Nikon D5000 Body Only Digital Camera

I have used a Nikon Coolpix 880 for the last year or so and have been very impressed with image quality produced by the 880. So why then would I spend the money for a new model? For us, the main reason was shutter lag. On more than one occasion the moment we were trying to capture faded because the camera simply was not responsive enough to meet our needs. If you have ever tried to photograph young children I?m confident you will understand. Capturing a youngster?s expression can be priceless; trying to reproduce the expression by forced posing is almost always ineffective.

Our identified wants, needs and preferences eventually led us to the Coolpix 5000. While I cannot stress enough my enthusiasm with the CP-5000, room for improvements, as always, does exist.

My list of identified ?opportunities for improvement? (oh how I love to hate that expression) is made up mostly of minor shortcomings. First the LCD screen, while I appreciate the fact the it folds out from the camera and swivels, is noticeably darker when used folded into the back of the camera (with the screen facing the operator :-) than it is when used to the left of the camera. This is most noticeable when photographing in poorly lit conditions. If you are having difficulty seeing your image on the LCD even after you adjust for brightness try unfolding the LCD screen so that it is to the left of the camera body as this may help you as well. Next, it would certainly have been nice for the CP-5000 to have fully supported Nikon speedlights. If you own a Nikon speedlight that has the ability to zoom with your SLR (i.e. SB-50DX) you may be surprised to learn that the CP-5000 requires you to make this adjustment manually on the flash. It would also have been appreciated if some type of auto-focus assist for low light shooting were supported. While the ?what?s in the box? package has certainly improved over the CP-880. I can?t figure out why Nikon would include a rechargeable battery and the recharger but not provide an AC adapter. Finally, new technology is usually expensive. This case is not any different. Digicam developments have been coming at a rapid pace and this years new and expensive technology is frequently found on next years clearance rack. As is the case when purchasing any rapidly changing good from the technology sector a purchase must be made sooner or later if you wish to join in. The trick may just be the decision to buy what you want sooner or later?

As I stated above a rechargeable battery and recharger are supplied with this camera. If you have ever used a digicam for any length of time you will most definitely want some type of rechargeable power system. The battery supplied by Nikon draws neither a rant nor a rave from me. Frankly, I consider it to be adequate and strongly recommend the purchase of a back-up battery. The Nikon EN-EL1 can be found for under $30 if you shop around. One of the things I like about the EN-EL1 is that in a pinch you can replace it with a 2CR5 disposable. I also appreciate being able to recharge the battery outside of the camera. If you decide to invest in 2CR5 throw-aways take a look at Ebay as you can almost always buy them for about a third of what your local camera shop will charge. Alternative power sources are available. The following link is to a supplier of the Baha power bank an external power option that will set you back about $70 or so. http://www.mahaenergy.com/products/PowerEx/Digicams/mhdpb140li.htm
Nikon also offers the option to purchase the MB-E5000 power pack that utilizes 6 AA batteries at a cost of about $140.

Now for the good stuff! Build quality feels very sound for a digital camera and the camera feels at home in my hands. Auto focus is fast and accurate but most importantly pre-focus shutter lag is now a memory. Wow is this digicam fast. I have read some ?user? comments on different websites that put the CP-5000 down and am left wondering if the people who provided feedback actually used the camera. The results I have attained to date have been remarkable. We have had two 8x10 prints made by a lab and I cannot tell the difference between our digital 8x10?s and those I have made in the past from color print film. It is really that good! To my untrained eye, this camera produces images every bit the equal to color print film at least up to the 8x10 size. I am not only referencing detail but also color reproduction. This camera is capable of reproducing colors as well as those obtained from my SLR using good film and processing. I have not made enlargements beyond the 8x10 size from the CP-5000 as of yet and will update this review when we have the need for a larger print.

The CP-5000 has proven to be a very flexible camera. While it can be easily used as a fully automatic point and shoot it also offers an interested user the option to control settings. Want to use a manual focus, set the white balance, spot meter, etc., etc.? No problem, the CP-5000 gives you the opportunity.

Image storage provided with the camera comes in the form of a 32-megabyte compact flash card. At the highest resolution the 32MB card is big enough to test all of the quality options including High. I mention this only because the 8MB card supplied with the CP-880 was to small to test the TIFF mode. With the CP-5000 and a 32MB card you will be able to capture 2 images on High resolution (no compression), 13 images rated Fine, 26 images rated Normal, and 51 at the Basic setting. As was the case with the CP-880 the Fine setting produces images that appear as good to my eye as the High setting (TIFF). A word of caution, if you decide to use the High setting your file size will be about 14 MB per image which makes for slower transfer to your computer.

When working with the image editing software on my PC it is difficult to see an improvement to the photos I?m working with. This is certainly appreciated, as I am not afforded large blocks of time to correct brightness, contrast, color, red-eye and so on.

Another large plus is the inclusion of a hot shoe. About a year or so ago I took some excellent advice (thanks Howard) and purchased a Nikon SB-22. I liked that flash so well I picked up another Nikon speedlight about 4 months ago, the SB-50DX. The SB-50DX is now used with the CP-5000 and the two are a very good match. If you own a digicam that does not have a hot shoe or support a link to an external flash and you find yourself wanting to boost the lighting provided by your built in unit check out http://www.srelectronics.com/ I used the DSF-1S with the CP-880 and it works as advertised.

In addition to the cash outlay for the camera I also purchased a lens adapter ring to use filters and protect the lens. If you do not own a carrying case you will most likely want to pick one up. An extra battery and compact flash cards are also advisable. If you own a copy of Photoshop 5.0 or higher you might want to check out the following link http://www.fredmiranda.com/Coolpix5000/index.html this definitely looks promising. I will post an update after I?ve had enough time to test this Photoshop action.

If you are in the market for a digital camera, do your homework so you can make the best decision to suit your needs. I'd recommend checking out epinions.com (of course), megapixel.net, steves-digicams.com, and imaging-resource.com (imaging-resource.com has a neat image comparison section available which will let you view images from 2 tested cameras side by side on your monitor. If you do not have a high-speed internet connection this can take a while)