BBlacky

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Fails miserably at one of the basic functions of a pocket camera: autofocus

Feb 3, 2009

Rating: 2 out of 10 (Terrible)
Pros: Solid construction, convenient controls, good grip
Cons: mediocre picture quality, horribly slow action, autofocus actually outa-focus
Opinion:
I vowed to overcome a long-standing prejudice against Nikon by purchasing this camera, after reading a favorable review in dpreview.com, which had steered me initially toward Casio (a brand I never associated with digital cameras). I owned a 5mp, a 7.1mp and a 10mp, all of which spoiled me with rapid, sharp action, excellent image quality and reliability. Unfortunately a Javanese macaque snatched the 10mp and dropped it into a stream, which pretty much ruined its innards. The reason I was reluctant to buy a Nikon was that while the "F" was a real champion of an SLR, what followed was disaster: the F-2 was heavy and was cursed with a sticky shutter; the F-3 was prone to break down, and so on. The P5100 exhibited extremely slow response from the outset: its so-called "multi-shot 16" setting records images at a leisurely 1fps, which is not exactly what you want to use to study your tennis or golf swing.In the "continuous" setting I fired off ten images in, er, 14 seconds, ugh. I guess the Casio really spoilt me. But the real killer with this unit is the fact that in any but the brightest sunlight the autofocus will hunt and hunt, occasionally locking on something in the corner of the frame and even indicating with the green focus box a focal plane that comes out considerably out of focus when the shutter releases. Focus problems with a Nikon? And it ain't me: I've been shooting stills since 1958, in 35mm., 6X7 and 6X4.5, so I pretty much know when a subject is in focus. With this pocket camera it's an acutely weak point, and what the hell else is a pocket camera for if not snapshooting? Even sharp landscape shots in a sunny setting do not have the same crisp snap as I experienced with the 10mp Casio, either. Sorry, but this Nikon is a prime example of how Nikon let the competition eat their lunch. I'm sorry I gave in and I'm sorry I didn't dig around the web more before buying this $300. mistake.