The Coolpix L5 is the top-end camera in Nikon’s entry-level camera lineup. I’ve never been a fan of Nikon’s lower end equipment, but I only base that on some of the photos I’ve seen "other" people take with them.

The Nikon Coolpix L5 sports a generous 7.2-megapixel sensor and a bright 2.5-inch LCD with backlight. A 38-190mm Zoom-Nikkor lens (35mm equivalent) ensures compositional freedom, from zooming in for intimate personal portraits to zooming out for expansive outdoor scenes. Lens-shift Vibration Reduction (VR) technology allows the user to make the most of 5x zooming. While the dimensions of the L5 are surprisingly compact, it is compatible with the universally available AA size batteries. Three unique in-camera Nikon image innovations adjust the image, detecting and correcting imperfections: Face Priority AF automatically detects and achieves sharp focus on people’s faces wherever they are in the frame; In-Camera Red-Eye Fix automatically overcomes the red-eye effect sometimes caused by flash; and D-Lighting makes it possible to rescue underexposed images or shots taken with too much back-light.

"If you like automatic controls, then the L5 is your camera. Even the ISO sensitivity is automatic — and that’s not a good thing. If it’s manual controls you’re after, you’ll want to pass on the L5 for sure, as it has only one, and that’s for white balance. The camera does offer full set of scene modes, including several "assist" modes that go beyond the call of duty. There are help screens for each scene mode and menu option as well, so you’ll actually know what you’re adjusting. The D-Lighting feature is also quite handy, brightening up dark photos at the push of a button. While the camera has a face detection system, I didn’t find it to be as robust as the systems offered by Canon and Fuji. The L5 has a nice movie mode that’s marred by an audio/video sync problem — the same one that I found on the Coolpix S10."

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