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237 of 243 found the following review helpful:
 solid 5MP camera with 4x zoom, but compare vs competitionSep 23, 2003
By jemaerca
the nikon coolpix 5400 is a solid 5MP, 4x zoom camera with a strong feature set. but it has a few shortcomings so make sure to consider its competition.pros:
- 5MP and 4x optical zoom.
- good color response, average resolution for 5MP.
- photos have very low noise.
- allows a great deal of manual control.
- macro mode better than most.
- low redeye occurrence.
- virtually free of chromatic aberrations.
- shadow highlights maintained.
- timed exposures up to 10 minutes.
- expandable with a boatload of lenses, flashes, and other accessories from nikon.
- wider lens than most.
- supports CF card types I and II.
- flip-out LCD display - protects LCD when not in use.
- high resolution LCD with anti-reflective coating that actually works.
- very comfortable to hold with a deep hand grip made of soft rubber.
- compact body feels solid.
- reprogrammable FUNC button, and initial record menu.
- above average battery life (i still recommend getting a spare though). cons:
- some lens distortion, especially at maximum zoom.
- images occasionally appear soft around corners.
- slow response interface, non-intuitive menus.
- no AF assist light - very puzzling why nikon doesn't provide this.
- to add insult to injury, this camera has a hard time focusing in low light so an AF assist light would really come in handy.
- average auto focus speed.
- buffering issue? the camera locks towards the end of write process.
- slow CF write speed / processing.
- you're on your own when using manual focus - it doesn't show focus distance.
- LCD smaller than competition.
- RAW mode not supported.
- flimsy cover for CF slot.
- no live histogram in record mode.
- no support for external Speedlight features such as AF assist or flash zoom.
- connectivity options all over the place rather than in a central location.
- uses proprietary battery so make sure you add some $$ to your budget to get a spare.
- the supplied 16MB CF card is inadequate - again, more $$ for more memory. the coolpix 5400 is a solid camera from nikon with a very strong feature set. it will produce very good pics in point and shoot mode but still has full manual control if you want to be more creative with your shots. i've given this a 4-star rating because of two important factors for me: the lack of an AF assist light and the dead time at the end of write process. i would suggest that you consider the canon g5 and the sony dsc-v1 before committing to the nikon 5400. i hope this helps with your buying decision. peace.
138 of 142 found the following review helpful:
Beginner to AdvancedNov 08, 2003
By Andrew J. Knell
What can I say? I love the 5400! It is my second from the Coolpix series. My first was a CP 880 that took a fall so the 5400 was a replacement. It's well worth the money. I looked around a lot and couldn't find anything I liked from other manufacturers that packed the features and flexibility of the 5400. If you are a new digital user, the auto mode and scene modes are great. I usually shoot in P or M modes and can turn the dial to Automatic mode and hand it to my wife who likes the ability to point and shoot without thinking about adjusting anything. You can grow into this camera if you don't know yet how to shoot manually. The 15 different scene modes to choose from are excellent. The panoramic assist mode is particularly cool. You can shoot a panoramic horizontally, vertically or in a 360 degree circle. You take photos and then put them together after download with the ArcSoft software that comes with the camera. It even allows you to fine-tune the pictures in case they do not align they way you want them too. Pros:
Turn a fully automatic camera into a fully manual camera with the turn of a dial. I haven't found anything this camera cannot do that my recently auctioned SLR could do. Picture quality is equal to me. The camera feels great to hold. All of the buttons are in convenient locations. Menus can be customized to show what you adjust frequently and you can store two different user settings using the function button. 5-shot buffer is great. It will take photos as long as you hold down the shutter release. It only stores the last five frames even if you have held the shutter release down long enough to make 20 exposures. Also does time lapse. Shutter speed from Bulb to 1/4000. Crisp Macro shooting. The Vari-Angle display is much better than a fixed position display. Three metering options- Matrix, Center-weighted and Spot are very effective. Takes Type I and II compact flash. I wouldn't go with anything less than 256mb. Make sure it is USB compatible memory if you plan to use a Compact Flash reader in a USB port. Hot shoe for accessories is a great addition. When a speedlight is attached, you can set the camera to fire the internal flash and speedlight or you can turn off the internal flash and use only the speedlight. This is great if you want to bounce your speedlight and use the internal for a fill-flash. It also works with a SC-17 remote cable if you want to get the flash off the camera for close up/macro shots. (If you are thinking about getting a Nikon speedlight, go with the SB-80DX or find an old SB-28 or SB-28DX versus going with the SB-50DX. It's worth the extra money if you are going to do any manual shooting/adjusting of speedlight. There is no manual mode on the SB-50DX so you can't really fine tune lighting if you are shooting with the camera in manual mode.) Battery life is good (about 1.5 - 2 hrs.) It comes with a charger and 1 battery. A second (or 2CR5) as a back-up in my case has come in handy. Cons:
The autofocus is not very good in low light situations. I have a Nikon SB-28 speedlight with autofocus assist but the 5400 doesn't activate it. I knocked off half a star for that. You have to go through a 1/4 view screen before going to full-screen view when using the Quick Review. I think it would be better if it went straight to the full-screen view and did away with the 1/4 screen view. (-1/4 star.) The only option for adding filters is the HN-CP10 hood with 77mm filters. It's great to have a hood large enough to stay out of wide angle compositions but the 77mm filters are very expensive. (last 1/4 star) Card cover is flimsy. I have a card reader and each time I open the door to remove the card, I think about how flimsy it is. The 880 had a much more sturdy door. Area through the viewfinder is significantly different than what you see in the monitor. I read somewhere it is about 35% less through the viewfinder than the monitor. Overall, it's a great camera for the beginner or advanced user. As a result of purchasing this camera, I shoot only digital and don't miss my SLR one bit. The owner's manual is 160 pages and thoroughly explains all the camera's features. I've had it for 3 months now and am still learning what this camera can do.
63 of 64 found the following review helpful:
A digital beginner's impression: Very good, but not perfectNov 28, 2004
By golden comet
Although I have had years of experience with conventional cameras in both 35mm and medium format, the Nikon Coolpix 5400 is the first digital camera I have owned. I had grown weary of traveling with a 35mm and several lenses, or even more bulky medium format cameras.
Other reviewers have amply written about the features of this camera. I am going to focus on performance.
The Coolpix 5400 has good optics. I have shot the equivalent of several rolls of film on it. The photos have been crisp, had faithful color rendition without any glaring digital artifacts, and really don't need any software manipulation. So far, so good.
All is not roses, however. The Coolpix 5400 is very, very, very slow in writing from the a/d converter to the flashcard. Fire off a bunch of shots in continuous mode and get ready to wait. And wait some more. Smokers will have time for a cigarette or two; others could take a short bus ride or file their nails. It's that bad. I find this to be inexcusable in a camera sold at the original price point of the 5400. In fact, a lot of less expensive cameras are quicker. Canons don't seem to do this as poorly as the Nikon 5400 and Sony with its new V3 may be the fastest prosumer camera on the block for the time being. I think most other name brands will be quicker also. I should point out everything is relative: all point and shoot and prosumer digital cameras will be much slower than a digital SLR.
Another shortcoming: the autofocus in dim light problem that has been amply documented by other reviewers. This has not bothered me that much, but it is a problem to be aware of (this problem is not unique to Nikon).
A former shortcoming, the lack of a RAW file format has been rectified. You can now download firmware enabling RAW files from the Nikon USA website. It is up to you whether you want to utilize the RAW format. RAW is essentially uncompressed, but I doubt you'd be able to discern any real differences between a RAW or JPEG photo at normal print size.
Were it not for the glitches I listed above, I'd highly recommend the camera to just about anyone. As it is, the Coolpix 5400 is suitable for someone like a landscape photographer who takes a long time to compose a picture and has some patience; but it's not for the person who wants to take action shots and review them quickly.
The Coolpix 5400 has been recently discontinued by Nikon, and, depending where you shop. the price has dropped from a bit to enormously. That may make its few flaws more acceptable to the new buyer. My advice: shop around and try to use the camera you are interested in buying as much as possible. Online reviews can provide a good guide, but you really need to put your hands on a camera and run through the controls to see if it is right for you. What feels good in my hand may not in yours.
Hope this has been of some help.
36 of 37 found the following review helpful:
 Excellent Camera!Apr 03, 2004
By R. Orchard
"red2scarlett"
After having read through all the reviews I thought I'd contribute my input on this camera since a lot of people had something negative to say. I'm a former Coolpix 5000 user and went for the newer version handing down my older version, and I must say the 5400 is indeed a better camera. Before I get into that, I must first say that if you're a beginner user or searching for your first digital camera, the 5400 is probably not for you and I would recommend investing your money on a high end Canon which focuses on point and shoot, quick and easy, no fuss photos. Although this camera does have point and shoot capabilities, the camera is clearly designed to be tweaked and played with to get a professional image. This camera is the grade in between a consumer and professional camera and you'll immediately see and feel that when you begin to use the camera. As for what remarks I've seen regarding fuzziness, blurriness or quality of images... the 5400 produces crystal clear, professional images once you've taken the time to learn how to use the camera and produce the images. If you're not willing to sit down and learn how to use the camera, you're wasting your money. Of course, if you're a previous Nikon Coolpix user it will be a relatively easy learning curve. Frankly, who cares where the camera was made? Every element on the 5400 works and functions great. Nothing on the 5400 has been overlooked or "skimped" over. This camera's been on the top 10 at PC World for months since its release and for good reason. My favorite feature compare to the 5000 is that I'm not always removing the lens cap to do simple tasks such as downloading images into my computer. The menu is also a lot better and it's a lot easier to navigate between the different shooting modes. The features have already been thoroughly reviewed by other users, but overall this camera is an excellent camera with more features and absolute control then you could imagine. If you want to be creative about photography and get quality, professional images, then this camera is undoubtedly meant for you.
34 of 35 found the following review helpful:
Overall great camera - even better with rebate!Jan 19, 2005
By Devedander
"Devedander"
Got a $200 rebate from Nikon on this camera and couldn't pass it up and never happier. Very good all around performance, a few small problems (no Focus Assist light and fairly small LCD are some) but overall a solid camera with a lot of features and unbeatable at the price.
For those who are having problems focusing in low light I have to ask, are you shooting on a tripod or by hand? Take advantage of the nice feature whereby this camera shows you the exposure time right on the LCD when taking pictures, at medium and low light levels the camera will often have an exposure time of 1 second or more, this will lead to a blurry shot if it's not heald perfectly steady.
If you are having blurry shots at low light, try the same shot on a tripod or just sitting on something solid, I bet the shot will be crystal clear and very bright (I took some late twilight shots tonight and they look almost like midday with the right settings!).
Many features seems advanced for a camera of this price range, and sometimes at the cost of point and shoot ability, but if you are looking for a good prosumer level camera I have to say this feels like a solid bet.
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