new 8700 model, but I am not yet convinced that it's actually better -- higher number of pixels doesn't help, if the quality of the pictures is worse (so far, the jury does not yet seem to have come back with a verdict on that issue). Nikon also has their D1 and D2 series now (true professional SLRs, with the D2H being the first ever that is truly suitable for professional sports photographers), as well as the D70. But for prosumers, being able to see the picture on the LCD display as you are framing the shot, is very, very important. It's also important to be able to see the display when you are holding the camera at odd angles. The Canon 300D (a.k.a., Digital Rebel) is a good entry-level digital SLR, and is the first to allow you to see the picture on the LCD display as it is being framed. But the display doesn't flip out and twist, unlike almost all the other truly successful prosumer digicams. If/when Nikon can come out with an SLR camera with the kind of resolution of the D70 (and the ability to change lenses, etc... like all SLRs), but with a flip-n-twist LCD display like the 5700/8700, they will permanently take the market back from Canon. Until then, you have to ask yourself which features you want more than others.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful: digital, but easy to use and understand
Review: After years of happiness with a Nikon SLR, I decided to go digital at last. But I had great fear that the camera would be like my home-heating control or an early digital watch, i.e. that you had to carry a fat manual around just to figure out how many times some button had to be pushed to make basic commands. All I can say is, this camera was superbly designed in a user-interaction sense: the software/hardware mix is far better that in computers. It is all common sense! Thus, this camera is a joy to use and far more economical than my old SLR. The quality of the pictures is also excellent, at 5 megapixels even more detailed than an analogue photo. I have now experimented with the camera in many conditions and I must say that it focuses quickly and easily - really a joy to use. And it is much lighter than my old SLR and so easier to carry for long periods. About the only thing that is a problem is how fast it eats batteries - I would definitely recommend getting the rechargeable battery set. Highest recommendation. Though more expensive than other models, you are purchasing the Ducati of cameras! I think it is a design masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: I love this thing!
Review: I received this camera for Christmas and I've had a ball with it. It does have a serious learning curve to it because it has so many whistles and bells. I don't understand all of the complaints about low light. I have taken about 40 and they've turned out great! My batteries last me a good long time-probably because I can't get used to taking a picture from the view finder. I tend to use the eye piece. The only complaint that I have is the speed with which it downloads a picture to the card when using the High or raw mode. I've found both of these modes-expecially high- take far better pictures but take 30-40 seconds to download it onto the card. It also takes them at 8" X 10" instead of 35" X 24" in the fine mode. (Is there even a printer out there that will print 35"?) We did buy a 512 mb card-very necessary on any camera. It's got a nice comfortable grip to it and weighs very little. Downloading them onto my computer is a snap! When I pull them up in Adobe Photoshop, they need little or no tweaking for quality. The autoflash is easily replaced by a sanp-on flash which would help eliminate any low light problems-if I have any. The zoom is amazing, although you do lose some quality-as you would with any camera.
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