Rating: 
Summary: I love this camera!
Review: I use it almost every day. I make images of the building that I'm building, beautiful macros, my dog, everything. Reading the manual is key, and even better (the best) is going to the Nikon School when it's in your area. I learned so much from that! With the automatic settings, it takes great shots, and when you learn to customize your settings, you can get fantastic images. I have an N6006, and an F3, and I think I'm going to sell them, I only use this camera. The only drawback in my mind is that it isn't true TTL, and the "larger" lcd display is dinky considering the price of the camera. But the compromise is OK. I've done everything from macro work to scenics. And with a good tripod, I've even merged shots into panoramics. I lovelovelove this little camera!
Rating:
Summary: For the advanced amateur or someone who wants to be one
Review: As many people have noted elsewhere, this is a camera for people who know about photography. The range of choices in the 5700 for exposure, contrast, focus and all the other things that affect the quality of a photograph, make it an excellent choice for the advanced amateur. None of the other prosumer digital cameras can match the 5700 in features. But I found it was also a great choice for a wanna-be prosumer like me, since the large number of choices allows one to learn about photography by firing away a hundred photos at different settings, then seeing how the choices affect the results (the EXIF data, which tells what exposure, contrast, shutter speed and a whole bunch of other settings were used in taking a particular photograph, are saved with each picture). Unlike similar strategies in the film camera world, this costs almost nothing, since the cost of taking a photo with a digital camera is about zero. Point and shoot is easy, but you don't learn anything when that is all you do. The weakest feature is low light focus (more accurately,low contrast focus). Weakest, that is, if the photographer does not know how to use some easy techniques to help solve it. Its not as bad as some would claim. Especially strong features to me are the general quality of the photos, the excellent macro (closeup) shot capability, the 8X telephoto capability, the relatively compact size, the continuous shot feature, which takes rapid multiple shots for as long as you keep the button pressed, the "best shot selector", which selects the sharpest photo out of many under adverse shooting situations and saves only that photo to the card (this is a feature found in no other camera) and auto "bracketing", which allows successive shots at different exposures when you don't know which exposure setting might be the best. I've had the camera for about 6 months now and taken thousands of pictures. Learned something about photography from almost every one...
Rating: 
Summary: Great, but some limitations
Review: This is my first digital camera, having used multiple Nikon film cameras over 40 years. The camera has four limitations: 1) in indoor lighting, autofocus "hunts" and "hunts"; 2) steep learning curve with a BIG manual REQUIRED reading; 3) no filters possible? VERY Strange; 4) proprietary battery, whose life with autofocus and fill-in speedlight available runs 30-40 minutes. Output quality even at normal setting is superb. With enough time and effort I'm confident I'll master the WEALTH of possibilities, but it is a complicated camera if one wishes to master the variety of options. Easy to use at auto-everything setting. Lots more control possible with various User Settings 1, 2, or 3. I'd recommend one or more 512 high-speed Compact Flash cards as a minimum, unless you stay mighty close to your computer, and I'd get at least three additional Nikon batteries. With time and effort, I've grown to love it, but it's not easy for a digital "newbie." Expect to spend a LOT of time in a complicated menu system and a LOT of time with your nose in the rather poorly written manual. For a MUCH better manual, buy Dennis P. Curtin's "Short Course in Nikon CoolPix 5700 Photography." The printed format is B&W, but the included CD allows one to print the whole manual in color [.pdf file] and/or a 14-page "cheat sheet" that greatly simplifies the confusing controls on this VERY capable camera.
Rating:
Summary: Almost perfect
Review: First off let me say that the camera is amazing. The pictures are better than any digital pictures I have seen before. I would have given this camera six stars if Nikon had done two things differently: 1. Put a bigger flash card with it. They include a 16MB card with it. That is a joke for a camera like this; they should have included at least a 64MB card. I would recommend at least a 256MB card. In RAW format your pictures are over 14MB! I know not many people are going to take a 14MB picture; I like to use the fine setting, which averages out to about 1.5MB apiece. 2. The batteries stink. They last about 90 mins which isn't that bad, what is so annoying is that they are not standard batteries. Replacement batteries retail for about 50. (Although Amazon sells them for much less.) I want AA!!! (They make an add-on that allows you to use AA but that will set you back a pretty penny too.) For as much money as this camera cost I would expect it to be a little more consumer friendly. All in all it is a great camera and I would recommend purchasing to everyone. Just keep in mind you will need to buy a larger flash card and at least one more battery.
Rating:
Summary: Nikon 5700, first 1000 pictures
Review: I have owned this camera for 6 months and find its picture quality superb. The ability to preprogram for certain functions such as cloudy lighting, movie mode, and a third incandescent light ( you can program many other features easily yourself) all easily accessible through the turn of a dial, are wonderful to have. Accessing the macro function is also readily accessible. I mad 700 pictures in the Galapagos islands, and having 5 mega pixels to crop and enlarge to make great 8X10 pictures that are really wonderful. The movie function with sound is much better than my Nikon 880. the 8X zoom functioned well. Comparing my photos with those of my fellow travelers, I think the colors are more saturated and clearer. Reading the instruction manual is important to use all the features of this camera. Battery life is shorter than I would like. Focusing when there is not much light and at times for close-ups is slow. Since I had read about this from others, I was prepared and accepted it. I have not tried manual focusing yet. Taking pictures of fast moving objects is possible, but difficult, as with most non-professional digital cameras. I enthusiastically recommend this camera.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome feel, size, and features
Review: This camera is awesome. While contemplating either going up to a digital SLR or not, I discovered the 5700. After holding the unit in my hands, I fell in love with it. The functions are amazing, not missing many functions of SLR digitals. However, because of the point-and-click ability, the camera functions and its small size, it functions as my everyday camera as well as my portrait camera during my professional jobs. Although it lacks the "professional" look of a big, bulky SLR camera, my results are arguably equivalent to those made with my film-based SLR. I would highly, highly recommend this camera.
My only complaint is the lengthy time that it takes to write to the disk. I understand that it is not extremely lengthy for digitals, but I see that as the main drawback in my experience of digitals against analog, film-based photography. However, my write speed has significantly been increased by use of Viking cards rather than SanDisk (very slow media) cards.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the $
Review: This little camera was one of the best investments I made for my business (I publish a small newspaper in rural WA). I wanted something I could carry in my purse, since I like to have a camera with me at all times. It's lightweight, easy to handle (I have been able to take pictures while hanging onto my notebook, a pen, and a plate of food) and isn't so obtrusive that people think "oh, so the press is here" the moment I walk in the room. The high res is great--nobody believes me when I tell them we use a digital camera, and we enlarge a lot of shots.
The 8x zoom allows me to be part of the crowd--I can hang back and don't have to get in someone's face to get decent shots. I've also found it useful for wildlife photography for the same reason.
Complaints? Yeah, the card is too small, you'll need another battery, and you'll probably need to read the manual, and refer to it often, especially if you use a bigger speedlight or wide angle lens.
Another reviewer says the small LCD display is too small--but I use mine all the time. The compactness of the unit probably dictated that the screen be on the small side--a worthwhile sacrifice, in my opinion. Being able to see what shots I've got has saved me a lot of time, and you can also use the screen as a viewfinder if you can't have the camera right next to your face.
For my needs, it's been a perfect match and I've been quite impressed with it.
Rating:
Summary: Close to perfect, expensive, a few flaws.
Review: Takes excellent pictures usually. If the picture is not perfect, it is usually a focus problem. The swing out LCD is too small, low res and nearly worthless. The electronic viewfinder could be better. If you want to use the manaul focus its hard to tell when you have it focused accurately because the viewfinder isnt very sharp and there are no measurements (feet or meters) of distance, just a sliding bar. Zoom lens is great. Macro mode (close ups) is outstanding. No low light flash assist. You will need an extra battery and a bigger memory card so put that in your budget if you go for this expensive baby!
If you can live without the 8x zoom lens, there are probably better choices where you can get more camera for less money. Otherwise just bite the bullet and try not to whine too much like I do.
Rating:
Summary: My impression after a few days
Review: Here is a short summary of my experience with the camera the last few days. For starters, this camera has an enormous feature set. For a relative beginner like myself I had to read the entire manual - carefully. You can take it out of the box using the default settings and take fantastic pictures however I ran into a number of issues until I started reading. The camera battery charges in about 2 hours - which is great. The battery was only lasting about 70 minutes at first but after asking someone why it was "clicking" all the time I found out it has a default setting of continuous auto-focus. This keeps the image in the viewfinder sharp but is much harder on the battery. I changed the setting to focus only when I press the shutter release halfway down and now get about 90 minutes battery life. I initially had a problem with the auto focus not locking on in low light. After changing a couple settings it is much better. Tonight I finally tried out the picture previews. Looking through the viewfinder, I found a photo I took where I wasn't sure if the subject had closed their eye's or not. They were standing a short distance away and on the small LCD I couldn't tell. Once the picture was selected, I used the zoom feature and went in for a close up. I could see, plain as day that it was a keeper. Some people might not consider this a big deal however at a family reunion or similar special occasion you want to know if you need to get another while there's still a chance. I will also point out that while I scrolled through the images and zoomed in (still in preview mode) they were very responsive. I expected some lag while panning around but it was trivial. The Electronic View Finder seems kind of strange to me however I'm rapidly growing accustomed to it. I've heard you can have trouble getting "action" shots with it due to the lag behind real life and it updating. The delay seems to be about 1/20th of a second. Since you can lock the focus for a distance you expect something to happen and select a program to compensate for your choice of a faster shutter speed, I haven't had a problem with sports. I actually find it easier than an SLR. I've never been able to manually rotate that stupid focus ring in time to catch anything. This is similar - prefocus approximately where it's going to happen. The auto focus takes about 1 second in well lit areas but might hunt if it's too dark, zoomed in too far or a combination of both / contrast. I've heard a few people complain that the eyelet on the right side jabs them in the palm when holding the camera. I'm not sure where they grab it but I found that it fits perfectly in front of the webbing of my index and middle finger - doesn't touch. Also on the left side there are a series of buttons on the lens housing. I've never come close to bumping these. It never occurred to me to hold it that way. With my left hand I support the camera with my thumb and index finger from the bottom, centered under the lens. To use the buttons I rotate my thumb up. The flash is centered well above the center of the lens. I believe this contributes significantly to the near elimination of red-eye. I don't think I've caught even a trace of it so far. Also the red eye option from the flash menu actually lights up a white light on the camera positioned just below the shutter release and power switch. This has also worked well and avoids the "strobe" effect of the flash prior to actually firing. I always thought that was annoying. My only complaint with the camera is that it doesn't have a factory option to use filters. There are third party products to get around this, most notable is device that screws into the tripod bracket and has an adjustable arm that sticks out in front of the camera and will hold a filter in front of the lens. I haven't purchased one yet, but plan to. Before spending the kind of cash that this one is going to set you back, go to a local store and feel one in your hands. I think it's a fantastic piece of engineering, built very solid with the largest feature set I've seen in a single camera (without cutting corners). If you make a living with your camera then I'm sure you will find it's missing some spinbobulator that just doesn't cut it in your case however it's a lot of fun to use and will satisfy the needs and growth of almost anyone that doesn't truely require the giant step up to a D-SLR.
Rating: 
Summary: Built in flash doesn't work!!!
Review: I request a change of the first camera because the built in flash did not work,the same thing happened with the replacement, Nikon service suport center answered me saying that I have to send the camera for repairment!! I am returning back because that camera has a big problem with the built in flash!!! I recommend not to buy this camera, DIGITAL COOLPIX 5700 FROM NIKON.
| 
