Strengths:
1. 4x optical zoom. Most digicams in this price range only have 3x, and most lower-priced cameras only have a 2x or no zoom at all.
2. Pop-up flash. Many owners of the Coolpix 990 and 950 have significant red-eye trouble. Popping up the flash on the 995 gets it far enough away from the lens to eliminate most red-eye troubles.
3. High resolution. 3.3 megapixels in a quality camera like this is more than enough for most serious amateurs. The only time this will become a limitation is if you want to make obscenely large prints (probably 16" x 20" or larger, and even then I don't think it would be a significant degradation) or if you want to crop significantly and make an 8" x 10" or something in that range. I have been very pleased with my results, even in...
4. Auto mode. The 995 has a steep learning curve if you want to really take advantage of its full feature set. But its auto mode is intuitive enough that you can take the camera out of the box and start taking quality shots immediately. The auto mode is no more complicated than any point-and-shoot camera. Excellent feature.
Weaknesses:
1. 16 mb CompactFlash card. This one is really a joke. Nikon should have included at least a 32mb card and probably a 128. I strongly suggest purchasing a larger CF card immediately. Most CF cards have fallen to the 50 cents per meg range now (January 2002), so you should be able to get a good name-brand 128mb CF card for $60 or so. Do it. Now.
2. Digital zoom. Worthless. The pixellization is horrendous, and unless you have a huge amount of light the lens speed is such that you really need a tripod to avoid camera shake.
3. Lens speed. With no zoom the aperture is f/2.6. The further you zoom, the worse it gets. If you don't have a tripod, I strongly suggest one (the 995's mount is sturdy and well-made, by the way).
4. No case included. Again, something you definitely need. I've had very good luck with LowePro, and they're reasonably priced.
5. Complicated menu system. To take advantage of all the features of this excellent camera, you really need to spend significant time reading the manual and exploring the extensive menu system. Not for the faint of heart.
I've given 4 out of 5 stars, with one star removed due to the above weaknesses. But this is a fantastic camera. I've had mine for only about three weeks and I've already taken more than 300 shots, many of them excellent. I highly recommend it.
Oh the Debates in our household. She wanted something cheap and cheerful me having done photography for a living, wanted something I could control, a camera that wouldn't fight back. This was the the perfect solution. (Except that she wasn't so cheerful that it wasn't so cheap!)
A Auto settinga simple point and shoot
M Manual in the loosest sense of the word gives access to the miriad functions and adjustments available.
I suspect that many of the problems other users have reported have come from not reading the instructions sufficiently, I still find myself refering back to it every so often to make sure there's something I've not missed. That said the manual control options are very straightforward if you already know ones f-stop from ones elbow...
Complaints that the 995 produces softer pics than the 990 arise I suspect, from the fact that the 990 automatically applies more sharpening in-camera. Enter the 995's menu and change its auto sharpening setting to max and the result is an image so sharp yer eyeballs bleed. personally I prefer to back off from crystal tip clarity and apply sharpening later with Photoshop if neccessary. At least the 995 allows control.
The same is also true with colour saturation. here I habitually adjust the 995 saturation to +1 which really brightens up our cooler British colours but there's also the option to go the other wayright back to black and white images.
YesTotal manual control of aperture and shutter speed is impractically fiddly, however there is a very practical and effective workaround.
In P program mode, adjusting the thumb dial cycles through the various combinations of Apperture/shutterspeed whilst maintaining correct exposure with its insurpassable matrix metering system. BUT if you want to adjust the estimated exposure, touch the function 2 button, It's right there, right between the thumb dial and the shutter release, just where you need it. Touch that and then use the thumb dial to exposure compensate + or 2 stops. I find this way far easier than adjusting the Apperture and shutter independantly so I've no complaints.
Finally the hotshoe issue. The Nikon speed flash is marvelous piece of kit and when I used to work with one it's TTL system NEVER let me down (much!). However at over 300 quid over here for the flash and another 90 just for the bracket!! tieing us soley into that system seems just a wee bit small minded and besides, I have a perfectly servicable Mecablitz CT45 already thankyou very much Mr Nikon san.
Here's how I use them together
Set the camera to aperture priority, and match its aperture to the flash's output setting. You can't connect the flashes lead directly to the nikon so instead connect it to a photo electric 'slave' sensor. My tiny slave has a sucker on it so I can stick it anywhere! Activate the cameras on board flash. position the slave so that it is triggerd either by the flash directly or by the flash reflected back from the subject. The slave sees the flash from the camera and triggers the CT45 which I bounce off the ceiling. Works a treat, well usually.
I love this camera, it comes everywhere with me. That's the final bonus, It clicks 'flat' and slips neatly into my jacket pocket.
Couldn't do THAT with my 35mm kit!
Buy Nikon Coolpix 995 3.2MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom Now
I will start off by saying I've had a CoolPix 800 for 1.5 years and was very satisfied with it. However, as I progressed with learning photography, the camera did not allow me to do all I was wanting to do. The 2x zoom got old having to deal with the teleconverter which did not allow a wide shot to be taken while on without a periscope effect. The lack of settings control wore thin as I experimented with more advanced picture scenes. I decided to upgrade to the 995 with the 4x zoom being a big factor in my decision along with allowing more control. I now had 4x zoom without my cumbersome teleconverter and could trick it to use my wide angle WITH the flash. Note: That is with the old WC-E24 lens, not the WC-E63. You'll still get a 'shadow' by trying to use the flash with the WC-E63 lens. Here is what I've gained from my use thus far:
This camera is suited for those who want more control. Auto mode works pretty well for anyone just like my 800, but if you aren't going to take advantage of the Manual mode, you may be paying for too much camera. That being said, I had gotten used to my CP-800 doing most of the work. I was completely mortified in the beginning that my 'better' 995 was producing much softer, almost out-of-focus pictures. As others have mentioned, READ READ READ the manual. I'm still in the learning process of this camera since I do not take pictures every day. However, I have absorbed more knowledge of how to use this camera. My pictures have now exceeded what I could do with the CP-800 after tweaking image sharpening, overriding shutter/aperture/etc settings, and turning continuous AF off. The latter reduces lag in taking pictures and stops most of that clicking noise the lens part makes (normal for this camera).
The camera has tons of features and it pays to check up on how to use them. ISO settings go up to 800, although the pictures genuinely turn up noisy (use noise reduction!). Try also 'bulb' (ISO 100) if you have a tripod and steady night subject it'll turn out vastly better. The QuickTime inclusion was a nice bonus, but more of a gimmick. This is no digital video camera. The new rechargeable battery is wonderful. I thought this would be bad, but with only one extra battery, I was able to shoot around 200 pictures with the second battery still going. Be sure to get the 8x or higher speed CF cards as the writing lag will drive you crazy on the old 4x ones. The 16MB that comes with the camera is 8x. The new Quick Review is great to quickly see your picture while being able to still take another. You can even zoom in on your pictures while reviewing them to get a better idea of what you got (or didn't get) in the picture. The pop-up flash reduces red (and evil green cat/dog) eye while also allowing the WC-E24 to work (don't tell it that the lens is there and it'll work without a nasty shadow). There are many more resolution settings with a 3:2 setting for those wanting a 35mm-sized picture. TIFF is available in 2048x1532 and 3:2 (2048x1360) for those 'perfect' shots. I could go on and on about all of these features, but I'm limited in space :-). It's sufficient to say that most everything is selectable and it takes a while to get used to all of them.
The CP-995 is a great camera for those wanting more from a digital camera. Those wanting a quick, out-of-the-box camera may want to look to some of Nikon's less feature-filled cameras (CP-800 is highly recommended!) The 995 really shines once you start to learn to use the features. It will take some time to figure which settings work best, but the results are absolutely worthwhile. Feel free to ask me any questions on the camera.
Read Best Reviews of Nikon Coolpix 995 3.2MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom Here
OK, if you can afford it, this _is_ the camera to buy. It's easy to use, it's fun, it's intuitive, it takes great pictures. Save up, buy this one.
First of all, notice the swivel design? This means that no matter how you hold the camera, you can see the LCD while you take the picture. Over your head, for when you are in a crowd. At knee level, for taking pictures of your grandchildren. Twisted backwards, you can take self portraits while seeing yourself on-screen (this makes for some very nice pictures!).
You can look at the camera in your lap, point it in any direction, and take pictures of people without their realizing it. No more rigid poses. No more uncomfortable expressions.
The 995 features incredible macro capabilities, allowing you to take pictures of flowers or rings (ebay time!) from under 2 inches away! The detail you'll se is amazing. It also features a 4x optical zoom (very nice, the 990 only went to 3x) and ISO up to 800, which is very rare with a digital camera. Evening photos are now a possibility without a flash.
About the only people who I would recomend not upgrading are people who already own the 990. The 995 is lighter than the 990, the flash is directly above the lense (the 990's flash was to one side, making shadows from the side), the flash is a pop-up, virually eliminating red-eye. The differences are small enough you can just wait till the next camera comes out to upgrade.
I would recomend saving bit of money for accessories, though. A 100 meg memory card is very nice (1078 pics at lowest resolution, 7 at full TIFF), an AC adapter is handy, a card reader might be nice for long photo shoots. You won't need spare batteries, unless you are away from power for a very long time, the camera comes with rechargable lithium batteries (2 hours of life, with the LCD on! VERY nice), so you'll save money there. The batteries seem to charge very quickly, and will last even longer if you use the viewfinder instead of the LCD. Can fit optional lenses, but I haven't had a chance to play with that yet.
Let me give you a parting example. I took a picture of a silver ring. When I expanded it, I could see myself in the ring. I could read the 1 inch high words on my shirt. In real life, my reflection was about a millimeter high. You will LOVE this camera.
Indra
Want Nikon Coolpix 995 3.2MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom Discount?
I have owned 2 or three 35mm SLR cameras and based on
reputation, decided to go with the Nikon 995 for digital photography. I could not be more pleased with this purchase. Whether you point and shoot with the auto mode or
go for controlled effects with manual, this thing makes wonderful pictures. The 995 has it all--the pixels, the zoom, the monitor, the close-ups, the convenience AND simple to use. Like the camera, accessories are precision made albeit somewhat pricey, but hey--you're getting the quality of a Nikon.
Every conceivable option is available including telephoto
lense, wide-angle, fisheye, and assorted filters to name a few. The camera design allows 360 degree vertical rotation so
one can look into the monitor AND shoot the photographer.
The location of the built-in flash reduces redeye over prior models. I have read a few reviews where someone had trouble loading onto their computer. I am a computer neandrethal and this puppy was up and running in a few minutes without a single hassle. Color is fantastic, but it helps to orchestrate your lighting for professional results. I could go rambling on,
but let's keep it succinct, "you get what you pay for" has
never been more true than with the Nikon 995.
