Compared to...

Minolta were the first on the five megapixel scene with the DiMAGE 7, closely followed by Sony with the DSC-F707 and Olympus with the E-20. For comparison purposes I have gathered an E-20 and a DSC-F707. Probably the most significant difference between these three cameras is in size and weight, and in the case of the E-20 in price. (Note, we have not deliberately excluded the DiMAGE 7, you should read its review in comparison to the results below).

The table below provides a quick side-by-side comparison of features and specifications between each of the cameras. Items which are notably better than the other two are highlighted in green, those which are notably worse (or not as good) as the other two are highlighted in red.

Features / Specifications comparison

For anyone who's confused the highlighting of what I think is 'better' or 'worse' is my own personal opinion, your milage may vary.

	Nikon Coolpix 5000	Olympus E-20	Sony DSC-F707
Street price	US$ 1,000	US$ 1,900	US$ 1,000
Body	Metal alloy	Metal alloy	Metal alloy
Body design	Compact with flip-out LCD	SLR-like with tilting LCD	Split body, oversized lens
Ergonomics	Good, good hand grip	Excellent, just like an SLR	Odd at first but better with time
Lens zoom	3x optical, 28 - 85 mm	4x optical, 35 - 140 mm	5x optical, 38 - 190 mm
Lens aperture	F2.8 - F4.8	F2.0 - F2.4	F2.0 - F2.4
Lens thread	28 / 46 mm with adapter	62 mm	58 mm
CCD	2/3" 5.2 megapixel	2/3" 5.2 megapixel	2/3" 5.2 megapixel
CCD CFA	C Y G M	G R G B	G R G B
Max resolution	2560 x 1920	2560 x 1920	2560 x 1920
Aspect ratio	4:3 or 3:2	4:3	4:3 or 3:2
Lower Resolutions	1600 x 1200 1280 x 960 1024 x 768 640 x 480	1792 x 1344 1280 x 960 1024 x 768 640 x 480	2048 x 1536 1280 x 960 640 x 480
Image modes	TIFF, JPEG	RAW, TIFF, JPEG	TIFF, JPEG
JPEG modes	Fine, Normal, Basic	SHQ, HQ, SQ (programmable)	Fine, Standard
Digital Zoom	Up to x4.0 in x0.2 steps	None	Up to x2.0 (smooth steps)
Sensitivity	Auto, ISO 100, 200, 400, 800	Auto, ISO 80, 160, 320	Auto, ISO 100, 200, 400
AF mode	Single, Continuous	Single	Single
AF illumination lamp	No	Yes (IR)	Yes (laser)
AF focus areas	5 auto/manual selectable	1	1
AF distance	Normal: 50 cm Macro: 2 cm	Normal: 60 cm Macro: 20 cm	Normal: 50 cm Macro: 2 cm
AF / MF confirmation	Yes, clearly visible	None	Magnified during MF
Auto bracketing	Yes, 3/5 images, +/-1 EV	Yes, 3 images, +/-1 EV	Yes, 3 images, +/-1 EV
WB auto bracket	Yes	No	No
WB fine tuning	Yes	No	No
WB manual preset	Yes, menu option	Yes, dedicated button	Yes, dedicated button
Noise reduction	Yes, menu option	Yes, menu option	Yes, automatic
Exposure modes	C.Auto C.1-3: P, AP, SP, Man	Auto, P, AP, SP, Man	Auto, P, AP, SP, Man, 3 scene modes
Metering	• 256 segment • Center-weighted Avg. • Spot • Spot AF area	• Digital ESP • Center-weighted Avg. • Spot	• Multi-pattern (49 segment) • Center-Weighted Average • Spot
AE Lock	Yes, front AF-L / AE-L button	Yes, button on rear	Yes, button on lens barrel
AE compensation	+/-2 EV in 0.3 EV steps	+/-2 EV in 0.3 EV steps	+/-2 EV in 0.3 EV steps
Shutter speed	8 - 1/4000 sec (plus Bulb) (1/4000 sec only @ F2.8)	60 - 1/640 sec (up to 1/18000 sec in PS mode)	30 - 1/1000 sec
Shutter priority	14 steps	IS: 31 steps PS: 39 steps	46 steps
Aperture priority	Wide: 10 steps Tele: 5 steps	Wide: 16 steps Tele: 14 steps	Wide: 13 steps Tele: 12 steps
Continuous @2560x1920	3 fps, max 3 frames 1.5 fps, max 8 frames	3.6 fps, max 4 frames	3 fps, max 3 frames
Record review	Yes, Quick Review button	Yes, double-press display button	Yes, press 4-way controller to the left
Settings	Contrast, Saturation, Sharpening	Contrast, Sharpening	Sharpening
Movie clips @320x240	15 fps - max 60 secs (w audio)	None	16 fps - max 15 secs (w audio) 8 fps unlimited (w audio)
User memories	3, selectable	1	1
Self timer	3 or 10 secs	10 secs or IR remote	10 secs
Remote control	Optional wired accessory	Supplied IR remote	Optional wired accessory
LCD	1.8" Flip-Out & twist 110,000 pixels	1.8" Tilt-Out 118,000 pixels	1.8" Fixed 123,000 pixels
Viewfinder	Optical	TTL Optical	EVF
Play magnification	Up to 6.0x	Up to 4.0x	Up to 5.0x
Flash	Internal	Manual Pop-up	Automatic Pop-up
Flash range	3 m (9.8 ft)	8.9 m (28 ft)	5 m (16.4 ft)
External flash	Hot-shoe	Hot-shoe	Sync Terminal
Misc.	BSS, Clear Image mode	IS/PS mode	NightShot mode
Power	Nikon EN-EL1 Lithium-Ion	4 x AA batteries	Sony NP-FM50 Lithium-Ion
Battery power	4.8 Wh (2 hrs 32 mins)	7.7 Wh (2 hrs 48 mins)	8.6 Wh (4 hrs 20 mins)
Batt/Charger	Supplied	Not Supplied	Supplied
AC adapter	Optional	Optional	Supplied (Charger)
Storage	Compact Flash Type I or II	Compact Flash Type I or II SmartMedia	Memory Stick
Storage supplied	32 MB	16 MB	16 MB
Microdrive supported	Yes, officially	Yes, officially	N/A
Weight inc battery	414 g (14.6 oz)	1170 g (2.6 lb)	667 g (1.5 lb)
Dimensions (inc. Grip)	102 x 82 x 68 mm (4.0 x 3.2 x 2.7 in)	128 x 103 x 161 mm (5.1 x 4.1 x 6.3 in)	120 x 67 x 148 mm (4.7 x 2.6 x 5.8 in)
Volume *2	569 cm3	2123 cm3	1190 cm3
Startup speed	Average (6 sec)	Average (6 sec)	Fast (2.6 sec)
Operation speed	Fast	Slow	Very Fast

As you can see despite being largely based on the Coolpix 995 engine the 5000 can still hold its ground from a specifications and features point of view. The Coolpix feature set has always been the envy of other manufacturers (who are catching up) and one of the reasons consumers choose a Coolpix over others. Olympus seem to be the odd man out in the comparison above, big, bulky, expensive and relatively slow the E-20 just can't keep up with the lighter, cheaper and better featured Nikon and Sony.

Image Quality Comparison: Outdoors (Boat Scene)

This first comparison was taken from a tripod with as near as possible identical settings for each camera. Options such as White Balance were set to Automatic, as was Sharpening on the Coolpix 5000. Each of the crops shown below the thumbnail are of a 160 x 160 area of the image at 100%. (Note: New review format, all the crops are pasted together as one image - loads quicker).

Nikon Coolpix 5000	Olympus E-20	Sony DSC-F707
ISO 100, F5.2, 1/361 sec	ISO 80, F5.6, 1/200 sec	ISO 100, F5.6, 1/400 sec

There are several things which stand out about this comparison:

• The Sony DSC-F707 exhibits visibly more resolution, especially for distant objects (clearly a good lens in combination with good image processing)
• The Sony DSC-F707 lens is sharp right up to the edges (unlike the Coolpix 5000)
• The Olympus E-20 has the best white balance closely followed by the Nikon Coolpix 5000
• The Nikon Coolpix 5000 has clipped highlights (turned them into pure white - RGB 255,255,255) which the other cameras have maintained as detail (the Sony DSC-F707 more so than the Olympus E-20)
• Colour balance is quite similar between the three cameras (the Nikon is the only camera which can have its colour saturation adjusted)