Nikon Coolpix 5400 5.1 MP features and design elements. With superior 4x Zoom-Nikkor ED optics, wide-angle coverage and the exclusive new Best Shot Selector (BSS) feature, the Nikon Coolpix 5400 provides the ideal tool for digital photographers who are serious about the art of photography. The durable and lightweight Nikon Coolpix 5400 is the perfect tool to enhance any advanced photographer’s creative imagination.
The Coolpix 5400 uses a 5.1 effective-megapixel CCD to capture images at a maximum native resolution of 2,592 x 1,944 pixels. This allows for clear printouts up to 20×30 inches in size. The camera incorporates a wide angle Zoom-Nikkor lens with a maximum optical zoom of 4x coupled with a stepless 4x digital zoom for a 16x total zoom. The lens contains nine elements in eight groups, with the Zoom-Nikkor lens using Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) glass and two aspherical lenses completing the setup. With a focal length range of 5.8 mm to 24mm, the 4x optical zoom is equivalent to a 28-116mm lens on a 35mm camera.
The camera has fifteen preset shooting modes for easily shooting portraits, panoramas, landscapes, and many more. Users can select center-weighted, spot, AF spot, or a special 256-segment matrix metering mode in conjunction with TTL white balance to provide incredible exposure and color balance. Shutter speeds vary from 1/4000 second to ten minutes, making it possible to capture a wide variety of shots, and the Ultra Macro Mode allows for close-ups from a range of .4-inches.
Helpful consumer’s review
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.
