Nikon COOLPIX 5200 5.1-megapixel digital camera

Features
Inputs and Outputs Notes
Supplied Software

Features

LCD Monitor: The Coolpix 5200 has a 1.5" low temperature polysilicon TFT transflective LCD monitor featuring approximately 110,000 pixels and a five-level brightness adjustment. The LCD monitor has approximately 100% horizontal and vertical coverage in the shooting mode.

Viewfinder: In addition to the LCD monitor, the camera has a 3/8" real-image zoom viewfinder with LED indicators and magnification of 0.31x to 0.97x. The viewfinder has approximately 75% horizontal and vertical coverage. The viewfinder should be used when you want to save power, or when bright ambient light makes it difficult to see the LCD monitor.

Optics: All Coolpix digital cameras feature the exclusive Zoom-Nikkor lens for superb image quality. Every aspect of the lens manufacturing process is controlled by Nikon. Each Zoom-Nikkor lens is designed for the specific camera and CCD combination. The Coolpix 5200 has a 3x Zoom-Nikkor ED lens that is equivalent to a 35-114mm lens in 35mm photography. Coupled with a digital zoom of 4x, the Coolpix 5200 has a total zoom of 12x.

Multi-Selector: The multi-selector, a round 4-way button on the back panel, allows you to navigate through the camera's menus and make selections for most camera settings.

Image Sensor: The Coolpix 5200 features a 1/1.8", high-density CCD imager with a total pixel count of approximately 5.26-million pixels. The effective pixel count is 5.1 million.

Built-in Memory: The camera has a built-in 12MB internal memory for storing still images and movies with sound.

Optional Recording Media: In addition to the built-in memory, images can be recorded onto SD (Secure Digital) Memory cards. When an SD Memory card is inserted in the camera, the images are automatically recorded onto the card. When no card is inserted, the images automatically record to the internal memory.

Image Size: The Coolpix 5200 records still images in JPEG format, and movies in QuickTime format. You have a choice of 5 still image size options, each with 3 image quality options, and 3 movie size options:

Image Quality:  Images can by recorded in 3 image quality settings:

• High (1:4 compression): suitable for enlargements or high-quality prints
• Normal (1:8 compression): suitable for most applications
• Basic (1:16 compression): suitable for pictures that will be distributed in e-mails or used in web pages

Shooting Modes: Using the top-mounted rotary mode dial, you can set the camera to suit your level and style of photography. The shooting mode choices include:

• Auto Mode: The Auto Mode is a simple point-and-shoot mode in which the majority of camera settings are controlled by the camera. This mode is recommended for first-time users of digital cameras. While in the Auto Mode, the following settings can be adjusted: Image Mode, White Balance, Metering, Continuous (shooting), Best Shot Selector (BSS), Image Adjustment and Image Sharpening. (See below for more on each setting)
• Scene Mode: The camera gives you the option of 11 Scene Modes. The camera settings are automatically adjusted to suite the selected scene. The Scene Modes include:
  • Party/Indoor: Shots include details of the background behind the main subject, or to capture the effects of candlelight and other indoor background lighting
  • Beach/Snow: Vividly captures the brightness of subjects such as snow fields, beaches or sunlit expanses of water
  • Sunset: Preserves deep hues seen in sunsets and sunrises
  • Dusk/Dawn: Preserves the colors seen in the weak natural light before sunrise and after sunset
  • Night Landscape: The slow shutter speed is used to produce stunning night landscapes
  • Close Up: Used to capture vivid colors in close-up shots of flowers, insects and other small objects, with the background artistically blurred
  • Museum: Use indoors where flash photography is prohibited or in other settings in which you do not want to use flash
  • Fireworks Show: Slow shutter speeds are used to capture the expanding burst of light from fireworks
  • Copy: Provides clear pictures of text or drawings on a white board, business card or in other printed matter
  • Back Light: Use when light is coming from behind your subject or when your subject is in the shade but the background is brightly lit
  • Panorama Assist: Use to take a series of photographs that you will later join to form a single panoramic scene
• Assist Modes:
  • Portrait Assist: Main subject stands out clearly while background details are softened, lending the composition a sense of depth
  • Landscape Assist: Use for vivid landscape shots that enhance outlines, colors and contrast in such subjects as skyscrapers and forests
  • Sports Assist: High shutter speeds freeze motion for dynamic sports shots
  • Night Portrait Assist: Provides a natural balance between the main subject and the background when shooting portraits against a backdrop of night scenery
• Movie Mode: Make movies at a rate of 30 frames per second with sound. You can select TV Movie (640 x 480), Small (320 x 240), or Smaller (160 x 120).
• Setup Mode: This mode allows you to display the setup menu to perform the following tasks:
  • Welcome Screen: choose the welcome screen displayed and sound played back when the camera is turned on
  • Date: set the time and date
  • Monitor Settings: hide or display the monitor indicators
  • Date Imprint: imprint pictures with the date and/or time of recording
  • Brightness: adjust monitor brightness
  • Sound Settings: adjust volume of button, shutter, and start-up sounds
  • Auto Off: choose how long the camera will remain on before turning off to save power
  • Format Memory/Card: formats internal memory or memory cards for use in the camera
  • Language: choose a language for camera menus and messages
  • USB: choose "PTP" or "Mass Storage" according to your computer's operating system
  • Video Mode: choose standard for video output from NTSC or PAL
  • Reset All: reset camera settings to their default values
  • Firmware Version: displays the current firmware version

Sensitivity (ISO): The camera has a sensitivity roughly equivalent to film with an ISO 64 rating. When lighting is poor and the flash is off, the camera will automatically increase sensitivity, permitting faster exposures, and minimizing blur caused by inadvertent camera movement. The automatic gain is equivalent to two or four times normal sensitivity, up to an equivalent of ISO 200. You can also manually select an ISO rating of 64, 100, 200 or 400.

White Balance: White balance is used to preserve natural colors under different types of lighting. In the Auto Mode, the white balance can be set to: Auto, Preset (measured by the camera for the current lighting condition), Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent (2 types), Cloudy, Shade, and Speedlight (with flash).

Exposure Compensation: You can alter the exposure from the value suggested by the camera, making pictures brighter or darker. You can adjust the exposure from -2.0 to +2.0 EV in 1/3 steps.

Auto Bracketing: In some situations, you may find it difficult to select appropriate exposure compensation and white balance settings. You can use the Auto Bracketing feature to vary these settings automatically over a series of pictures. When Auto (exposure) Bracketing is selected, the camera takes 3 shots, one at current exposure setting and two shots varying the exposure by values of +0.5 and -0.5 compensation. When WB Bracketing is chosen, the camera again takes 3 shots, one at the current white balance setting, one with a bluish cast, and another with a reddish cast.

Continuous Shooting: You can choose one of four continuous shooting modes:

• Single: The camera records one picture each time the shutter release button is pressed.
• Continuous: The camera takes pictures continuously while the shutter release is held down. Pictures are recorded at a rate of about 2.5 frames per second. About 7 pictures can be recorded in sequence at Normal image quality and 5M image size.
• 5-Shot Buffer: The camera takes pictures continuously while the shutter release is held down. Pictures are recorded at a rate of about 2.5 frames per second. Only the last 5 frames taken during each shooting burst are saved to the memory or memory card.
• Multi-Shot 16: Each time the shutter release button is pressed, the camera takes 16 consecutive "thumbnail" images at a rate of about 3.5 frames per second, and arranges them into 4 rows of 4 images (648 x 486 pixels) in a single frame measuring 2592 x 1944 pixels.

Best Shot Selector: The BSS is recommended for situations in which inadvertent camera movement can produce blurred pictures, or when parts of the image are prone to under- or over-exposure. When BSS is on, the camera takes shots while the shutter-release button is pressed, to a maximum of ten. The images are compared and the sharpest picture is saved to the memory card.

Image Adjustment: Image adjustment is used to adjust contrast automatically for optimal results before recording pictures to the memory or memory card. In the menu, you can select Auto, Normal, More Contrast or Less Contrast.

Image Sharpening: The camera automatically processes pictures to emphasize the borders between light and dark areas of the picture, making the edges seem sharper. You can select from 5 options: Auto, High, Normal, Low or Off.

AF Area Modes: AF Area Mode determines how the focus area is selected. You can choose from three options:

• Auto: camera automatically selects focus area containing the subject closest to the camera; useful when the subject is moving or you have little time to check focus
• Manual: you can manually select an area from 99 focus areas (a rectangular area 11 wide x 9 high) using the multi-selector; useful when relatively motionless subject is not in the center of the frame
• Off: the center focus area is used

Focus Range: The focus range is 11.8" to infinity in wide angle mode, 19.8" in telephoto mode, and 1.6" to infinity in Macro close-up mode.

Flash Modes: The Coolpix 5200 has a built-in Speedlite flash with a range of 1' to 14' 9" (W) and 1' to 11' 6"(T). You can choose from the following flash modes:

• Auto: flash fires automatically when lighting is poor

• Auto with red-eye reduction: red-eye reduction lamp fires before main flash to reduce red-eye effect

• Flash cancel: flash will not fire, even when lighting is poor

• Anytime (fill flash): flash will fire whenever a picture is taken

• Slow Synch: auto flash combined with slow shutter speeds

In-Camera Red-Eye Fix: The camera analyzes the image data and corrects most typical instances of red-eye without a touch of a button. In-Camera Red-Eye Fix turns on automatically when the red-eye reduction flash mode is selected.

Metering: The Coolpix 5200 offers three metering options:

• Matrix: compares measurements from multiple areas of the frame with a library of typical compositions to produce optimal exposure for the entire image
• Center-Weighted: adjusts exposure according to lighting at the center of the frame, but still preserves background details
• Spot: measures light in area shown by the circle in the center of the monitor to ensure metering target will be correctly exposed, even when background is much brighter or darker

Playback Menu: The playback menu contains the following options:

• Print Set: Select pictures for printing on a DPOF-compatible devices, specify number of copies and information to be included on each print.
• Slide Show: View pictures in the internal memory or on the memory card in an automatic slide show with about three seconds between pictures.
• Delete: Delete all or selected pictures
• Protect: Protect selected pictures from accidental deletion
• Small Pic: Create a small copy of a picture. You can choose the size of the new picture.
• Auto Transfer: Mark all pictures for transfer to a computer; turn on/off auto transfer marking
• Copy: transfer images from internal memory to memory card or vice versa

Thumbnail Playback: During playback, you can view multiple thumbnail images (4 or 9) at a time. While these "contact sheets" are displayed, you can use the multi-selector to highlight individual pictures. Highlighted pictures can be deleted, if desired.

Playback Zoom: During playback, you can zoom in on a single photo from 1.0x to 6.0x in 0.2x increments. Once the image is zoomed, you can use the multi-selector to scroll around to non-visible portions of the image. You can record a new picture of the cropped image by pressing the shutter button.

Voice Memo: Using the camera's built-in microphone, you can record a voice memo by pressing the shutter release while an image is being played back. The voice memo is recorded until the shutter release is released, up to approximately 20 seconds.

Printing Pictures: You can print pictures stored in the internal memory or on the memory card by using the Print Set option in the playback menu. Using DPOF (Digital Print Order Form), you can designate which images to print, and how many copies to print. Pictures can be printed as followed:

• Printer or Photo Lab: insert the memory card into a printer, or take the memory card to a digital photo lab.
• PictBridge-compatible Printer: connect the camera to a PictBridge-compatible printer via USB cable
• Transferring to Computer: transfer the images to a computer before printing them

Power Requirements: The Coolpix 5200 comes with the EN-EL5 rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The battery can be charged with the supplied MH-61 battery charger. A fully charged battery has the capacity for approximately 150 shots.

Optional AC Adapter: The optional EH-62A AC adapter features a module that fits into the battery compartment with a wire that plugs into the AC/DC converter. A spring-loaded cover makes room for the adapter cord to allow you to close the battery compartment door. The AC adapter should be used whenever you are using the camera continuously for extended periods.

Auto Off: When the camera is operated on battery power, the Auto Off mode will automatically turn off the monitor to reduce the drain on the batteries if no operations are performed for the length of time specified in the Auto Off menu. The time limit for the Auto Off mode can be set to 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes or 30 minutes. When powered by an optional AC adapter, the camera will enter standby mode if no operations are performed for 30 minutes.

Inputs and Outputs Notes

USB/Video Output: The Coolpix 5200 features a single proprietary jack for connecting either the supplied USB cable or Video cable. This one output allows you to download your photos to your computer via USB, or view your photos on a TV. Note: The video output is NTSC or PAL compatible.

Supplied Software

PictureProject 1.0: The Coolpix 5200 is equipped with Nikon PictureProject 1.0 software for Windows and Macintosh. The software allows you to do the following:

• Transfer Pictures: Transfer pictures from camera to computer with a single click
• Upload Pictures: Upload pictures to on-line photo albums
• View Pictures: View pictures individually, in collections, and in slide shows
• Retouch Pictures: Crop and retouch pictures
• Send Pictures By E-mail: attach pictures to e-mail message
• Print Pictures: choose a page size and layout for printing pictures

One Touch Red-Eye Fix: This feature allows you to correct photos with the red-eye phenomenon without having to "box-in" or "paint" red-eye away. The software automatically finds the red eye and fixes it.

System Requirements: In order to use Nikon PictureProject 1.0, your computer must have the following minimum requirements: