Nikon's 2007 enthusiast compact — 10MP 1/1.8-inch CCD, 36-126mm VR zoom, hot shoe, converter support, EN-EL5.
The Nikon Coolpix P5000 was announced on 20 February 2007 at $400, launching the enthusiast P-series compact line that later produced the P5100 and P7000 family. Its rangefinder-styled body with a proper handgrip and hot shoe marked Nikon's return to serious fixed-lens compacts for photographers who wanted control in a pocketable camera.
A 10-megapixel 1/1.8-inch CCD pairs with a 3.5x Zoom-Nikkor covering 36-126mm equivalent, stabilised by lens-shift Vibration Reduction. Sensitivity reaches ISO 3200, the 2.5-inch LCD handles framing, and the accessory shoe supports Nikon i-TTL Speedlights. Optional WC-E67 wide and TC-E3ED tele converters extend the lens, files go to SD/SDHC cards alongside 21MB internal memory, and the EN-EL5 battery manages roughly 250 shots.
The P5000 suits enthusiasts wanting aperture and shutter control, flash expandability and dense CCD image quality in a coat pocket. Its autofocus and burst speed are modest, higher ISOs are noisy in practice, and the optical viewfinder is small, so it rewards unhurried daylight and street shooting rather than action work.
The EN-EL5 cell served many Coolpix models, so batteries and chargers are still simple to source — but test the included pack's capacity. Cards are SD/SDHC only; SDXC will not work. Check the hot shoe contacts if flash use matters, confirm VR operates at the long end, and inspect the lens barrel for wobble and the CCD for hot pixels typical of the generation.