Nikon Coolpix 5200 is my first digital camera, bought after siginificant web research. I used SLR cameras in the past and was initially reluctant to use digital point-and-shoot. After having used this new camera of mine, I must agree it is not bad at all. Let me list down some positives and negatives that I have noted so far:

Positives:
1. Very light weight. When I compare with my friend's Canon A85, etc. this one is really light.
2. Clear picture, nice color balance. Quality lens.
3. Decent battery life + rechargeable battery.
4. Great look, nice design. You feel proud.
5. In-built Red Eye.

Negatives:
1. The auto focus is not up to the mark. Unless you are very careful, there is a high chance you will land up in out-of-focus shots.
2. The potrait mode comes with default Red-Eye reduction and you cannot permanently change it. The problem with Red Eye reduction is that several flashes are triggered and wastes battery life. Note that you don't necessarily need Red Eye for all potrait shots. So for every shot you need to change the mode to single-flash.
3. Too many modes unnecessarily create confusion. Pictures taken in different modes not necessarily are different.
4. In-built Red Eye works, but not always. I have got quite a few Red Eyes even using Red Eye reduction mode.
5. 3x optical zoom is barely enough.

A few tips on purchasing digital camera:
1. Don't go by the megapixel bandwagon. I rarely use the 5 megapixel feature of this camera and almost always use it in 2 megapixel mode to store more shots in my 128 MB flash.
2. 2 megapixel shots are good enough for up to 8x10 enlargements.
3. A good camera is defined by its lens, metering ability, focusing, zoom, low distortion, color balance, etc. They come from the digital processing and the lens function.

Hope this helps.

I bought this camera 2 weeks ago, and I love it! I have two Nikon SLR cameras already, so I decided to go once more with Nikon for my first digital camera. I bought an extra battery (batteries take 2 hours to charge, but battery life is good), a 512 mb card, which holds a LOT of pictures, and a camera case. Most of my pictures have turned out pretty good. I have had a few that were blurry. I have also had some reddish skintones, but by trial-and-error, I have come to the conclusion that it was from poor indoor lighting. The red-eye feature is great, but if your kids more around as fast as mine do, using this feature slows the shutter speed, and you miss the actual picture you were trying to get! I think the few minor problems I have found with this camera are due to my mistakes. I have yet to try out several of the other features. You will have little problem with this camera if you READ THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL!!! I looked over mine while the battery charged the first time. It saved me a lot of time. Nikon wins again!

I purchased this camera and have been very happy with it. It is a great size and weight. My pictures have turned out great!

The program it comes with to edit your pictures has a great email feature... It automatically reduces the size of the picture from 5MP (or whatever you took the picture in...) to 640x480 for easy and quick emailing. It sends the picture(s) directly to your email software.

I have only 2 problems with the camera...

(1) you can't rotate pictures on the camera. If you take a picture lengthwise, usually a camera (like many Cannon and many Sony cameras) will have a feature that allows you to rotate the picture so you can view it without holding the camera sideways. Nikon should have added this simple, but useful feature. You can, however, rotate the pictures once you upload them to Picture Project before emailing them. But, it takes time to go through each photo and make sure it is positioned correctly for email, but at least you can do it so people don't have to lay their heads on their desks to view your pictures!

(2) the Picture Project software that comes with the camera makes it very easy to post your pictures to Nikon's website, but it takes alot of time to post your pictures to (for example) Ofoto.com or Sams's Club.com. Both of those companies print cheap digital prints (Ofoto is .29 cents and Sam's Club is .18 cents per print)... I think Nikon.net's price was .45 cents per print (no thanks!).

A BIG plus to buying this camera is their technical online help. They were GREAT!!! I emailed my questions about my two "problems" above and they emailed me back with solutions within 3 days and it was FREE! I can wait up to 3 days for an answer if it is free. No problem!!

All in all I think this is a GREAT camera and I would purchase it again even with the two MINOR problems I've had!! It was even rated "Editor's Choice" in a few magazine's. I'm very happy with the Nikon 5200!

It is a great camera. It takes great action shots in the light, good portrait shots anywhere. and really great regular shots. Battery life is great and size is perfect. It just works and does the thing its supposed to do, TAKE GOOD PICTURES. You won't be disapointed.

Don't forget to get at least 256MB for memory card)

This is an excellent camera!

I particularly like the speed of wich it takes picures in the "sports" mode. No other cameras I have experience with is anywhere close to its 2,5 pics per second (you'll probably need a good quality SLR to match this). If you, like me, plan to take action pictures (skiing, etc.), no other compact camera is better.

The picture quality is very good, and the "red eye-fixer" is working allmost perfectly (I think I've seen red eyes ONCE during my first couple of hundred pics). The user friendlyness is also very good, logical and easy to understand, even for me that have little prior experience with Nikon.

The only downside with the camera is the screen size which does not match many of today's new cameras. Besides the size the screen is good, with excellent visibility in most situations. And in my opinion, cameras are constructed to TAKE pictures, slide shows should be on your tv or computer..

This camera took fine pictures, but the software didn't work. I was told by Nikon tech support that software problems were common and maybe "they rushed this product to market". The software wouldn't let me crop,reduce red eye or catalog photos as it was supposed to do. I returned to camera for a refund. An altogether frustrating experience. Don't buy.

Summarizing major issues:

Pros:
- High definition pictures. Colors are great, pictures clarity is really amazing at times (if you can get it focused - read more of this bellow).
- Great Design. Small and compact, so you can comfortably carry it with you inside a pocket or so. Stylish and good looking.
- Fairly easy to operate. Navigation in and between menus is straightforward and comfortable. On-screen display is great. The camera also has lots of "modes", which are presets of configurations designed for common photo opportunities.

Cons:
- First and foremost, *Really Bad Focusing System*. Unless you're an experienced photographer (and then again, even if you are), you may lay to it that this camera will take allot of getting used to. Blurry, out-of-focus pictures are common, and you're going to have to repeat shots until you get the hang of it. This is a major issue in comparison to other cameras I've been using.
- Mediocre automatic flash system. When using "automatic flash", in many cases the camera flashes unnecessarily, creating over-brightened images. You'll find yourself manually turning the flash on and off with this one.
- Weak x3 zoom just doesn't cut it, in my opinion.

Purchased this camera as a gift for my wife when it first came out. Just did something I thought I'd never do - purchased a second one as a gift for our daughter even though it's no longer being manufactured.
Quality of 5Mp Nikon cameras has exceeded my "tin-eye" ability to tell one from the other. Newer ones may have more "refined" features but I'm already pleased with the CoolPix 5200's quality. As the current supply is exhausted, the price is coming down - another good thing.
Never thought I'd be happy with anything that didn't have a 5-pound chunk of high quality German ground glass on the front of a big black box! Because it's so small, we take it everywhere while the big SLR remains in the closet!

My previous Nikon (Coolpix 3700) took fantastic pictures, sharp, clear...top notch. This 5200, although it is more comfortable to handle because it's a better fit in my hands, has been a huge disappointment because it doesn't seem to ever have good focus. I'm an average photographer who would've thought it was my own fault, but having had such excellent results with my previous Nikon, the 3700, I think it must have something to do with this model...or I got a lemon.

This is a solid camera that takes great pictures. It is easy to use and has some good controls on it, allowing you to take pictures at different shutter speeds, colors, etc. The video camera on it provides decent quality video.

I have no complaints nor have I been amazed by this camera. It gets a 4 out of 5.

Great camera for a cam with average lens @ 1/1.8.
As others have reviewed, the AF is troublesome. But after I disabled the AREA AUTOFOCUS and left the AUTO FOCUS ENABLED, I found that problem ceased to exist. I also got 2 after market batteries for 4.98 a piece 1000MAh and they last a very long time.

Compare 5 MP sony, kodak, cannon camera, you will see diffrance in Nikon is quality , clear and best color on a objects. Not only on computer or LCD screen it looks good, specially take a print out, you will find print out came out from Nikon is a best.

I just received my Nikon Coolpix 5200 a couple of days ago and I'm already in love! This is my second digital camera and already I know that we will have many memories together! I like that this camera is small and compact but still has the ability to take amazing pictures. I love the variety of different modes - such as party mode, sunset, and even firework mode. This makes it versatile and easy to use. Out of all the cameras that I looked at while shopping around, I chose this one because of the built-in red eye reduction. I feared that this camera would be a piece of junk because of the low price but I was wrong. Buy this camera, you won't be let down!!

I started with the Coolpix 4300 but it was painfully slow and temperamental.
So I upgraded to the 5200, which I loved to put in my pocket and snap away with, as a simpler alternative to my D70. After a year or two, though, the 5200 would start up with a black screen about half the time. I have to restart it and restart it in the hope that it will get back into working mode. My theory is that this is due to grit getting in the zoom barrel, so my next purchase has been the Pentax W20, which has internal zoom. It seems like that or the two-lens, no-external-zoom Kodak V610 are better choices these days.

Gift was enjoyed by 13 and 14 year old siblings. The delivery service was terrible. I suggest you find another source as this was not the first time I have made purchases from Amazon and I have always been satisfied, but it was the first time I used this outsource. Never again Cametta Camera.

I've owned a few cameras since the digital age submerged the photo world in a sea of memory cards, megapixels and jpegs. I went from a horrible 1 MP Vivitar, to a great but really slow 4MP Minolta/Konica Camera, then to this Nikon 5200 in 2004. Initially, I was weary about buying a 5MP camera, since the technology advances and becomes cheaper within the space of a few months, but the 5200 was not the case. After the first year my first one was stolen and I decided to try out the really slim 6MP Casio Exilim s500 and I was quickly disappointed with picture quality, durabilty and start up speed, before exchanging it for my 2nd Nikon 5200. Last month after 1 year and half of consistently rough usage the battery door came loose and then stopped connecting at all. Even though the battery is still secure without the door there I wanted a new camera and was planning to upgrade to the $1700 Canon 30D, but after playing with the 30D instore, I decided I wasn't ready for that kind of commitment and realized I was genuinely happy with the Nikon 5200. I played around with newer models as well and found that the Nikon 5200 is still a top camera for taking awesome pics in a wide variety of settings and delivering sparkling prints. So I just purchased another Nikon 5200.

PROS: 1. Above all, this camera is really fast. That is my favorite feature. With other cameras I find that the start up and picture to picture speed is slow enough that you can miss many great picture opportunities whiles waiting for the camera to warm up.
2. Great Pictures in all ranges & conditions. I used this camera outdoors whiles on backpacking & mountaineering trips and always came back with great pics. Macro/Micro/close-up pics are awesome as well. I mainly use that mode for taking pictures of stuff I'm selling on eBay and I've gotten many of compliments from bidders on the quality of the pictures.

3. Long battery life. I usually fill up 1GB worth of pictures before the battery meter flashes that 50% power is remaining. After 2 years of lots of use the battery's stamina does dimish some like all electronics using lithium batteries.
4. Durable; I've dropped my 2nd one many times, used it in rain, snow, sleet, at the beach and it looks like it been thru war but works like new.
5. The Auto Picture mode actually works because the base of the camera is wide & flat enough to sit on ledges, tables, etc... so you can take many self pics where ever you go. I find slim style cameras (which is now the style of about 90% of mainstream cameras) fail at this unless you tote around a tripod.
6. Dynamic Flash Modes actually work. Also the Scene modes are easy to use once you understand what does what.
7. Video Mode has really loud sound recording and you can take unlimited length clips depending on you memory card'c capacity.
8. Nice package in box. Comes with alot a good stuff, software, cables etc.

CONS:
1. Weak battery door clip-in points. Most cameras have this weakness and its not inherent to any one brand. Most cameras' battery door have weak hinges which is alot worse than the weak clip-in points for the 5200's battery door that eventually wears down or break off after a few years of rough use. But in the 5200 defense the battery has its own internal sliding lock that holds it in place so the door in not even necessary to begin with. Also the way the door clip in points breaks is better than having the hinge break because its easier to fix with tape (or glue if you are skilled).
2. Learning the various camera modes and figuring out what does what takes some time only because the modes actually work (meaning every mode will give a different picture), and there are a lot of scene modes.
Especially when it comes to taking nighttime pictures, unless you are a genius with cameras expect to spend a few weeks to a month perfecting night pics on this camera. They are a few modes for night where you have to determine if you are in normal, party, fireworks, or dusk night then you have to figure out if you want the flash or not, then after that if you choose flash you have to figure out what flash mode you want(party, sunset, fill-in, macro) . The positive thing is when you learn the sweetspots you will find that this camera takes really good night pictures a big positive that is lacking in many reviews.
3. Battery Charging. Not really a con as much as it is my griping. I just wished the battery charged like a cellphone/iPod instead of having to travel with the separate charging plug cable & battery charger-block.
4. No Sepia or BW filter modes! However the software that comes with the 5200 enables conversion to these filters.

BOTTOM LINE: If you getting a 5 megapix camera that you want to last a long time and take great dymnamic pictures get this one!
It is also on Steve's Digicams ultimate "BEST Camera" list
(On the list it is refered to as the Nikon 5600
which is a European version that uses 2 regular AA batteries instead of the lithium ones that the 5200 has, other than that they are the same cameras.)

I've had this camera for a little over 2 and a half years. It has lots of features, and I have taken some decent pictures with it, but I have also been very frustrated trying to get a nice clean picture. (It is always blurry, or slightly out of focus)

For a little while now, the door to the battery has been half broken. Now it is completely broken and won't stay shut. Not by my doing, the plastic that would hold it closed wore down and broke off. It isn't a very good design for longevity.

I just recently got myself a Kodak Easy Share. I love it. Great pictures EVERY TIME!! Sooo much easier to use. So I gave this camera to my husband...haha...sucker! :)

In conclusion, it is a decent camera. It has seen me through some times. But for the price, you can get a much better camera for much less. I would have to say that I was disappointed with this camera in the long run, and I am very happy with the one I have now.

An easy to use and carry camera for those special moments. The
quality of photos is far superior to any other Digital Camera of
the same quality. It's small and packs easily for those vacations
that are near and far.

I purchased this camera over two years ago, and have never had a single problem with it! It takes professional quality photos, without the hassle and bulk of extra lens and such. I would highly recommend this camera!

After my last Nikon, which I really liked, had some problems with the zoom lens opening, I set out to find another camera. I really don't like change, so I looked for another Nikon with which I could use my rechargeable ion batteries and SD card. I chose the Nikon 5200. Bad choice. Maybe I just got a lemon? Not sure, but what I do know is that this camera takes the worst pictures. Practically impossible to get a clear, focused picture inside, and when I do get a picture that is technically focused, it just isn't very sharp. I recently took it on a beach vacation and got all my pictures back with an aura around the white things in the pictures (hair bow, sunhat, etc.). Let's see... bad inside, bad outside. Verdict? Just bad.