Product Reviews

The P5100 is an update to the Coolpix P5000, which we reviewed in Labs, Shopper 238. The design is largely identical, but the sensor has been upgraded from 10 to 12 megapixels and an extra 10g brings the weight to 250g.

With no other specification changes, the two cameras largely share the same strengths and weaknesses. There's a hotshoe and threaded lens ring for attaching accessories, and the magnesium alloy body looks smart and feels robust. We love the layout of controls, with a command dial providing direct access to exposure settings. Highly effective optical image

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stabilisation is built in to counteract blur at slow shutter speeds.

Sadly, the list of problems is just as long. There's no RAW mode or manual focus, and manual exposure is made difficult by a coarse shutter speed control, which jumps in whole stops rather than thirds of a stop. The 3.5x zoom range is stingy, but the P5100's biggest weakness is its performance. It takes up to 2s to focus and around 3s between shots. Continuous shooting is even slower than on the P5000, at 0.33fps at the top-quality setting.

The Coolpix P5100's saving grace is the best image quality we have seen from a compact camera. Colour reproduction reminds us of Nikon's digital SLRs, with a subtle warmth to pictures that flatters skin tones. Detail isn't far behind SLRs, with smooth, accurate fine details that other 12-megapixel compacts gloss over. Low-light performance can't match that of digital SLRs, but the noise levels are the best we've seen from a 12-megapixel compact, giving usable results at ISO 800.

None of the P5100's problems is fatal. Apart from performance, it's a pleasure to use. If you don't mind making sacrifices for stunning image quality, it's ideal.