The Nikon Coolpix 5200 offers
a 5 megapixel resolution and a 3X optical zoom. The camera retains
much of the design touches of previous models, but in a much
thinner package.
The thinner design is made possible by the use of SD (Secure Digital) memory
cards, which are much smaller than the CompactFlash that have been a staple
of Nikon cameras. (Note that the Coolpix is exclusively compatible
with SD cards).
The top right of the Coolpix 5200
supports three controls.
First is the On/Off switch, slightly recessed to prevent being pressed
accidentally, with a small green LED nearby to show when the camera is
on. Second comes the shutter release, a two-stage system with autofocus
and auto exposure lock at mid-course. And third is the Mode Dial which
protrudes slightly towards the back of the camera so it can be turned with
the thumb while the camera is in hand.
The Mode Dial provides 8 positions,
one of which is to set up the camera (see the Interface & Software section
for an overview of the Setup functions). The remaining seven
Mode dial positions are for the following modes:
Auto: offers the greatest amount of
control over the camera. While the Coolpix provides no means
for the user to select aperture or shutter speed, the Auto
mode offers control over all other settings such as exposure
compensation, autofocus mode, light metering, etc.
Scene: serves as the access to the
11 pre-programmed scene modes offered on the Coolpix 5200
that are standard on many of Nikon's compact cameras. Worth
noting, the camera's LCD monitor cannot be turned off when
any of the Scene modes are in use.
Scene modes are selected by pressing the Menu button:
Party/Indoor: The
flash is set to Auto with red-eye reduction, but can be changed.
Beach/Snow: Enhances colours
and sets the flash mode to Auto, but the other modes remain
available.
Sunset: Warms colours slightly
to enhance sunset colours. The flash is forced to Off.
Dusk/Dawn: Enhances colours
slightly and forces the flash to Off.
Night Landscape: Uses a
slow shutter speed to capture night shots, and sets the focus
to infinity.
Close-up: Sets the camera's
zoom to focus on objects as close as 4cm (1.56 in.) from
the lens (macro mode), and uses continuous auto focus.
Museum: Forces the flash
Off and uses the Best Shot Selector (BSS) (see further).
Fireworks Show: A slow
shutter speed is used, the flash is forced off, and focus
is set to infinity.
Copy: Records
the image in Black and White. The flash and macro
mode remain useable.
Back Light: For
use when the light is behind the subject. The flash
is forced On to provide fill-in light.
Panorama Assist:
makes it easy to capture a series of photos that
will later be assembled into a panoramic image.
As soon as the first image in the series is captured,
the mode overlays a small, semi-transparent portion
of the previous image so that the new image can
be overlapped precisely, ensuring that when the
photos are later stitched together, using software
included with the camera, the match will be precise.
Worth noting, the Scene mode's menu (shown above) only allows for
the selection of the scene mode or the image compression and image
size.
Next on the dial come four shooting modes that are referred to as Framing
Assist modes. Each of these modes offers some form of assistance when
the Menu button is pressed:
Portrait: uses a wide aperture to soften
background details and produces a better result if the zoom
is used. The framing assistance for the Portrait mode is
in the form of various outlines for one or two people that
can be used to position subjects in the frame.
Landscape: slightly sharpens outlines,
colours and contrasts. Assistance is provided as guidelines
to align distant landscapes, or architecture, or groups of
people posing in front of a subject either on the right or
left.
Sports: is intended to capture action
photos by optimizing the shutter speed and using Burst
mode. The mode sets the camera to capture images with an
average compression, and can capture at least 7 frames
at 2.5 frames per second and often more depending on the
complexity of the subject. Alternatively, the frame assist
provides 2 other settings: Sport Spectator which
sets the focus to infinity to avoid the autofocus delay,
and Sport Composite which captures sixteen
648 x 486 pixel shots at a rate of 3.5 frames per second
and stores them in a single 5 megapixel image.
Night Portrait: is to capture portraits
against dimly lit backgrounds. The flash is forced on,
and red-eye reduction is used in addition to noise reduction.
The frame assist functions are similar to those of the
Portrait mode.
Movie Mode: captures video clips
with sound at any of three image sizes (see the Characteristics
section), and the length of the recording depends
on the capacity of the memory card in use. The zoom position
is fixed at the beginning of the recording, as are the
white balance and focus. The exposure, however, is adjusted
as necessary.
The zoom control is located on
the upper right of the camera's back and, as is often the case,
also serves in Playback:
Pressing the wide
angle side of the zoom control presents 4 or 9 thumbnails
per screen.
Pressing the telephoto side of
the zoom control magnifies an image displayed on the screen
up to 6X.
All the other external controls of
the Coolpix 5200 are on the right or below the 1.5 inch, 110,000
pixel LCD screen.
The biggest control is the 4-direction Multi-selector
which has a selection confirmation button in the middle that
is identified by .
And, in addition, it provides a direct access to some of the
most commonly needed functions which are then selected using
a small option-specific menu that is overlaid on the monitor:
The up arrow controls the Flash
modes, and the flash modes available depend on the
shooting mode in use (Auto, Auto with Red-eye reduction,
Forced off, Fill Flash, or Slow Synch).
The right arrow can be used
to set Exposure Compensation. Compensation is possible
over ± 2 EV in 0.3 EV increments.
The down arrow is used to set
the camera to Macro mode, which allows it to focus
on a subject as close as 4cm (1.56 inch) from the front
of the lens.
The left arrow selects the Self-timer which
offers a 10 second delay, or a 3 second delay if the shutter
release is pressed twice.
The centre button also has additional uses depending on
the mode:
In some of the capture modes, if the AF Area mode is
set to Manual, pressing the button
at the centre of Multi-controller allows moving the focus
point to other parts of the frame.
In the Playback mode, the button
serves to display a histogram for the image currently shown
on the screen, and a few of the camera's settings for the
shot.
Finally, when the Coolpix 5200 is connected to a computer
via USB the button serves to start the automatic transfer
of images that were pre-selected to the computer, a function
identified with the blue icon.
The last external controls on
the Coolpix 5200 are the three buttons under the monitor:
In the capture modes this button
serves to Delete the last image to have been taken,
while in the playback mode it can be used to delete one or
more images.
The menu button displays the
menu appropriate to the mode that is currently selected on
the Mode dial.
Switches the camera to
the Playback mode. In addition, when the camera is Off,
pressing and holding this button for a few seconds starts
the camera directly in the Playback mode without the lens
extending.
This new Coolpix is extremely
well finished and offers a good ergonomic design that provides
well-placed and clearly labelled controls and buttons.
Moreover, the Coolpix reacts quickly, is ready to shoot very rapidly, and
saves images fast.
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Introduction
.
And, in addition, it provides a direct access to some of the
most commonly needed functions which are then selected using
a small option-specific menu that is overlaid on the monitor:
icon.
