Nikon's 2002 flagship bridge — 5MP 2/3in CCD, 35-280mm f/2.8-4.2 ED zoom, RAW, magnesium body
The Nikon Coolpix 5700 was announced on 29 May 2002 as Nikon's flagship prosumer bridge camera, succeeded later by the Coolpix 8700. With a magnesium body, electronic viewfinder and a long zoom it stood well apart from the consumer Coolpix compacts, competing with the Minolta DiMAGE 7 and Sony F717 generation of enthusiast digicams.
It pairs a 5-megapixel 2/3-inch CCD with an 8x Zoom-Nikkor ED lens covering a 35-280mm equivalent range at f/2.8-4.2. Exposure runs from full auto through program, aperture- and shutter-priority to manual, with 256-segment matrix, centre-weighted and spot metering, shutter speeds of 8 to 1/4000 second plus bulb, and 12-bit RAW output. Framing is via electronic viewfinder or the swivelling 1.5-inch, 110k-dot LCD; there is a built-in Speedlight with hotshoe, an EN-EL1 lithium-ion battery, CompactFlash storage, and a 512g body.
The 5700 suits enthusiasts exploring early prosumer digital: real manual control, RAW files and a fast, sharp long zoom in one sealed package. Contrast-detect AF is slow by modern standards and the EVF is coarse, but the CYGM colour-filter CCD — the last in a Coolpix — gives its files a distinct character.
The critical check is the sensor: these cameras suffer a known unprovoked CCD failure for which Nikon issued a service advisory, so insist on recent sample images and test live view carefully for purple or blank output. Beyond that, confirm the EN-EL1 battery holds charge, that the swivel LCD ribbon works at all angles, and remember it takes CompactFlash cards.