The Nikon Coolpix 5100 is one of the better compact digital cameras.
Written: Dec 17 '07 (Updated Dec 20 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Rugged body, good ergonomics, decent image quality at ISO 64 - ISO 200, reasonably priced.
Cons: ISO 800 and higher have way too much noise, somewhat slow autofocus, no RAW capability.
The Bottom Line: I can easily recommend this compact digital camera for its ruggedness, good feature set, good ergonomics, and decent image quality at low ISO settings.
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Introduction
I'm always on the look out for a decent quality, take everywhere, back-up camera to my professional SLR setup. There are times when a small, unobtrusive camera is beneficial in the business of photojournalism. And of course, the best photos happen when you don't have a camera with you, so I always want to have some photographic device (no, cell phone cameras don't count) with me. So far, my Canon A620 has done an impressive job of filling this role. So impressive actually, that I haven't really been shopping around for a replacement. When Nikon announced it's new top-of-the-line camera in the point-and-shoot category, I knew I had to take a look.
Features
On Nikon's USA website, they make the following claims about the Coolpix P5100:
- 12.1 Megapixels for stunning prints as large as 20 x 30 inches
- 3.5x Optical Zoom-Nikkor Glass Lens - quality optics provide exceptional images
- Optical VR Image Stabilization minimizes the effect of camera shake
- Incredible, Bright 2.5-inch High Resolution LCD and Optical Viewfinder make it easy to compose and share your pictures
- Program, Aperture, Shutter and Manual Exposure Modes give you greater creative control over camera operation
- Auto Adjusts up to ISO 3200 (5MP or lower) - keep shooting, even in lower light
- Available Telephoto and Wide Angle Converters expand the camera's capabilities, along with your own
- Hot Shoe for i-TTL compatible Nikon Speedlights
As of December 2007, the Nikon P5100 is selling for approximately $300 (US) from online dealers.
Performance
Build Quality
This is probably the best built compact digital camera available anywhere. Most of the body is constructed from magnesium alloy. Where plastic is used, it's a decent grade of polycarbonate that is unlikely to cause any problems in everyday use. Actually, this camera has taken a few unexpected bumps and it's never missed a beat. Although this camera isn't weather sealed, it is tight; a little light rain on a couple of occasions didn't cause any problems. All of the buttons and dials feel like they're designed to take some good use, although not as much as those on a digital SLR. For the first time, I feel comfortable taking a point-and-shoot camera anywhere with minimal protection.
Ergonomics
Compact digital cameras have always suffered the same trade-off: Small and easy to carry, but unstable with not-so-great ergonomics and poor image quality. So far, Canon has come through with the best solution in their A-series cameras. Essentially, they make the camera just a little bulkier with a hand grip, while also making it a little heavier with more batteries. Yes, bulkier and heavier is always better when it comes to image quality. The easy it is to hang onto the camera and manipulate the controls, the more likely you'll get the shot you want. Also, weight helps stabilize a camera, which reduces camera shake. Nikon has essentially produced their own version of the Canon's A-series cameras with the P5100 and I can easily say that the ergonomics are every bit as good.
Despite its small size, the P5100 fits comfortably in my hand. The grip is large for a camera of this size and is covered by rubber for extra friction. In fact, this is probably the most comfortable grip on any current compact digital camera. The buttons on the rear of the camera are large enough and have enough spacing between them to make them fairly easy to operate. The main dial on the top of the camera rotates easily into place with my thumb without changing my shooting position. Similarly, the zoom dial is easily manipulated with my index finger with minimal effort. The menu selector on the right side of the rear of the camera is a little small, but this is the trade-off for incorporating such a large LCD screen onto such a compact camera. Speaking of the LCD screen, its 2.5 inch size and impressive sharpness make it one of the best out there on a compact camera. Unfortunately, it is a fixed LCD screen that lacks the ability to tilt or swivel, which is something I've found very useful on my Canon A620.
Even though the P5100 has some decent weight and good ergonomics, it's still a compact digital camera that is much more susceptible to hand shake than a digital SLR. Thankfully, Nikon included Vibration Reduction (VR) on this camera to reduce the effects of hand shake. This is real VR, similar to the type found on Nikon's professional lenses, and not the fake VR that is found on other compact cameras and is really nothing more than ISO increase (which dramatically increases noise). Does it work? It certainly does. I always get at least a one stop improvement in shutter speed or ISO setting, and usually I get two stops. This is especially useful on a compact digital camera because it allows me to avoid those much noisier high ISO settings most of the time.
Autofocus Performance
Compared to other compact digital cameras, the overall autofocus performance of the P5100 is good, but not the best. Autofocus speed can be a little slow, especially at telephoto focal lengths. This has caused me to miss a few shots, which I haven't been happy about. After so many years of development of compact digital cameras, I'm a little puzzled as to why autofocus speed needs to be this slow. Autofocus accuracy is good, even in low light, but again I didn't find it to be outstanding. My aging Canon A620 seems to have slightly better autofocus performance overall, as does the Canon G9. This is probably the only significant issue with the Nikon P5100.
Image Quality
Another camera that I've considered for a long time is the Canon G9. On paper, this should be the ideal back-up camera or carry-everywhere camera for a professional. Unfortunately, the G9 doesn't really live up to its specifications. Yes, it has a faster lens and slightly faster autofocusing than the P5100, but I don't feel that it's build quality or ergonomics are any better. Perhaps most surprising is the slightly lower image quality of the G9 when compared to the P5100. Specifically, I usually see less noise at lower ISO settings (64 - 400) on the P5100 than on the G9. This is especially true in the shadow areas of my photographs. Above ISO 400, there is simply too much noise on any compact digital camera for my taste, and the P5100 really isn't an exception to this.
Otherwise, the P5100 offers some other mild surprises in the image quality department. Even though the P5100 does not have the ability to shoot NEF (or "RAW") images, the JPEGs that it produces have good sharpness at all focal lengths and most apertures. Distortion (both barrel and pincushion) seem to be a little bit better than most other compact digital cameras I've tried over the years. In the past, I have not been happy with the macro modes on my Nikon compact digital cameras (mostly on the five megapixel models) but the P5100 changes that. It actually has a very usable macro mode with acceptable image quality for a compact digital camera. Don't get me wrong, you're not going to get Nikon 105mm AF-S VR f/2.8 image quality out of this thing, but it's not bad either. Finally, I usually have to really search to find any chromatic aberrations in my images so this really isn't an issue, thankfully.
Conclusions
For about $300, Nikon has a really nice compact digital camera in the Coolpix P5100. If autofocus speed isn't critical to your needs, I can easily recommend this camera. This is probably the first camera by another manufacturer to seriously challenge my Canon A620 and I'm usually happy shooting with it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 300
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