The Coolpix P5000 is equipped with a 3.5x Nikkor optical zoom lens with a 36 - 126mm (in 35mm equivalent) focal length coverage. The maximum aperture is F2.7 to 5.2 and it has a dedicated macro mode. When powered down the lens retracts and is protected by a built-in shutter, no lens cap needed.

The 9-area contrast detect TTL AF system covers a focus range of 1 ft. (30cm) to infinity [W], 2 ft. 4 in. (70cm) to infinity [T]; Macro close-up mode:1.6 in. (4cm) to infinity [W], 1 ft. 4 in. (40cm) to infinity[T]. It is aided in low lighting condition by a Focus-assist lamp. Auto focus can be single AF or Full-time AF with Auto area selection, Center-focus area selection or Manual area (99 points) selection available.

The COOLPIX P5000 features the VR (Vibration Reduction) system originally developed for Nikon SLR cameras. Providing a shooting experience akin to shooting at shutter speeds three stops faster, it enables photographers to shoot without blurring in lower light, keeps subjects clear when panning, and also helps support faster framing on the LCD. What’s more, the benefits of VR assurance also extend to movie shooting so users can capture action with welcome stability.

The P5000 is compatible with add-on lens system components to extend the user's creative possibilities, including the 24mm*** Wide-angle lens Converter (WC-E67) and the 378mm*** Telephoto Converter lens (TC-E3ED).

The built-in speedlight has a shooting range of approx. (W) 0.3 to 8.0m (1 ft. to 26 ft. 3 in.), (T) 0.3 to 4.0m (1 ft. to 13 ft. 1 in.) at ISO Auto, and can be set for Auto Flash, Red-Eye Reduction, Fill Flash, Slow Sync or Disabled.

The eye-level zoom-coupled optical viewfinder covers approx. 80-85% of the captured image. It can help you save precious battery life or allow you to follow fast moving subjects while panning. The LEDs on the right indicate flash and AF status.

The large 2.5-inch color LCD with 230,000 pixels of resolution serves as the viewfinder as well as for reviewing your images and movies and accessing the menu screens. In lower light conditions the LCD will "gain up" for better framing and provides 100% coverage. The screen is coated with a anti-glare finish and offers a wide viewing angle even in the bright sunlight.

Controls on the back: Along the left hand side of the LCD is the Function (FN) button, which is used for making quick changes to various camera settings (choose the settings via the Setup menu.) The Monitor button controls the amount of information displayed on the camera's LCD, and turns it off. The "blue arrow" button puts the camera in Play mode. The MENU button calls up and dismisses menu screens, and the "trashcan" button is for deleting images.

On the right is the 4-way selector, which is for navigating menus and selecting pictures. In record mode pressing it "Up" selects the desired flash mode. Pressing it "Left" activates the selftimer. Pressing it "Down" enables the macro focus mode. Press it "Right" to adjust exposure compensation. The center OK button accepts menu selections.

Controls on top include the Mode Dial with positions for: Auto, Program, Shutter priority, Aperture priority, Manual, SETUP, Movie, Scene, Hi ISO, and Anti-shake. You can also see the power on/off button, shutter release with the zoom controls mounted around it (also act as the index and magnify options in playback mode.) Last you can see the command dial, which is used for changing various settings as well as for quickly navigating the menu system.

The interface connector is a combination device used to connect either the USB 2.0 cable for downloading images to the host computer or connect the Audio-Video Out cable to a TV set. The video signal is selectable for NTSC or PAL. The USB cable can be connected to any PictBridge compatible photo printer for computer-free printing.

The Coolpix P5000 is equipped with ~21MB of internal memory and a SD/SDHC memory card slot, no card is supplied with the camera. Images and movies can be copied from internal memory to SD card or vice-versa. We recommend the purchase of at least a 1GB (or larger) SD card or your picture taking will be quite limited.

The camera is powered by a proprietary EN-EL5 rechargeable Li-Ion battery which provides approx. 250 shots (CIPA standard) per charge. The included MH-61 charger works on 100-240v AC systems.

An optional power adapter allows the camera to be powered from an A/C wall outlet.