A good point and shoot. Or more?
Written: Mar 14 '01
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Pros: Swivel body, great picture quality, features for the money.
Cons: eats batteries, cumbersome menu, a few niggling concerns.
The Bottom Line: An above average low cost digital camera but with some limitations. Will it work for what you want?
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| bsauter's Full Review: Nikon Coolpix 990 Digital Camera |
There has been a lot of hype over the Nikon CoolPix 990. I think the camera is living up to most of it. You get very good quality digital photos out of a camera that retails for less than $1000 ($899 at time of review in the central Indiana market). It's easy to use and it handles most picture taking with aplomb. It will not do the job of a more expensive digital camera ala the Nikon D1 or Fujifilm S1 but it is great at what it does.
I have been using the 990 since it came out last year. It is one of several digital and film cameras I use in my job of a staff corporate photographer and video producer. While I have been a slow convert to the digital revolution, preferring to shoot film and then scan if needed, the 990 has me thinking about investigating to going all digital and pick up a Nikon D1 or equivalent. If I had to use it all the time I think I would be frustrated with it for a few reasons. But, for a point and shoot or a little more, it is a great camera. I use it when I need to get something straight into digital or when it is more of a point and shoot type scenario.
When I first received it I took it home and shot around the house with the kids so I could get used to it. It was easy to figure out and start shooting right away in the program mode. I don't always like to look at the manual so this was great. You can set it to the P (program) function and it is just like a point and shoot camera. The 990 can get much more complicated if you wish though. There is tons of capability programmed into it for the advanced photographer. It has programmed auto, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual modes. To me it is amazing that all this exists in a little funky camera body. But getting to the advanced features is cumbersome. The menu system leaves a lot to be desired but once you get used to it the frustration level will subside. There are too many features, though, that are embedded in the menu that should be more accessible to the user. Especially when you get into the manual mode.
I found that the program mode shot great pictures and would do just as well as any other mode in normal lighting conditions. I felt comfortable using that mode until something came along that would be difficult for any camera to handle in program mode, for instance, a dimly lit room with one lamp on. Of course, the great thing about digital cameras is the ability to view the photo in the LCD display right after you take it. If you blow it, fahget 'bout it. Delete and try again. No more wasted film.
The one thing I have found that the 990 does not handle well is the automatic light balance when you are indoors under artificial light. Digital cameras, like their video camera brethren, need to have a light balance due to using CCD chips. The 990, like most digital cameras, has an automatic light balance feature where, theoretically, the user does not have to worry about it. It really does not work that well on the 990. I had quite a few situations where the color balance would be off under various indoor lighting situations. Fortunately, it is easily corrected by manually adjusting the light balance on the menu settings. Manual adjustment would always fix the problem. I would hope that Nikon would address this issue in a firmware update soon. But that is a great thing about this camera. Go to the Nikon digital support web site and download the latest update for the N990 if you have an older version. You don't have to send the camera in to get the latest fix and/or upgrade. Plug the USB cord in after downloading and install the new firmware to the camera and you are ready to go again. Unfortunately, when I went to version 1.1 of the firmware it did not correct the automatic color balance problem.
While I am complaining, the camera really eats batteries. You'd go broke feeding AA's to it. We use NiMh batteries in it to save money but it really goes through them. One thing the Nikon rep told us was to turn off the continuous autofocus. If you forget to do that the camera will keep reminding you because the autofocus motor is loud as it continually grinds away. When I first got the camera I thought something was wrong because that grinding seemed so loud to me. Another problem we have had is flash exposure being off when using an SB-28DX flash. I found that by cutting the flash to 1/4 power we could get proper exposure with our camera. Otherwise the subject would be blasted away. These situations would happen in meeting rooms with dark backgrounds. Again, maybe a firmware update will correct the flash.
Like most cameras in this price range, when you hit the shutter button there is a delay. Maddening if you are used to a film camera. I was knee deep in manure shooting cows at a farm (yes, I lead a glamorous life) with my Nikon F100 and flash and was shooting rings around my manager who had the 990. It was very frustrating for him to see a picture, hit the shutter and have the picture taken just a little too late all the time. I even noticed this when I was shooting my kids. Fast moving subjects are not the best for this type of camera. If you want to take pictures of your kids in action at little league you better look further.
I also could not get the interface to work with my Compaq Deskpro desktop. When I tried with my Mac Powerbook G3 I had no problem loading drivers and hooking up to download the photos. Something weird with my Compaq? Probably, since it has been hooked up to Sony computers and a Compaq laptop with no problem. I just the use the PowerBook for this stuff now.
Another word of caution. Don't wholly trust the supplied hip case that comes with the camera. My manager had it on his belt and, Pow, the strap ripped and the case hit the floor of the subway. To make a long story short, the 990 made a trip to the camera hospital since it refused to work after that. We got it back from Nikon after 6 weeks and everything was fine.
So, what is the bottom line? If you are looking for a point and shoot camera this would be a great way to go. Digital capability and the ability to get nice prints from the 3.34 megapixel camera gives the best of both worlds. Just be aware of the limitations of this camera. I would love to have one at my house for the family point and shoot stuff and get rid of the film camera since I am being inundated by prints in boxes. But, like I said before, it would be too frustrating to live with on a daily basis for all your picture taking. If you are a serious amateur or a pro either stick with film or pay the bucks for a higher end digital.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 999
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Epinions.com ID:
bsauter
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Location: Metro Indianapolis, IN
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Photo studio owner and 22-year police officer.
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