A great starter for the digital novice!

Author's Rating:

Pros: Sharp Focus, Brilliant Colors, Zoom, Ergonomic, Works great in Auto or Manual, Versatile

Cons: Battery life, slight shutter lag, maze of menus

The Bottom Line: 
This is a powerful digital camera that will provide you with superb results and a desire to shoot more and more everyday.

Author's Review
I budgeted myself $1000 US to purchase a dependable digital camera that delivers excellent results. I picked up the Nikon Coolpix 5700 in June 2003 after debating between the 5400 and the 5700. In my opinion, the decision to go with the 5700 was well made.

I'm not a professional photographer, but I consider myself an intermediate photog who has a relatively decent eye for framing photos. I decided to get a digital because of its cost effectiveness (I've shot over 5000 photos since my purchase - no processing, no developng!). I also bought the 5700 because I wanted some versatility in having a camera that could work automatically and manually.

I absolutely love the results I've gotten with this camera. The colors are brilliant when using the auto mode.
I really enjoy its design as well. It's comfortable to hold when shooting. On a 256 memory card, I can fit approximately 105 photos shot in fine mode (2560x1920 pixels). This is the standard mode I use for 90% of my shots. Transferring files is easier for me because my Epson printer has a Compact Flash port which allows me to cut and copy all my photos to my Hard Drive. The zoom is fantastic. The 8x optical is wonderful, although you may experience a little noise on photos when your zoom is at its max depending on the subject.

Finally, I really dig the digital viewfinder!

I print photos on my Epson Stylus Photo 825 (I have a review for this as well). Results are flawless. I don't have a need for color correction (unless I'm distorting the photo). The colors are really superb.

Now for the few dislikes.

I seldom use the flash as it can consume quite a bit of juice. You can buy disposable batteries and keep them as a backup. I like that feature.
Learning the controls can be time consuming, but if you follow the manual and use it as a reference, you'll be fine. There are many menus and you can get a little confused. It's worth learning in my book. The biggest dislike for me has to be the shutter delay. You'll experience a slight delay (shutter lag) with this camera. Since my work is mostly in nature, landscape and stock photography, I have little movement in my subject matter.
Shooting action shots may be a little difficult, but not impossible with the manual settings. Lastly, I've had fun shooting 60 second videos with the 5700. Don't expect high quality from this video. Playing them back on a TV, they look alot like old 8mm reel video. It was interesting to see a modern toy demonstrate a old video effect.

That's about it. This camera has improved my skills, my knowledge and love of photography. you can see examples of my work at the links below. Thanks for reading this review. I hope it helps.

http://www.istockphoto.com/imagenhanced

http://www.peterjraneri.com