PeteCzech.com - My Take on Technology, the World and Everything Else

Disclaimer: This review is from a prosumer photographer. I’m by no means a dedicated professional, but I know a thing or two by now and feel confident in sharing my opinion. If you have any questions, just leave a comment. I base my reviews on common sense usage and not on technical jargon. If the images look crappy, the review will be bad!

I’m pretty sure Google is smart enough to populate this ad with info about the Nikon P5000 / P5100. So, if you are looking to get one, you may want to check out the links they recommend:

Bottom Line: The p5000 is a perfect carry-along point and shoot for advanced shooters who want to always have a camera with them. It’s not an SLR, and if you are looking for a good camera for primary use, get a D40!

I noticed a couple of months ago that my photography collection was lacking a valuable piece of equipment: a carry-everywhere, throw around and take punches, light and compact digital camera. So, in searching, using my brand preference of Nikon as a guide, I settled upon the P5000.

Why? For a variety of reasons:

1. I’m a Nikon groupie;
2. The P5000 features the same operation as my D70 and D200: A, S, P, M modes;
3. The P5000 has built-in VR - Vibration Reduction;
4. The P5000 has a built-in hotshoe for my SB-800 flash and has the ability to attach additional lenses;
5. It features a vibrant display in a compact body;
6. At 10 mp it had a higher resolution then my D70 (not a selling point, but cool none-the-less).

How I use it: As a carry-everywhere mobile photographic solution. I find that it fits perfectly in my pocket or bag and I never miss a photo with it. With a little patience, you can extract images that compete with the D70 or D200.

Where it excels: in quite a few areas. How about:

1. Low Light Performance: It has a built in Best Shot Selector, ie, it’ll shoot multiple exposures with one click and chose the best one. So, if you are in a museum or church that doesn’t allow flash, you can still get a great image. This plus the built in Vibration Reduction and high iso capabilities = great low light exposures. Speaking of which, my previous point and shoots didn’t let me choose ISO anyway…
2. The video mode isn’t horrible: Nikon Coolpix cameras aren’t exactly known for video, but this camera does a decent job. Granted, I’d rather have my Sony HDR-HC3 High Def camcorder to capture video, but this does a decent job for posting videos on YouTube of your drunken friend doing Karaoke.
3. Manual Override: Using M mode or A mode you can capture images as decent as your D70 or D200.
4. Auto Bracketing: You can use the P5000 to make HDR (High Dynamic Range) images, if you want. But make sure you tripod it. With an SLR, I’ve pulled off handheld 3 image HDR’s because of the high shutter speed (5fps on my D200). With the P5000, you won’t have anywhere near the speed, so forget it.
5. It still has an optical viewfinder: this shouldn’t be a selling point, but it’s there. So might as well mention it.

P5100: Nikon just announced the P5100. The published upgrades are more resolution (12mp versus 10mp), in-camera distortion correction, and a variant of the new EXPEED image processor. If this is worth it to you, then buy that. Otherwise, you can save some money and get the old P5000 where still available.

SLR Replacement? Not quite. It’s still a point and shoot. If you know what the differences are, you probably want an SLR. I’d offer up the Nikon D40 as a good starter model, or a used D70.

At last, the photos:

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