Oct 15, 2010 06:42 PM
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The streamlined blue and silver case design of the Coolpix 2000 follows the design aesthetic of the previous Coolpix 2500, moving away from the black & chrome of Nikon's enthusiast and professional models and toward the softer look they seem to be pursuing for their more consumer oriented products. The Coolpix 2000 is housed in a case entirely constructed of plastic, rather than the metal and plastic combination seen in the 2500 and other higher-end Coolpix models. This was doubtless required in order to bring the product in at a retail price that would compete in the entry-level market, but the less substantial case seems only average, not conveying the sense of solidity and ruggedness I've come to associate with the Nikon brand. Nikon has assured me that the Coolpix 2000 is every bit a Nikon camera, but I'm still left wishing they'd at least made the plastic a bit thicker in places.
Built to be portable and compact, the Coolpix 2000 is small enough for travel, with very few protrusions to catch on pockets of purses. Quick on the draw with its forward-facing lens and automatic lens cover, the Coolpix 2000 is ready to shoot quickly, taking only 3.3 seconds from power-on to its first shot. As noted, its silver and blue tones are reminiscent of the previous Coolpix 2500 model, though the camera's dimensions are slightly larger. Still, the Coolpix 2000 will fit comfortably into a larger coat pocket, pants pocket or purse, and comes with a convenient hand strap. The Coolpix 2000 offers a 3x optical zoom lens and a 2.0-megapixel CCD for capturing quality image that can be printed as large as 8x10 inches. Since the camera operates mainly under automatic control, its control layout and menu display are very user friendly, with a host of features controlled externally.
The Coolpix 2000 doesn't have an optical viewfinder, providing only a 1.5-inch color LCD monitor for composing images. This could make it more difficult to see what you're doing in bright daylight, but on a positive note, the LCD viewfinder is very accurate, showing fully 97% of the final frame area. Although the LCD monitor does provide more accurate framing than an optical viewfinder, it also decreases battery life because you have no option but to keep the display running whenever you're shooting. - Definitely plan on carrying an extra set of batteries on any extended outings with the 2000.
The camera's 3x, 5.8-17.4mm zoom lens(equivalent to a 38-114mm lens on a 35mm camera) offers maximum apertures from f/2.8 to f/4.9, depending on the zoom setting. The camera uses contrast-detection autofocus, and focuses in normal mode from 1.0 feet(30 centimeters) to infinity. In Macro mode, the camera focuses as close as 1.6 inches(4.0 centimeters), automatically switching to continuous autofocus operation to adjusts focus constantly(as opposed to only when the Shutter button is half-pressed).(The Coolpix line has always performed very well in the macro category, and the Coolpix 2000's minimum focusing distance of 1.6 inches is outstanding.) Focus remains under automatic control, but an Infinity focus mode is available for quick shots of distant subjects. Turning on the camera triggers the shutter-like lens cover to open, and the lens to extend forward about an inch or so. In addition to 3x optical zoom, the Coolpix 2000 offers a maximum 2.5x digital zoom, which lets you "zoom" in even closer. As always though, so-called "digital zoom" only enlarges the center pixels of the CCD's image, and so directly reduces image quality. The 2.0-megapixel CCD produces high-resolution images, good enough for printing to 8x10 inches with reasonable detail, as well as lower-resolution images for sending via email or for printing as 4x6-inch snapshots.
Keeping with the tradition of the Coolpix line, the Coolpix 2000's exposure control is very straightforward. Operating primarily under automatic control, the Coolpix 2000's user interface is quick to learn. Most of the exposure options are controlled through the multi-page LCD menu system, though a handful of external controls access basic features. A Mode dial on top of the camera controls the operating mode, with five preset "Scene" modes, an Auto setting, and Movie and Playback modes. Aperture and shutter speed remain under camera control at all times, but the exposure menu offers a few options to adjust the image. Exposure Compensation brightens or darkens the image from -2 to+2 exposure equivalents(EV) in one-third-step increments. A White Balance adjustment offers five preset modes, an Auto setting, and a Custom setting for manually determining the color balance. The Coolpix 2000 has three metering modes, which include 60-Segment Matrix, Center-Weighted, and Spot. ISO is rated at 100 during normal shooting, but the Coolpix 2000 automatically raises it to 400 in the Night Portrait mode. You can also adjust the overall sharpness of an image, and access Nikon's Best Shot Selector mode, which automatically chooses the least blurry image in a series. The Coolpix 2000's built-in flash is effective to approximately 8.8 feet(2.7 meters), and operates in Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Anytime Flash, Flash Cancel, and Slow Sync modes.
The five preset Scene modes configure the camera for specific shooting situations. Accessed via the Mode dial, "scenes" include Party/Indoor, Back Light, Portrait, Night Portrait, and Beach/Snow. Each mode optimizes the camera for capturing the best images in what could otherwise be difficult shooting conditions. Exposure times on the Coolpix 2000 range from 1/1, 000 to a maximum of one second, the latter of which limits the camera's low-light shooting capabilities somewhat. Still, the Night Portrait mode, which combines flash with slow shutter speeds seems to do a good job of capturing natural-looking photos in limited light. Night Portrait mode also enables the automatic Noise Reduction feature, which reduces image noise from longer exposures. Other camera features include a Self-Timer mode, which provides a three- or 10-second delay between the time the Shutter button is pressed and the time image is actually captured. A Continuous Shooting mode captures a rapid series of images while the Shutter button is held down, with the actual number of images dependent on the size and quality settings, as well as the amount of memory card space. There's also a Multi-Shot 16 mode, which captures 16 thumbnail images in sequence, arranged in rows of four in the final image. A Movie mode captures moving images, without sound, at approximately 15 frames per second. The length of recording time depends on the amount of available CompactFlash card space, and appears in the LCD monitor.
The Coolpix 2000 stores images on CompactFlash(type I) memory cards, and comes with a 16MB Lexar "starter" card. Given the Coolpix 2000's 1, 632 x 1, 224-pixel resolution size, I'd recommend picking up a larger memory card so you don't miss any important shots.(Memory cards are cheap enough these days that really suggest you purchase at least a 64 MB card along with your camera.) Images are saved in JPEG format, with three compression levels available. A CD-ROM loaded with Nikon View 5 accompanies the camera, compatible with both Windows and Macintosh platforms(including Windows XP and Mac OS X). Nikon View provides minor image editing and organization tools, for downloading, cataloging, and enhancing images. The camera comes with a set of four single-use AA al