Aug 30, 2005 05:08 PM
5056 Views
(Updated Aug 30, 2005 06:32 PM)
By the time I'd bought my Nikon 5600, I had already done a lot of research on the 5 Megapixel cameras available in the market. There are a lot of other options one might look at, like the Pentax or the Kodak 5 MP models, but in my opinion, none of them even come close to the Nikon (I've tried the rest too). Nikon has two models in the 5MP range, namely, the Nikon 5600 and the 4600. The 4600 comes with almost the same features as the 5600, at a cheaper price, but then again, the 4600 misses out on two of the biggies i.e, audio is not supported and it does not have red eye reduction.
For ease of use, I am going to split the review into sections so you can compare with other products Zoom: The 5600 has 3x optical zoom which is more than sufficient for any decent photograph, and 4x digital zoom which more than exceeds any other camera in this category.
Image Quality: The image quality is excellent and images often exceed 1.2 Mb's for sheer clarity. The videos though not outstanding are better than what the other digicam's offer.
Memory: The memory inbuilt into the camera is only sufficient for about 20 pics, so an additional memory card would be recommended. The camera supports flash cards which are easily available, and these can be swapped, so you can many of them simultaneously.
Screen: It has a true color 1.8'' LCD which I find quite adequate for viewfinding. It is so crystal clear that I don't even use the optical viewfinder.
Interface: The interface is extremely user friendly and I can do most of the stuff which I want to do without referring to the user manual. Battery Life: The batteries are a relative downside because it really guzzles them at a fast pace, thought this can be reduced by switching of the LCD viewfinder and the flash. I personally bought a set of 4 rechargeable batteries and they last me about a day on outings, so I find them sufficient. It uses normal AA size batteries so it is quite easily available and not really a big problem.
Screen Modes: It has 18 screen modes and they work perfect. Especially the sunset mode and the indoor party mode which I adore. I have captured a lot of spectacular sunsets with this cam and the results still awe my friends. Red Eye reduction: Frankly, I think any decent digicam should have it. Surprisingly, most don't. I hate the irritating red eyes on other digicams, so when I saw the pics I took with this one, I was really impressed at the amount it cuts down the red eyes. Inbuilt
Software:- The inbuilt Dlighting function lets you spruce up any pic or zoom or crop any picture to the desired image you want. It also has overlay modes for capturing panoramic scenes. Outstanding!! Overall: All in all I'd say it's the best camera for the price and Megapixel range. If you are really looking for something hi-fi like a professional photographer, then go in for the higher end Nikon/Sony models with 20+X zooms.
But if you are like me and wanna get a really good digital camera with superb image quality which you can show off to your friends, then the Nikon 5600 is the one for you. The 4600 is an option if you want a cheaper camera. The Pentax 5 Mp comes close in image quality in night shots, but in the lighted scenes, the pentax is nowhere close. The kodak's are just low budget camera's and best avoided. Go in for it is my suggestion.
