Interested in digital cameras? January 14, 2005, 04:08:53 pm Yahoo Message Number: 49343Hi Gang,This is slightly off the LD topic, but since we sometimes discuss equipment we travel with, particularly when we find something that is a "good buy", I thought some of you might be interested. If any of you have been waiting to finally purchase a digital camera, or have considered upgrading to a camera with more features or megapixes, I may have found something you might be interested in. I have no vested interest in the following.Nikon Coolpix 5400 is being discontinued, but starting right before Christmas, Nikon started offering a $200 rebate on this camera AND there is a free Epson printer offer that can be combined with the $200 rebate. On top of that, many dealer's have reduced the selling price of the camera.Here are the details of the deal: Nikon Coolpix 5400, sold during most of 2004 for $599 or more. On sale at many mail order retailers for $499, you get $200 rebate AND if you purchase from a select group of Epson color printers, there is another $100 rebate, essentially making the Epson C86 printer free. So for $299 you get well appointed camera and a printer!The camera features 5.1 megapixels, has a 4x optical zoom lens, (equivalent to a 28mm-113mm lens using 35mm equipment)as well as the usual and useless digital zoom lens most cameras feature. It has a wide range of features, from fully automatic everything, to full manual control and everything in between. It is the perfect size and weight for travel, and appears to be very well constructed. You can visit Nikon USA for details about the camera and download the rebate forms. One word of caution, I do believe you need to purchase the camera and the printer on one receipt! I've only played with this camera for about 2 weeks, and it is making a convert to digital out of me. And I didn't think that was possible. Several of my friends jumped on this deal and all seem quite please with their purchase. My only concern with the camera is I wish the zoom were a little more powerful, but I'll still carry my 35mm gear for wildlife pictures, so its not a big deal for me.Again, I have no vested interest in Nikon or Epson.Steve K (For me to buy this, you know it had to be a good deal!)
Re: Nikon Coolpix 5400 Reply #1 – January 14, 2005, 06:56:06 pm Yahoo Message Number: 49350Quote"Here are the details of the deal: Nikon Coolpix 5400, sold during most of 2004 for $599 or more. On sale at many mail order retailers for $499, you get $200 rebate AND if you purchase from a select group of Epson color printers, there is another $100 rebate, essentially making the Epson C86 printer free. So for $299 you get well appointed camera and a printer!"I bought this camera on Steve K's recommendation. Am I crazy or what? It's a wonderful digital camera with all the bells and whistles. Got it from newegg.com for $472 and will get a $200 rebate off of that. A very good deal. Thanks for the tip, Steve.Chris Horst
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Interested in digital cameras? Reply #2 – January 14, 2005, 07:59:23 pm Yahoo Message Number: 49351Steve KWhich mail order place had the combo deal?John
Re: Interested in digital cameras? Reply #3 – January 14, 2005, 08:31:19 pm Yahoo Message Number: 49353QuoteSeveral of my friends jumped on this deal and all seem quite please with their purchase. My only concern with the camera is I wish the zoom were a little more powerful, but I'll still carry my 35mm gear for wildlife pictures, so its not a big deal for me. When we recently upgraded to a new digital camera, optical zoom was one of the top features of interest. After reading a bunch of reviews online, we settled on a Panasonic Lumix FZ20. This camera has a Leica designed lens with 12X optical zoom, optical image stabilization, auto or manual focus, and 5M pixels. The camera is about midway in size and weight between a point-and-shoot and a full 35MM SLR. After about 2 months of use, we are very happy with this camera. We haven't bothered with film cameras for a couple of years.Art
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Interested in digital cameras? Reply #4 – January 14, 2005, 11:11:10 pm Yahoo Message Number: 49358QuoteSteve KWhich mail order place had the combo deal?John John, I'm not Steve but the link below should take you to the Espson rebate coupon which explains that you have to purchase the Coolpix 5400 in order to get the $100 rebate on the printer. You can buy the printer and the camera from any on line retailer and still take advantage of the rebates. You don't have to buy the printer to get the camera rebate, but you have to buy the camera to get the printer rebate. Do a Froogle search for the best price on either or both of the items. I got mine from newegg.com http://tinyurl.com/5q3hm (Epson rebate) http://tinyurl.com/66zbw (Nikon Coolpix rebate)Chris Horst
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Interested in digital cameras? Reply #5 – January 15, 2005, 02:27:37 am Yahoo Message Number: 49365Hey Steve K ... Your hot news flash is timely! I *just* looked at a used Coolpix 950 and decided to wait...you or Chris H. must've been brain waving me! I haven't made the transition to digital yet (cold feet, believe it or not). Have you (or anyone) experimented with close up subjects? If so, whatdaya think? Anyone have a clue why Nikon discontinued the 5400? I just bought an HP "mobile printer" (battery and AC) so CUTE! -- don't need another printer. Assume one doesn't have to purchase the 5400/printer combo?Thanks for the heads-up you guys...gonna be checking the money situation. I'm thinking this might be a good camera for shooting those hootchie cootchie Techie Pin Ups!Lorna
Re: Coolpix 5400 - Answers for Lorna Reply #6 – January 15, 2005, 09:40:27 am Yahoo Message Number: 49372"Have you (or anyone) experimented with close up subjects? If so, whatdaya think? Anyone have a clue why Nikon discontinued the 5400?" http://tinyurl.com/3zf5w Here's a link to a bunch of user reviews for this camera.I experimented with closeups yesterday on some roses and an amaryllis. Photos were outstanding. No clue except maybe normal product development."I just bought an HP "mobile printer" (battery and AC) so CUTE! -- don't need another printer. Assume one doesn't have to purchase the 5400/printer combo?"That is correct. Search for the lowest price; order the camera; send in the $200 rebate form to Nikon."Thanks for the heads-up you guys...gonna be checking the money situation." You are welcome! It's a great deal for a camera that does virtually anything you want."I'm thinking this might be a good camera for shooting those hootchie cootchie Techie Pin Ups!"Oh, baby!Chris Horst
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Interested in digital cameras? Reply #7 – January 15, 2005, 09:43:26 am Yahoo Message Number: 49373QuoteSteve K Which mail order place had the combo deal? John Hi John,While I bought my Nikon Coolpix from a local store, I have had good experience dealing with Adorama Camera, (www.adoramacamera.com) and B&H Photo (www.bhphotovideo.com). I know that if you visit Adorama's online site, search under digital cameras, then Nikon 5 megapixel models, the Coolpix 5400 will come up and show "rebate available". I have no vested interest in either of these companies or products.Steve K.
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Interested in digital cameras? Reply #8 – January 15, 2005, 09:55:50 am Yahoo Message Number: 49374QuoteHey Steve K ... Your hot news flash is timely! I *just* looked at a used Coolpix 950 and decided to wait...you or Chris H. must've been brain waving me! I haven't made the transition to digital yet (cold feet, believe it or not). Have you (or anyone) experimented with close up subjects? If so, whatdaya think? Anyone have a clue why Nikon discontinued the 5400?Quote Thanks for the heads-up you guys...gonna be checking the money situation. I'm thinking this might be a good camera for shooting those hootchie cootchie Techie Pin Ups!QuoteLorna Hi Lorna! I have taken a couple of close ups with my camera and was impressed. It also has an "ultra macro mode" and is claimed to focus down to .4"! I haven't tried that yet. And there is no need to get the printer; but what about getting it and "regifting"?As far as why is it being discontinued, this particular model has been on the market for about 2 years, so its time to be replaced. Change is constant in this market.In the Pop Photo roundup of top cameras, it was mentioned that this particular camera has somewhat of a "cult" following! Sound familiar?Now about "those" pictures you're planning to take, ......Steve K. (consumer test reporter)
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Coolpix 5400 - Answers for Lorna Reply #9 – January 15, 2005, 01:44:57 pm Yahoo Message Number: 49401Chris and Steve --- more questions... What peripherals and accessories did you buy or do you recommend? Will it take pictures like Linda and Earl's (keeping this thread LD related!!!)? Any issues that you know of in Mac compatibility? Again, Thanksabunch,Lorna
[Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Coolpix 5400 - Answers for Lorna Reply #10 – January 15, 2005, 05:49:46 pm Yahoo Message Number: 49413QuoteChris and Steve --- more questions...What peripherals and accessories did you buy or do you recommend? Will it take pictures like Linda and Earl's (keeping this thread LD Quoterelated!!!)? Any issues that you know of in Mac compatibility? Again, Thanksabunch,Lorna Lorna, I bought a Compact Flash Sandisk Ultra for $46 for extra memory. Haven't used it enough to know exactly what the photos will be like. Based on the reviews, the great majority of owners are pleased. In the link below, Judy uses a Coolpix 995 which I believe is fancier than the 5400, but she surely takes wonderful photos. It's a great travel site to look at when you have the chance. They used to travel in an older 26.5 LD. I know nothing about Mac compatibility. http://www.judyandrickrvtravel.com/about_us/about_us.htmlChris H.
[Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Coolpix 5400 - Answers for Lorna Reply #11 – January 15, 2005, 06:56:43 pm Yahoo Message Number: 49418QuoteWhat peripherals and accessories did you buy or do you recommend? Will it take pictures like Linda and Earl's (keeping this thread LD related!!!)? Any issues that you know of in Mac compatibility? Lorna, I'd recommend getting a couple of flash memory cards as big and fast as you can afford, and a PC card slot adapter for loading images onto your laptop. Looks like the 5400 uses Compact Flash. 512MB Sandisk Ultra II CF cards can be had for around $60. We find that reading the flash card in the PC card slot is quicker and easier than messing with a USB cable. As for the Mac, we load most of the images from our digicams onto both of our laptops (G4 Powerbook and Toshiba PC laptop). This gives us a level of backup until we get them archived. Many of the software CDs that come with digital camera have both Mac and PC support. I don't remember what came with our Coolpix 995. There are plenty of image processing packages available for the Mac (like PhotoShop Elements).Art
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Coolpix 5400 - Answers for Lorna Reply #12 – January 16, 2005, 02:51:52 am Yahoo Message Number: 49443Chris and Art -- thanks for the Coopix info. Looks like I might be spending the rebate in those extra necessities!Chris, such a nice, small world...I've communicated with and vicariously traveled along with Judy and Rick for a few years now, when they owned a Lazy Daze and before they started fulltiming. It's because of the work Rick did to provide space for Judy's desk in their RB that I removed a chair and had dear b-i-l build one for me -- also a deciding factor in selecting a RB! She also helped me over quite a few humps with photo software purchases and the use of cameras, computers and printers on the road while I was still in the wannabe stage and owned two complete 35mm camera systems. Theirs is one of the loveliest travel sites around, not just because of Judy's very distinguished, creative photos but because of the powerful, uplifting way she communicates each day's discoveries -- beauty and affirmation are Judy signatures! I love visiting there.Lorna
[Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Coolpix 5400 - Answers for Lorna Reply #13 – January 16, 2005, 11:37:48 am Yahoo Message Number: 49455QuoteChris and Steve --- more questions...What peripherals and accessories did you buy or do you recommend? Will it take pictures like Linda and Earl's (keeping this thread LD Quoterelated!!!)? Any issues that you know of in Mac compatibility? Again, Thanksabunch, Lorna Hi Lorna, I just checked the box from my camera; it looks like if you have a Mac, it needs OS 9.0 or newer. It comes with a cord to connect to a USB port for downloads to your computer. Be aware, using the camera for downloads draws down your battery power. Here is what I ended up buying beyond the camera. A 2nd Nikon battery for about $33, two Lexar 512 MB compact flash memory cards (Lexar has a great rebate going too! I think the 40x cards are around $59 each less a $15 rebate), and then to make down loads easier, I got a "card reader" for around $20. I was (and still am) a total novice. I didn't know what a "card reader" was. If you don't know either, it is a device you plug into a USB port on your computer and place the memory card from your camera in it to download the pictures; this saves the camera battery. I am thinking about ordering a DC battery charger so I can charge a battery while I'm driving. I'm debating about purchasing Nikon's slide copy device that allows you to mount a slide in front of the lens so I can make digital pics of my inventory of slides. The slide copying device is around $69. I just picked up a set of prints from Kodak from our last trip. After looking at the dirt spots on some of the prints (which wasn't on the negatives, I smiled to myself and said, "that's the last time I'll be sending a roll of film in for prints and accepting crappy work". I have gone into a drug store and put my memory card from the new camera in the slot and gotten nearly instant prints and the quality is superb from those machines.Enjoy, Steve K.
Re: Interested in digital cameras? Reply #14 – January 16, 2005, 11:53:59 am Yahoo Message Number: 49458Sorry to be coming to the discussion late, but I was offline for a couple of days. $299 is a very good price for a 5-megapixel camera. Whether the CoolPix 5400 is the best camera for you depends on what you want to do with it. Its photo quality is very good, as is its expandability. The swiveling LCD is a big plus, as is Nikon's exclusive 'Best Shot Selector' feature for low-light handheld shooting. On the other hand, the 5400's low-light focusing is poor, its LCD is dinky (only 1.5"), and the user interface is somewhat awkward and slow compared to other cameras in its class. The 5400's lens goes wider than most digicams (28mm equivalent), which is nice for landscapes...but it's not very long in the telephoto department (118mm equiv.), so if you think you're going to be photographing wildlife, you may be better off with one of the Panasonic Lumix ultra-zooms that Art mentioned. They offer 12x optical zooms, compared to the 5400's modest 4x zoom. For links to four excellent, detailed professional reviews of the 5400, see tinyurl.com/4teqx>. Why is the 5400 being discontinued? Just because it's 18 months old, and has been superseded by new models. Nothing wrong with that, if it does the jobs you have in mind and comes at the right price. You just need to think about what's important to you and then compare features. The best place I know of to do that is the Digital Camera Resource Page website's "Reviews & Info" page:http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraList.php> By the way, here's a tip for 5400 owners: turn off the fake shutter sound, and you'll greatly reduce shutter lag (the time between pushing the button and taking the picture).Andy Baird
Re: Interested in digital cameras? Reply #15 – February 24, 2005, 07:02:50 pm Yahoo Message Number: 51148Quote Sorry to be coming to the discussion late, but I was offline for a couple of days.Quote $299 is a very good price for a 5-megapixel camera. Whether the CoolPix 5400 is the best Quotecamera for you depends on what you want to do with it. Its photo quality is very good, asQuoteis its expandability. One of the consistent raps against the Nikon Coolpix 5400 is the inability to take good pictures in low light conditions. It also appears this may apply to focusing the shot in low-light as well. Can anyone who bought or owns a Nikon 5400 comment on this? I've found prices as low as $159 plus shipping on the 5400 and I'm hesitant to buy because of this one rap against it. Thanks.John & Cheryl 22' RL Big Red
Re: Interested in digital cameras? Reply #16 – February 25, 2005, 11:29:39 am Yahoo Message Number: 51166Quote from: Andy Baird" > >$299 is a very good price for a 5-megapixel camera. Whether the CoolPix 5400 is the best camera for you depends on what you want to do with it. Its photo quality is very good, as is its andability. Then John & Cheryl said: QuoteOne of the consistent raps against the Nikon Coolpix 5400 is the inability to take good pictures in low light conditions. It also appears this may apply to focusing the shot in low-light as well. Can anyone who bought or owns a Nikon 5400 comment on this? I've found prices as low as $159 plus shipping on the 5400 and I'm hesitant to buy because of this one rap against it. Thanks.QuoteJohn & Cheryl Hi John & Cheryl,Gang, I am sorry if this is off our prime topic of LDs. I bought a Coolpix 5400 right before Christmas. So this remains on LD topic, it was to document our travels in our Lazy Daze! I have been using 35mm equipment for years and I consider myself a photo enthusiast. I mention this only to put my opinion and targeted use into perspective. I am also a picky consumer.I bought this camera primarily to take snapshots. I have been carrying a 35mm rangefinder loaded with print film for casual photography on our trips. I planned to continue using my 35mm SLRs for my serious photography: wildlife, serious scenics, etc. My expected use for the digicam was to make sure I had a quick & easy way to take casual shots, and more importantly, to make sure I had at least some pretty good photos of an area before we left. I also wanted to make sure I at least had some shots thatcould not be ruined by a careless processor or lost in the mail. The more I use this little Coolpix 5400, the less I plan to use my SLRs, its that good.This camera has never failed to impress me with picture quality or its ease of use. I bought this camera because it not only performs effortlessly in the auto everything mode, it allows me to manually control every aspect as well. Does it focus slowly in dim light? Frankly I don't have anything to compare it with, so I can't answer that. I've shot pictures through a window, before sunrise, of a deer herd in snow; this picture alone convinced me that this was a great camera. It rivaled anything I've done with my manual focusing 35mm gear. What I have enjoyed, is that if you do get a bad picture, you just shoot more until you get what you want and delete the ones you don't like. You can manually focus it or set it on infinity for low light and distant pictures.In short, I thought this was a bargain at $300; IMO at $159 its a steal! There are a lot of neat digicams out there. I drew a line in the sand and said I wasn't paying more than $300 for one. If I was spending more, I would opt for one of the digital SLRs like Canon or Nikon have that retail for around $1000.If you want more info from me, post your e-mail address and I'll be happy to share more details with you.Steve K. (No, I'm not related to Ansel Adams!;-)
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Interested in digital cameras? Reply #17 – February 25, 2005, 05:15:59 pm Yahoo Message Number: 51183If you want more info from me, post your e-mail address and I'll be happy to share more details with you.Steve K. (No, I'm not related to Ansel Adams!;-) Thanks Steve K. E-mail is
Coolpix 5400 Reply #18 – February 25, 2005, 10:13:31 pm Yahoo Message Number: 51192QuoteOne of the consistent raps against the Nikon Coolpix 5400 is the inability to take good pictures in low light conditions. It also appears this may apply to focusing the shot in low-light as well. Cananyone who bought or owns a Nikon 5400 comment on this? I've found prices as low as $159 plus shipping on the 5400 and I'm hesitant to buy because of this one rap against it. Thanks.Quote John & Cheryl 22' RL Big Red John and Cheryl, I bought the Coolpix 5400 and used it on our last trip and the photos were excellent. I didn't take many lowlight photos, but had no problems. I agree with Steve K; the camera at this low price is a bargain, and the other qualities it has offset (IMO)any potential low light problems. I used the manual a lot while getting used to it. The camera is a lot lighter than I expected it to be.Chris Horst
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Interested in digital cameras? Reply #19 – February 26, 2005, 05:21:50 am Yahoo Message Number: 51197This seller was $159 on either Wed or Thursday of this week. Now $139.99 on the Nikon Coolpix 5400: http://www.accessoriesland.com/nikcool50dig.htmlBut buyer beware. Seller gets some bad reviews.John & Cheryl 1989 22' RL Big Red
[Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Interested in digital cameras? Reply #20 – February 26, 2005, 09:53:28 am Yahoo Message Number: 51203QuoteThis seller was $159 on either Wed or Thursday of this week. Now $139.99 on the Nikon Coolpix 5400: http://www.accessoriesland.com/nikcool50dig.htmlBut buyer beware. Seller gets some bad reviews.John & Cheryl Hi John & Cheryl,I wanted to e-mail you off list to tell you more about the camera, but as you probably saw, Yahoo cut off your e-mail address. You need to spell it out long form.About your bargain retailer, if you have luck buying the camera at that price, don't blow the savings by purchasing accessories at the price they show. Just from seeing the prices, I get the feeling this seller is a little on the shady side; items that are supposed to come with the camera, like software, charger, battery, download cable, etc, may have been removed from the box. And what they are charging for memory cards is grossly exhorbitant. Be careful. Steve K. ( I love a bargain.... but hate getting hosed!)
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Interested in digital cameras? Reply #21 – February 26, 2005, 10:10:57 am Yahoo Message Number: 51205About your barga
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