Howard_Creech's Full Review: Nikon D5000 Body Only Digital Camera
For the past ten years professional and serious amateur photographers have wondered what digital photography was going to be like when it grew up. The answer to that question is pretty complicated, but the new Nikon Coolpix 5000 might be part of the answer. Every now and again there is a quantum leap that moves technology and practice to the next plane. In photography quantum leaps are rare, a few of the more important were the Leica rangefinder, the Carl Zeiss 180/f2.8 Olympia Sonnar, the Nikon “F” Professional SLR, the Olympus OM, the Minolta Maxxum, and the Nikon D1. This new 5 megapixel digital camera is a true groundbreaker, an imaging tool that takes technology (and digital photography) to the next level. *
Nikon’s engineers stole a march on their competitors by completely ignoring the four megapixel resolution arena and going straight from three megapixels to five. This well planned marketing/engineering/manufacturing move allowed Nikon to utilize the research and development work already done on the magnificent Nikon D1X five megapixel professional digital SLR, and combine it with the engineering work on their newest generation of consumer digital cameras (CP 775, CP 885, and CP 995) and come up with a hybrid camera that skipped one full generation ahead. Nikon dumped the tilt/swivel lens/body styling that has been so popular with the CP 900, 950, 990, and 995 models and moved forward with the body design first unveiled on the Coolpix 880. Nikon added a useful tilt-swivel LCD screen like those seen on the Canon Pro 70, G1, & G2 to the CP 5000 completing a hybrid camera that borrowed components and features from sister models and competitors alike.
Features
The new Coolpix is the first Nikon digi-cam to record movies with audio. It features a built-in multi-mode Speedlight and a hotshoe for external Nikon Speedlights like the new SB-50DX or the SB-28, 28DX, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, or 22s. A Quick Review function allows the photographer to instantly check captured images with the press of a button, and then return to record mode. The Coolpix 5000 provides a full range of exposure options: Program AE, Flexible Program, Shutter speed priority, Aperture priority, Full Manual, AE Bracketing (of both exposure value and white balance) and Nikon’s neat Best Shot Selector. White balance with user selectable settings for Auto, Fine, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent and Speedlight and a custom manual mode. ISO sensitivity can be set to Auto, or ISO 100, 200, 400 or 800. The CP 5000's new 3X zoom has a seven blade diaphram for true depth of field control.
In the Field/Handling and Operation
I have a good friend who sells and distributes photographic equipment, he often invites me to test new products with him. We have been friends for a long time and both of us love to get out and shoot pictures anytime we get a chance. We have taken the CP 5000 on all of our recent camera/lens testing adventures. I was able to compare the CP 5000 directly with the new Sony DSC-S 85 (a four megapixel digital camera) and the Minolta Dimage 5 (a 3.34 megapixel digital camera).
My friend and I started our CP 5000 test in mid December. We got together on a cold, and rainy Saturday afternoon to check out the Minolta Dimage Five, and we brought the CP 5000 along. The crummy weather discouraged any sort of an outdoor test, so we rigged up a small set and shot some still life images (of brightly colored plastic toys) to check out the color, built in flash, and macro capabilities of the Minolta and the CP 5000. The Minolta did a pretty good job, but the CP 5000’s resolution was measurably sharper, the colors were brighter, and the depth of field effects were much more pronounced.
The weather improved overnight, so next day we got together to try some outdoor daylight shots with both cameras. It was still pretty cold but we bundled up and drove around the scenic loop at Cherokee Park looking for subjects to shoot with our two test cameras. The bright sunshine and blue skies helped and we tried a few macro shots at the base of an ancient Shagbark Hickory tree. Between the gnarled old roots there was a carpet of thick emerald green moss sprinkled with red leaves. The light was pretty flat (in the shade of the tree) and my friend thought the “Christmas colors” would look tacky, but the flat lighting and bright colors provided a pretty good macro test for both cameras. Later we took some shots (along Beargreass Creek) of a huge Irish Setter chasing sticks into the frigid icy water for his master. The dog seemed to be having a blast, and we got several great shots of him hitting the water at full speed with spray flying in every direction using both cameras.
That evening, after looking at all of the images, both my friend and I agreed that the macro images from the CP 5000 were much better exposed, had sharper resolution, better contrast, and were consistently superior to those from the D5. Comparing the action shots of the dog was easy, the D5 did a pretty good job, but the CP 5000 (with no shutter lag) was actually able to freeze that crazy mutt in mid air a couple of times with icy water flying everywhere.
On another Saturday photographic expedition (to shoot a gigantic “life sized” fiberglass moose at Joe’s Barbecue, on Preston Highway) we were testing the AF 180mm f/2.8D ED-IF Nikkor Lens. I carried the 180f2.8 (mounted on a Nikon F100) and my friend had an F5 and a 80-200/f2.8D IF-EF-AF-S Zoom Nikkor. We had both loaded up with Kodak Elitechrome 100 slide film. The Restaurant looked like an alpine hunting lodge. The fiberglass moose and the pink Neon “Joe’s Barbecue” window sign right behind him, made for a neat composition. Both of us used the CP 5000 in addition to the two 35mm cameras. We continued to shoot until we lost the light and the smell of Joe’s tasty barbecue got to us, after which we checked out the grub inside.
We compared the slides shot with the Nikkor 180/2.8 with the digital images from the CP 5000. The slides from the AF 180mm f/2.8D ED-IF were measurably sharper, had better contrast, and the color was truer (though only slightly) than the images from the CP 5000. But the CP 5000 did pretty good, the best quality digital images either of us have seen to date.
For our next adventure we shot “street” images along Bardstown Road (mostly the ubiquitous skateboarders) with both the Sony DSC S85 and the CP 5000. The S85 just wasn’t up to the job of hitting the “decisive moment” with the skateboarders. The CP 5000 behaved like a 35mm SLR, with no noticeable shutter lag at all. Digital cameras don’t perform well in “action” photography settings. Sports, “street” shooting, and wildlife photography remain beyond the capabilities of almost all digital cameras because of shutter lag and start up/cycle/write-record times. The CP 5000 performs more like a traditional 35mm SLR; action photography is not a problem and we were able to shoot skateboarders in mid air leaps with no problem at all.
Next, we shot a large fruit basket my friend had gotten as a Christmas gift from one of his suppliers. The woven raffia basket was filled with colorful fruit, two Navel oranges, two huge shiny red apples and three bright green pears. The fruit made an absolutely perfect photo subject. The four megapixel images from the Sony DSC S85 were very good, but the five megapixel images from the Nikon CP 5000 were superb, actually on par with ISO 200 Elitechrome slide film or Kodak ISO 100 color print film. The CP 5000’s Matrix Metering did an exceptional job of getting the exposures just right.
The next day we finally got some snow here in Louisville (between two and three inches) and when we got together we were very excited about shooting the crowds of sledders on the fresh snow at Dog Hill in Cherokee Park. The Sony DSC S 85’s metering had a lot of problems with the fresh snow, but the CP 5000 performed like a champ, no blowouts** at all. Many of the sledders were dressed in very bright colors and we were able to shoot them easily with the CP 5000, no problem balancing exposures of the white snow and the blues, reds, and greens of the coats and snow suits. After it got too cold to continue we returned to my friend’s place to compare the images from the Sony DSC S85 and Nikon CP 5000. The CP 5000’s images were sharper, with better contrast and truer color than those from the DSC S 85. The Sony had an irritating tendency to over expose the snow scenes but the CP 5000 worked beautifully.
Technical Specifications
Resolution: 2,560 x 1,920 pixels
Lens: 3x Zoom-Nikkor f2.8-f4.8 /28~85mm (35mm equiv) 9 elements in 7 groups; all glass
Viewfinder: Optical (zooms with lens)
LCD: Swiveling (fully articulated)1.8" similar to Canon PowerShot G1/G2
Metering: TTL metering 256-segment Matrix, Center-Weighted, Spot, Spot AF Area
White Balance: Matrix Auto White Balance with TTL control and Manual with fine tuning (Fine/Incandescent/Fluorescent/Cloudy/Speedlight)
Exposure: Programmed Auto, Shutter-Priority, Aperture-Priority, Manual; Exposure Compensation (± 2 EV in 1/3 EV steps)
Auto Exposure Bracketing (3-5 frames within ± 2 EV)
Storage: uncompressed TIFF, JPEG, (DCF), (DPOF), Quicktime Motion JPEG
Media: CompactFlash (CF) Card Type I/II
Shutter: 1/4,000 to 8 sec. and Bulb (time limit: 60 sec.) 3-frames per second shooting, up to 3 frames or 1.5 frames per second, up to 10 frames.
Flash: Built-in multi-mode with hot shoe (Nikon Speedlight SB-50DX/28DX/28/27/26/25/24/23/22s)
Power: One Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL1 (included)
One 6V 2CR5/DL245 lithium battery (optional),
Six 1.5V LR6 (AA-size alkaline), 1.5V Lithium, or 1.5V NiMH
Street Price Range: $950-$1100
Included
Lens cap
Neck strap
AV cable
32 Megabyte CompactFlash type I Card
USB cable
Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL1
Battery Charger
Nikon View 4 CD-ROM
In heavy (flash and LCD) use the battery was good for between seventy-five and eighty-five minutes (on average) a bit less than what Nikon claims.
Ergonomics
The CP 5000 is a compact camera that feels and handles like a point and shoot. The body is tough and feels solidly constructed (magnesium alloy). All controls are logically placed and easily accessed.
Picture Quality
Images are exceptional and actually approach medium speed slide film in quality. 11X14 enlargements should present absolutely no problem. 8X10 Prints my friend and I made with the Epson Stylus Photo 780 and Epson Stylus Photo EXP785 were some of the best digital prints that I have seen. At 8X10 the CP 5000 really is comparable to a film camera since the prints were easily as good as Kodak ISO 100 print film and in most cases on par with Elitechrome ISO 200 slide film in terms of color, contrast, and dynamic range.
Conclusion
Serious photographers are going to love this camera; it will definitely cure the digital blues. No more shutter lag and five megapixel images will make most photographers happy. Will pros buy the CP 5000? I think they will, it’s tough enough to stand up to “pro” work and image quality is better than most of the “pro” SLR digital cameras currently available. If you’ve considered one of these extremely pricey digital SLR’s and been scared off by the high tariff, then the CP 5000 may be just what you’re looking for. The 3X (28-85mm) zoom will limit your options a bit, but the CP 5000 is the closest you are going to get to SLR performance without spending some really big bucks. The CP 5000 isn’t cheap, but based on features and performance the camera may actually be a bargain when compared with the Nikon D1X ($5000 plus) or the Canon EOS D30 ($3000 bucks) or the Fujifilm S1 Pro ($2500 bucks) that are really its closest competition.
*
Leica Rangefinder (1923) the first 35mm camera
Carl Zeiss 180/f2.8 Olympia Sonnar (1936) the first lens designed for a specific function (sports photography)
Nikon “F” Professional (1959) the first real professional system camera
Olympus OM (1971) the first compact 35mm SLR
Minolta Maxxum the first Auto Focus SLR system camera
Nikon D1 the first (designed from the ground up) Digital SLR
**Blowouts (complete over-exposure) situations where all highlight detail is lost in light colored areas of an image, typically in beach/snow scenes.
Coming Soon Watch for my review of the Epson Stylus Photo 780 and the Epson Stylus Photo EPX785 printers
For information on How to Choose a Digital Camera please see my review:
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