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Nikon Coolpix 5400

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

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Page 11:Video, Power, Software

Review First Posted: 07/12/2003

Video Out

The Coolpix 5400 comes with an A/V cable for connecting the camera to a television set and reviewing images. All images that would normally appear on the LCD are routed to the external video display so that the television screen becomes an enlarged version of the LCD monitor and can be used both for image playback and composition.

 

Power

The Coolpix 5400 runs on a rechargeable EN-EL1 lithium-ion battery pack, housed inside the hand grip, or an external AC adapter which plugs into the right side of the camera (available as a separate accessory). Nikon estimates that a fully charged battery pack should provide about 110 minutes of recording time, with the LCD monitor enabled. (Note that this year's EN-EL1 battery packs have a capacity of 680 mAh. I don't have an older pack here to compare against, but my notes from previous Coolpix reviews indicate that these packs previously had a capacity of 650 mAh. - A bit under a 5% improvement.) Working with the LCD monitor disabled will greatly increase battery life, and the ability to switch the autofocus mode from Continuous AF to Single AF saves some battery power as well.

Operating Mode
Power Drain
(@ 8.4 v)
Estimated Minutes Run Time
(680mAh, 7.4v
EN-EL1)
Capture Mode, w/LCD
326 mA
110
Capture Mode, no LCD
249 mA
145
Half-pressed shutter w/LCD
333 mA
108
Half-pressed w/o LCD
258 mA
139
Memory Write (transient)
327 mA
n/a
Flash Recharge (transient)
354 mA
n/a
Image Playback
203 mA
177

Overall, the Coolpix 5400 shows good battery life, better than much of the competition, but not as good as some. 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.

Included Software

The Coolpix 5400 ships with Nikon View software for downloading, reviewing, and editing images. The application is compatible with both Windows and Macintosh platforms, and provides minor image editing and management capabilities. The application is loaded on a single CD-ROM, and a separate CD holds the software instruction manual.

In the Box

Included with the Coolpix 5400 are the following items:

  • Lens cap.
  • Neck/shoulder strap.
  • A/V cable.
  • 16MB "Starter" CompactFlash card.
  • USB cable.
  • Rechargeable EN-EL1 lithium battery.
  • Battery charger.
  • Nikon View and software instruction manual CD-ROMs.
  • Camera instruction manual.
  • Registration and warranty information.

Recommended Accessories

  • Secondary battery pack.
  • AC adapter.
  • Soft case.


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