Thank you Nikon

I've had my Nikon Coolpix 5200 for about a month now and I'm still amazed with it. I'm not new to photography but this is my first digital camera. I researched various different brands for about 2 weeks that were around the same price and came to conclusion that this was the one.

It wasn't until after using it for a while that I truly realized all things that this baby can do. I just love this camera. The pictures are sharp and the color representation is great. Although it is small in size it's not something that you're constantly worried about dropping. This is primarily due to the 5200's great design. It's a thing of beauty just to look at. It's very well made and the fit and finish couldn't be better. It's also nice to have a camera of this type that is mostly metal. The controls are very well laid out and fall nicely under your fingers without getting in the way.

The scene modes really do work well, and there are more than you're likely to ever need. The movie mode works much better than I thought it would with a very impressive 30 frames/second. I would suggest a 512 SD memory or more if this is something you'll use very often though.

I only have a few real complaints about the camera and this is being picky. The pre-flash red eye reduction works 100% so far with people, but only 50/50 on my cat. I realize that it wasn't designed for that purpose, so I can't really complain. However, my Olympus Stylus Epic Deluxe film camera's pre-flash does work perfectly with cats and dogs, which is why I find this a disappointment.

It would be nice if you could have more manual control, but so far the camera has given me the shot/shots that I wanted anyway, which makes that point a non-factor.

The only other thing is that the monitor is a bit hard to see at times on a bright daytime shot, however I understand this is true for all digicams.

The name Nikon commands respect and much is expected of it. The Coolpix 5200 delivers and does the Nikon name proud.

I should add that all Nikon Coolpix cameras sold in Canada have a two year warranty. I don't know why, but I'll take it with thanks.

Accessories to date: 256 MB 45x SD memory, Nikon leather case and a spare battery.