Nikon CoolPix 885 vs Coolpix5000

[hartman]

Hello All,

Going to buy a digi today and was planning on the 885 but just saw the 5000. The 5000 is 5.0 megapixal and 4x zoom and is generally allround better camera. The question is, is it worth the extra $400.00 bucks?

I was planning to get the 885 with 128MB and some other stuff for 650.00.

Thanks
Hartman

[dgin]

Check out www.dpreview.com for in-depth digital camera reviews, including the 5000 and 885. If you are looking for a camera that is suberb with macro shots, the Nikons will give you the closest possible shots without add-on lenses. However, for a better all around camera, I would go with a Canon or Olympus for my money. I would also check out www.imaging-resource.com for reviews and side-by-side comparison of photos.

Decide on what your budget is, what features you must have, what would be nice to have, and go from there. Judging photos is somewhat subjective and is sometimes in the eye of the beholder so don't put too much weight on other's opinions. Also don't focus too much on the megapixel - think about what you will be using it for and how big of a picture do you really need. 3MP will be generally good for most instances.

I just picked up a Canon Powershot S30 and am very happy with it. It also cost about $400 (after shipping and all).

Good luck!

[clutchcargo]

In a word, yes.
The 5000 is a much better camera. The 885 feels kind of light duty and plastic'y' compared to the 5000. The engineering behind the memory card door, in particular, on the 885 leaves much to be desired. The 885 also seems to be problematic for some users according to a few reports. Check out www.epinions.com or some other site like this.
With that said, my next camera will probably be the Olympus E20n. It fees more like a real camera.
hth
C

[hartman]

dgin,

Thanks, here is the deal. I have a bunch of standard 35mm cameras, Nikon 8008 and the Canon EOS and I don't use any of them, to big and bulky. The wife wants a nice small point and click digi camera and I want something that can do great macros for my reef tanks

My budget is 1K but I don't want to buy more than I need. The 885 has everything I need in res and pixel but I want to make sure the shutter speed and stuff is flexable as possible. I don't want to spend $700.00 on a 885 and then realize that for $200.00 bucks could have really got a jump in tech with the 5000

Hartman

[clutchcargo]

And another thing...
I don't know about the 5000, but the 885 doesn't come with a rechargable battery or charger. That will set you back another 50-70 bucks.
One nice feature to look for is the ability to focus manually. I find with the 885 it's a crap shoot if what is in focus when I push the button will still be in focus when the camera actually shoots.
C