Perfect for me; may be overkill for others
Written: Sep 09 '03
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Pros: Great for those who need something at or near the top of the line.
Cons: Lots of things to figure out if you want to get past the basics.
The Bottom Line: Might be solid enough for professionals, but certainly has more than enough for enthusiasts.
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| Lighthouse's Full Review: Nikon COOLPIX 995 Digital Camera |
After trying every set-up known to man to get accurate SCANS of the jewelry I sell, I decided some things were just NOT meant to be scanned.
I should have purchased a digital camera ages ago, but didn't because of one freakin' comment from a friend while at the World Horror Con in... Phoenix, I think. Anyway, I was told, "Oh, the resolution is awful. They really suck for image-quality." So I figured it was like a Polaroid... you can have fun and get instant gratification, but if you want quality... steer clear.
So years passed and when I looked again... oh my! What choices! What prices! What options!
Again, going for instant gratification (which I tend to do), I did a minor investigation and ordered online.
I'm sure I didn't get the best deal... and be careful... the price you're quoted is often for the body only... like with no lens or something. To get the whole set up, which for me included extra lenses/filters, extra memory, USB connector, battery and charger... cost like $750 including shipping.
My main focus when choosing a camera was that it needed macro and an awesome clarity resolution. So I had to go big megabytes.
Nikon doesn't even have the 995 on their site anymore, though. Things get out-dated so fast.
Bottom line: I’m a fairly intelligent person, but I’m barely scratching the surface of what this camera can do. It comes with a novel-length book of instructions, but it wasn’t interesting reading so I put it off.
I try to go by what it says on the LCD menu or what shows in the monitor screen, but let’s just say I’ve only mastered the basics.
I doubt there’s much this camera isn’t good for (oh… if double negatives bother you… I’ll bet this camera does most things, if not everything, really well).
You can choose which resolution you take your pictures in, thus giving you fewer pix per card with tremendous resolution (clarity… ability to “blow up” and see great detail), or you can lower the res for many more shots on a card (say you’re going to Disneyland and don’t need to see Uncle Fred’s nose hairs in fine detail but you DO need to come home with about 50 pictures… problem solved). There are res in-between settings also.
There seem to be two flash… deals. One, the pop-up, and one on the face of the camera.
It’s a great feature to be able to rotate the lens/monitor separately to get the angle you want on the picture.
The zoom is fabulous.
I tried experimenting with lighting options for shooting in incandescent versus fluorescent and it seemed like a good thing, but I usually just let the camera decide what to do (automatic settings) because it usually makes better choices than I.
There are some things I will definitely have to force myself to figure out soon, like how to set the aperture wide so I can get an out-of-focus background, etc.
I haven’t even ever used the timer feature (had the thing for almost 2 years now).
All in all, it is a PERFECT camera for me and my needs (which were basically to take close-up pictures of jewelry).
For regular family camera use, it may be overkill, but for $360 (if you can really get it for that), I’d go for the glory no matter WHAT you need it for.
Another nice thing it does is saves battery. If I’m taking a series of shots, but fiddling around with the items between exposures… the camera puts itself into like “sleep mode” and with a slight touch on the shutter button it springs back to life.
It’s a great camera with a lot of range and a trustworthy reputation.
I used to be quite the avid photographer, but in my old age, I traded in the fully manual Pentax for this “Don’t worry, Laura… I’ll do it for you” Nikon. I also now drive an automatic… sigh. With this camera, I don’t worry about lighting, back-lighting, exposure, speed, or even focus!
By the way, for those of you who think good digital cameras are expensive… I can’t begin to tell you how much money I no longer spend on: film, developing, printing, enlargements, copies, etc.
You will also find yourself less restrictive about “getting JUST the right shot” because there’s NO FILM to waste… take as many pictures as you want and within seconds you can narrow it down to the best 2 or 3.
So here are the technical specs.
Additional features: Auto power save, Tone compensation, LCD color/brightness/tint control
AF accuracy: 7,123 steps
Auto focus: TTL phase detection
Body: LCD portion - magnesium alloy; Lens portion - polycarbonate plastic; (Glass fibre 15%); Lens 4 x optical zoom, 38 - 152 mm equiv.
Dimensions (W x D x H): 5.4 in x 1.6 in x 3.2 in
Display type: 1.8 in TFT active matrix LCD display
Enclosure color: Black
Expansion slot(s): 1 x CompactFlash Card
Exposure metering: Spot, Center-weighted, Matrix (256-zone)
Exposure modes: Bulb, Manual, Automatic, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority
Filter size: 28 mm
Flash modes: Auto mode, Night mode, Fill-in mode, Red-eye reduction
Flash range: 10 m (32.8 ft)
Flash: Built-in, Pop-up (designed to reduce redeye)
Focal length (35mm camera equivalent): 38 - 152mm
Focus adjustment: Manual, Automatic
Image effects: Black & White
Lens aperture: F/2.6-5.1
Light sensitivity: Auto, ISO 100,ISO 200,ISO 400,ISO 800
Macro focus range: 2-30cm
Max focal length: 32 mm
Max shutter speed: 1/2300 sec
Megapixel/Resolution: 3.2 (3,200,000 pixels)
Min focal length: 8 mm
Min focus range: 11.8 in
Min shutter speed: 8 sec
Noise reduction: Yes, menu option
Optical sensor size: 1/1.8"
Optical sensor type: CCD
Optical zoom: 4
Power: Nikon EN-EL1 Lithium-Ion rechargeable included or 2CR5 Lithium
Quick review button: Yes
Remote control: Optional – Cable
Resolution Choices (image storage): Hi, Fine, Normal, Basic
Resolutions: 2048 x 1536 , 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480
Saturation control: Yes
Self Timer: Yes
Service / Support: 1 year warranty
Shooting modes: Frame movie mode, Normal movie mode
Shutter speed: 8 sec - 1/2300 sec (plus Bulb)
Still image format: JPEG,TIFF
Storage: Compact Flash Type I or II
Swivel lock: Yes
Tripod Mountable: Yes
WB auto bracket: Yes
Weight inc battery: 454 g (16.0 oz)
Weight no battery: 410 g (14.5 oz)
White balance presets: Fine, Cloudy, Speedlight, Fluorescent, Incandescent
White balance: Manual, Automatic
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 750
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
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Epinions.com ID:
Lighthouse
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Location: Oakland, CA
Reviews written: 65
Trusted by: 51 members
About Me:
Jewelry designer, author, researcher, multi-media artist, photographer, journalist, musician
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