Timings & File Sizes
Overall the Coolpix 5700 performed well, its slowest function being startup and that because of the extending lens design. One surprise was the extremely fast wide angle auto focus time of just 0.6 seconds, telephoto focusing was also relatively quick so long as the subject distance is similar to the last shot. In low light however the 5700's auto focus system can really struggle, no AF assist lamp penalizes the camera here.
Timing Notes: All times calculated as an average of three operations. Unless otherwise stated all timings were made on a 2560 x 1920 FINE JPEG image (approx. 1,700 KB per image).
The media used for these tests were:
- 256 MB Viking Type I Compact Flash card
- 512 MB Lexar Pro 24x Type I Compact Flash card
- 1 GB IBM Microdrive Type II Compact Flash card
Noticeably faster | Noticeably slower |
Action | Details | Time,
seconds (Viking CF) |
Time,
seconds (Lexar CF) |
Time,
seconds (Microdrive) |
Power: Off to Record *1 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 5.9 | |
Power: Record to Off *2 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.9 | |
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Mode: Record to Play *3 | Play switch | 2.2 | 2.2 | 4.0 |
Mode: Record to Play *3 | Quick view | 1.9 | 1.9 | 4.0 |
Mode: Play to Record *3 | Play switch | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.7 |
Mode: Play to Record *3 | Quick view *4 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 2.2 |
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Play: Thumbnail view 2 x 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.9 | |
Play: Thumbnail view 3 x 3 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 3.1 |
Action | Details | Time,
seconds (average) |
Auto Focus LAG | Full wide angle (35 mm equiv.) *5 | 0.6 |
Auto Focus LAG | Full telephoto (280 mm equiv.) *5 | 1.0 |
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Shutter Release LAG | LCD monitor, pre-focused (shutter rel. half-pressed) | 0.1 |
Shutter Release LAG | EVF, pre-focused (shutter rel. half-pressed) | 0.1 |
Shutter Release LAG | LCD monitor, full press of shutter release *6 | 0.8 |
Shutter Release LAG | EVF, full press of shutter release *6 | 0.8 |
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Off to Shot Taken | Media: 256 MB Viking CF card | 5.0 |
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Shot to Shot | Shutter Release Speed: Normal, Review: On | 2.3 |
Shot to Shot | Shutter Release Speed: Quick, Review: On *7 | 1.2 |
Shot to Shot | Shutter Release Speed: Normal, Review: Off | 2.3 |
Shot to Shot | Shutter Release Speed: Quick, Review: Off *7 | 2.1 |
*1 | LCD / EVF image appears within 2.8 seconds but you can not take a shot until the display overlay appears (as timed). The camera appears to autofocus on startup whether you have focus mode set to continuous or single AF. |
*2 | No images remaining in internal buffer. Timer is stopped when top LCD display disappears. |
*3 |
You can access play mode by two methods: flip the rec/play switch to the play position or press the quick view button twice. The first timing is the time taken from flicking the rec/play switch to the display of the full resolution image, the second timing is the time taken from the quarter picture size quick view to play mode (second button press) display of the full resolution image. It actually only takes approximately 0.5 seconds to enter play mode in each case, the additional time is the time taken for the camera to load the full image (required for zooming etc.). You can interrupt the load of the full resolution image at any time. |
*4 | A half-press of the shutter release is all that's required to return to record mode. |
*5 | Measurement taken in good light with a fairly contrasty subject. At wide angle times can go up to 1.0 seconds in lower light. At telephoto times can be as fast as 0.7 seconds (similar focus distance) and a slow as 5 seconds (low light). Time to focus at telephoto depends on how similar the subject distance is to the last shot (how far the focusing lens elements have to be moved). |
*6 | Includes time to calculate Auto Exposure and perform Auto Focus |
*7 | When Shutter Release Speed is set to 'Quick Response' and you quickly re-press the shutter release after taking a shot the camera does not re-calculate Auto Exposure and Auto Focus. Note that this function only appears to work if you have Review Options set to 'Review On'. |
Auto Focus LAG is (roughly) the amount of time it takes the camera to autofocus (a half-press and hold of the shutter release button), this timing is normally the most variable as its affected by the subject matter, current focus position, still or moving subject etc. This timing is an average.
Shutter Release LAG is the amount of time it takes to take the shot from the moment you fully depress the shutter release button, measured both as a time including auto focus and a time assuming you have already pre-focused by holding a half-press of the shutter release.
Low Light Focus
This
test measures the minimum amount of light under which the camera can still
focus. The focus target is our lens distortion test chart (shown here
on the right), camera is positioned exactly 2 m (6.6 ft) away.
Light levels are gradually dropped until the camera can no longer focus. This is carried out at both wide angle and telephoto zoom positions (as more light reaches the focusing systems with a larger aperture).
This test target is the optimum type of subject for most "contrast detect" AF systems (as it has a vertical line at its center), you should consider the results below the best you could expect to achieve.
Lens position | Aperture | Lowest light focus |
Wide angle (35 mm) | F2.8 | 1.8 EV (8.7 Lux, 0.8 foot-candle) |
Telephoto (280 mm) | F4.2 | 3.0 EV (20.0 Lux, 1.9 foot-candle) |
Light intensity (Lux) = 2.5 x 2^EV (@ ISO 100), 10.76391 Lux = 1 foot-candle (fc)
The timings above were made with AF Area Mode set to 'Auto', we soon discovered that setting AF Area Mode to manual (where you select one of the five AF points) and a detrimental effect on low light AF, requiring at least another stop of light.
The Coolpix 5700 exhibited below average low light focusing ability, especially at any point from half zoom to telephoto. At full telephoto the auto focus took almost five seconds and only locked 50% of the time (at the light level noted above). What I said in my 4500 also applies here, the Coolpix 5700 really needs is an auto focus lamp, and I can't believe with so many new cameras coming out with this basic feature that Nikon haven't yet delivered this on their top end digital cameras.
Continuous modes
The table below shows the results of our continuous shooting test, indicating the actual frame rate along with maximum number of frames and how long you would have to wait after taking the maximum number of frames before you could take another shot. Media used for these tests was the 256 MB Viking CF card. Shutter speed during these tests was always 1/250 sec or faster (slower shutter speeds will affect frame rate).
High / Low speed continuous drive modes
Standard continuous drive mode shoots as quickly as the camera can respond, between each shot the LCD live view returns momentarily before the next shot is taken. HI (TIFF) and RAW modes are not available when continuous drive mode is selected.
Image Type | Continuous mode |
Frames per sec *1 |
Frames in one burst *2 |
Wait before |
2560 x 1920 Fine | High | 3.8 fps | 3 | 6.4 |
2560 x 1920 Normal | High | 3.8 fps | 3 | 5.9 |
1600 x 1200 Normal | High | 3.8 fps | 3 | 4.6 |
1280 x 960 Normal | High | 6.0 fps | 3 | 3.5 |
1024 x 768 Normal | High | 6.0 fps | 3 | 3.4 |
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2560 x 1920 Fine | Low | 1.2 fps | 8 | 5.8 |
2560 x 1920 Normal | Low | 1.2 fps | 12 | 5.1 |
1600 x 1200 Normal | Low | 1.3 fps | 31 | 4.6 |
1280 x 960 Normal | Low | 1.3 fps | 46 | 4.2 |
1024 x 768 Normal | Low | 1.3 fps | 71 | 4.2 |
*1 | Monitor options did not affect frame rate. Frame rate for image sizes of 1600 x 1200 or larger were consistent, at 1280 x 960 or 1024 x 768 frame rate varied between 5.8 fps and 6.3 fps. |
*2 | In a single "burst" (finger held down on shutter release). In Continuous High mode the maximum frames you can shoot is always 3. In Continuous Low mode the maximum frames is a function of the cameras buffer size and the write speed of your Compact Flash card (how quickly images are coming out of the buffer). These tests were carried out using the fast 256 MB Viking card, so expect our results to be about the best you can expect. |
*3 | You can take a frame as soon as there is space in the cameras internal buffer (writing continues "in the background"). |
Other continuous drive modes
In addition to the standard continuous shooting mode the Coolpix 5700 also features the Multi-shot 16 and Ultra HS modes we've seen on Coolpix cameras for a while now. These unique modes allow you to capture a continuous sequence in different ways. Multi-shot 16 captures a 4x4 grid of images onto a single 2560 x 1920 image. Ultra HS creates a new folder on the CF card and writes 100 images at 320 x 240 recorded at very high speed.
Continuous Mode | Frames per sec |
Frames in one burst |
Multi-shot 16 (sixteen 640 x 480 on a 2560 x 1920 image) | 3.3 fps | 16 |
Ultra HS (seventy 320 x 240 images in a folder) | 31.0 fps | 100 |
File Flush Timing
Timings shown below are the time taken for the camera to process and "flush" the image out to the Compact Flash card, the timer was started as soon as the shutter release was pressed (shutter click was heard) and stopped when activity indicator on the LCD screen disappeared. This means the timings also include the cameras processing time and as such are more representative of the actual time to "complete the task". Note that in HI (TIFF) mode you must wait for the image to be saved before the next shot can be taken, in all other modes (including RAW) you can shoot as long as there is space in the buffer.
The media used for these tests were:
- 256 MB Viking Type I Compact Flash card
- 512 MB Lexar Pro 24x Type I Compact Flash card
- 1 GB IBM Microdrive Type II Compact Flash card
Image Type | Time
to store *1 (seconds) |
|||
Viking CF | Lexar CF | Microdrive | ||
2560 x 1920 | RAW | 23.8 | 21.2 | 22.2 |
2560 x 1920 | HI TIFF | 18.7 | 16.7 | 16.6 |
2560 x 1920 | Fine JPEG | 4.8 | 4.7 | 5.8 |
2560 x 1920 | Normal JPEG | 3.8 | 3.8 | 5.1 |
1600 x 1200 | Fine JPEG | 3.2 | 3.3 | 4.5 |
1280 x 960 | Fine JPEG | 2.9 | 2.9 | 4.1 |
1024 x 768 | Fine JPEG | 2.5 | 2.5 | 3.8 |
640 x 480 | Fine JPEG | 2.5 | 2.5 | 3.8 |
Despite the large price difference between the Lexar Pro 24x and Viking card both appear to perform identically with the Coopix 5700. The Microdrive was slower than the others only for smaller JPEG files, and you wouldn't necessarily notice this small difference in real life as the write process happens in the background. Not sure why it took longer to write a RAW file than a TIFF file...
File Sizes
Here's a comparison of the average byte size of each of different image size / quality combinations.
Image Type | File
size *1 (~ = approx.) |
No.
on *2 1 GB Microdrive |
|
2560 x 1920 | RAW | 7,836 KB | 134 |
2560 x 1920 | HI TIFF | 14,511 KB | 72 |
2560 x 1920 | Fine JPEG | ~1,700 KB | 438 |
2560 x 1920 | Normal JPEG | ~1,100 KB | 864 |
1600 x 1200 | Basic JPEG | ~860 KB | 1,095 |
1280 x 960 | Fine JPEG | ~560 KB | 1,643 |
1024 x 768 | Fine JPEG | ~310 KB | 2,527 |
640 x 480 | Fine JPEG | ~120 KB | 5,476 |
*1 | All file sizes are an average of three files. As is the case with JPEG it's difficult to predict the size of an image because it will vary a fair amount depending on the content of the image (especially the amount of detail captured). For example, take a photograph of a fairly empty wall and you'll get a small JPEG, take a photograph of a bush with a lot of detail and you'll get a larger image. File sizes here are closer to the later, the larger size of file you should expect. |
*2 | As reported by the camera, divide this value for approx. images on other capacity cards. |
Battery life
We ran the camera through our new battery life test. This test is designed to be fair and comparative to each camera and battery type:
- Take 4 shots without flash
- Wait 2 minutes (50% of the time powering the camera off, when on LCD is also on)
- Take 1 shot with flash
- Wait 1 minute
- Repeat
All batteries had been fully discharged and recharged before the test and all cameras were reset to their factory default settings. Here are the results:
Camera Prosumer / SLR-Like |
Battery | Power | Battery life | Number of shots |
Minolta DiMAGE 7 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 1 hr 14 mins | 125 |
Minolta DiMAGE 5 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 1 hr 56 mins | 195 |
Nikon Coolpix 5700 | EN-EL1 | 4.8 Wh | 2 hr 08 mins | 215 |
Canon PowerShot S40 | NB-2L | 3.9 Wh | 2 hr 13 mins | 225 |
Minolta DiMAGE S304 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 18 mins | 235 |
Canon PowerShot S45 | NB-2L | 3.9 Wh | 2 hr 28 mins | 240 |
Nikon Coolpix 4500 | EN-EL1 | 4.8 Wh | 2 hr 27 mins | 250 |
Fujifilm FinePix 6900Z | NP-80 | 4.1 Wh | 2 hr 29 mins | 250 |
Nikon Coolpix 990 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 30 mins | 255 |
Nikon Coolpix 995 | EN-EL1 | 4.8 Wh | 2 hr 30 mins | 255 |
Nikon Coolpix 5000 | EN-EL1 | 4.8 Wh | 2 hr 32 mins | 260 |
Minolta DiMAGE 7Hi | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 33 mins | 260 |
Canon PowerShot Pro1 | BP-511A | 10.2 Wh | 2 hr 36 mins | 265 |
Canon PowerShot S50 | NB-2L | 3.9 Wh | 2 hr 39 mins | 270 |
Minolta DiMAGE S404 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 39 mins | 270 |
Sony DSC-V1 | NP-FC11 | 2.8 Wh | 2 hr 39 mins | 270 |
Olympus C-7000 Zoom | LI-12B | 4.5 Wh | 2 hr 44 mins | 280 |
Nikon Coolpix 8700 | EN-EL1 | 5.0 Wh | 2 hr 45 mins | 280 |
Minolta DiMAGE 7i | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 46 mins | 270 |
Olympus E-20 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 48 mins | 285 |
Canon PowerShot G1 | BP-511 | 8.1 Wh | 3 hr 00 mins | 300 |
Nikon Coolpix 5400 | EN-EL1 | 4.8 Wh | 3 hr 06 mins | 315 |
HP Photosmart 850 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 3 hr 12 mins | 325 |
Sony DSC-S75 | NP-FM50 | 8.6 Wh | 3 hr 15 mins | 330 |
Nikon Coolpix 8800 | EN-EL7 | 8.1 Wh | 3 hr 27 mins | 350 |
Fujifilm FinePix S602Z | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 3 hr 29 mins | 350 |
Canon PowerShot G2 | BP-511 | 8.1 Wh | 3 hr 32 mins | 355 |
Casio QV-4000 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 3 hr 38 mins | 365 |
Olympus C-5050 Zoom | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 3 hr 48 mins | 380 |
Casio EXILIM EX-P700 | NP-40 | 4.5 Wh | 3 hr 48 mins | 385 |
Sony DSC-S85 | NP-FM50 | 8.6 Wh | 3 hr 50 mins | 400 |
Sony DSC-F717 | NP-FM50 | 8.6 Wh | 4 hr 02 mins | 405 |
Pentax Optio 750Z | D-LI7 | 6.6 Wh | 4 hr 03 mins | 415 |
Sony DSC-V3 | NP-FR1 | 4.4 Wh | 4 hr 05 mins | 415 |
Nikon Coolpix 8400 | EN-EL7 | 8.1 Wh | 4 hr 09 mins | 420 |
Sony DSC-F707 | NP-FM50 | 8.6 Wh | 4 hr 20 mins | 440 |
Fujifilm S7000 Zoom | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 4 hr 23 mins | 445 |
Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 | NP-400 | 11.1 Wh | 4 hr 26 mins | 450 |
Canon PowerShot G3 | BP-511 | 8.1 Wh | 4 hr 32 mins | 455 |
Canon PowerShot G5 | BP-511 | 8.1 Wh | 4 hr 33 mins | 460 |
Pentax Optio 550 | D-LI7 | 6.6 Wh | 4 hr 36 mins | 465 |
Minolta DiMAGE A1 | NP-400 | 11.1 Wh | 5 hr 02 mins | 515 |
Leica Digilux 2 | BP-DC1-E | 10.1 Wh | 5 hr 05 mins | 515 |
Sony DSC-F828 | NP-FM50 | 8.6 Wh | 5 hr 28 mins | 540 |
Fujifilm FinePix S5000 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 5 hr 31 mins | 555 |
Canon PowerShot G6 | BP-511A | 10.3 Wh | 5 hr 38 mins | 570 |
Olympus C-8080 WZ | BLM-1 | 10.8 Wh | 5 hr 52 mins | 595 |
Other test notes: | ||||
LCD monitor is left on during
the battery test The camera is powered off half of the time and left on half of the time (switch every 10 iterations) There are now higher capacity AA NiMH batteries available, however in the interests of fair comparison we will continue to use our 1600 mAh test set |
Not a bad performance, but not the best either. The Coolpix 5700 didn't last as long in our tests as its smaller sibling the 4500 (by about 20 minutes). Clearly the larger body, EVF and bigger zoom have higher power requirements than the 4500. I'd recommend getting at least one spare EN-EL1 with your Coolpix 5700. Note that Auto Focus was set to 'Single Focus', in Continuous Focus mode the focus stepper motor is almost always 'jittering' and this will obviously have an impact on battery life.
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