In summary
The test camera delivered sharp images with natural-looking colours, although the overall colour bias was slightly cool and exposures favoured shadow detail. Shots taken in bright sunlight had blocked-up highlights, but no sharpening artefacts were detected. Backlighting was handled well and no obvious colour fringing was detected. . . [more]
Full review
Nikon’s Coolpix 5200 is the first camera with built-in red-eye detection and correction, which can be applied in the red-eye reduction mode or Night Portrait scene setting. In our tests, this function worked extremely well under a wide range of lighting conditions. The camera’s small, lightweight aluminium body has a retracting 3x zoom lens and 12MB internal memory, but a limited control suite. The AF system is fast and, in most cases, accurate, although close subjects require the macro setting. Seven white balance modes are provided, plus a manual ‘pre-set’ mode and WB bracketing. The mode dial has four common scene settings (each with its own sub-menu) and 15 scene settings are provided in a separate scene menu.
The test camera delivered sharp images with natural-looking colours, although the overall colour bias was slightly cool and exposures favoured shadow detail. Shots taken in bright sunlight had blocked-up highlights, but no sharpening artefacts were detected. Backlighting was handled well and no obvious colour fringing was detected. Digital zoom shots were slightly soft but artefact-free, and noise was minimal at ISO 400. The white balance performed well, except with incandescent lighting.
Strengths
- Effective in-camera red-eye removal
- Above average image quality
- Some useful manual controls
Weaknesses
- Excessive contrast in bright conditions
- High JPEG compression levels
- Poor auto white balance in incandescent light [BG05]
Specifications
Image sensor: 7.18 x 5.32mm primary colour CCD with 5.26 million photosites (5.1 megapixels effective)
Lens: 7.8-23.4mm f2.8 – f4.9 3x Zoom-Nikkor (equivalent to 38-114mm in 35mm format)
Zoom ratio: 3x optical; up to 4x digital
Dimensions (wxhxd): 88 x 60 x 36.5mm
Weight: 155g (without battery and memory card)
Retailers
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Ted’s Cameras
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Big range of cameras and photographic products with stores in most states and online.
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