I have had this camera for a while now, and I have taken some excellent pictures with it. I use a Macintosh, and it works with the computer beautifully, in contrast with the Olympus camera that I owned previously. The adjustable screen is nice and the zoom suits my needs. However, I cannot get this camera to work in the dark. It just wont. I went searched the manual for an answer and found none. It drives me insane. It's great for daytime shots, but in low light I might as well not have it. I'm still glad I bought it, but I was dissapointed by this aspect.

The photos I've taken with my Coolpix 5000 are pretty good, though it has a lot of trouble adjusting to indoor lighting, even with the $100 Nikon SB-30 flash attachment.

But this can be a VERY frustrating camera to use. Besides the now-standard but always annoying delay built into virtually any piece of digital equipment (I thought digital was going to make things faster, not slower, didn't you?), the Coolpix 5000 will often just decide it's taken enough pictures for now, thank you very much, and it will do nothing more.

I've gone over and over the instruction manual and can find no hint as to what to do in this situation. I am focused, I have checked lighting, I have my settings correct, I push the button...and then I push it again...and then I push it again, and then again, and again and again and again, and then I hold it down until my finger hurts, and then I just want to throw the stupid camera in front of an asphalt truck. Nothing happens. If I turn it off and then back on, nothing happens. If I turn it off and leave it alone for 24 hours, then it usually is ready to have fun again.

Surprisingly, the kids have lost interest in posing for pictures and are getting a little cranky after waiting 24 hours for the camera to get its act together.

Except for it being unresponsive (by the time it's ready to shoot, the moment is gone) it's been a good camera for the 16 months I've had it... but it failed recently, and Nikon had little to say about why, how, or how I could prevent it from happening again. In fact, the people at Penn Camera seemed to be surprised that I wanted to know exactly what work was done ("Nikon never gives that information"). After explaining it by way of analogy---"what if when you picked up your car from repair shop, the serviceman said 'we fixed it... you don't need to know what specifically was wrong, or what we did, you just need to pay up' ... how would you feel? Seems criminal, doesn't it."---they came around, but still couldn't tell me anything.

So... I'm no longer a happy Nikon customer. If you're thinking of buying Nikon products, factor reapir costs in to the price.

I am one of many people who recommend this camera. I used many digital cameras including SONY and Olympus camera and got no good impression from those. My recommendation comes from the granularity of pictures taken. Pictures of other cameras found to be deteriorated when magnified using Photoshop. Coolpix 5000 gives clear images even when magnified to 800%! That granularity proves and certifies the sharpest image ever achieved in digital cameras. Every picture taken gives you greatest satisfaction in whatever photo scenes you encounter.

This is a very good camera, but the flash..... it's the worst thing ever.

At night it's impossible to take a good shot.

And I don't know if I can use as a webcam too.

Even in mid 2005 the Nikon Coolpix 5000 is a remarkable digital camera. In skilled hands this camera can produce results that rival even today's best professional digital cameras.

I've made several 16x20 prints from images taken with the Coolpix 5000 that look AMAZING. If you add the available wide angle lens to this camera you can get a fabulous 19mm wide angle lens!!! Nikon even offers an amazing fisheye lens for this camera.

Like any digital camera (or film camera for that matter) this camera has its flaws and limits. Even though it's capable of producing excellent images, it's a slow camera. So, if speed is important to you this camera is not a great choice. Likewise, some of the controls are burried in the menu system and this camera is really designed for EXPERIENCED photographers ... most "point-and-shoot" photographers have a very hard time using this camera.

There are newer cameras on the market ... but the Coolpix 5000 can still compete with the best of them. If you want a good digital camera capable of super-wide-angle photography, the Coolpix 5000 and the available wide angle lens is the BEST buy on the market today. As of July 2005 you can buy this camera and the available wide angle lens in excellent used condition for less than the price of most new point-and-shoot digitals that deliver WORSE image quality.

I bought a coolpix 5000 when it came out about 6 years ago and it took good pictures. It had to be sent in for repairs 2-3 times though because it would make a buzzing sound for a few weeks then die. They repaired it for free when it was out of warranty as a gesture of good will. It died again a few months ago, now the repair bill is $282.50 .. I had spent $2000 on this coolpix5000 and now it's a brick. The new 5100 does look nice, and it costs a lot less but I feel like I wasted my money with Nikon so my next camera will be Canon.