Nikon Coolpix P5100 12.1MP Digital Camera with 3.5x Optical Vibration Reduction Zoom

I love this camera. My guess is you'll love it too, at least if your needs are similar to mine:

I cut my teeth on a Pentax Spotmatic in the 1970s, and appreciate the flexibility of manual controls. Point-&-Shoot digital cameras are small and light, but (nearly) everything is automatic. The P5100 allows you to manually adjust the shutter speed and aperture, just like with a DSLR; but unlike a DSLR, the P5100 is (while a bit heavier and bulkier than I might ideally like) pocketable. It's a compromise between a DSLR and a P&S, and in that sense works really well for me.

The build is really solid, the controls are exceptionally easy to use, and image quality is superb. My only real complaints are that it's a bit slow (shutter lag seeems longer than most, there's a lag while the image is being processed, and it grinds and struggles to focus in low light) and the on/off switch is located in the wrong place (the center of the grip, so I find myself turning the camera on & off when I don't mean to). I consider these minor inconveniences.

So if you're a photo enthusiast who wants more control than offered by most P&S cameras, but you don't want to deal with the bulk of a DSLR, you may love the P5100 too.

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UPDATE: I've had the camera for nearly 3 months now, so a brief update. I still rate it as an amazing little camera -a lot of features and flexibility are squeezed into a small, solidly-constructed, pocketable box. If pocketability is what you want, this camera is I still believe an excellent choice. It's truly like having a DSLR in your pocket in many respects.

And it's not perfect: I wish I could give it 4-1/2 stars. When there are so many features packed into a small box, I guess there are bound to be compromises.

The P5100's compromises show up mainly in low light. First, there's a lot of noise above 400 ISO (although it's rated up to 3200). In that sense, this camera behaves more like a film camera -which isn't so terrible, I've learned to work with it. The bigger problem is AutoFocus: It's a bit slow in the best of circumstances, and in low light it can take up to ten seconds to fix a focus. This doesn't lend itself to "point-&-shoot" captures. Again, I've learned to live with this: In low-light situations, I frame a shot and pre-focus: I depress the shutter halfway well before I'm actually ready to shoot, and then just wait. It works, but takes getting-used-to. I've also learned that center focus is a lot faster than the other auto focus options, and that in landscape mode, AF is turned off, with focus set at infinity. Most important: from a half-depressed position, the shutter release is very responsive. Bottom line: Low light photography requires a bit of advance planning.

When shopping for this camera, I preferred both the Canon G9 and A650 to the Nikon P5100, each for different reasons. But neither Canon camera is IMO pocketable. So if you want DSLR-like flexibility in a small box, I still think the P5100 is about the best you can do at this point.

First let me tell you what to buy with the camera. 1) the URE20 adapter tube. You can leave it on all the time as protection and for extra finger grip, I do. It weighs next to nothing 2) the wide angle converter lens, also very small gizmo, another hundred dollars but gives you a wide view of 24mm equivalent and the menu option allows the camera to correct some barrel distortion inherent in this type optic.Works pretty darn good except at extreme edges 3)Nikon's SB400 flash,which is a marvel. Small,light,dedicated to the system and has a swivel flash tube up front for bounce,unusual in anything this small and two celled. Flash uses two AA size standard power and delivers a lot more than the built in body flash pintsize runt,rechargeables are better natch. And if you get the flash you prolong the camera batter,a nice bonus and less less redeye4) a spare Li-Ion battery by Nikon another mere 20 bucks or so.Fast 2 hour charge will do it. Now this whole kit and kaboodle will run the tab up a bit more than you expected,but you will get shots that are equal or better than a heavy SLR with a heavy zoom lens.I do not joke. The camera's Program mode is one of the better ones out there. Meaning I trust it a lot.

Some professional reviewers tend to poke away at this camera's lack of zip to them, and forget it is powered by a minute size battery,about the size of a slice of cheddar on a buffet table:-). It can't do burst shots and start up in a microsecond, true. They are not accepting it for what it delivers at this price. What else is out there but heavier and pricier in this category I mean.

The lens will not open as wide at tele end as an indoor shooter would want without flash, and is not the speediest performer out there overall. BUT FAST ENOUGH if you prefocus, and why not prefocus I say...it tells you that the lens has found its target. Nikon has done a good job on this product and you just can't go wrong at the price. I am really falling for this little fellow as a grab and go item. The LCD is hard to see outdoors except for the histogram playback. Indoors it is a delight to see. You may also want to pick up a wrist lanyard vs the neck strap which comes with it. Your preference.Battery delivers plenty juice for a day of reasonable shooting even with LCD viewing. When I go next trip to the Serengeti ,well, I take a generator and power inverter (:-), or maybe just a car battery adapter. I carry all this kit,if you are interested, in one half of a Mountainsmith Aurora II Camera Bum Bag/ Lumbar Pack with room for trail mix and cellphone..

Why schlep heavy stuff on a vacation? Enjoy.

Buy Nikon Coolpix P5100 12.1MP Digital Camera with 3.5x Optical Vibration Reduction Zoom Now

Ok so my last camera was a Nikon 3200 which we loved but the shutterspeed was slow and it was just a little outdated. We decided it was time for a new camera so we went to the store and ended up with an Olympus 1000 (great sale price). We got home and after we used it a couple of times we realy didn't like the camera because many pictures were blurred and just not very clear. So we sold the Olympus and splurged and got this camera. This camera is worth every penny! The pictures are so clear and the camera is actually much easier to use than I thought it would be. We took a picture of our ceiling fan while it was on high just to see how it would turn out and in the picture it is as clear as if the fan was off. This is an amazing camera with awesome features and my husband and I are both blown away by the picture quality. We can't wait to get outside and use the camera to try all the features.

Read Best Reviews of Nikon Coolpix P5100 12.1MP Digital Camera with 3.5x Optical Vibration Reduction Zoom Here

I bought the P5100 as it travels a lot easier than my D70 and can do more in some respects. The main reason to choose this one over the rest is that it has a hotshoe and is compatible with my Nikon SB600. Here is a comparison with my D70 nikon SLR a bit unfir but the P5100 holds up surprisingly well. The P5100 has a Mg alloy body and is sturdy but light enough to hold steady on a skinny pocket tripod. it has video capability although the built-in mic is awful. It does better than the D70 in very low light. built in VR is excellent and can drop at least 2 f-stops without distortion. It has a face id for focusing and a Panoramic shot assist--( when you use this setting the screen displays the edge of the previous photograph so that you can align the next shot perfectly when you pan the camera.).You cannot get dust on your sensor even if you try. and twice the megapixels compared to the D70! The limitations (compared to the SLR) are cannot shoot multiple frames per sec. very slight shutter delay compared to SLR. Slow autofocus and no focus area options and limited metering options.Cannot shoot in RAW format.

For less than Half the price of the D70 this is an excellet deal. Go for it! Make your Day!

Want Nikon Coolpix P5100 12.1MP Digital Camera with 3.5x Optical Vibration Reduction Zoom Discount?

First let me say that I was surprised by the very small size of the 5100. It literally fits in the palm of my hands.

My last Nikon was the Coolpix 995 (950 before that) and I never used most of its advanced options because the menu system was too complex. The 5100 is crammed with buttons and dials so that choosing most options can be done without paging through multiple levels of menus. Plus it has 15-preset types of "scenes" (portrait, sunset, museum, etc., plus the super-cool panorama setting) which make all the necessary settings for you automatically for a particular type of picture. Another cool feature is its ability to make time-lapse movies, as well as 640x480 30fps movies and sound recordings.

But the main attraction of the camera for me was its fast lens with Vibration Reduction. I've taken sharp pictures in very low light which I had been unable to take with the old Nikon.

Another feature I was not aware of until I got the camera is its ability to do digital zooms without image degradation (if you are shooting at less than maximum size, which I usually do anyway). When I shoot at 1600x1200 size, I can use digital zoom to get the equivalent of about a 7x optical zoom lens.

I was considering the Nikon S10 (too much noise in low-light and difficulty focusing in low light) and then the D40 (no auto-focus in-camera, no VR without buying very expensive lenses). It would be nice to have something like an 18x optical zoom on the 5100, but short of that, this camera is very, very good -especially at such a low price.