Reviews for Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Excellent form factor - small and easy to carry, long battery life, excellent optics

Weakness: Small LCD [compared to others on the market], no memory card or carrying case are included in the box, no printed manual -- you get a quickstart guide and the manual is on the cd.

I have long been a fan of the Coolpix line of cameras, if you do not need long optical zoom, and need a good medium between small size and high pixel resolution the Coolpix 5200 is it. In fully automatic mode the flash provides perfect exposures nearly every time. The automatic program modes are easy to figure out even if you aren't into reading product manuals.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: handy, cute, great pictures, fast!

Weakness: no complains so far!

I have got this camera as a gift from my boyfriend.
I was amazed with its size and functions.
The greatest thing i have to say is the incredible movie mode. The 640x480 30 fps rate is great comparable to my SONY DV in somehow.
The rechargable battery life is great. And the flash is strong. Using the cheap SD memory is a great plus since I just use SD on PDA and mp3.
The only thing i can complain is the relative small LCD compared to other brands.
Generally, it is a great buy! a great camera!

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Size, speed, scene modes

Weakness: none

My wife and I love this camera! First, it is very easy to use and takes fantastic pictures! It is lightweight and compact and fits well in your hand! I have smaller cameras, but I'm always afraid I'll drop them - the Nikon Coolpix 5200 is much eaiser to handle.

Previewing pictures is a snap with the large LCD screen, and you can switch from picture mode to sport mode (takes loads of pictures in rapid succession) to movie mode. The zoom works well and you can even add voice. Battery life is good.

The price is a little steep, but you can usually find it on sale somewhere and the quality and ease of use definitely justify the price! A great camera - a perfect holiday gift!

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Great 640x320 video WITH sound. Good quality photos. Great option to do serial quick photos. Small portable, pocket size.

Weakness: Cannot change side-view photos to vertical. Flash is good, but is limited as well without hotshoe. Smaller screen.

Overall, great camera, with good photos, quick and easy to use. Great video option and quality (near DVD quality), WITH sound. Love the small, fit-in-pocket size.

Main limits are the not being able to flip side photos to vertical, with smaller viewing area.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: It is an excellent camera. Size if perfect for putting in my pocket and no one knows it is there. It takes great pictures. Start-up is really fast also, and I think it has a great panaramic feature

Weakness: Only thing I can think of is the automatic lens cover doesn't lock into place and (with a small amount of effort) can be slid open...but don't think it will be a problem for me.

Love the camera. Glad I bought it. Had considered Canon and a Minolta, but I don't think a Nikon lens can be beat. I think the pictures have crisp detail. I have a friend with a $1000+ Canon and I think this camera takes as good of pictures as his; only he can zoom a lot closer! Also, transfering images to the computer is a snap.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Small and lite. Scene modes and assists. movies

Weakness: PictureProject software not so hot. Battery charger has long cord. Should plug into outlet directly. Some photos need sharpening.

I have been using my Nikon Coolpix 5200 for a couple of weeks. I also own a Fuji 4700 Zoom and a Cannon S330.

I liked the feel of the 5200, it is very lite and it fits nicely in my pocket. So I bought the camera and I am very happy with it.

However, if you want excellent results, you must study the users guide and know how to set the shooting mode. Within each mode there are several assists. For example if you are shooting the sunset, you would select Scene Mode with Sunset assist. No camera can do it all, you must provide the condition so that the 5200 can automatically optimize the shutter, aperture and exposure compensation. If you don’t like the shot, (always check the histogram} you can adjusted the exposure and/or white balance and shoot again. Yes this is a point and shoot camera, but you still have to help if you want excellent photos.

Movies are really nice with this camera. By the way I have a Crucial 256 MG High Speed SD card.

Features like bracketing and select best image are very useful, but I bet a lot of 5200 customers seldom use them.

The PictureProject software that comes with the camera is good, but I have Picasa on my computer, which is a better product. Even Cannon Zoombrowser is better than PictureProject.

I compared photos taken with my Fuji 4700 and my cannon S330. I like the Nikon images the best. However, some of my Nikon 5200 images were a little soft and I had to use Paint Shop Pro 9 to sharpen them a little. The results were outstanding.

I researched the Nikon 5200 and found some reviewers not satisfied with the picture quality. This camera is a little gem, and to me the photos are excellent. But, you have to know how to shoot for best results.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Pocketable (though I wouldn't) & ergo-handy, without feature skimp. ONLY Nikon offers auto Red-Eye Fix. 30-fps movies avoid pic stuttering. 3X OPT zoom & 5.1 MP. Mostly intuitive interface.

Weakness: Proprietary battery: No in-a-pinch use of AAAs/AAs. Not as thin as less-powerful Optio/Exilem. Timer settings of 3 (USELESS) and 10 (Run!) secs only. No-choice autosave-as-you-edit 1.0 software BITES.

Best price-quality-feature compromise in this size class of high-megapixel cams. Don't buy junk you'll hate using.

(1) 5.1 MP means, at a minimum, highest-quality 8x10s...and pics up to 16x20 should be excellent.

(2) Who wants to waste ANY time editing? ONLY Nikon offers on-the-fly, automatic Red-Eye Fix. It works GREAT! See, your blue-eyed friends aren't really demons, after all!

(3) If movies with audio are a desired option (Why not?!), this camera records at a necessary 30 fps (versus competitors' RIDICULOUSLY CHOPPY 15 fps).

(4) Compact size encourages use. Who wants to port a boat anchor? While the hefty, thick-cigarette-pack-sized cam is shirt-pocketable (if you wear button-pocket safari shirts and don't mind the look of a chest tumor), use instead a form-fitting, belt-attached padded case (a generic brand cost me about $10) to protect the LCD and auto-capping lens area. Metal cams like these are known to be scratch-a-rific.

(5) Buy two extra batteries (at least). Yes, cheapskate, two. Factor it into the cost of the camera (something to be done with any camera).

(6) Buy the "optional" (SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE BOX!) AC adapter. You'll use it to transfer pics to your PC. Using the batteries to do this will drain them in no time.

(7) Buy a HIGH-SPEED, HIGH-CAPACITY (512MB or greater) SD memory card. HIGH SPEED = Minimum delay between snapping pics and faster cam-to-PC transfers. HIGH CAPACITY = Longer movies, more high-res pics, and less card-swapping.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Size, weight, picture quality, battery life

Weakness: Tricky usb port cover, no 4MP option

This is one of the best p&s cameras on the market. It is very portable esp. very light comparing to cameras using 2 or 4 AA betteries like canon's A series. Overall picture quality is very good (think better than canon) although some red or pink is too bright such as people's libs, but it's not an SLR. Comparing to sony's such as p100 or p150 in AF mode, this one takes little longer time to burst shutter. In this reason, people like my friend favor sony for his dogs but I personally like nikon's picture quality.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: size, ease of use, movie capabilities, quality of images

Weakness: could come with more memory

I was extremely happy with the purchase of the Coolpix 5200. My main purpose of purchasing a digital camera was to have an everyday camera that I can carry with me all the time -- mainly for "people" shots. So far the red-eye is working perfectly. I took test shots of images in the highest quality down to the absolute lowest quality, printed them in 4x6 size and I couldn't notice the difference between the different qualities! I also purchased a 256meg card right off the bat, which I'd highly recommend. You can fit 85 of the highest quality pictures on it. All in all, it is highly recommended!

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Size, ease of use, great pictures

Weakness: Flimsy door over usb port

I love this camera. One piece of advice - READ THE MANUAL. I know it takes time, but it makes a huge difference. We just spent a week at the beach and I took two of each picture, one with Auto, and one with the appropriate "Scene" mode. THe Scene mode makes a world of difference - the Beach mode especially was so bright and clear. I read for weeks and weeks about the Canons, Sonys, Kodaks, Pentaxes, etc, and finally chose this one - I'm VERY happy with it. I did a pricegrabber/ecost search and got an extra SD card and generic battery together for around $50 - invest in both. I don't need or use the AC adapter that others suggest - I charge one battery while I use the other. You can get a lowepro case for under $15 and it has room for an extra SD card and battery. Great camera- I'm thrilled. Oh - and one more thing - I was able to capture a gorgeous sunset using sunset mode while the guy next to me had a little Canon and it would not focus.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Small, compact, light, easy to hold and maneuver. Great battery life.

Weakness: Has a bit of a learning curve to become familiar with different modes and scene settings.

Would recommend this camera.
Excellent pictures and great to use.
Would suggest getting the Nikon camera case w/extra battery kit as it comes in handy on long trips. Not very expensive (less than $35 shipped at chumbo.com).
This is a great setup when coupled with extra battery, case, and 1GB SD card.
I have the camera set to the highest resolution picture and can take over 360 pictures with the 1GB card.
The battery holds up very well, but the extra is nice on long trips. Especially when you have a 1GB card.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Compact size and sleek design. Many scene modes to help you take pictures. Automatic red-eye reduction. Fast boot-up speed for a compact size camera.

Weakness: Shutter speed takes a little long in night mode.

The Nikon 5200 is the camera you want if you need something small and compact. The movie mode with sound is great for capturing those special moments that happen spontaneously. The shutter speed has also been improved from the previous generation of Nikon digital cameras. I owned a Nikon 775 and was waiting for Nikon to make a faster camera. This was definitely what I was waiting for. I thought about the Canons but this is definitely better. The pictures are clear and crisp. You have to play around with some of the settings to make some of them work better but I definitely like the results. The movie mode is great also. It will take as much video as your secure digital card will hold, including sound. When played on a computer monitor or TV, it looks and sounds very good. You should get at least a 512MB card to go with the camera. The Sandisk Ultra II is a good choice if you're willing to spend the money. I carry it will me all the time. Battery life is good too. I can take over 100 pictures before having to recharge. I recommend this camera to anyone who is like me and wants to have a good 5 megapixel camera to carry around all the time.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: small size, ergonomic, easy to use menu, medium size lcd

Weakness: flash too bright - makes people white, pics without flash keep shutter open longer and may be blurred

I spent months comparing the Nikon 5200 to other digital cameras. I used Amazon, Steve’s Digicams, and Cnet reviews plus many others. At last, I was between the Canon PowerShot S500 and the Nikon 5200. The Nikon actually felt lighter, and easier to hold. I saw reviews that the Canon had red eye issues, but I also saw reviews that the Nikon made skin color seem too pink. The first test that I did was for skin tone, and I didn’t notice anything funny. I know the Nikon has a proprietary battery, but the price compares well to the Canon 500’s battery. I immediately heeded the advice of others and bought 2 back-up battery’s (generic) for my 5200. It has to be changed after 2-3 ours of use, but it’s recharged within an hour. I also like the fact that it uses Secure Digital media rather than Compact Flash. I bought a 512mb card right away. The only problem that I see is that the flash is too bright. Some pictures have a small circle where the flash was most concentrated. Most of my pictures have friends and the flash often makes them turn out too white. I can turn off the flash and get results that are too dark. This is my first digital camera and years of contemplation and months of product reviews. It’s alright so far, but I’m still trying to adjust the flash brightness level. It is very user-friendly and so convenient. I plan to take it in my purse everywhere I go. I’m so excited to ditch carrying rolls of film to parties!

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Compact, high quality, easy to use

Weakness: Lots of menu options

This is my second NIKON Coolpix. Bought this for my wife mainly. She really likes it, once she sat down and read through the users manual. As an engineer I am always impressed with NIKON's form and function, very usable and obvious. The camera has a multitude of operational modes for all sorts of situations, indoor, outdoors, portrait, etc. It also works very well as an automatic point and shoot. Pictures in high resolution are great. Since SD memory cards have gotten even cheaper, I shoot in only max resolution. The automatic red-eye reduction is ok, but it still does not eliminate red-eye in my family pictures. I guess that some people are just prone to red-eye. Overall, I would highly recommend this camera. Nikon optics and quality are remarkable.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Small, light, compact camera with power, good battery life, great shutter speed

Weakness: in dark areas, need to be careful...longer shutter speed needed(greater chance for a blurry picture) like any camera.

I compared this camera to the Canon S500 my friend bought. His was not as intuitive when you wanted to change the settings. The secure digital card is more compact, but more fragile than the compactflash card which the S500 needed. The 5200 is much comfortable to take picture with one hand (you can use two hands as well). The S500 is heavier and had a battery which my friend put in upside down. The 5200's battery is curved on one side so you can not put the battery in upside down. Plus the 5200 has great battery life, you can take over 130 pictures on one charge.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Great ergonomics.

Weakness: Nikon Picture Project is inferior software.

This is a great camera for first-time or intermediate users who want an extremely small but extensive package. Unlike the "Elph" competition, this camera allows the user manual control - including several useful editable scene modes. It's easy for the first time user to become accustomed to the location of controls. Although the power button is too small, in general, the user interface is first rate.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Beautiful body design. Super light weight. Good battery life. A lot of manual options.

Weakness: Over compressed jpg picture even in fine mode. Too many steps for changing settings.

I am disapointed with the final picture quality. The JPG is obviusly over compressed causing a noisy picture. When you zoom into the picture 2x or 3x, you can see all the JPG artfacts. I compare it to Canon S400. The average file size is smaller with coolpix 5200. The S400 is only a 4M camera.

It takes too many pushes to change something as easy as flash light. Instead of cycle through the choices, when you push the flash bottun, a table comes up on the screen. Then you have to move up or down to get what you want, then hit enter. Same for Macro zoom. It could simply be push on and push off. But the button brings the choices on screen. You hve to move and press enter. They need someone knows how to use the camera to write firmware.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: The Nikon 5200's quality equals the Nikon brand reputation. It's one hand held size and weight makes carrying extraordinarily easy. The quality of the image is superior. All functions are accesable.

Weakness: None really determined at this time.

I have replaced a Nikon 3500 with the Nikon 5200. Adjusting the view finder on the 3500 was a bother though the 3.1 mega pixel camera produced a good picture. The view finder on the 5200 provides a full picture image and I've noticeed how easy it is to focus even in bright sunlight.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Light weight; small dimension; high quality pictures or movie; installed card

Weakness: a little small screen; lithium battery makes it inconvenient when batter suddenly runs out; high-speed SD card is a little expensive

I bought this camera because I have heard the good quality of Nikon film camera before and I also want to buy a small-size and light-weight camera. After I got it, I have found that it is exact one I have expected. The quality of pictures is quite good. To my surprise, the quality of movies is also quite good when I select high-speed SD card. The installed card makes it possible to be always used, but in a lot of other cameras the small-capability memory card should be taken out when large-capability memory card is used.
The aspects that I am not satisfied with are: 1.The camera uses the lithium battery, so it is not convenient for me to buy battery when battery suddenly use up. 2.The screen is a little small compared with Sony W1. 3.In order to get more pictures or movies, I must buy expensive high-speed and large-capability SD card.
Synthetically, I also recommend this good camera to you.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Built in red eye reduction, compact, quick startup time

Weakness: no manual focus

Great camera!!! I love all of the features and especially the size. I just recently used it at a graduation ceremony and the images came out very well. I even shot a short movie and it was great. I like the fact that youcan record movies at 30fps until the memory runs out. I would definitely recommend this camera!

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: 15 Scene Modes, virtually no red-eye whatsoever, Nikkor lens!

Weakness: A little on the 'thick' side at 1.4"; would have preferred something a little more pocketable. Battery also only at 1100mAmp.

I've only had the camera for a few days but I did plenty of research before buying. The Sony DSC-T1 and Canon S500 were also choices but I went for the Nikkon. Primary because the Sony has some white balance issues in my opinion and no viewfinder (dealbreaker for me). I also do not tend to like Canon products -- the Canon is a little faster if you want to spend the money on the Ultra CF Cards, but otherwise the Nikon has more scene modes, uses inexpensive SD Media (picked up 512MB for $80), virtually no redeye, and is small enough to take everywhere!

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: image quality , my imaging sw requires 3x magnification to show any photos, lens is good, good flash in dark conditions,compact size,SD capable

Weakness: red eye reduction is not so good, included sw is not good, should include an ac adapter

image quality is very good you can take photos in 5 M with fine quality, in a high resolution (2592*1944). Very small camera with a moderate price but when sd card and spare battery included, it jumps a lot. menus are fast, reviewing images are fast enough (i am using an SD Ultra 9mb/s w, 10mb/s r), i am not sure but the interface is USB 2.0. Records movies at 640*480 in .mov format it is a very genius carrier format, more info less space. Dont buy 1 GB because finest quality pictures does not exceed 1.5 MB. I think internal red eye reduction does not work so well, because when i took some pictures, most of them has some red-eyed demons. I used the sw, but it is not so successful after all. Finally its a good piece of technology

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Very easy to use.Compact.Fits in your pocket.

Weakness: Have not found any.

This is my first digital camera.Did alot of research.Best one for the money.I've taken about 50 pictures with it.Easy to use and understand.Highly recommend.Software could be better.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: ergo-handy, quick, strong flash, excellent macro, good movie mode.

Weakness: short battery life, poor PictureProject.

I took more than one thousands photo since I bought the camera. This is my first dc, and first few take was really horrible. The photo was blur. But after a while, especially after reading the manual, I learn more and I took better photo.

A 2nd battery and huge SD card are advisable. Overall, I'm very pleased.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: size, weight, megapixels

Weakness: optical zoom not very high

Owned this camera for about 2 months. I am very much a rookie when it comes to digital cameras but when I researched cameras this one seemed to be the best for the money. It took a little bit to read all about the camera in the owners manuel and to play with the different modes. All in all I love the camera. It is small and light weight so you can just put it in your pocket. The camera takes very nice pictures. Once in a while they pictures will be out of focus. Probably operator error. :) The only thing I don't like about the camera is the short zoom (3x), but I knew that before I bought the camera. You defenetly want to get a 512mb SD card or better and an extra battery. Would buy this camera again.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: compact, style, design, interface, weight, picture quality.

Weakness: Software is not good. Battery charger has a long cord, why not with wall-mount. Small LCD screen.

So far, I love my cute Nikon 5200 DC.
I have used Olympus, Fuji, Canon cameras. Nikon gives the best quality pictures.
A little bit overexposure while using flashing.
Amazing at the great video quality.
Recommend to get a highspeed (64X)> 512Mb SD card.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Great quality photos. Great brand name.

Weakness: I wish it was a 6 megapixal...althogh thats not reall a weakness.

I bought this camera as a gift for my father but I have had 2 other nikon cameras, a 2 meg and a 4 meg. I definatly like the brand cause I keep coming back and I would encourage anyone out there to go for this camera...especially at this price.

Can't go wrong with nikon and SD memory cards are really cheap right now, unlike XD cards.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Very compact camera with easy to use menus. Quick start-up time.

Weakness: Blurred images sometimes occurred.

Very compact camera compared to my previous digital camera (Nikon 4300). It takes great pictures, but for some reason my images turned out to be blurred more than my nikon 4300.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Awsome camera, many features that allow for great quailty point and shoot, scene selections for the more advanced and mannual control for advanced users. Clear pictures, great LCD and easy to use.

Weakness: Doesn't come with AC or camera bag. Should come with those items, can be purchased fairly cheaply with a google search.

Camera is incredible. Spent about 2 weeks looking at compparible cannon's, sony's, kodak's and Fuji's. Nothing was as easy to use and high quality as the nikon! Can't wait to keep using it and for the underwater case to be released here in the states!

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The best Point & Shoot Camera out there!!!

Strengths: Unmatched clarity, price & ease of operation.

Weakness: none!

The Coolpix 5200 is simply the best camera in it's class!

I paid around 150 $ for it and have had this for a little over 3 months, putting it to a lot of use.

The clarity of the photos and color depth is simply impeccable.

My friends have cybershot and powershot cameras but their pictures are no where close to the coolpix 5200. They're all impressed with the 5200 and they wish they'd have had it! The coolpix 5200 outdid most of these models.

I'm just an everyday average user who likes to takes lots of photos [without worrying about pin-cushioning effects and all that photo jargon] and be happy with overall picture quality. I've read a lot of technical reviews but, honestly, from a practical standpoint, I believe most average users would agree with me that they hardly remember all those details like focal length blah, blah... after they've made the purchase]

If you're looking for a simple P&S camera on a decent budget, the coolpix 5200 is the ultimate in it's class, blowing away all competition!

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Great compact size, quality construction, good red eye reduction

Weakness: LCD screen way too tiny, not enough manual control, no RAW, picture quality not even close to the competitors

I bought this camera as my first digital for it's size and got suckered in by the salesman. For 20 years I had a really nice SLR. I had purchased a larger size but lower mega-pixels digital camera for my daughter around 3 years ago and my new Nikon fell far below hers in every way. The tiny LCD screen is almost impossible to use. The photos although higher in resolution were not nearly as crisp. I had to constantly play with the white balance to get even close to accurate colors or do extensive touch up on the laptop. Perhaps I was just looking for more than this camera is meant to offer. But back to the store it went.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Small size, good picture quality, plenty of picture modes, easy to use, solid metal casing

Weakness: LCD smaller than many offered by Sony, Casio

I have the the Coolpix 5200 for a few months now and I am very pleased. It takes great pictures, has a great flash, and incredibly quick response. For under $400, nothing beats it.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: easy to use~!! many scene mode to choose~!!!

Weakness: none~!!

I love this camera~!!
I researched a month to buy my first digital camera and I decided to buy nikon coolpix 5200. It is more expensive than sony P100, but I think it is worth it~
the weight is very light, easy to use~!!
I strongly recommand this camera~!!!

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Sharp pictures, easy to use, very compact...will fit in your shirt pocket, can download easily from camera to computer to email, print or upload to a website.

Weakness: I bought this camera hoping the shutter time would be faster than my Kodak Easyshare camera. It may be a little quicker, but not much.

I appreciate the ease of taking pictures and using a USB cable to enter them into my computer. The battery doesn't last as long as I'd like. My EasyShare battery was always charged up as it rested on the dock.

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Too Many to list

Weakness: None that I have found so far..

This camera is great..I have a Nikon d70 and it even has features not on it..Very, very easy to use..Read the manual and you will have this camera down..

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: very comfortable in hand;low weight;perfect and clear image;flexble function and easy operate;reduce redeye is very useful; no limit movie;fast focus

Weakness: body hot when using cause of battery;sound noise when recording;transfer image slow with computer too short time of self shot

movie function suggest buy two more sd card and in case of
bump and water;very fashion with compact camera case when traveling;price is easy received than canon s500 with same
high image qualification

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Nice lightweight digital camera and easy to use.

Weakness: Indoor picture quality very poor. Outdoor picture quality satisfactory. The wait time between taking pictures was too slow.

I purchased this camera to take pictures at a Labor day weekend wedding because I left my good camera at home. Besides, I wanted a smaller pocket camera anyway. I took nearly 100 pictures indoors and outdoors. I could not take pictures at the rate I expected. Indoor shots were slow and the picture quality was not good at all. They looked grainy. Outdoor pictures were satisfactory but not as good as my Minolta DiMage S404. I am returning the camera.

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Overall, very nice!

Strengths: Easy to use, small, great quality

Weakness: Slow in certain cases, no AAA/AA backup, very large movie files.

I've been using this camera since early April 2005. It's very nice!

Some features I love:
1. SD card. Since my palm takes SD, as well as my sister's new Cannon 5.1 Megapixel (not sure of the model - very new) it's nice to share. It's also easy to find media readers that read SD (and many others). I have a Sandisk 6-in-1 PC Card Adapter for my 15" Powerbook, and a 15 dollar USB 2 media reader.

2. Easy to use - The auto mode works very well, assuming you don't need to adjust settings constantly (see cons, below). The other settings are (mostly) self-explanitory, and work pretty well.

3. Full Res, 5.1 MP, low compression (Fine setting) pictures look great. The exception is low light - shots of fireworks and lightning don't look that great - they're quite noisy.. (that's probably just an issue with cameras in general)

4. Pretty durable. I've tried to keep it protected as best as I can, but it's taken some hits. One was this winter - slipped on a patch of ice, and it flew about 8 feet into 1" of snow. It survived, but the battery door won't stay closed any longer. (the latch broke).

5. Good all around - it has trouble with certain lighting conditions, but otherwise it's great.

6. Great videos. Despite the fact that it has quite a bit of noise in dark scenes, it still works very well.

7. Lightning shots, taken with sports mode, full quality (5.1 MP, "Fine" quality) settings, and a darker exposure mode come out great - if you can react quick enough to get the shot! It has a tendency to blow out close lightning bolts. I have a pic of lightning slamming a tree roughly 1/4 mile from my house - and the picture is completely white (apart from the tree).

8. Battery life. Although it doesn't have an option for AA style batteries, the included battery works well. I got over 140 full res shots, using flash, autofocus, and Noise reduction in a cave nearby. I can fill up a 512 meg card (roughly 320 photos at medium compression) without using the entire battery. It's also very fast to charge - a full charge in 2 hours!

Cons:

1. Somewhat slow. The "Indoor/Party" mode (in the scenes menu) is quite slow. You really need a tripod (or table) for really dark rooms - it blurs easily. Pictures at dark restaraunts often have trouble, for example. The same can be said for the shutter speed. In dark conditions, it clicks open for a long time. See #2.

2. It seems to want to auto-focus every shot. I've taken a bunch of lightning shots - and it gets irritating to have it autofocus for EVERY shot. I've taken to using the sports mode for such pictures - it's pretty quick, despite it's desire to AF. Lightning is all timing, but I wish it was a bit faster. For most people, this won't be a big deal. For shots that need a fast response, like shots of lightning, it's annoying.

3. No battery backups - as in AAA or AA. Although the battery lasts very well, it's not always enough if you're out all day on a vacation.

4. Small monitor, only 6x in-camera zoom in preview mode. Hard to check for blurs, for example.

5. Videos are saved as motion JPEG - I filled up a 512 MB card in only 4 minutes.

I know I marked a bunch of cons - but they're not a huge deal for the most part. Since I almost always have my Powerbook with me, I can preview/edit shots full screen in iPhoto pretty quick. QT Pro is great for saving the movies under a higher compression (MPEG-4 or H.264), although that's a hassle. If you have a charger nearby, it's quick to charge too.

Overall, great camera. After that spill in February, one of the clips for the battery door broke, but that's the only glitch I've had. I'd by it again, although I can get the 7 MP version of this camera (coolpix 7200) for the price I paid for the 5MP version a year ago. (ah, gotta love quickly outdating technology...)

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Nikon Coolpix 5200 5.1 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: size, easy to use, great for still photography.

Weakness: Flash = whiteout; No Flash = blurry pics

I mainly take photo's of my little boy, since he is so active I am never able to get clear and sharp shots. If I leave the flash on it whites-out; if it is off the picture is blurry except for maybe 1 in every 20 shots. I would not buy this camera again, in fact I intend to return the one I have. I guess I need to fork out the money to buy an SLR.

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