Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful. Worth the investment in time (& money).
Review: I have been using the Coolpix 5000 for the past few weeks, just enough time to shoot 1,000+ photos. My 3rd Nikon and 1st digital, it's lived up to my expectations: I've been more than pleased with the quality of the images, my ultimate criterion. While you'll hear a lot of wasted drivel on feature A,B,C and comparisons with model X,Y,Z, you need to decide what you're trying to achieve before investing this much on a new gadget. If you want to capture quality digital images for selected printing in 8x10 sizes or larger - and are willing to invest the time in learning how to make that happen - then this could be the camera for you.This is no simple point-and-shoot, which explains why some users have been apprehensive. Personally, I prefer the multitude of options it offers, including these (all of which I have used so far):
- Ability to manually override nearly every automatic setting, including: exposure mode (S,A,P,M), focus distance, AF focus areas (5), flash level compensation, sharpening, white-balance, etc.
- ISO sensitivity from 100 to 800, manual or auto, enabling hand-held shooting indoors
- Spot, center-weighted, and matrix (256 segment) metering
- Hot shoe to connect external flash for more lighting options
- Wide angle lens (28mm equivalent) is wider than most 'standard' lenses on similar cameras
- 3 User Set configurations let you adjust quickly to different shooting situations/styles
- Shutter speeds short (up to 1/2000s) or long (8 sec) If you do like novel features, then don't worry, you'll also get red-eye reduction, self-timer, movie mode (QuickTime up to 60sec @ 15fps, 320x240) and "best shot selector". Rumor has it BSS is a cool feature that rattles off 3 frames and stores only the 'best' - the one with the most information, i.e., sharpest & best exposed (but I haven't used it). I did like discovering after I played back the first movie that the camera even has a built-in speaker for audio during playback. I also like the ability to zoom into images up to 6.0x during viewing to examine carefully whether you captured what you wanted. The buttons and menu settings, while overwhelming at first, really are intuitively designed - once you've figured out a feature, you don't have to keep returning to the manual. I've been really pleased with the images I've captured so far. Fleshtones are realistic, sharpness of images is pleasing (not excessively sharp, or 'digital'), and metering is accurate. There's plenty of data to work with in the 5 megapixel images, which I shoot in FINE .jpg mode yielding a 1.5-2.0 MB image at 2560x1920 pixels. The lens glass on the CP5000 is the largest of the Coolpix's so far, which probably explains the higher image quality. The typical 'knocks' on the CP5000, and my opinion:
-"85mm is too short!": so is 200mm. If you want to shoot models on South Beach, get an SLR and a 400mm lens instead.
-"32mb CF card is too small!": if you rely on only one CF card, you shouldn't be spending this much on a digital camera.
-"images are soft!": I prefer mine stirred, not sharpened, and do the rest in Photoshop. If you let the camera over-do it for you, there's no getting back the lost/interpolated data.
-"battery life's too short!": you'll run out of card space first (I use 128mb CF). You just spent a grand - stop whining and buy a 2nd battery. So, what are its real "issues"?
- No way to screw in a UV/protection filter. For some reason, Nikon opted not to put threads over the glass. You have to buy the lens attachment mount (UR-E5) and attach filters to it. An inconvenience, since you can't replace the lens and really should protect it with a clear filter.
-It's slow to autofocus, especially in low-light situations, as there is no AF-assist illumination. I generally use manual focus or set the Single AF mode in such situations, and it seems to work just fine.
-My indoor pictures using the built-in flash sometimes over-saturate the reds in fleshtones. I suspect this is because the bulb is a bit blue/green, and the white-balance logic on the camera over-compensates. I have kept the WB setting on "Auto", but I may fiddle with this a bit to see if another manual setting produces better results. When this has happened, I just tweaked the Saturation of Reds in Photoshop and they look fine.
- It feels smaller than it looks in the promo photograph. If you have big hands, you need to break the habit of groping the camera with your right hand. Otherwise, you'll cover the flash sensor and over- or under-expose your flash shots. Should you buy one? Qualified YES! It's not for everyone. You can pull it out of the box and start 'snapping photos', but you might end up with snapshots that you could have made with a cheaper alternative. If you give it a little time and really learn how - and when - to use its many features, then I think you will produce even better images than you'd imagined. You'll really like the CP5000 if:
-you like the convenience of Auto-Everything features, but want the creativity that only comes with Manual settings;
-you like the idea of plugging your CF memory card into an Epson/HP photo printer and spitting out snapshots, but you'd prefer to 'tweak' them yourself in an image editor like Photoshop.
-you can't afford a digital SLR right now, but you can't wait to start experimenting with digital photography I like it, and I think you will, too. Make an informed decision, and be sure that whatever you buy is the right tool for the job.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Digital
Review: Having read some of the negative reviews, I had a difficult time believing that I owned the same camera. I wanted something small, and I knew digital was right for me in spite of some of its limitations. I have had the camera for about a month and have taken over 1000 pictures involving indoors, outdoors, scenery, people, home interiors and animals. I couldn't be happier with the flexibility and results. Yes, I have taken extra pictures and wasted several... why not when you can "throw away" anything that doesn't please you. The colors, clarity and resolution are nothing short of wonderful. Yes, I purchased a larger memory card, but I knew that was a necessity with any digital... High resolution takes a lot of memory. The cameral travels well and with an extra battery, or two, the daily usages is limitless. On a recent trip when others were changing film, I was taking pictures of things they were missing, including photgraphing sea-turtles at a fair distance. This is where the digital telephoto worked very well. In bright light, the flexible screen, which is otherwise perfect, doesn't function, but that is to be expected. It came in very handy though when I was in a group of people and wanted to take a picture by raising the camera above the crowd. I am a very happy user of my new Coolpix 5000.
Rating:
Summary: Who should buy Nikon Coolpix 5000
Review: Anyone who values the following:
1. Portability - the compact solid construction is a bundle of joy. Also makes candid picture taking very easy - people tend to ignore smaller cams but react differently to a large SLR pointing at them.
2. 28- 85 mm lens - contrary to most people pitcing their money for longer zooms, the wider angle is more used in daily life - try shooting your birthday party at home with 35-100 mm zooms -they are useless. No other 5 Megapixel cam has this!
3.Low light and night scenes - with the new Rev 1.7 firmware the low light performance of the LCD is amazingly improved. I got some very good shots in moonlight with full preview of the framing. Set the focus to infinity and switch on the noise reduction.
4. Macro - retains most of Nikons heritage of Coolpix 900 series - but focusiing again can be slow if you are trying to capture a restless bee.
5. Lots of special functions - Best Shot selector for sharpest photos, White balance bracketing, exposure bracketing. etc. But each change require fiddling with layered menus. So before going out for each session, program this into the user presets. For example - for landscape photography, I would program the two user presets for Matrix metering, spot metering and leave the third one for motion video. Things to watch out for:
1. Memory : Buy a good Type I disk for added memory - avoid [inexpensive] brands and microdrives (CF Type II)- they both drain the little battery in no time. I found both Transcend and Sandisk brands very good, while RI data - I would avoid.
2. Battery - good to outlast shooting a complete 128 Mb disk with display on. A second rechargeable battery should be on shopping list for serious photographers. To save power, I let the camera go to sleep mode with lens extended - a touch on the shutter brings the cam back to life quickly. The view finder is optical (not electronic) meaning you can use this to frame shots without the camera turned on.
3. Resolution : mostly returned very sharp photos. Auto ASA feature is very good -the noise in 800ASA setting was noticeable more when you process the shot for color levels - but thats with any cam. After lot of experimenting, I use UXGA setting with fine setting which gives me 1600 pixel shots with minimum JPEG artifacts. This is adequate for most work and A4 printing. I do switch to the highest size (or TIFF) if I feel I will need to post process the shot a lot.
4. Exposure : Since I take more landscapes, I tend to use the Aperture priority a lot. Most of the modes work very well. I program the user presets to toggle between Matrix metering and spot metering linked to focus.
5. If you dont like the builtin flash - you have to go in for pricey alternatives - Nikon 50DX costs a bundle and only the DX series work with digicams- more powerful Nikon flashes make a ridiculous combination with the little camera hanging from the brick of a flash unit! The flash does not auto zoom - you have do this manully from the flash controls. Leave the camera in program auto mode for standard indoor flash photos.
6. The cameras controls are menu driven and can be quite complicated if you are not a gadget freak. You will have to spend time to learn to navigate to get the best out of this cam.
7. The 3X telephoto adapter lens from Nikon is quite sharp but is of fixed focal length - meaning it does not zoom anymore and the camera need to preset at 1.3X Digital zoom. Soemone told me alternates from Olympus work quite well with special adapters. Summary : If you dont mind learning the menus and need a high performance in a small package - this the camera for you, especially for its 28 mm wide angle and swivel LCD monitor. Things to watch for :
1. Expensive accessories - flash, lens etc.
2. No standard rechargeable battery - must use Nikon.
3. Layered menu commands take time - long learning curve.
4. The focus lock on front of the camera difficult to operate.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice Pics, Frustrating Camera
Review: The photos I've taken with my Coolpix 5000 are pretty good, though it has a lot of trouble adjusting to indoor lighting, even with the $100 Nikon SB-30 flash attachment. But this can be a VERY frustrating camera to use. Besides the now-standard but always annoying delay built into virtually any piece of digital equipment (I thought digital was going to make things faster, not slower, didn't you?), the Coolpix 5000 will often just decide it's taken enough pictures for now, thank you very much, and it will do nothing more. I've gone over and over the instruction manual and can find no hint as to what to do in this situation. I am focused, I have checked lighting, I have my settings correct, I push the button...and then I push it again...and then I push it again, and then again, and again and again and again, and then I hold it down until my finger hurts, and then I just want to throw the stupid camera in front of an asphalt truck. Nothing happens. If I turn it off and then back on, nothing happens. If I turn it off and leave it alone for 24 hours, then it usually is ready to have fun again. Surprisingly, the kids have lost interest in posing for pictures and are getting a little cranky after waiting 24 hours for the camera to get its act together.
Rating:
Summary: Great pictures, but not without some problems in its use.
Review: There are some great things and not-so-great things about this camera. Most importantly, however, is the fact that the images are distinctly cleaner than the 990 (which I have spent a LOT of time with). Aside from the nearly double megapixel resolution (which is why I upgraded from the 990), Nikon has added a feature called, simply, "Noise Reduction (NR)" which does in fact make for a very nice image - particularly important if you intend on using the image for hi-res offset print. NR does tend to slow the transfer-to-memory process a little bit (hardly noticeable unless you need to quickly take the next picture) but the result is worth it. Color and contrast-wise, I've always been quite happy with the native Nikon digital images, pre-Photoshop (where I will manipulate them in a variety of other ways. I'm glad to not have to be conerned very much at all with adjusting the color). OK, so, in my estimation, the image quality is terrific and overrides many of the downsides. To someone else, though, the downsides may make a difference - so here are a few of my discontents:
• First of all, this is one itty-bitty camera. Great, perhaps, if you're traveling around taking "snaps" (I hate that word) to send off to friends over e-mail. But if you want to work your images in a "pro-sumer" sort of way - meaning you want to work with something that is intuitive in its setup and use under all conditions and ergonomic in such a way that helps facilitate top-notch results, this little camera leaves somewhat to be desired if you're not using a tripod. I have found that the controls are so tight together that it's actually difficult to hit the right ones without accidentally also hitting others. The view finder is so tiny that, believe it or not, you lose it completely if you shift your eye a mere fraction to either side. There is an LCD read-out panel to the right of the viewfinder (the one which, on the 900 series, is at the top of the camera) which is only 1/2 the size of the 900 series. Frankly, it's a little hard to read. • Nikon has incorporated a manual Focus/Exposure lock button on the front of the unit (customizable through the control panel settings) which must be pressed and held until the picture is taken. Ergonomically this is a very difficult thing to do if you find you want or need to change other settings after you've pressed the the lock button. I'm afraid fingers just don't naturally bend and distort the way Nikon requires them to in order to maintain this lock and use the same hand to make other settings. (It's not easy trying to use your other hand to help out, either - take my word for it.) A simple solution for Nikon is to make the button spring lock and release rather than requiring your hand to do the work. • Speaking of ergonomic problems, it's VERY easy to accidentally cover up the light metering eye with your hand in the simple process of holding the camera. BAD pictures result from this. Very bad. • If you turn on the camera (using the very small and hard-to-grasp on/off dial - again, half the size of the 900 series) and have the lens cap ON, the lens is not able to telescope outward (which it does by default) and this can cause trouble. Actually, I don't want to have to remove the lens cap when I'm simply transferring images to my computer anyway! By the way, you'll want to go to the Nikon website for a firmware upgrade related to this problem. • Regarding "red-eye", Nikon has gotton better at reducing/eliminating it, but they're not there yet. • If you have extra converter lenses for your 900 series, not all will fit the 5000. I personally use the WC-E63 wide angle lens quite often but now understand that it will NOT fit the 5000, step-down ring or not. I think the TC2x and 3x lens will fit, but you'll have to find step-down rings. I'm not sure about the FC-E8 Fisheye. Check the Nikon website for particulars. OK, enough complaining. Here are some more things I really like:
• The 5000 has a built-in hot shoe to fit many or most of the existing Nikon Speedlights. • The LCD image panel swings out and rotates to almost any angle. This really helps! • The NikonView 4 software is a MUCH IMPROVED upgrade from the version 3. • You can quickly go back and review your image(s) in either thumbnail or full screen size directly from the LCD image panel without having to change the command dial to "Play" mode. SUMMARY: Great pictures. Ergonomically and intuitively hard to get used to. I don't feel that Nikon was thinking in the right direction when they made such a technically good camera (image-wise) and then jammed it into this little tiny box. This, to me, represents a fair disappointment. The 900 series cameras were SO much easier to handle.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Camera For The money
Review: I bought one and I love it! The image quality that this little jewel produces is awesome. This one is fitted with a Nikkor 28-85 mm equivalent zoom lens and like all Nikkor lenses, it's sharp as a tack. The color saturation is fantastic and it takes great black and white shots as well (if you really want to have some fun get an infra red filter play around with it a bit). And it is absolutely fantastic with macro shots!!! As far as the image quality with the built-in flash (seems to be a gripe that some have expressed), I seem to get acceptable results if I set the white balance for flash photography; however, I've never seen a camera (digital or 35 mm) that has a built in flash unit worth raving about. For the best results, I'd suggest a good dedicated flash with a swivel head to support bounce flash. This camera will accept just about any Nikon flash unit. I haven't found the filter adapter to be much of an issue (with the exception of setting a polarizing filter). However, setting a polarizing filter is a pain on any rangefinder camera. The shutter release delay is a digital camera thing -- I work around it by depressing the shutter release half way in anticipation of the shot, then gently sqeezing a shot off at the right moment. The response is instantaneous. You just have to change some of the habits you learned from using 35mm. As far as the LCD in bright sunlight -- that is also a digital camera thing. You can buy a third party shroud that helps with this (or make your own). This brings me to several of my "nits" about the camera. The viewfinder is too small, and it you tend to get more in the image than you see through the viewfinder. This can mess up your composition in a quick shot. The power zoom is a bit slow, and I'd like a bit more zoom at the telephoto end of the focal range. But overall, I think the CoolPix 5000 is an excellent value. You just can't argue with the quality of the images that this little camera produces.
Rating:
Summary: Could be 5 stars.......
Review: with a better zoom. I have been very positive when reviewing Nikon's digital cameras, and I consider their optics the best. However, the 5000 disappoints me a bit; it's a very good camera and if someone were to just give you one, you'd have to be very, very pleased. But if you're laying out the cash, you might want to make some changes based on your priorities. The 5000 carries such a high price tag, in great measure, as a result of its spectacular 5.2 megapixel resolution. This offers, in short, is the ability to enlarge photos taken on the Nikon 5000 to poster size without their losing clarity. Basically, that's it; your standard 4" x 6" or even 5" x 7" enlargements aren't going to look any better than they would on a 3 megapixel camera with similar optics. However, on the negative side, images recorded in 5 meg mode take longer to write (i.e. the camera is 'busy' longer btwn shots), use far more battery power, occupy ungodly amts of space on memory cards, and make files so large that they can only feasibly be sent via email if both parties have exceptionally fast connections and can only be posted to websites if the webpage viewer has a very fast connection to open it. Now, what I cannot justify is that kind of resolution coupled with a pretty anemic 3x optical zoom. For most digital camera users, a good optical zoom will trump sky-high resolution every day. One more complaint: I don't like proprietary batteries and that's all the 5000 offers. It's a fine camera, but most users will be dialing down its resolution and wishing for a better zoom. For my money, I'd take the Minolta Dimage 7 any time over the Nikon 5000, and use the change to buy that 128 meg memory card you'll need.
Rating:
Summary: "System Control" Failed after a year: $244 Nikon repair
Review: Except for it being unresponsive (by the time it's ready to shoot, the moment is gone) it's been a good camera for the 16 months I've had it... but it failed recently, and Nikon had little to say about why, how, or how I could prevent it from happening again. In fact, the people at Penn Camera seemed to be surprised that I wanted to know exactly what work was done ("Nikon never gives that information"). After explaining it by way of analogy---"what if when you picked up your car from repair shop, the serviceman said 'we fixed it... you don't need to know what specifically was wrong, or what we did, you just need to pay up' ... how would you feel? Seems criminal, doesn't it."---they came around, but still couldn't tell me anything. So... I'm no longer a happy Nikon customer. If you're thinking of buying Nikon products, factor reapir costs in to the price.
Rating:
Summary: Give you greatest satisfaction
Review: I am one of many people who recommend this camera. I used many digital cameras including SONY and Olympus camera and got no good impression from those. My recommendation comes from the granularity of pictures taken. Pictures of other cameras found to be deteriorated when magnified using Photoshop. Coolpix 5000 gives clear images even when magnified to 800%! That granularity proves and certifies the sharpest image ever achieved in digital cameras. Every picture taken gives you greatest satisfaction in whatever photo scenes you encounter.
Rating: 
Summary: Does anyone know if this camera can be used as a webcam?
Review: This is a very good camera, but the flash..... it's the worst thing ever. At night it's impossible to take a good shot. And I don't know if I can use as a webcam too.
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