Nikon Coolpix 5700 (1 Viewer)

Hi there: My husband surprised me the other day with a Nikon Coolpix 5700. I had been toying over the idea of a new digital camera but I wasn't sure which would be best for me. I wanted to get close shots of the birds in my backyard.

I am an amateur photographer at best and this camera seems to be a bit overwhelming. I bought a book yesterday from Short Courses that is suppose to be fairly easy to understand and help with getting to know the 5700. The camera came with a 2x telephoto lens. I set the camera up on a tripod in my sunroom in from of the window.... the birds are about 50 feet away. I had everything on auto (focus and shutter speed), macro flower was clicked, and in the view finder the subject looked clear. I would click to take the shot, it would focus (slowly - half the time the birds moved) and then I would get a blurry photo. Is this camera not the greatest for taking bird photos. I love this site -http://www.angelfire.com/ky2/mamabird/index.htmls - her birds are so close, and crisp. She uses an Olympus C2100. Should we have gotten this instead? I'm a little bummed. Someone tell me that it's me and my lack of knowledge and not the camera.

Thanks!
Colleen

One more thing...

I mentioned I had the macro flower on, there's also an infinity option but that didn't focus at all. And I was reading somewhere on line to keep macro on even for long distance.. any comments on that?

I don't think the 5700 is the worst choice, Colleen.

That award must surely go to the 750. I should know because I bought one! And I know exactly what you mean about the amount of time it actually takes to take the picture - by the time it's finished, the picture is either blurred or the bird has disappeared altogether. Ever-so-slightly annoying!

Perhaps Andy Bright could give you the info you require.

Hi Colleen,

I saw your thread the other day and hoped someone with first hand knowledge of the 5700 may have replied to your queries.

I don't have any experience of this camera at all, but having scanned the reviews it should be a pretty decent one to use for bird photography, with the 5 mp's and an 8x zoom giving 35mm equivalent of 280 mm which is pretty decent on it's own but will be even better with the use of the teleconversion lens. Don't forget that the style of photography you are using it for isn't likely to be what the designers primarily intended, so you have to work on some of the quirks to get out of it what you want to do. I find dpreveiw is very helpful, especially some of the owners reviews as opposed to the official ones.

I have been considering the purchase of a Nikon myself, albeit a 990/995/4500 for use with digiscoping, so I have been reading all the reviews I can find. The common thing that they all seem to share is that you need to have thoroughly read and understood the literature that comes with these cameras. The Nikons don't seem to be as intuitive to use as some other cameras. I do have the Olympus C2100UZ and great though it is for bird photography, you can't get away from the fact that it only has 2.1 mp so the quality of shots will rarely match the 5700 once you have the hang of the camera.

A couple of things to bear in mind that I have found by my digital photography experiences. I too find that macro mode gives far superior results when using the teleconversion lenses both in respect of sharpness and colour rendition. An important consideration is both the camera metering mode and focusing mode.

My camera has a 'spot' metering mode so that the exposure is measured from the light reflecting off the subject in the centre of the viewfinder - ie. the main subject in the shot. Also it has an 'ispot' focusing mode which likewise means the camera actually focuses on the subject in the centre of the viewfinder. From what I've read, some Nikons have up to five auto modes, but some autofocus on the subject 'nearest' to the camera - so if your subject is sat in a bush or tree ot there is something between you and the camera, then it will focus on that. One solution would be to use manual focus, though it can be fiddly on some cameras. I think that if you find a distant enough subject, that the infinity mode will work fine, such as a landscape shot. Another thing I read is that for nature photography try to avoid using the preset modes of the camera.

A piece of good advice that I picked up is that before trying to get decent shots of birds - practise on inanimate subjects until you get the hang of the focusing and exposure modes. I think you did the right thing getting the 'shortcourses' book as I found them more useful than the instructions that came with my first camera.

I'm sorry I couldn't be a bit more specific with advice for you, but really the 5700, specification wise should outperform the C2100UZ every time.

You mentioned you had the macro on....it is my understanding that the macro is just for really closeups...I think the range for my camera (Sony DSC F707) is from a couple mm to 3 feet or so. Try setting the macro to off and give it another shot. Try using the macro on things around the house, see what it does. Set it to on and get REALLY close to the inside of a flower or something and take your shot. I think it might help you to understand it's use. I would imagine that's why it's taking so long for it to focus. Don't be discouraged, it will all come together. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm having a ball!

As I said, I'm not a storehouse of knowledge as far as cameras go, but I think this will help.

DonnaA

Donna is right about the macro setting just been for close subjects - when using the camera on it's own ! Once you start using teleconversion lenses you get into the realm of the camera having a minimum focusing distance in feet rather than inches.

I use a B300 1.7x conversion lens which on macro setting has a minimum focusing distance of about 8', but goes up to about 15'. When I use that lens together with a Tcon 14 which is a 1.45x conversion lens, the minimum focusing distance on macro setting is about 12', the range going up to about 35' - after which you have to return to normal mode.

From what I've gathered, on this forum and other places, it is advised only to use the macro mode for digiscoping - when using the camera on its own, as DonnaA says, use another focussing mode. I've just got a Nikon CP4500, so if you like we can share our triumphs and our woes and try to learn together.

Tony

Use of 'macro' on the Nikons (not always other makes) is best used for digiscoping and use with teleconverters...Ii supposes a scope is just a big teleconverter.

Important thing with small birds that don't fill the viewfinder is getting the camera to focus on the subject, this is easy with a frame-filling bird in digiscoping but not so easy with a normal camera with relatively small focal lengths (280mm)

The Nikon 5700 has the AF zones that can be moved manually so they sit over the target.

Try to use aperture priority or something that gives you control to set the f# (aperture value) at it's lowest amount.... thus giving you the fastest shutter-speed available...auto and programme modes may not always select the fastest shutter-speed.

Not sure what teleconverter you are using... I didn't think Nikon made a 2x for use with the 5700, so results maybe unpredictable.

You should get some excellent results with the 5700, certainly better than most digital cameras.... except for genuine digital slr's.
Regards,
Andy B

Re: your question... this is a good camera.(Nikon 5700) I have a photo pal in Finland with this camera and it is amazing in her hands.. if you e-mail me I will put you in touch with her. She is very photo savvy with this camera.
The good folks here have all given you great tips and will get you there as well. Patience and trust yourself... it is new technology and that can sometimes be a bugbear to contend with.
One other thing I wanted to comment on.. the site you mentioned in a good friend on mine in Kentucky ;by and far she is one of the most accomplished bird photographers of back yard birds.. I have not seen any better then her whether with her C-2100 or her newer 735.

You said you set up the camera on a tripod in your sunroom back from the window. The camera's af system may be detecting the window, glare perhaps, and getting confused. When this happens the af will go back and forth and never settle down. Also, like others here already have said, if there is anything between you and the bird, such as an overhanging branch, the af could get confused.

Maybe put a toy where the bird was and practice with af and manual. You should have several setting beside inf. Look for one near 50' (if it's available.) According to dpreview, the manual focus range is:
"Manual: 3 cm - Infinity (1.2 in - Infinity) - 64 steps"

Sixty four steps between 1.2 inches and infinity is a lot of preset focus points.

Hope this helps.