The Nikon Coolpix 5600

[TopCat1]

I have just purchased this on the internet for my hubby for Xmas. My brother in law recommended it to me, as I know nothing about cameras, and he does. So I took his word for it and ordered one.

But now I'm pannicking as I have since been reading mixed reviews, and the bad reviews are bad. Unfotunately, I don't think there is any return on digital cameras, so can someone put my mind to rest, or prepare me for a bad mistake. Thanks

[Buenchico]

(Posted in 2 parts):

OK, it's not the camera that I would have recommended but I don't think that the news is all bad. I've just been reading the very mixed reviews here:
http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/nikon-coolpix-5600-revie ws.html

There a plenty of people who rave about how good it is. Those who criticize it seem to have got only two moans. The first is that it takes too long between shots. For anyone who takes a lot of action shots, this can be a real pain. But if Hubby just wants to take pictures of the family and souvenir photos of tourist attractions then this shouldn't be a problem at all. (It's also worth pointing out that the time between shots can be significantly reduced if you set the camera to a slightly lower image quality. The Nikon 5600 offers up to 5.1 megapixels. Unless you intend to make really big enlargements - A3 or bigger - you definitely don't need the camera set to anywhere near its maximum quality).

[Buenchico]

(2nd Part):

The second complaint is fuzzy pictures. Now it's extremely unlikely that any camera with the 'Nikon' name on it has got a poor lens. There are only two other reasons why pictures from an automatic camera would be fuzzy. The first would be if the autofocus hadn't worked properly - but this would only make certain parts of the picture fuzzy. The second, and far more likely, cause is 'camera shake'. I see lots of people using cameras who haven't got a clue what they're doing. When I was 6 years old I was taught the basics of how to handle a camera. They included keeping the camera as still as possible, keeping my elbows tucked in while taking the shot, breathing in while composing the shot and holding my breath when pressing the shutter button. Many modern cameras automatically set very fast shutter speeds which means that you can get away with moving the camera while taking the shot (but these don't always give the best pictures). These reports of 'fuzzy' pictures, however, suggest that the Nikon 5600 tends to select slower shutter speeds (in the interests of producing a better picture) but that the people who've used it still expect to be able to wave the camera around and get crisp pictures. (So, as long as Hubby knows how to avoid camera shake, he shouldn't get fuzzy pictures).

As I've said, it's not the camera which I'd have recommended - but if you'd have asked 10 different people you'd have got at least 7 different recommendations! - but Nikon is still a good brand and, used properly, the camera should produce some high-quality pictures.

Read all of the good reviews and stop worrying. Just make sure that Hubby reads the handbook before using the camera. (Us men aren't too good at that kind of thing!). Then check that he hasn't unnecessarily got the camera on too high a quality setting and encourage him to hold the camera properly when taking pictures.

Chris

[Cetti]

I really don't think you need to worry TopCat because as Chris has said you can take a dozen people who will give you a dozen different opinions.

Having said that I do understand what you mean. Before I bought my Olympus C765 I looked at so many reviews it made me giddy. Some said it was brilliant but..... others said this camera has everything but....so I went to this page http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/nikon5600.html liked his in depth honest approach and bought the camera. It does everything I need and more, so don't take too much notice of over picky reviewers.

One of my hobbies is bird photography, and what camera do the very best use - NIKON, naturally. One day.........sigh!! Your hubby will be thrilled to bits with his present, so don't worry any more.

[gucciman]

most of the criticisms you read will never be noticed by the average camera user. nikons are arguably the best cameras available and i doubt if the one you've bought is a bad one.