This is the first Coolpix to include an Electronic Viewfinder (EVF), the ability to capture images in a RAW data recording mode for image control and manipulation after the picture is taken and Nikon's exclusive Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass for superior image quality. The Coolpix 5700 also records up to one minute of full-motion video with sound, for a complete digital package.

The Coolpix 5700 has a superb F2.8-F4.2, 8X optical zoom lens. The other 5 Megapixel cameras that are comparable to the 5700 all come up short in this department (Minolta DiMAGE 7i, 7X; Sony DSC-F707, 5X; Olympus E-20, 4X). The lens has a special "ED" (must... resist... Viagra joke) extra-low dispersion coating which helps to eliminate the chromatic aberrations (purple fringing) which often plagues big zoom cameras like this. The lens has a focal range of 8.9 - 71.2 mm, which is equivalent to 35 - 280 mm. The lens mount is threaded, but you'll need a step-down ring to actually do anything with it. One thing missing here compared to the other 5MP cameras is a manual focus ring. The E-20 and D7i also have a real manual zoom as well. Directly above the lens is the pop-up flash, which opens automatically. The flash has a working range of 0.5 - 4.0 m (wide-angle) and 0.5 - 2.8 m (telephoto). If you need more flash power, you can add an external one.

Exposure options

The Coolpix 5700 sports a full range of exposure options; Program AE, Flexible Program, Shutter speed priority, Aperture priority, Full Manual, AE Bracketing of both the exposure value and white balance and Best Shot Selector. Shutter speeds from 8 to 1/4000sec plus Bulb (max. 5 minutes) and aperture settings from F2.8 to F10.3. Drive modes include: Single, Continuous High Speed, Continuous Low Speed, Ultra High Speed Continuous, 16-Shot Multi and QVGA 320x240 Movie with audio. User selectable white balance with Auto, Fine, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent and Speedlight presets as well as a custom manual mode. The ISO sensitivity can be Auto or fixed at ISO 100, 200, 400 or 800. Metering options include 256-element matrix, center-weighted averaging, spot or spot AF that follows the exclusive 5-area Multi AF focusing system.

More features

The Coolpix 5700 captures images in standard JPEG compressed, TIFF uncompressed and Nikon's proprietary NEW raw mode to provide greater creative control even after the picture is taken. The camera comes complete with NikonView 5, an image browser software that makes it simple to organize, retrieve and print images, create a slideshow and share images via email, the Web or PDAs. Using the included Nikon Editor software found in NikonView 5, RAW mode image settings can be manipulated at the photographer's leisure once the images have been uploaded into the computer with the included standard USB interface.