The Nikon Coolpix P5100 is a 12.1 megapixel point and shoot digital camera with a 3.5x optical zoom lens.

The Nikon Coolpix P5100 features optical vibration reduction image stabilization, full manual mode, shutter and aperture priority modes as well as a large range of semi auto shooting modes and 52MB of built-in memory.

It has a magnesium alloy casing, hotshoe for external flash and a 2.5 inch LCD screen.

Designed for the consumers looking for more creative control in a compact camera, the 12.1 megapixel COOLPIX P5100 has the ability to capture every last detail, while also providing creative freedom to crop and edit. It features a 3.5x optical Zoom-Nikkor lens, Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) image stabilization, as well as an optimized image menu for producing high-quality images that look stunning in any size. 

The P5100 offers program, shutter, aperture and manual exposure modes that allow photographers increased creative control over their photos. Adding to the camera’s versatility is its compatibility with add-on system components, such as Nikon’s telephoto and wide angle lens converters.

The COOLPIX P5100 features a quality-crafted body that feels immediately familiar in the hand. Made of solid magnesium alloy, the body features a quality finish, a comfortable grip covered in grid-pattern rubber, as well as an optical viewfinder to aid composition in any light condition. The built-in accessory shoe adds support for Nikon Speedlights and advanced i-TTL flash control.

To ensure sharp and steady images, this camera boasts an anti-shake mode that combines the benefits of Optical VR image stabilization and Nikon’s exclusive Best Shot Selector, (BSS) that snaps multiple frames and automatically selects the best one. The P5100 has an optical viewfinder and an incredibly bright, high resolution 2.5-inch LCD monitor. The P5100 is powered by a Li-ion rechargeable battery.

PhotographyBLOG reviews the Nikon Coolpix P5100 and writes - 'If you are aware of its shortcomings at least the camera can however be brought under your control, and there's enough here than can be tweaked manually to allow you to get great shots at least 80% of the time. And, while the Nikon P5100 isn't perfect, that quibble is to an extent at least negated by the fact that it doesn't demand a premium price either. For that price you get a better-constructed, more fully featured camera than most 8 MP rivals. Meaning that, although the Nikon Coolpix P5100 doesn't quite hit the full five stars, it's still well worthy of your consideration.'

Photoxels review the Nikon Coolpix P5100 where they write - 'The Nikon Coolpix P5100 gives the photographer a quiet feeling of confidence that it can handle any photographic challenge. It will appeal to the serious amateur photographer desiring a compact and light digital camera with an effective image stabilization and full control over camera operations.... The Nikon Coolpix P5100 strikes a good balance between ease of use and richness of features: it is point-and-shoot easy to use and also packed-full of practical features advanced photographers like to have in their digital cameras.'

DP Review has posted their review of the Nikon Coolpix P5100 where they give it a rating of 'recommended' and write - 'And so, once again Nikon has produced a compact capable of excellent results in the right conditions, but one that cannot ever be described as an 'all rounder' (just try using it indoors in low light and you'll discover why). It's a superb walk around camera for the landscape photographer (and has unusually 'purist-friendly' output) and it manages to fit an awful lot into a very small body, but it is disappointingly far from the camera it could have been.'

Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Nikon Coolpix P5100 and writes, "The Coolpix P5100 ticks most of the boxes when it comes to picture quality. There are very few areas I have a problem with. ... The Nikon Coolpix P5100 is one of the more advanced compact digital cameras. It has many features you would expect to find on an SLR, but retains a certain ease of use. Picture quality is very good and the camera feels good in the hand."

Megapixel has a review of the Nikon Coolpix P5100 and writes, "The Coolpix P5100 is designed to be both a point and shoot and a camera that can satisfy the needs of a more assiduous photographer thanks to the inclusion of more advanced modes and a fully manual mode. And once printed, or reduced in size so as to be seen whole on a monitor, or on high definition television or through a projection system, the images from the Coolpix 5100 should please most people."

DPexpert reviews the Nikon Coolpix P5100 and writes - "This camera, like all the compacts that boast absurdly high pixel counts, is prone to image noise above ISO200. Below that point the images are clean enough, particularly if the end display medium is a 10 by 15 cm print. With Noise Reduction turned on in the menu there is some loss of fine detail at ISO400 and above. However, if your expectations are not too high, the output at a stratospheric ISO3200 is acceptable, with a bit of post-camera clean-up in noise removal software. The sad fact is that if this camera had a 7 megapixel sensor it would be a world-beater. We really enjoyed using it, and as the only competition, the Canon G9, is also over-pixelled these are as good as it gets in compact cameras."

CNET reviews the Nikon Coolpix P5100 and writes - "Unfortunately, the P5100 shows very little--if any--performance improvement over the P5000, so you may want to stick to static subjects such as landscapes and inanimate objects. It wakes up and shoots in 2.4 seconds--slow, but acceptable. Even under the best shooting conditions, however, time to focus and shoot is 0.9 second, and when the light gets dim that rises to a bottom-of-the-class 2.4 seconds on CNET Labs' tests. That 2.4 seconds carries over to the shot-to-shot time (still not great), but thankfully only increases to 2.6 seconds with flash enabled. Burst shooting is a middle-of-the-road one frame per second. "