Nikon's 2003 prosumer wide-zoom compact — 5.1MP 1/1.8" CCD, 28-116mm equiv 4x zoom, PASM, EN-EL1 power.
The Nikon Coolpix 5400 was a 5-megapixel prosumer compact announced in late May 2003 as the direct successor to the Coolpix 5000. It stood out in its class for starting its zoom at a genuinely wide 28mm equivalent when nearly all rivals began at 35-38mm, and it topped Nikon's compact range below the swivel-bodied 5700.
A 5.1-megapixel 1/1.8-inch CCD (2592x1944 maximum) sits behind a 4x Zoom-Nikkor covering 28-116mm equivalent. Sensitivity spans ISO 50-400, bulb exposures run to 10 minutes, and flash offers front or rear-curtain sync. The 1.5-inch vari-angle LCD packs 134,000 pixels with an anti-reflective coating, storage is on CompactFlash, and power comes from Nikon's EN-EL1 lithium-ion battery (7.4V, 680mAh).
Unlike the point-and-shoot Coolpix models, the 5400 offers full PASM control, making it a proper enthusiast's tool: the wide 28mm end suits landscapes, interiors and documentary work, and the articulated screen helps low and high angles. Autofocus and write speeds are leisurely by later standards, but at base ISO the CCD output remains pleasing.
The EN-EL1 battery is the main used-market consideration — long discontinued, though third-party cells and chargers are still produced, and the same cell serves several other early Coolpix models. It stores to CompactFlash, so budget for a card and reader. Check the vari-angle screen hinge and ribbon for wear, look for lens-barrel play, and test long exposures for hot-pixel patterns typical of ageing CCDs.