Nikon 5700 5mp
 

these are going for about 2grand here in oz, and i was wondering if anyone here has used or owns one..

basically, i do wedding videos, and am thinkin of expanding the business.
I see that it has a 5 point auto focus, allowing different DoF to be messed around with etc... it also has MANY other features and a nice big CCD and lcd panel

in all honesty, i would prefer a 35mm film camera then scan the pics in, but these days its all digital.. and time is a factor.

if you have any thoughts on this cam, i would really love to hear them!

I have one and like it. Just got it a couple months ago so haven't completely put it through its paces, but like the results I've gotten so far. Next month I'll be shooting one of our operas which is the real test.

Yes, the big (2/3") ccd allows you to have shallow DOF under a variety of conditions. The log zoom lens is also very nice. Color rendition is beautiful. Personally I turn shapening off completely. The only disappointment is low light performance. It can take beautiful time exposure in any lighting, but if you set the ISO to 400 there is a lot of noise, more than my old Nikon 990 had. However, to be fair, that was only a 3MP camera. If I downsample the 5700 frame to that size then I suppose the noise is comparable. The 5700 has an ISO 800 setting, but it's almost useless, unless you like the "snowstorm" effect ;-)

The lens is a little narrow, but nikon makes a very nice wide adaptor. However it is HUGE and HEAVY but looks very impressive. Also, the strange telescoping lens poses a problem for filters. There are several different solutions for this problem however.

Personally I really like the EVF (electronic viewfinder) which is little LCD screen, like a video camera. It's great for working outside in bright sun where the LCD panel won't show up, in fact that was one of my main reasons for choosing the 5700. I don't like the optical viewfinders on the less expensive cameras, and they don't work with wide adaptor lenses. It also has an external LCD screen that is articulated and can be viewed in a variety of positions which is also handy.

So all in all I would certainly recommend it. Have a look at dpreview.com for more info and a nice nikon user forum.

I have several students with camera and they really like it. I'll second the filter issue. I teach the use of filters and on some cameras it's a real problem. The close-up/macro pictures from that camera are simply stunning. I think it should work well for your weddings and such.

thanx for the replies, much appreciated :)

some of the images and setting configs i have seen on it blew me away and i SERIOUSLY considered this as opposed to another video camera...

im still tossing it up, but i like the idea of being able to offer an additional service to my clients.
For weddings, the DoF issue is a must for me, as i have noticed that not many Photographers in Oz take advantage of the impact DoF can have. With digital it can be a little harder to master especially when most of the time theyre runing on auto which is something i DONT do... ...

thanks again for the feedback... !

I don’t no if this applies in Australia but in Canada and the US the Nikon D100 is rapidly dropping in price. In the US effective October 1st there will be a $200 price drop. In Canada the price is scheduled to come down once again to $1900 at Christmas.
After looking at the price of the CP5700 and the D100 it might be better to go for the D100.

But unless you already have compatable lenses you'll have to spring for a standard zoom and maybe a telephoto zoom which pumps up the price quite a bit.

The 5700 has already dropped in the US. In one of my classes yesterday, a student said she picked one up for $899. I've seen some very nice 11x14's from that camera.