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Nikon CoolPix 5700

Nikon expands their 5 megapixel offerings, with a long zoom, a new body, but the same legendary Nikon feature set!

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Page 11:Video, Power, Software

Review First Posted: 5/29/2002

Video Out

US and Japanese versions of the Coolpix 5700 include an NTSC video cable for connecting to a television set. European models will doubtless support PAL timing and connections, given the Video Mode option in the settings menu. 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 5700 runs on a rechargeable EN-EL1 lithium-ion battery pack, housed inside the hand grip, or an external AC adapter which plugs into the front of the camera (available as a separate accessory). The camera can also utilize one 6V 2CR5/DL245 lithium battery, or six AA batteries via an external Power Pack (also available as a separate accessory).

The table below summarizes my power measurements on the Coolpix 5700. Here's a table with the power-consumption numbers I measured:

Operating Mode
Power Drain
(@ 8.4 v)
Estimated Minutes
(650mAh, 7.4v
EN-EL1)
Capture Mode, w/LCD
400 mA
86
Capture Mode, w/EVF
372 mA
92
Half-pressed shutter w/LCD
399 mA
86
Half-pressed w/EVF
394 mA
87
Memory Write (transient)
(not measured)
n/a
Flash Recharge (transient)
938 mA
n/a
Image Playback, LCD
237 mA
145
Image Playback, EVF
231 mA
149

Overall, the Coolpix 5700 is a little more power-hungry than the Coolpix 5000, and as a result, its battery life leaves a bit to be desired. This is aggravated by the fact that the EVF saves negligible power relative to the rear-panel LCD. Any serious shooter will definitely want to purchase an extra battery or two with their 5700, buy the optional handgrip/battery pack accessory, or look into a third-party external power pack to use on longer excursions.

I mentioned Nikon's external power pack above. Another consequence of the LiIon battery technology used in the 5700's power pack is that the camera requires a higher voltage on its external power jack to operate. This isn't an issue for studio use, but it does mean that most of the NiMH-based external power packs out there won't power the 5700 in the field. Fortunately, Maha Energy makes a LiIon external "PowerBank" (shown above plugged into the Coolpix 5000, which has similar power requirements), sold under the "PowerEx" brand that will power the 5700 just fine. For about $60, this (very nicely packaged) unit will power the 5700 for a total of about 5 hours in capture mode with the LCD operating, when used in conjunction with the internal battery. (!) This is a really excellent run time, just what you'd need for all-day intensive shooting. One note - Maha makes both NiMH and LiIon versions of the PowerBank, make sure you get the LiIon model for the 5700. (Model number MH-DPB140LI.) You can order these online from Here's a link where you can find them online for a good price. Highly recommended! (For more information, read my review of the PowerBank packs.)

Although I didn't get to play with one, and so don't have a product photo of it, Nikon apparently will also offer an accessory power grip for the Coolpix 5700, similar to the one they developed for the Coolpix 5000. This unit will incorporate 6 AA cells into its body. With 1700 mAh cells, this would provide about 2.5x the power of the standard EN-EL1 LiIon pack, a very welcome boost for serious shooters.


Included Software

The software they didn't include...
(But that you should)
Few people realize just how *much* you can improve your digicam images through clever processing in Photoshop. Greatly (!) increased sharpness, reduced noise, and even ultra-wide dynamic range (light-to-dark range) by combining multiple exposures. Fred Miranda and uber-Photoshop expert Fred Miranda has packaged some of his Photoshop magic in a collection of powerful and affordably priced "actions." Check out his site, the results are pretty amazing!
Camera manuals are (sometimes) fine for knowing which button does what, but where do you go to learn how and when to use the various features? Dennis Curtin's "Shortcourses" books and CDs are the answer. (Cheap for what you get, too.) Order the Shortcourses manual for the camera reviewed in this article.

The 5700 ships in the US with a fairly robust collection of software titles, including Nikon View 5 (downloading and image management), Arcsoft's PhotoStudio (image editing), VideoImpression (movie editing), PanoramaMaker (a "stitching" application for assembling large panoramic images from several individual shots), and PhotoBase for PDAs (a program for downloading and viewing image files on your PDA). PhotoStudio is a capable enough program for consumer use, but serious users will likely want either Adobe Elements or Photoshop.


In the Box

The following items ship with the Coolpix 5700 :

  • Lens cap
  • Neck strap
  • Audio/NTSC Video cable (PAL for European models)
  • 16MB CompactFlash 16MB CompactFlash "Starter"
  • USB cable
  • Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery (EN-EL1)
  • Battery Charger (MH-51)
  • Software CD
  • Instruction Manual
  • Quick start guide


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