Nikon Coolpix 5700 5MP Digital Camera w/ 8x Optical Zoom

Rating:
Summary: I love this camera!
Review: I simply love this camera. It has everything I want. I especially like to play with the shutter speed and aperture in Manual mode. This is when you can really get creative with your photos. Although in auto mode, it does a super job. I bought this camera for it's manual capabilities and the many accessories you can add to it. I strongly recommend to only buy Nikon accessories. They are pricier but you know you are not getting anything generic or substandard. I also highly recommend taking the time to learn it and read the manual. This way you will be able to use the camera to its full potential. Many of other reviewer's "frustration" come from the fact that they didn't take the time to learn the camera. Also, if you take it to your nearest camera dealer, they will be more than happy to show you it's many awesome features.

Rating:
Summary: Solid, good picture quality, but "old"
Review: If you are attracted to the Coolpix 5700 by the attractive price, you should keep in mind that this SLR-type digital camera first came out 2.5 years ago, which in digital photography chronology was more like the days when the dinosaurs roamed the earth.

The 5700 is by no means an incapable camera. It has 5 megapixels, 8x optical zoom (which gives a range of 35-280 in 35mm equivalent), a swivel LCD screen, and electronic viewfinder (EVF). EVF shows you what the lens sees, so this is an SLR-type camera, except the lens cannot be changed. The built-in Nikkor lens is actually very high-quality and is designated ED by Nikon: the ED stands for extra-low dispersion, refering to the high-quality glass used to make the lens.

The lens, in fact, is the best part of the 5700 at the after-rebate price: if you want to get a professional-quality zoom lens for a low, low price, the 5700 gives you a lot of bang for the buck, so you are basically getting a capable 5MP digital camera for free. On the other hand, the 5700 is showing its age in other departments: auto-focus capability (esp. problematic in low light situations), processing speed, shutter lag, etc. More recent models such as the Coolpix 8400, 8700 and 8800 have better functions and are better supported by Nikon, and also have better picture quality plus more pixels. (Remember: pixel count does not equal picture quality, just like hard drive capacity has nothing to do how fast a computer is.)

In summary, while the 5700 was top-of-the-class two years ago when I first played with it -- and its professional zoom lens is fantastic -- it's showing its age as a digital camera and is effectively a discontinued model. If you want an SLR-type digital camera, consider the newer Coolpix 8400, 8700 and 8800 or the latest G-series from Canon or other similar cameras from Fujifilm or Konica Minolta.

On the other hand, for semi-serious photography without spending too much money, the after-rebate 5700 makes a terrific value.

Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money on this one.
Review: Please don't buy this camera. This camera has the WORST auto focus you can imagine. I have used Canon EOS for over a decade. Maybe that is why I believe this camera is sub-standard. For indoor pictures, it takes a few seconds after you press the shutter to take the picture. Try to get a good picture of a young child with a camera like that! Even my 3MP Kodak takes better photos indoors than this one.

Rating:
Summary: Coolpix 5700 - paperweight
Review: This camera stopped working after 2 months. (no image in viewfinder or display) Sent into Nikon Service, returned 3 weeks later with $0 invoice for Coolpix 4300 repair, stamped "Beyond Repair". I had to contact technical support and have them track down why no repair was made. They told me that there was "moisture damage" and therefore not covered under warrenty. Believe me when I tell you, this camera never got wet or even used in rainy weather. I now have a $650 paperweight and would never buy anything made by Nikon. BEWARE!

Rating:
Summary: Great Results, Inadequate Flash, Difficult Service!!!
Review: My family fulfilled a dream Christmas, 2003 when they gave me the Nikon Coolpix 5700. Upsides: 1. This camera delivers fantastic results. 2. It feels good in the hand. 3. It's compact for its power. 4. Good price for the quality. Downsides: 1. The built-in flash is a joke. It's way under-powered. 2. The digital zoom is also a joke...obviously added only to be competitive on marketing comparison lists. 3. Nikon Service is structured in such a way that it's almost impossible to talk to a person and the back-and-forth of impersonal response forms with no person's name on them and no phone number is enough to make me move to another company's product line for my next camera.

On the last day of our trip in June, 2004, to Yellowstone National Park, my Coolpix 5700 stopped powering up. When we got home, I logged onto the www.nikonusa.com and followed the links to warranty service. After shipping my baby off to Nikon, I received one of those form letters in the mail, informing me that the repair would cost $203.00 dollars and listing -$203.00 warranty allowance with a net of $00.00. No additional information of any kind about the problem. (In other words..."Trust us") At the bottom of the form were instructions for logging in to nikonusa.com and approving the repair. Ok...since there are no charges, they're going to sit on my camera and not repair it until authorized to do so? Exactly why did they think I sent it to them anyway? So I logged in and clicked in the approval checkbox. The window went away and gave me no response of any kind either there or in email to indicate acknowledgement of the approval. So what if the web connection malfunctioned?...or the programming was less than stellar? How would I know except that my camera would never be repaired? A week later, I received my baby in the mail...took it out of the box and read the included form (yes, another form with no contact name). It said two boards had been replaced. I turned it on and it came alive! I tried to take a photo...but couldn't!!! because they obviously had not tested it and the entire panel of adjustment buttons on the left side of the camera were non-functional!!! At this point, I'm not very happy. There was an 800 number on the form returned with the camera and I actually was able to speak with a live person and explain the problem. She was wonderful and sent me a pre-paid shipping form in email.

I sent it back (per instructions) and am right back where I started with trying to get some response or information out of the nameless corporate entity.

SUMMARY: I love my camera...I hate the way the Service web pages have been programmed and the protective walls that have been put up to prevent me from talking with a live person. Dear Nikon...if you won't talk to me, just who do you think is going to buy your next camera line?

Rating:
Summary: Internal flash stopped working
Review: After a few months, the internal flash on my 5700 stopped working. I've been researching this issue on the web and I am definitely not the only one who has this problem. Getting this problem fixed by Nikon will cost you $250 - $300. I was not a big user of the flash in the first place but it is a huge disappointment to have a problem with such a basic feature on a "prosumer" camera. I have also had miserable results with the auto-focus in low light conditions. This is another common complaint about this camera. Now I wish that I had bought a Canon.

Rating:
Summary: One big failing
Review: Takes great pictures, but its one big failing is that its painfully s-l-o-w power up and focus makes it useless for candid people shots. My cheap little Casio digicam is three times faster on the draw. I kept Coolpix for a couple of months and then got rid of it. I lost too many shots.

Rating:
Summary: Nikon Coolpix 5700--very pleased
Review: Bought this camera from Amazon in April, 2004. Had used only 35mm SLR's before--this was my first digital and was highly recommended by a friend. For the price (I did get the $150 rebate) I think it is EXCELLENT after using it for 4 months. And I haven't begun to use many of the advanced things it will do.

Rating:
Summary: Great Camera
Review: I love my coolpix camera. It is very easy to use and close to professional quality. Great Job Nikon!

Rating:
Summary: Nice, but could be better for the money
Review: I've had the camera about a year, and have used it extensively for nature photography with good success, particularly for macro work. The swiveling viewscreen is particularly useful for shooting stuff close to the ground (bugs and flowers, usually), and the long zoom is great for animal and bird shots. I usually shoot in jpeg mode at the highest resolution, with 128 mb of memory.

There are a few deficiencies, things that should be better in in a camera that's that expensive:

The lens could be sharper, especially at long zoom settings. Comparing similar shots from another long zoom digital that sells for half the price, the cheaper camera was noticably sharper.

Battery life is poor, less than half the life I get with another camera that uses four NIMH AA's.

Both the viewfinder and view screen could be brighter. When shooting in sunlight, it's pretty much a guessing game to compose a shot. I've resigned myself to shooting lots of exposures and sorting them out after downloading to the computer.

Autofocus doesn't work very well in macro mode, and, with the dim viewscreen, manual focus is pretty much impossible.

I still like the camera, it's excellent for family pictures, scenics, and the more mundane stuff, but comes up a bit short when you push its capabilities. More and more I'm using the other digital camera I own for macro work (it has a dedicated super macro mode), and get about an 80 percent yield of acceptable pictures, compared to maybe 50 percent with the Nikon 5700.