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Nikon Coolpix 5400 Digital Camera

Nikon Coolpix 5400 Digital Camera

(5.1MP, 2592x1944, 4x Opt, 16MB CF - MPN: 25513)
Description: This exciting digital camera adds a dimension to the popular Coolpix line of digital cameras and combines a host of enhanced features and design elements. With 4x Zoom-Nikkor ED optics, wide-angle coverage and the exclusive Best Shot Select.... Read More

User Reviews

4 Star Review(29 Reviews)

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Date Reviewed:  05/06/2005
  • biantim
  • from NY
  • Member Since:
    May 2005

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    Product Experience:
    5 Months
Strengths: wide-angle coverage, great image quality, Video capture with room in and out, low comparative price ,15 modes of shooting
Weaknesses: a bit heavy, CF card is slow in response, no automatic cover
Summary: I've used quite a few different digital cameras and this one can be called a mid-professional one.

5M is the trend for today's digital camera and 4X room is necessary. With small LCD, its battery can sustain longer time, so in my opinion, its 1.5 inch LCD is an advantage! CF card responds slower than XD or SD, yet it is the cheapest storage. I totally bought 1G CF card, which means 800 pics! Its 15 modes can help you shoot at any time in any condition. I also love its video capture feature as sometimes I prefer video to pics.

But you have to buy a case for it. Common cases can't fit for it.

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Date Reviewed:  11/27/2006
  • geocam
  • Member Since:
    Nov 2006

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    Reviews
    Product Experience:
    8 Months
3 Star Reviewcoolpix nikon 5400
Strengths: size, features, many useful capabilities, 15 scenes
Weaknesses: slow to cycle up, no blur motion corection feature, poor reliability CCD failed after 8 months
Summary: This was a very nice camera. I really liked all the advanced features and after 6 months still enjoyed learning all the pleaseant new features this camera offered.

I was taking some very nice photographs and was limited by the inability to focus correctly in the low light situations that this camera did not excel in. This could be worked around by using other features and a monopod to capture more light.

I guess I liked this camera until the CCD failed, Now after 8 months all it does is take pictures of varying dark shades of black. All the other functions still work mind you, the screen does too but all it can take are shoots of darkness.

if it had lasted more than 2500 shoots , say 5 years I may have been happier. Oh yea there is no recall on the ccd for the 5400 as per nikons own service department.

oh well , the good die young and this one sure did that. tooooo bad I probably will look for a more reliable replacement

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Date Reviewed:  01/12/2007
  • lenprovost
  • from CA
  • Member Since:
    Dec 2004

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    Product Experience:
    2 Days
1 Star ReviewCoolpix 5400 FAILURE
Strengths: Great while it worked.
Weaknesses: The CCD failed as in their 5700 model which was recalled and repaired at no charge.The CCD went "black". Pictures can no longer b taken; though you can print black squares and waste consumables.
Summary: DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA. I had a similar problem with a Canon Powershot 400 that I bought in Washington DC in 2003. They repaired the camera at no charge; evn paid freight both ways.

Nikon is not supporting product that was shipped with a manufacturing defect in my opinion and that of many others on the web. Search with the string: black coolpix 5400 ccd if you want to see a few more vistims feelings regarding the failure

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Date Reviewed:  01/10/2005
  • Snakedance
  • from CA
  • Member Since:
    Dec 2004

  • View Member's:
    Reviews
    Product Experience:
    5 Days
Strengths: Includes everything this Novice needs to produce and display quality (5 MP) pictures, straight from the box. Remarkable simplicity and flexibility at an irresistible ($248 total, delivered) price
Weaknesses: I find no clear weaknesses, although, I've not figured out how to trigger manually a succession of shots quickly, yet one of the semi-manual, "Continuous" settings seems to accomplish this.
Summary: 2005-01-11 20:29:45 I like this camera.

I've given it a rating here of four stars

only because I have neither adequate experience

nor the proper perspective from which

to grant it five ("One of the Best").

~

First, a confession and a partial disclaimer:

~

I'm a novice photographer who's never held anything

(well, at least not any camera) any more sophisticated

than a fixed-focus, point-and-shoot, 35 mm film camera ever before;

~

I'm an engineer taught long ago to build a design

which delivers both power and performance, coupled with

intuitive convenience to the user -- which is why

I'm one of those weird 5% of the crowd who will use

only that computer which neither provides nor requires

a manual to read, while letting the rest of us do things

our own way, intuitively, without feeling so crammed in a box,

while handing us elegant and powerful tools with the package

to harness our own creativity at will.

~

This Nikon 5400 camera seems to deliver precisely that to me:

power, performance, intuitive convenience, plus what seems

like a measure of extensibility.

~

This fledgling was able to produce marvelous pictures

under assorted conditions without bothering to open the manual at first.

~

It looks and feels and handles, to me, like a camera "should."

~

Its sturdy, fully adjustable, perfectly-protected-when-closed,

brightly illuminated LCD renders this camera as effective

(for me, the Novice) as an SLR (what I see is what I get)

when framing close-ups with the camera perched upon

a short stack of books I'm using in place of a tripod for now.

~

This camera appears to accept the attachment of filters

and other lenses, I think. It provides for attachment of

an alternate item of flash illumination.

~

Nikon's 5400 box comprises in additon to the camera

a lens cap, a sturdy and comfortable neck strap,

a battery charger, a 16 MB Compact Flash apparently

good for 12 photos or so at its highest resolution,

plus cables for connecting to my Macintosh or to television.

~

I've not gotten around to installing or evaluating

the software on the CD provided for transferring stored

images to one's computer, since my Macintosh did

what Macintosh's do: it recognized the camera instantly

when I connected its USB cable to my computer, and

the standard Macintosh software sprang to life

and displayed the photos for any further examination.

~

It's battery endured "only" 8 hours of my fiddling around,

and then recharged itself in an hour and a half

in the charger included.

~

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Date Reviewed:  05/25/2004
  • pandatoledo
  • Member Since:
    Apr 2004

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    Reviews
    Product Experience:
    4 Weeks
Strengths: This is a 5MP digital camera with 4 digital zoom. Many preset macros to use. It also has optional remote control you can get from ebay for about $70.
Weaknesses: Little buzz sound when I use LCD in photo mode. I'm not sure if i'm the only one who has this minor problem.
Summary: 2004-05-26 12:44:53 Like this light weighted camera, and plan to take it with me in summer vacation.

It has many preset configurations in scence mode, that lets you take landscape, close-shot, book-copy, etc (like 20 options) without configure the shutter speed and aperture yourself. For a novice like me, this is a wonderful feature.

When I want to copy some documents, point and shoot in book-copy mode, then I can review them using the LCD back home using the total 16 x zoom, you can read each single word explicitly.

The drawback of this camera is the menu for different modes, there are so many options you can change. For pros, this could be helpful if they wants to control all the photo factors. It's a trade off for this high-end (in my opinion) camera.

To the end, you need to "crack" the user's manual before finnaly use it. I read it twice before start shooting.

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Date Reviewed:  03/29/2005
  • maynardflower
  • from OH
  • Member Since:
    Nov 2004

  • View Member's:
    Reviews
    Product Experience:
    6 Months
Strengths: Excellent picture quality. You can choose to use its point and shoot function or you can also get your more professional pictures by playing and tweaking it
Weaknesses: a little heavy, i can't carry it for a long time
Summary: This is a 5MP digital camera with 4 digital zoom. Picture comes out in very good resolution.Because of this, my younger sister even decided to buy a 4MP one for she is so afraid of been captured of her pimples on the face:-)

This is a go-between product, i mean between a consumer and professional camera, good for those who want to upgrade their interests.

Besides all the goods this camera has, i found one problem with it, not sure whether it is only mine that has the trouble,that is the Focus. The camera has no auto-focus assist lamp, so sometimes it comes out with a poor performance in focusing in indoor light situations. If not this defect, i would say, this product is a wonderful one.

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Date Reviewed:  07/03/2004
  • philcrocetti
  • from NY
  • Member Since:
    Nov 2001

  • View Member's:
    Reviews
    Product Experience:
    11 Months
Strengths: Image quality, manual controls, battery life, accessories
Weaknesses: None
Summary: I purchased this camera for Real Estate work. The panorama assist mode made it easy to do virtual tours of homes to post to the web. I no longer work in Real Estate, but this camera is great for family events too. Image quality is fantastic. If you want to get creative, take the camera out of automatic mode and adjust the controls to your liking. This camera has a lens with a wider angle than most right out of the box. Nikon provides screw threads if you want to add additional lenses or filters. This is a top-of-the-line consumer camera.

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Date Reviewed:  01/07/2005
  • tshi
  • from MS
  • Member Since:
    Nov 2004

  • View Member's:
    Reviews
    Product Experience:
    20 Days
Strengths: 5M pixels & 4x optical zoom provide a good enough image quality for most customers. Cool appearance. Nice night photo mode. Battery good for around 100 minutes operation with LCD opening.
Weaknesses: A little bit heavy. Some keys are too small for operation. Small LCD 1.5". Lens cap is not automatic.
Summary: This is nice median level digital camera that may meet the requirements for most people. Easy to operate and connect with computer. Separate recharger for the battery included. Currently, there is a nice rebate of $200 from the manufacturer. Together there may be some printers after rebate. So it is a good deal if handling properly. Hurry up and get one!

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Date Reviewed:  04/14/2004
  • gpapajohn45
  • from PA
  • Member Since:
    Jan 2004

  • View Member's:
    Reviews
    Product Experience:
    5 Months
Strengths: One of the strong points of this camera is definitely the ease of use. If you can point, you can shoot.
Weaknesses: The only weakness I can find is the users' manual. You have to flip back and forth to get all information about certain topics.
Summary: This is a product I would recommend to anyone looking for a

very good, reliable camera that is as easy to use a camera

from the grocery store, yet with many functions you can use as you progress in your picture taking techniques. It can range from the the beginner to the expert and everywhere in

between.

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Date Reviewed:  10/23/2003
  • ceelo421
  • from CA
  • Member Since:
    Oct 2003

  • View Member's:
    Reviews
    Product Experience:
    2 Days
Strengths: Simple to use. About the size of a regular 35mm camera. Quality of the shots are wonderful! Extremely clear. Swiveling LCD screen allows for more shot mobility.
Weaknesses: None so far.
Summary: The Nikon Coolpix 5400 is great for me, an ametuer photographer. Its simple to use! Everything on it is straightforward and user friendly. The 5400 is just right for those who want a lot out of a camera, but don't know much about them. If you want to get complicated, hop up to the 5700. Other reviews I've read say that this camera sucks in taking low-light shots. I disagree. This camera automatically slows down the shutter speed to absorb as much light as possible - so if you want a focused shot, you should have a tripod hand to steady your hand. A shaky hand and slow shutter speed are what make blurry shots at night. Also, the swiveling LCD screen is great for taking shots in wierd positions, and also taking self portraits you don't have to guess whether or not you're centered in the shot! The LCD will face you, and show you were you're at in the shot. The software is great also. It has your basic photo editing stuff. Good stuff! Too bad they only give you a 16MB CompactFlash Memory Card to start with - in the 5MP mode, it really cuts how many shots you can take! But overall, its a wonderful camera! But here's some advice - get a computer that can handle all of the shots!

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Date Reviewed:  08/01/2003
  • joerevolver
  • from OH
  • Member Since:
    Jun 2003

  • View Member's:
    Reviews
    Product Experience:
    6 Weeks
Strengths: picture quality,construction,light weight, many easy to use features for more advanced users
Weaknesses: wish it had a bigger LCD,also would like it to be a little bit bigger,would help handeling.
Summary: This camera is all that I hoped it would be. It has a very solid feel,great swiveling LCD,making it easy to take shots from odd angles without standing on your head to see the LCD. A true wide angle lens, not the semi-wide you get with most others. the picture quality made on a Kodak picture maker at Wal-Mart at 8x10 is simply OUTSTANDING! you also get a real neck strap,not a girly little wrist loop,sorry girls! All in all this is a winner, now if they can just get the price of the SLR's down I will be in heaven! Bottom line, if you want a 5 megapixel this one will not dissapoint. Buy it, NIKON did this one right.

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Date Reviewed:  12/17/2004
  • nwu
  • from HI
  • Member Since:
    Apr 2004

  • View Member's:
    Reviews
    Product Experience:
    10 Days
Strengths: - 5MP and 4x optical zoom. - good color response, average resolution for 5MP. - photos have very low noise. - allows a great deal of manual control. - macro mode better than most.
Weaknesses: - some lens distortion, especially at maximum zoom. - images occasionally appear soft around corners. - slow response interface, non-intuitive menus.
Summary: the coolpix 5400 is a solid camera from nikon with a very strong feature set. it will produce very good pics in point and shoot mode but still has full manual control if you want to be more creative with your shots. i've given this a 4-star rating because of two important factors for me: the lack of an AF assist light and the dead time at the end of write process. i would suggest that you consider the canon g5 and the sony dsc-v1 before committing to the nikon 5400.

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Date Reviewed:  03/17/2004
  • mhenderson
  • Member Since:
    Mar 2004

  • View Member's:
    Reviews
    Product Experience:
    60 Days
Strengths: One of the strengths is how easy it is to use and take pictures. Just set it to manual and shoot away.
Weaknesses: The biggest weakness I found is the zoom. If you are in the bleachers shooting a picture it does not zoom as close as you would like.
Summary: The CoolPix 5400 offers many features to please the beginner to the expert photographer. I set the camera on manual until I learn all the new features. One cool feature is the black and white exposure. I've contacted Nikon and they recommend if you want a better zoom, to purchase teh TCE 15ED 1.5 telephoto lents.

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Date Reviewed:  04/08/2004
  • BrianT
  • from CA
  • Member Since:
    Mar 2004

  • View Member's:
    Reviews
    Product Experience:
    2 Weeks
Strengths: Definitely-- ease of use. Set it in any number of different modes and it will do your job for you. Photos upload quickly to computer w/out need of the included software.
Weaknesses: I am used to a Nikon F so a larger size would make it seem a little less like a toy. But people like lightness and compactness.
Summary: OK, I have to admit I have owned my last digital camera for 8 years-- so any new camera was bound to be far superior. This Nikon is a quantum leap forward from the Casio QV-100 I was using-- and for less money. The picture quality is superb at any resolution; it even takes movie sequences and automatically records a voiceover while shooting. The one I purchased was reconditioned and $250 less than a new one; you would never know it. Original packaging, all included accessories, totally brand new camera with just a shorter warranty. Buy a card reader with it and save battery life on uploads.

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Date Reviewed:  12/15/2004
  • chenhao80224
  • from CA
  • Member Since:
    Jun 2003

  • View Member's:
    Reviews
    Product Experience:
    2 Weeks
Strengths: Image quality, ease of use. it will do all the job for you. Battery is longer than most of the other cameras.
Weaknesses: Need improve in the low light condition, otherwise no questions!
Summary: If you are looking a good, reliable, easy use, good picture quality camera. This is the one you should get. I have had several cameras and this is the best model so far for $500 range. It is a good choice if you are a beginner of photographer.

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