eBay

Nikon Coolpix 5400 5.1 MP 4.0x Nikkor ED Optical Zoom Lens UVGC Black Seller Guarantee Accessories

This “Buy It Now” auction is for one fully functional Nikon Coolpix 5400 5.1 MP 4.0x Nikkor ED Optical Zoom Lens Black Digital Camera in good cosmetic condition and very good functional condition with a 30-day money back seller guarantee and bundle of accessories.

Auction Includes

· Nikon Coolpix 5400 Digital Camera Serial Number 3787527

· 128 MB CompactFlash Memory Card

· Genuine Nikon EN-EL1 Battery Pack

· Non-OEM Travel Battery Charger for the EN-EL1 Battery Pack

· Genuine Nikon Lens Cap

· Genuine Nikon Neck Strap

· Blue CaseLogic Camera Case with a primary pocket with zipper closure, a hand grip and belt loop

· Seller Guarantee as shown below

Electronic versions of The Nikon Guide to Digital Photography with the Coolpix 5400 Digital Camera and other documentation may be downloaded directly from Nikon’s support page.

Prospective buyers are encouraged to take a look at a PDF copy of The Nikon Guide to Digital Photography with the Coolpix 5400 online to learn more about this digital camera.

· This Nikon Coolpix 5400 black digital camera is in good cosmetic condition and very good functional condition.

· Cosmetically the has an average number of scratches and other signs of wear as shown in various photos.

· Functionally the camera is in very good condition because all features have been tested and the camera is working properly except that the Software Disk required to transfer photos from the camera directly to the computer using the USB cable is not included. Camera users should assume that they will be limited to transferring images to their computer using a 128 MB CompactFlash CF Memory Card.

· The 1.5 inch fully-articulating Vari-angle rotating TFT active matrix color LCD display is in very good condition with a very small number of scratches or other blemishes as shown in photos 17, 18, 19, 20 & 21.

· This camera has an optical viewfinder for use in framing your subject or when the color LCD display is washed out in bright sunlight.

· The camera lens is clean and dust free with no noticeable scratches but with one noticeable point near the right center of the lens.

· The separate battery compartment and memory card compartment doors both fit tightly and close fully.

· This camera works well as a point and shoot unit.

A PDF copy of the The Nikon Guide to Digital Photography with the Coolpix 5400 Digital Camera is available online as noted above.

· The photos taken with this camera meet the eBay photo requirements.

· Please see two example photos taken with this camera in photos 22 & 23. These two photos were taken with this camera and edited using the PICASA³ photo editor with cropping and with auto contrast.

· You may download your photos from the camera to your computer using the 128 MB CompactFlash Memory Card which has been tested and is included.

· Please note that the Software Disk required to load photos from the camera directly to the computer is NOT included. Camera users will be limited to transferring images to a computer using a 128 MB CompactFlash CF Memory Card.

· This camera comes from smoke-free and pet-free home.

Seller Guarantee

Buy With Confidence.

Top rated eBay seller with over 3950 transactions with 100% positive feedback.

Guarantee: I am sufficiently convinced about this digital camera’s condition and image quality that I provide a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

If you do not believe the signs of wear or other aspects of this camera’s description were accurate, or if you are not completely satisfied, send the camera and accessories back to me.

I will pay the return postage.

As soon as I receive your return package, I will process a full refund, including your original shipping, to your PayPal account.

SHIPPING POLICIES AND RELATED SHIPPING INFORMATION

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· These rules apply to both Apple products with lithium-ion batteries and to used digital cameras with proprietary lithium-ion batteries.

· Digital cameras that require AA batteries may be shipped with AA Alkaline or AA Lithium as noted in the listing copy. If these digital cameras contain AA Lithium batteries they are subject to the same shipping and labeling requirements that apply to all other lithium batteries.

WHY LITHIUM-ION?

FROM THE APPLE SUPPORT WEB SITE

· Compared with older generations of battery technology, lithium-ion batteries charge faster, last longer, and have a higher power density for more battery life in a lighter package. Rechargeable lithium-ion technology currently provides the best technology for your many devices.

CONDENSED FROM DIGITAL CAMERA MAKER WEBSITES

· The most common theme concerning why lithium-ion batteries are frequently used in digital cameras is that they provide a longer battery life and a more consistent power delivery even in colder situations.

LABELING REQUIREMENTS

· Two lithium battery warning labels must now be affixed to all USPS packages with used products that contain lithium batteries. These labels are shown at the end of listing photos.

PROBLEMS SHIPPING USED DIGITAL CAMERAS INTERNATIONALLY

· Because a substantial majority of digital cameras utilize lithium-ion batteries, eBay does not permit shipping of used digital cameras as part of their International Shipping Program.

· For this reason, all of my listings with used iPods and used digital cameras are marked for the US market only.

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Nikon Coolpix 5400 High Points

· 5.1-megapixel CCD delivering image resolutions as high as 2,592 x 1,944 pixels.

· Real-image zoom optical viewfinder and 1.5-inch color LCD monitor with swivel design.

· 4x, Nikkor 5.8-24mm lens, equivalent to a 28-116mm lens on a 35mm camera.

· As high as 4x digital zoom.

· Automatic and manual focus control.

· Maximum aperture of f/2.8-4.6 depending on zoom setting.

· Available shutter speeds from 1/4,000-second to 8 seconds, 10 minutes in "bulb" mode.

· Optional noise reduction for shots longer than 1/4 second.

· Full Auto, Program AE, Flexible Program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual exposure modes.

· Scene mode with 16 programmed "scenes."

· 256-segment Matrix, Center-Weighted, Spot, and AF Spot metering modes.

· Eight White Balance modes with a manual setting and a White Balance Bracketing mode.

· Auto sensitivity or ISO equivalents of 50, 100, 200, and 400.

· Image Adjustment menu, Sharpness, and Saturation controls.

· Continuous, High Speed Continuous, Ultra High Speed Continuous, Multi-Shot 16, 5-Shot Buffer, Best Shot Selector, Movie (with sound), and Time Lapse Movie shooting modes.

· 64-megabyte buffer memory.

· Built-in self-timer.

· Built-in flash with six settings.

· External flash hot shoe.

· Images and movies stored to CompactFlash Type I or II memory cards, or IBM MicroDrive.

· Uncompressed TIFF, JPEG, and Motion JPEG file formats.

· USB cable and interface for quick connection to a PC or Macintosh.

· Power supplied by rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack (included) or optional AC adapter.

· Video cable included.

· Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) compatibility.

Nikon Coolpix 5400 Review

From Imaging Resource

Review First Posted: 07/12/2003

Headline: A solid update to Nikon's upper-midrange Coolpix with 5 megapixels, 4x zoom, tons of features!

Manufacturer Overview

Nikon is one of the few companies that you can say truly needs no introduction in the world of photography. Their name has been identified with professional and high-end amateur photography for a good five decades now, and they've been very successful at translating that long history of expertise into the digital arena. Their Coolpix product line has led the popularity charts at the high end of the "prosumer" market segment since its introduction, and recent line extensions have broadened its appeal to include more casual "point and shoot" photographers as well. The key to Coolpix popularity has been the combination of excellent picture quality with an amazing range of features, all calculated to give the photographer maximum control over the picture-taking process, with minimal effort.

Executive Overview

Updating the already stellar Nikon Coolpix line of digicams, the Coolpix 5400 offers a 5.1-megapixel CCD for capturing high quality, sharp images with great color, and a true, 4x optical zoom lens. At roughly the same size as its predecessor, the Coolpix 5000 model, the Coolpix 5400 is fairly compact at just 4.3 x 2.9 x 2.7 inches (108 x 73 x 69 millimeters). While it won't fit into a standard shirt pocket, the Coolpix 5400 should easily fit into a medium-sized purse, though a soft camera bag is the best method of transportation. The Coolpix 5400 has a good heft to it, at 13.4 ounces (380 grams), no doubt a result of the slightly large hand grip and lens. In addition to the substantial hand grip, the Coolpix 5400 comes with a neck strap, for increased portability.

A 4x, Nikkor 5.8-24mm lens is built into the camera, providing a zoom range equivalent to a 28-116mm lens on a 35mm camera (The wide-angle end of this range is quite a bit wider than that of most prosumerdigicams, good for Real Estate and other applications requiring wider-than-normal coverage.) What's more, the 5400 accepts a variety of Nikon accessory lenses, which can extend its focal length range quite a bit in both directions. Focus can be automatically or manually controlled, with an adjustable autofocus area. In addition to the 4x optical zoom, the Coolpix 5400 also provides up to 4x digital zoom, depending on the image size selected. (Keep in mind that digital zoom often compromises image quality because only the central portion of the CCD's image is enlarged, decreasing resolution.) Both a real-image optical viewfinder and a 1.5-inch LCD monitor are included for composing shots. The LCD monitor has a rotating design, allowing it to pop up from the back panel and swivel around approximately 270 degrees. The LCD can also flip around and fold flat against the back panel, giving it the familiar rear-panel position common to most digicams. Finally, it can be closed when not in use, protecting the monitor from dirt and scratches.

Following the standard of prior high-end Nikon Coolpix digicams, the Coolpix 5400 features extensive exposure control. Full Auto, Program AE, Flexible Program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual exposure modes are available, each with a wide range of features. There's also a Scene mode, offering 16 preset "scenes" to choose from. Shutter speeds range from 1/4,000 to eight seconds, with a Bulb setting for exposures as long as 10 minutes. (!) In Ultra High Speed Continuous mode, the maximum shutter speed extends to an amazing 1/8,000 second. A Noise Reduction option decreases the image noise that would normally be present in long exposures, using a dark-frame subtraction approach. The maximum aperture is f/2.8 - f/4.6, depending on the zoom setting, and is adjustable in 1/3 EV steps. Four metering options are available, including 256-Segment Matrix, Center-Weighted, Spot, and AF Spot (which ties the metering spot to the selected AF area). ISO can be set to a range of values, including Auto, 50, 100, 200, and 400. The camera's adjustable White Balance setting offers Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Speedlight, Shade, or Preset (which lets you set the white value by using a white card or object as a reference point). Additionally, all white balance settings can be adjusted from -3 to +3 units on an arbitrary scale to correct for minor color casts. A White Balance Bracketing mode optionally captures three images with slightly different white balance adjustments, letting you pick the best image when you view the photos on your computer.

Exposure compensation is adjustable from -2 to +2 exposure equivalents (EV) in one-third step increments, and is controllable in all exposure modes except Manual. The Auto Bracketing feature takes three or five shots of the same subject with varying exposure values determined either by the photographer in Manual mode or by the camera in all other modes, with variable exposure steps between shots. Best Shot Select snaps multiple images and then automatically picks the sharpest, making it feasible to handhold the camera for surprisingly long exposures. The "Quick Review" button lets you quickly check the last shot taken without leaving Record mode, going so far as to make most of the Playback mode options available, while permitting a very quick return to shooting. Through the camera's settings menu, you can adjust the image sharpness and color saturation, and an Image Adjustment menu offers contrast adjustments as well.

Additionally, the Coolpix 5400 lets you save two sets of user settings for focus, exposure, and other camera options, for rapid recall via the setup menu. A Self-Timer mode offers a three or 10-second countdown before firing the shutter. The camera's built-in flash operates in Auto, Flash Cancel, Anytime Flash, Red-Eye Reduction, Slow-Sync, and Rear Curtain Sync modes. An external flash hot shoe accommodates a more powerful external flash unit, including Nikon's own dedicated Speedlights, as well as studio flash systems. (But Nikon still provides only very limited integration with their excellent dedicated Speedlights.)

The Coolpix 5400 offers a wide range of "motor drive" rapid-exposure modes for capturing quick sequences of images. Continuous L, Continuous H, Ultra High Speed Continuous, Multi-Shot 16, and 5-Shot Buffer modes are available through the settings menu, and offer a range of sequence shooting speeds. (Multi-Shot 16 mode subdivides the image area into 16 sections and captures a "mini-movie" of small images at 648 x 486-pixel resolution.) Finally, Movie mode records moving images (with sound) for as long as 180 seconds (depending on the amount of available memory space) at the 320 x 240-pixel resolution setting (as long as 70 seconds at 640 x 480 pixels). A Time Lapse Movie mode lets you capture images at specified intervals, much like traditional time-lapse photography. Finally, an audio recording feature lets you record 20-second sound clips to accompany captured images in Playback mode.

The Coolpix 5400 stores its images on CompactFlash cards (Type I or II), and a 16MB card is packaged with the camera.(Nikon rightly labels this a "starter" memory card, as its capacity is absurdly small for a five-megapixel digicam. Plan on buying at least a 64 MB card immediately, and I'd highly recommend 128MB as a practical minimum.) The camera is compatible with the IBM MicroDrive as well. File formats include several levels of compressed JPEG files as well as an uncompressed TIFF mode (Hi quality setting). Available image sizes are 2,592 x 1,944; a 3:2 Ratio version of the same width but reduced height; 1,600 x 1,200; 1,280 x 960; 1,024 x 768; and 640 x 480 pixels. A Video Out jack allows the camera to be connected to a television set, for large-screen image review.

A rechargeable EN-EL1 lithium-ion battery pack powers the camera, providing generally good battery life, and an AC adapter is available as a separate accessory. (The battery and charger are included in the box with the Coolpix 5400.) The camera connects to a computer via a USB cable (included), and the accompanying Nikon View software provides image downloading and organizing capabilities for both Windows and Macintosh computers.

With its full exposure control, customizable user interface, and loads of features, the Coolpix 5400 is a worthy update to the Coolpix line. The 5.1-megapixel CCD and 4x Nikkor lens capture sharp, clear images with great quality and color, and the rotating LCD monitor makes shooting at odd angles a lot more comfortable. Like the previous Coolpix digicams that went before it, the new Coolpix 5400 offers exceptional flexibility and image quality, for both novice and prosumer-level users.

Design

Updating the popular Coolpix 5000 model, which was itself a significant departure from the swivel-case designs of earlier high-end Coolpix models, the Coolpix 5400 offers similar rangefinder styling with a slightly enhanced feature set. Like the Coolpix 5000, the Coolpix 5400 uses a "Vari-angle" LCD design that retains (and some would say improves) the viewing flexibility formerly provided by the swivel body. The Coolpix 5400 measures 4.3 x 2.9 x 2.7 inches (108 x 73 x 69 millimeters), which is just a bit bulky, but still compact enough for a medium-sized purse or a backpack. It has a pleasant heft at 13.4 ounces (380 grams), with the battery and memory card installed. A neck/shoulder strap comes with the camera, to make toting it a little more convenient, but I'd recommend a good camera case for any extended travel.

Visible on the Coolpix 5400's front panel are the large flash tube, a small flash exposure sensor, the window for the optical viewfinder, and the lens. The telescoping lens extends another half-inch from the camera body when in its fully extended position, and retracts just inside the larger lens barrel when the camera is powered off. The larger lens barrel is threaded to accept Nikon accessory lenses. A plastic lens cap protects the lens when not in use, and tethers to the camera body via a small strap. The large handgrip slopes downward at the top, providing a view of the Shutter button, and is covered with a rubbery material that ensures a firm grip.

The camera's right side (as viewed from the back) houses the memory card compartment (a Type I/II Compact Flash slot), an eyelet for the neck strap, and a flap that hides the external power connector. The memory card compartment features a spring action that firmly snaps the door shut, and opens from the rear panel. The DC-In terminal is covered by a flexible flap that remains attached to the camera when opened.

The left side of the camera features the other neckstrap eyelet, speaker grille, and flaps covering the jacks for the audio/video and USB cables. The USB cable plugs into a jack in the top right corner of the panel, while the A/V cable plugs into the lower left corner. From this view, you can also see the large hinge of the swiveling LCD monitor.

The top of the camera has a handful of controls, in addition to the external flash hot shoe and microphone. Controls on the top panel are the Shutter button and surrounding power switch, the Flash and +/- buttons, the Function button, Mode dial, and a Command wheel at the back rear corner. The command wheel is used in conjunction with various buttons on the body of the camera to change camera settings.

The remaining camera controls are on the Coolpix 5400's rear panel, along with the optical viewfinder and LCD monitor. The optical viewfinder eyepiece has two status LEDs on its left, showing current focus and flash status. A small adjustment dial on the right side of the eyepiece adjusts the viewfinder diopter value for eyeglass wearers. To the right of the viewfinder eyepiece are the AE/AF Lock and Zoom buttons. The Menu, AF/Erase, Quick Review/Resize, and Display buttons line the right side of the LCD monitor. To the right of these is a Four-Way Multicontroller button, which navigates menu settings, with an OK button at its center. The swiveling LCD monitor lifts up off of the back panel, and can flip around to face the front of the camera. From this position, the LCD monitor itself rotates around 270 degrees to face a variety of viewing angles. (I really like tilt/swivel LCD designs like this, as they're really handy for shooting over the heads of people in a crowd, or for getting ground-level macro shots that would be nearly impossible otherwise.)

The bottom of the Coolpix 5400 is nice and flat, with some raised rubber inserts that help the camera grip tripod mounting plates. The plastic (I wish it was metal), threaded tripod socket is slightly off-center, but provides a stable mount. Also on the bottom panel is the camera's battery compartment, with a latch in the center of the door to prevent it from accidentally opening. The battery compartment and tripod socket are unfortunately too close together to allow quick battery changes while the camera is mounted. (I'm always acutely aware of this, given how much in-studio shooting I do with the cameras I test.) However, the DC-In jack is accessible from the side, making it easy to provide alternate power while mounted on a tripod.

Test Results

In keeping with my standard test policy, the comments given here summarize only my key findings. For a full commentary on each of the test images, see the Coolpix 5400's "pictures" page.

As with all Imaging Resource product tests, I encourage you to let your own eyes be the judge of how well the camera performed. Explore the images on the pictures page, to see how Coolpix 5400's images compare to other cameras you may be considering.

Color: For the most part, the Coolpix 5400 produced good, pleasing color throughout my testing. Color saturation was typically just about right, and hue was also pretty accurate. The only exceptions were a little difficulty with the difficult blue flowers in my Outdoor Portrait shot, and an over-bright, yellowish rendering of the grass and some of the foliage in my Far-Field test. Apart from these specific hues, other colors seemed to be rendered accurately. Skin tones were rendered pretty well too, with just a shade of excess pink, to my eye. The camera's auto white balance system did a good job under most lighting conditions, failing only under the very warm-toned household incandescent lighting of the Indoor Portrait shot. The 5400's manual white balance setting handled even that very difficult light source (and everything else I threw at it) with aplomb though.

Exposure: The Coolpix 5400's metering system accurately gauged exposure under most of my test lighting very well. On the very harshly-lit Outdoor Portrait shot, it required a good bit less positive exposure compensation than do most cameras I test, while on the Indoor Portrait shot, it required about the same as other models. When shooting very contrasty subjects like the Outdoor Portrait shot, I felt that the 5400's default tone curve was a bit too contrasty, although many competing cameras share this trait. What frustrated me with that shot though, was that the 5400's "low contrast" menu option appeared to decrease the exposure, rather than the contrast. By the time I'd boosted the exposure back up where it needed to be, the actual contrast was even higher than it had been in the original image. Given that I really like the ability to adjust contrast on cameras, I found the failure of the 5400's contrast adjustment particularly irksome. (A bit of a personal preference/bias thing, other users may not be as bothered by this as I was.)

Resolution/Sharpness: The Coolpix 5400 performed well on the "laboratory" resolution test chart. It started showing artifacts in the test patterns at resolutions as low as 800 lines per picture height, in both horizontal and vertical directions. I found "strong detail" out to at least 1,200 lines. "Extinction" of the target patterns didn't occur until about 1,600 lines. On natural subjects though, I found that the 5400 tended to lose detail in low-contrast areas, apparently due to an overly aggressive noise-reduction algorithm. (See the bricks on shadowed portions on of the house in my Far-Field shot, to see this most clearly.) I'm seeing more and more of this sort of thing lately, possibly the result of the continuing push to higher pixel counts on prosumer cameras. - The resulting smaller sensor pixels result in higher image noise, which the manufacturers attempt to compensate for by cranking up the noise-reduction processing, at the cost of subtle image detail. Nikon's not alone in this, but I felt that I saw evidence of it more clearly in some of the 5400's photos than in others I've tested recently.

Closeups: Like most Coolpix models, the 5400 turned in an exceptional macro performance, capturing a tiny minimum area of only 1.48 x 1.11 inches (38 x 28 millimeters). Resolution was high, with strong detail in the printing of the dollar bill. The coins and brooch were soft due to the very shallow depth of field at such short shooting distances. At such a close shooting range, the Coolpix 5400's flash had trouble throttling down for the macro area (no surprise really, this is close), so plan on using external illumination for the very closest macro photos.

Night Shots: The Coolpix 5400 has a maximum exposure time of eight seconds, and a Bulb shutter setting for exposures as long as 10 minutes. Combined with adjustable ISO and a Noise Reduction feature, the Coolpix 5400's exposure offerings ensure excellent low-light performance. The camera produced clear, bright, usable images down to the 1/16 foot-candle (0.67 lux) limit of my test, with good color at all four ISO settings. The Coolpix 5400's Noise Reduction setting did an excellent job of controlling image noise, as even images taken at ISO 400 show only moderate noise levels, and 60-second time exposures show only a few hot pixels. Overall, an excellent job.

Viewfinder Accuracy: The Coolpix 5400's optical viewfinder is a little tight, showing approximately 92 percent frame accuracy at wide angle, and about 83 percent at telephoto. (92 percent coverage is pretty good, but 83 is a bit below average, and I particularly dislike viewfinders whose accuracy varies as a function of zoom setting, because that makes it very hard to know how much to adjust mentally for them.) The LCD monitor proves to be much more accurate, showing about 97 percent frame accuracy at both telephoto and wide angle lens settings. Given that I like LCD monitors to be as close to 100 percent accuracy as possible, the Coolpix 5400's LCD monitor performed well here, but I'd have liked a more accurate optical viewfinder.

Optical Distortion: Optical distortion on the Coolpix 5400 was very low at the wide-angle end, where I measured only one pixel of barrel distortion (!). The telephoto end had slightly more difficulty, as I found 0.5 percent pincushion distortion there. Overall, this is less geometric distortion than I find on most cameras, all the more impressive given the 5400's 4x zoom lens. Chromatic aberration was exceptionally low as well, showing almost no color around the target lines in the corners of the res target shot. (This distortion is visible as a very slight colored fringe around the objects at the edges of the field of view on the resolution target.) The one recurring defect that I found was that image details were very often a bit soft in the left half of the frame. (This suggests that the CCD chip was slightly cocked in its mount. I'll investigate the possibility of obtaining another sample from Nikon, to re-test this aspect.)

Battery Life: Overall, the Coolpix 5400 shows good battery life, with a worst-case run time of almost two hours. This is better than much of the competition, but not as good as a few. As always, I still strongly recommend purchasing a second battery along with your camera, and keeping it charged and on hand. Murphy's law clearly applies to digicam batteries, as they always pick the worst possible times to run out of juice.

Conclusion

The original Coolpix 5000 model was an excellent digicam that I found well-suited to the prosumer as well as the amateur, and the Coolpix 5400 seems to fill its shoes quite well. The 5.1-megapixel CCD and 4x optical zoom lens are benefits in themselves, but the Coolpix 5400 also offers increased exposure options as well. The 15-setting Scene mode is perfect for common, yet challenging, shooting situations, and the full Auto exposure mode is a great starting point for novices. I have a few quibbles over its image characteristics, feeling that the 5400's images are a bit on the contrasty side (although honestly, no more so than many competing models), and also that they show the affects of somewhat over-aggressive noise reduction. - For whatever reason (a noisier CCD chip?), Nikon seems to have cranked up the noise reduction algorithm used in all the camera's images (as opposed to just the long-exposure ones) to the point that some detail is lost in shadows. On a positive note though, the camera's lens appears to be of higher than average quality, with unusually low geometric distortion at its wide-angle setting. The 5400 also snaps very clean images under low light conditions, even with very long exposures. It also carries forward the Coolpix tradition of exceptional macro capability. Like all of Nikon's high-end Coolpix models, the 5400 also offers an amazing range of creative and exposure controls, easily at the top of the market in that respect. I've thus made it a "Dave's Pick," despite my concerns about contrast and noise-reduction processing - This is an exceptionally capable camera that's equipped to delight any enthusiast, but that also works very well for novice users when working in pure point & shoot mode, or one of its many scene modes.

Nikon Coolpix 5400 Review

By: Steve's Digicams

First Look posted 5/28/03

Full review posted 7/15/03

Introduction & Physical Views

The 5.1-megapixel Nikon Coolpix 5400 is equipped with a new 4x Zoom-Nikkor lens with wide-angle coverage from 28mm to 116mm (35mm equivalent) and comprised of Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) glass elements. This lens produces incredibly sharp and vivid images and with its Ultra Macro mode allows you to photograph objects as close as one-half inch from the lens. The palm sized Coolpix 5400 is loaded with real camera features and is housed in a stylish, lightweight and durable magnesium alloy body.

The Coolpix 5400 produces still images up to 2592 x 1944 pixels which yield photo-quality prints up to 16 x 20-inches and larger. The camera is very robust with minimal shutter lag and a high-speed autofocus. The enhanced continuous shooting mode captures up to 7 full-size images at the rate of 3 frames per second. And a new 5 shot buffer mode lets you capture the last five images of any action sequence thanks to a 64MB buffer. This buffer is also used to allow for up to 70 seconds of 640 x 480 VGA resolution motion video with audio to be recorded. Smaller 320 x 240 resolution movies can be recorded for up to 180 seconds and there is a new time-lapse movie mode as well.

The Coolpix 5400 can satisfy the needs of novice to experienced photographers with a full range of exposure modes. The AUTO mode makes the camera function like a simple Point-n-Shoot so anybody can take great pictures right away. When you want more control over the process just turn the mode dial and choose from Program AE, Shutter or Aperture priority, Manual or one of 15 pre-programmed Scene modes. Nikon's 256-segment matrix metering insures properly exposed images with selectable Center-Weighted, Spot and Spot AF metering options. Adjustable ISO sensitivity from 50 to 400, white balance options, automatic or manually selected focus points, 7 mode flash with hot shoe for Nikon speedlights, optional telephoto, wide angle and fisheye adapter lenses and remote control.

Nikon Coolpix 5400 Overview

The Nikon Coolpix 5400's enhanced, fully-articulating 1.5-inch color LCD allows the photographer to shoot at virtually any angle in order to get the best shot. The LCD is also optimized for easy viewing in bright sunlight.

Coolpix 5400 Features:

· 5-Megapixel CCD for images up to 2592 x 1944 pixels

· Nikkor 4x zoom (28-116mm in 35mm equivalent) with ED glass

· Macro focus with AF as close as 1/2-inch

· Fully articulating 270°, 1.5" color LCD monitor

· Record in TIFF-RGB (uncompressed), JPEG or RAW (after firmware update) file formats

· Quick Review feature for instant playback

· Programmed AE, Shutter-Priority, Aperture-Priority, Manual and 15 Scene Modes

· Drive modes: Single, Continuous H, Continuous L, Ultra High Speed Continuous, 16-Shot Multi, 5 shot buffer (captures last 5 frames)

· Capture 7 full-size frames at 3fps w/64MB buffer

· 640x480 or 320x240 Movies with audio @ 15fps

· Coolpix-exclusive Best Shot Selector exposure mode

· Shutter speeds from 1/4000 sec. to 8 secs (Bulb to 10 minutes!)

· Five-area multifocus system, user-selectable and Spot-AF

· 256-segment Matrix Metering, Center-weighted or Spot

· Noise Reduction for long exposures

· ISO sensitivity of Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400

· AE Bracketing with white balance and exposure value

· Built-in 7 mode flash with slow sync, rear curtain and repeating flash

· Hot shoe for external Nikon Speedlights

· USB 1.1 port for image download

· CompactFlash Type II card slot (Microdrive compatible)

· EN-EL1 rechargeable battery and charger included

The Nikon Coolpix 5400 features the latest version of NikonView 6, complete with Nikon's new and exclusive One-Touch Red-Eye Fix software, which instantly fixes red-eye with the touch of a button from most typical red-eye digital photos. Also included is ArcSoft® PhotoStudio™ for image manipulation and enhancement, VideoImpression™ for editing and sharing QuickTime movies, and Panorama Maker™, which lets users easily stitch a number of images together to create beautiful panoramic photos. The camera also comes with PhotoBase™, which allows photos and slide shows to be downloaded and displayed on the screen of a PDA.

The Nikon Coolpix 5400 includes the new NikonView 6 software CD-ROM, shoulder strap, USB cable, video cable, a Lexar 16 MB "Speed Rated" Starter Memory Card and a Li-Ion rechargeable battery and quick charger.

Steve's Conclusion

The Coolpix 5400, at least at the time of this review, shares the spotlight at the high-end of Nikon's Coolpix digital camera line with the Coolpix 5700. Like the Coolpix 5700, it incorporates a high-resolution 5.1-megapixel CCD imager in a durable but more compact magnesium body, the noticeable reduction in size being largely attributable to the 4X optical zoom lens versus the 8X of the 5700. The zoom range extends from a 35mm-equivalent 28mm wide-angle to 116mm telephoto. It features a similar type of fully-articulated color LCD but it has a higher resolution 134,000 pixel 1.5-inch display. In addition, the 5400 offers a coupled optical viewfinder with diopter correction rather that the EVF of the 5700. Two new flash modes are offered in the 5400; Rear-curtain Sync creates a stream of light effect behind moving objects, and Repeating Flash illuminates a moving object multiple times in a single frame.

Replacing the Coolpix 5000 in Nikon's product lineup, the Coolpix 5400 is a full-featured prosumer camera with exposure options that include Program AE, 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. 10 minutes!) and aperture settings from F2.8 to F7.9. New to the Coolpix 5XXX series is Scene Mode, which offers settings programmed for 15 varied shooting conditions. Scene Mode extends point-n-shoot convenience to circumstances which would otherwise require the photographer to exercise more manual control of camera functions. A 7,123-step auto focus system with macro coverage down to .4 inches! The ISO sensitivity can be set to Auto or fixed at ISO 50, 100, 200, or 400 (the ISO 400 setting yields noisy images even at short shutter speeds). Metering options include 256-element matrix, center-weighted averaging, spot or spot AF that follows the 5-area Multi AF focusing system.

Shooting performance is good for this class of camera. Shutter lag, the elapsed time between depressing the shutter release and image capture, is about 9/10 second in Single AF mode. This performance can be improved to 3/10-to-4/10 second by pre-focusing (half- depressing the shutter release until autofocus is achieved). The shutter-release responsiveness can be further improved to 1/10-to-2/10 second by using Quick Response Shutter Release Speed in the Monitor Options Setup menu. This option eliminates the delay imposed by presenting a high-quality image on the LCD viewfinder, and is very useful in photographing fast-moving subjects. We were able to capture 7 full-size fine-quality images in 2.5 seconds using the Continuous High Speed option. Autofocus was achieved in about 1/2 second under most shooting conditions in Single AF mode. While not up to the standards of a professional SLR, the image capture performance of the 5400 will enable you shoot outdoor sports with good results once you have gotten used to the slight (by consumer digicam standards) delays.

The 4X optical Zoom-Nikkor lens has a focal length equivalent of 28-116mm with a maximum aperture of F2.8 (W) - 4.6 (T) and is constructed of 9 elements in 8 groups. It is an all-glass optic with glass-molded aspherical lens elements and has Nikon Super Integrated Coating (SIC) applied. This lens also features a real 6-bladed iris diaphragm for true depth of field control. There's also a 4X stepless digital zoom but as we have stated over and over, digital zoom is best turned off. Digital zooms simply enlarge the center of the image to fill the entire frame. It may look good on the LCD but it often yields a pixelly and soft image, don't use it, just move closer to your subject. The 4X zoom of the 5400 is more versatile than the 3X of the Coolpix 5000 it replaces. It retains the 28mm-equivalent wide angle, but increases the telephoto end of the zoom range to 116mm from 85mm. You'll find that having a 28mm wide-angle provides flexibility when shooting indoors, and nicely complements the Panorama Assist scene mode with a wider field of view than most competing cameras. The more powerful 116mm telephoto end of the zoom range offers you more flexibility when composing shots of distant subjects. The lens produces superior images throughout its zoom range, with only a hint of barrel distortion at full wideangle, and minor pin cushioning at full telephoto. Nikon offers auxilliary lenses to extend the 5400's focal coverage. The WC-E80 reduces focal length by a factor of 80%, and the TCE15ED increases it by a factor of 150%; having both of these lenses in your kit will extend the Coolpix 5400 zoom range from 23mm to 174mm in 35mm equivalence. Nikon also offers the FC-E9, a fisheye converter with a focal length of 5.6mm (35mm equivalent) and 190-degree field of view.

You'll find indoor shooting results a mixed bag. The 28mm-equivalent wide-angle provides a generous field of view in confined interiors, and the flash range of 14'9" (W), 9'2" (T) is sufficient for most indoor shots. You'll be satisfied with the results if you are shooting in a well-illuminated room, but low ambient lighting conditions present challenges that the 5400 cannot always cope with. The lack of a focus assist lamp means that the 5400 is frequently unable to achieve autofocus, you'll be warned by a flashing green AF indicator in the viewfinder. Many Coolpix users have resorted to using a hand- held laser pointer as an AF-assist light with good results but, in my opinion, a high-end camera such as the 5400 should not require you to resort to such tricks to obtain in-focus shots in fairly ordinary shooting conditions. Competing 5-megapixel cameras such as the Canon G5, the Olympus C-5050Z and the Sony DSC-V1 offer focus-assist features which operate effectively not only in low light, but in total darkness as well. Nikon needs to incorporate focus-assist lamps in its Coolpix cameras, it's not a luxury -- it's a necessity.

The dedicated external flash shoe allows the use of speedlights in conjunction with the built-in flash, or alone. While the 5400 does a fine job controlling external flash output for well exposed photos, it does not support the more advanced features of its own flash products. The Nikon SB-50DX and SB-80DX Speedlights have powerful AF-assist illuminators and auto-zoom heads; neither of these features can be controlled by the Coolpix 5400. While Nikon have done well developing the high-end Coolpix line with a variety of accessories that can extend the camera's range of uses, it's unfortunate that Nikon's own speedlights have been overlooked as members of that system. If your photography relies heavily on the use of an integrated external flash, the Coolpix 5400 will disappoint; if you need an external flash occasionally only for additional power, save yourself a few bucks and get a 3rd-party flash without the automated features that the 5400 fails to exploit. Canon and Olympus cameras do use all of the features of their dedicated external flash units - I hope that Nikon gets the hint soon!

Power is provided by Nikon's EN-EL1, a 7.4v 680mA lithium rechargeable pack. When fully charged it can give you approx. 110 minutes of continuous operation. An extra EN-EL1 would be a very wise first purchase and is highly recommended. The EN-EL1 battery pack is charged outside of the camera with the supplied MH-53 charger. This small and compact (100-240 VAC) charger can fully replenish a depleted pack in about 120 minutes. The 5400 can also be powered by a one-use 2CR5 lithium battery but using this type of battery frequently can get quite expensive. I do recommend carrying one in your gadget bag for emergency use though. Another power alternative is using an external battery pack, such as those offered by Digital Camera Battery, which can power both the camera and an external flash concurrently.

At the end of the day, it's image quality that matters most, and the Coolpix 5400 will produce sharp, well-saturated photos except in low-light conditions as described earlier. It has features that will please both expert and amateur, and its automatic exposure modes are simple enough for anyone to achieve good results, while offering the manual controls that experts need to deal with demanding or unusual shooting conditions. The 5400 also does an excellent job at long exposures, the eight-second shutter speed and noise reduction system yields very clean night photos. All this is offered at a price point $200 less than the camera it replaces, the Coolpix 5000.

Nikon Coolpix 5400	Specifications

General
Model Name:	Nikon Coolpix 5400
Model Number:	5400
Camera Format:	Compact
Currently Manufactured:	No
Retail Price:	$799.00
Street Price:
Price Update Date:	2/7/2007
Date Available:	8/31/2003
Remote Control:	Yes
Remote Control Type:	MC-EU1 Wired
Tripod Mount:	Yes
Tripod Mount Material:	Plastic
Operating System:	Windows, MacOS
Weight:	11.3 oz (320 g)
Weight With Batteries?
Size:	4.3 x 2.9 x 2.7 in.
	(108 x 73 x 69 mm)
Warranty in Months:
Waterproof:	No
Image Capture
Image Resolution:	2592x1944, 2592x1728, 1600x1200, 1280x960, 1024x768
Movie Resolution:	640x480, 320x240
Aspect Ratio:	4:3, 3:2
CCD Sensor (Megapixels):	5.1
CCD Size (inches):	1/1.8 inch
CCD Filter Type:
CCD Manufacturer:	Unknown CCD
Focal Length Multiplier:
Movie Audio:	Yes
Quality Levels:	4
Lens
Focal Length (35mm equivalent):	28 - 116 mm
Zoom Ratio:	4.14x
Digital Zoom:	Yes
Digital Zoom Values:	Up to 4x
Auto Focus:	Yes
Auto Focus Type:	5-Area / Spot Contrast Detect
Auto Focus Assist Light?	No
Auto Focus Min Illum:
Auto Focus Step:
Manual Focus:	Yes
Manual Focus Steps:	71
Normal Focus Range:	1 cm to Infinity
	0.4 in to Infinity
Macro Focus Range:
Min Macro Area:	38 x 28 mm
	1.5 x 1.1 in
Min Aperture:
Max Aperture:	f/2.8
Aperture Range Description:	f/2.8 (wide) / f/4.6 (tele) - ???
Aperture Step Size:	0.33
Lens Thread:
Lens Thread Type:	Body Threads w/ Adapter
Display
Optical Viewfinder:	Yes
Optical VF Type:	Real-image zoom
Optical VF Accuracy:	83%
LCD Viewfinder:	Yes
LCD VF Accuracy:	97%
LCD Size (inches):	1.5
LCD Resolution:	134,000 dots
OLED Screen:
Touchscreen:
Max Playback Zoom:	6
Exposure
ISO Settings:	50, 100, 200, 400
ISO Rating Max:	400
Number of White Balance Settings:	8
White Balance Settings:	Auto, Fine (daylight), Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Speedlight, Shade, or Preset
Manual White Balance:	Yes
Longest Shutter Time:	1
Shortest Shutter Time:	1/4000
ExpAdj Range:	2.0 EV
ExpAdj Step Size:	0.33 EV
Metering Modes:	256-segment Matrix, Center-weighted, Spot, AF Spot
Spot Metering:	Yes
Aperture Priority:	Yes
Shutter Priority:	Yes
Full Manual Exposure:	Yes
Self Timer:	3 or 10
Flash
Internal Flash:	Yes
No of Flash Modes:	6
Flash Modes:	Auto, Flash Cancel, Anytime Flash, Red-Eye Reduction, Slow-Sync, and Rear Curtain Sync
Flash Guide Number (Meters):
Flash Range Default ISO (meters):	4.5
Flash Range Description:	Approx. 1.6 - 14.8 ft (0.5 - 4.5m) (W), approx. 1.6 - 9.2 ft (0.5 - 2.8m) (T)
No of Flash "Pops":
Ext Flash:	Yes
Ext Flash Connection:	ISO 518 standard shoe
Image Storage
Usable Memory Types:	CompactFlash Type 1, CompactFlash Type 2
Other Memory Types:	512MB / 1GB Microdrive
Memory Included (MB):	16
Uncompressed Format:	TIFF
CCD Raw Format:	No
Compressed Format:	JPEG (EXIF 2.2)
Movie File Format:	QuickTime Motion JPEG
Connectivity
Video Out:	Yes
Video Mode Switchable:	Yes
Video Usable as Viewfinder:
External Connections:	Serial, USB 1.1
Other Connection:	DC In
Included Software:	Nikon View
OS Compatibility:	Windows, MacOS
Performance Timing
Startup Time:	4.600 seconds
Shutdown Time:	1.800 seconds
Play -> Record:	2.210 seconds
Record -> Play (max res):	5.730 seconds
Record -> Play (min res):	2.880 seconds
Shutter Lag (auto focus) WIDE:
Shutter Lag (auto focus) TELE:
Shutter Lag, Man. Focus:
Shutter Lag, Prefocus:
Cycle Time Uncompressed Format:	28.000 seconds
Cycle Time Max Res:	8.700 seconds
Cycle Time Min Res:	3.330 seconds
Buffer Frames, Max Res:	7
Continuous Mode Rate (Frames/Sec):	2.5
Movie Mode Rate (Frames/Sec):	15
Movie Sec @ Max Res:	70
Movie Sec @ Min Res:	180
Download speed, KB/second:
Power
Battery Form Factor:	Proprietary EN-EL1 or 2CR5 / DL245
Usable Battery Types:	Lithium Ion rechargeable, Lithium disposable
Batteries Included:	Proprietary EN-EL1 Lithium Ion rechargeable
Battery Charger Included:	Yes
More Information
Notes & Features:
Review URL:	Review
Test Shots URL:	Test Shots
Photo Gallery URL:
Device Forum URL:	Forum
Manufacturer URL:	Mfr. Website

Additional Reviews for the Nikon Coolpix 5400 digital camera are available online.