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Building on the success of the amateur range of Coolpix cameras, Nikon has introduced the Coolpix 5700 in an attempt to bridge the gap between the amateur and professional markets. This time around Nikon has gone for a semi compact feel, combining an almost palm sized unit with a powerful feature set one would expect to find on a high specification mid-range digital camera. The Coolpix 5700 comes equipped with an automatic pop-up flash, plus a hot shoe for additional flash units. The bundled NikonView 5 browser software makes it simple to download, organise and print images. The package includes a lens cap, camera strap, 32 MB CompactFlash card, AV cable, USB cable, rechargeable lithium-ion battery and battery charger. It is compatible with CompactFlash memory cards, as well as IBM Microdrives. The 5700 allows the use of the viewfinder or the LCD monitor (which rotates through 180 degrees after it's opened out) for framing a picture giving full freedom of movement and allowing the photographer to capture a picture at any angle--no matter how obtuse. Zoom capability has been increased on the 5700, and the camera features an impressive 8x optical zoom, the results from which are good at all
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levels and distances. Supporting a maximum resolution of 2560 x 1920 (4.91 megapixels), an ISO range of 100 to 800 and a top shutter speed of 1/4000, this camera is definitely a good all rounder, providing you with great flexibility under different conditions. The 5700 performs admirably producing results way above expectation. Colour balance is good, and the overall results are of a very high quality. If there are any criticisms that can be raised against this camera, it's in its size that the 5700 gives rise for (small) complaint. An extra couple of centimetres all round to the body work would have made it easier to handle and control in everyday usage. The position of the camera strap attachment seems awkward, being as it is located on the upper right quadrant of the lens housing, making it sometimes difficult to gain a good grip when in use. This criticism aside, the Coolpix 5700 is bound to be another sure fire hit for Nikon, balancing the huge five-megapixel image size against a competitive pricepoint. For those not yet ready to move up to the professional level of 35 mm digital SLRs such as the Nikon D100, the Coolpix 5700 proves to be a worthy alternative. --Elly Russell
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