Nikon Coolpix 5600 Review

The Nikon Coolpix 5600 is aimed at anyone who is looking for a no fuss digital camera that is easy to use. It is a standard point and shoot camera and that you can up and running with more or less as soon as you take it out of the box. It will appeal to the social photographer who enjoys taking pictures on holiday and of family and friends at social get togethers.

The Coolpix 5600 has five megapixels and a three times optical zoom lens. It is relatively small and easy to carry around with you ready for the next photo opportunity.

As with many digital cameras, especially in this price range, the Coolpix 5600 does a much better job outdoors than it does inside. In fact some of the detail that appears in the darker areas of the outdoor shots is much better than that produced by a number of more expensive models. Nikon digital cameras consistently produce strong colours and the Coolpix 5600 maintains that reputation. The skies in the test shots are a deep blue and other colours are faithfully reproduced as well. The portrait shot taken outdoors also works well with good skin tones.

Not surprisingly the camera produces a good result in the dedicated colour test too.

Another test shot that produced a pleasing result was the macro shot. Again detail is reproduced well and the image is also bright and clear.

Indoor test shots were disappointing though. Although indoor photos produce a challenge for the majority of digital cameras there are many other camers that produce better results than this camera managed. Both the indoor portrait and the picture of the bottles taken in low light are just not sharp enough.

Shutter lag is the time it takes to take each picture. A constant criticism of digital cameras is the delay in between clicking the shutter button, the picture being taken and also the camera being ready to take the next picture. From a pure shutter lag view the Coolpix 5600 took a picture and recorded it in 0.39 seconds. This is a relatively new test, so I feel a degree of caution is called for, but I have to say early indications are that this is an average time.

In terms of recycling times I was able to take five pictures in the space of 8.89 seconds. That works out at a rate of 1.77 seconds per picture. I am not claiming that this is the most scientific tests, but it should give you an indication of the recycling speed of the camera. This is a fairly fast time. My test is carried out indoors under standard conditions and it is possible that you would see better results outside.

When you first use the camera it is likely that you will just want to load the batteries, turn the camera on and start taking photos. You can achieve this by using the default automatic mode. In this setting the camera makes all the key decisions for you relating to the exposure. As you get to know the camera you can take advantage of a number of pre programmed scene modes that are available to use. These help the camera to take the best possible shot in a variety of different photographic situations. The scene modes are Party/Indoor, Beach/Snow, Sunset, Dusk/Dawn, Night landscape, Close up, Museum, Fireworks show, Copy, Back light, Panorama assist and Underwater.

To line up a shot you can choose to use either the optical viewfinder or the 1.8" LCD screen. The viewfinder can come in useful on sunny days when the LCD screen can be difficult to see clearly. The LCD screen is also used to access the camera's menu system.

For taking pictures when the light is poor there is a built in flash unit with a maximum range of 3.3 meters. This drops down to around two meters when the optical zoom lens is being used. There are five flash mode to choose from. These are automatic, automatic with red eye reduction, always on, always off and slow synchro. Slow synchro is often used at night when you would like the background to be illuminated as well as the foreground.

The three times optical zoom lens has the equivalent focal length of 35-105mm on a traditional 35mm camera. The optical zoom is supported by a digital zoom feature that can zoom in by up to four times.

To add something different to your photos there are a number of colour options you can select from. These are vivid colour, black and white, sepia and cyanotype.

Other useful functions include a self timer with a ten second delay. Copies can also be made of a photo you have already been taken. The copies are suitable for sending by email.

Short movies can be taken. The maximum resolution is 640x480 which should provide movies of TV quality. The maximum rate that you can shoot movies at is fifteen frames per second. You can also shoot at lower resolutions suitable for sending by email.

More advanced features include white balance controls, shutter speeds between four and 1/3000 seconds, matrix metering and continuous shooting at a rate of 1.3 frames per second for up to three frames.

Nikon supplies all the necessary cables and software to connect the Coolpix 4600 to a computer, television set and a PictBridge compatible printer.

A waterproof case is available to buy separately.

The Coolpix 5600 is pretty straightforward. There is a control dial on the back of the camera that lets you select the shooting mode (automatic, movie, scene mode etc.), and buttons that allow you to choose the flash mode, set the self timer and perform other standard tasks. The menu system is also well thought through and you should be able to find the setting you are looking for without too much trouble.

You can pick up a Nikon Coolpix 5600 for around £155. This compares to around £147 for an Fuji Finepix E510, £141 for an Fuji Finepix A350 and £185 for a Canon Powershot A95.

Although this model is a little too large to be classed as ultra compact it is still small and compact. It has dimensions of 85 x 60 x 35mm and weighs approximately 130g. It is a standard rectangular shape and comes in a silver finish. On the front of the camera you will find a grip to help you keep the camera steady when you are taking a shot.

Power is provided by two AA batteries. This is the most convenient type of battery to buy, but it is worth considering picking up a set of rechargeable batteries and a charger to help keep running costs to a minimum.

It is worth noting that the Coolpix 5600 does not come with a memory card. This is because there are 14mb of memory built into the camera. 14mb soon becomes full if you are taking five megapixel photos or shooting movies. Therefore it is advisable to pick up a high capacity SD card to go with your camera. Click here to save money on SD cards.

Easy to use
Strong colours

Disappointing indoors

If you are looking for a standard digital camera that packs in five megapixels without breaking the bank then the Nikon Coolpix 5600 is worth considering. The strength of this camera is its outdoor shots. This is typical of the vast majority of cameras in this price bracket. If you are looking for a similar model that costs a little less then check out the four megapixel version of this camera the Nikon Coolpix 4600.

Nikon Coolpix 5600 Front View

Nikon Coolpix 5600 Back View

Nikon Coolpix 5600 Top View

Sample Menus

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Nikon Coolpix 5600