Rating: 
Summary: Good camera, but not as good.
Review: This camera was ment to replace the 990, but that will never happen. The 990 was a much better and more solid camera. However since they discontinued making them, you wont get yoru hands on one for less than 1000 dollars, because of their high demand. The 995 flash, for one example is a pop up. It also feels like it is going to break off. The 990 was built all together and gave a great flash and a solid feel. This camera is OK. But if you would prefer a much more solid camera, go with the 990.
Rating: 
Summary: Some important observations...
Review: (1) The IBM Microdrive DOES work with the 995! I've been using a 340MB drive and it works like a charm. (2) The new positioning of the flash virtually eliminates redeye in most conditions, though the flash is still much weaker than an external one. (3) It's a little annoying that a case was not included, the bundled compactflash is only 16MB, and you have to buy the AC cord separately. (4) The auto-focus apparatus is a bit louder than other cameras that I've used, especially with "continuous autofocus" option on. The optical zoom also seemed a bit loud. They don't affect the operation of the camera though. Also my hearing is particularly sensitive.I am still learning the wealth of manual operation features that this camera has. I couldn't be more pleased with the purchase!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I'm a novice photographer, but I upgraded from the 990 to the 995 and I love my new purchase! I am finding it superior to the 990. The quality of photos and ease of use make it perfect for my needs.
Rating: 
Summary: good camera
Review:
generally good camera. drawback includes slow lens, esp. on
the long end. also zooming is slow. pop-up flash could be
ineffective leading to overexposure and underexposure.
great macro performance, okay at normal distances. noise
reduction feature handy for long exposures. en-el1 rechagable
battery last pretty long. I got a spare battery and it's working great. no remote or
hot shoe to mount nikon flashes, The canon G2
might be an interesting choice.
Rating:
Summary: Great camera with tons of features
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Sleek and fun
Review: This is a great little camera. It is small, well constructed, easily transportable and feature-laden. With 3.34 mega pixels, its image quality revivals 35 mm; although I still think my high-end nikkor lenses and SLR are better. However, the image quality from this camera is quite good. Additionally, you can see the image after you take it. If unacceptable, you delete it and take it again. Gone are the days of finding out someone's eyes were closed at the moment the shutter snapped and the days of needing to take multiple pictures of the same thing to be sure that one good picture is obtained. The zoom is improved over the Coolpix 990, and its possible to zoom after you take the picture, so you can crop the image in the camera after it is obtained. The macro mode is particularly sharp and easy to use. By most reports, the pop up flash is insufficient and needs to be supplemented in instances where true flash is needed. However, the pop up flash has worked well for my needs (mostly "snapshots" of people.) In automatic mode, the camera will choose very slow shutter speeds at low light levels and objects suffer from motion blur. You need to use the pop up flash in situations where you would just be using faster film and no flash in an SLR. Although obvious, if you are accustomed to film, digital offers the distinct advantage that images are free once the camera is purchased. For the hobbyist, this aids creativity since you are able to take a lot of pictures and experiment, without being inhibited by having to pay for film or processing. There are some accessories you need, so the camera is more of an investment than merely the purchase price. You probably need to purchase a larger memory card than the one supplied. Although images can be stored on your computer, if you are taking a lot of pictures without access to your computer (i.e., if you are going on a long vacation), you may need multiple cards, or something called a digital wallet which allows thousands of images to be stored on a small, portable hard drive. Although these accessories are useful and easily available, they aren't cheap. My older digital camera did not nearly come close to being able to replace my film cameras. This one does. While my allegiance the film is hard to break, this is now my favorite camera. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Not easy for manual photographers, but a really good start
Review: I come from the background of using only fully manual SLR's like the F3 and have not adjusted that well to the 995. For one, getting used to autofocusing has been a challenge. Also, the manual's description of features is far from adequate. For instance, it's description of using bracketing is incorrect. When the camera is set on single shooting and in bracketing mode, you must shoot 3 or 5 separate pictures whereby each will be a bracket less than the last. This is far different then shooting with an SLR whereby it will three all three at one time. Also, autofocusing is not that fast nor that accurate. Being able to set the folder where to store the photos on the memory card is great. The upload software that comes with camera is quite nice and very simple. My particular 995 lost it's ability to perform autosensitivity somehow and I have to get it repaired already. This otherwise would be a good feature whereby you don't have to select ISO 100 or 200 as the camera will do that for you. Too bad it does not work. Additionally, Nikon Digital support people don't seem to know the first thing about photography. I have call so many times to learn some of the features because their staff is not knowledgable about the cameras or about photography. Not to be confused with the film based division which are the finest tech support people in the industry. In a nutshell, the 995 is a great camera that will blow you away with the results you will get. The healthy 35-152mm zoom lens is just great along with the many many features it has in it's menus. My wife has the Olympus 3030 which I find takes even more remarkable photos and is far easier to use. But, I bought the 995 and I'm gonna stick it out due to my tireless faith in Nikon. The batteries actually last longer than I thought they would. I bought 2 spare batteries so that I can cycle through them while on vacation. At a recent wedding, I shot about 120 pic's on one 96Mb card. That's very cool. Buy it, read the manual, read it again and again, and I think you'll be happy with the results.
Rating:
Summary: It's no 990...
Review: I am hereby changing my review of this camera. I use this camera on a daily basis at work (work is a camera store). I originally gave it a 5-star review, but after comparing it to the Coolpix 990 (the predecessor to this camera, which I used to own) and playing with the new Canon G2, I have found myself highly unimpressed by the 995. Maybe it's the fact that the 990 had a different lens (a 3x, the 995 has a 4x), I don't know. I do know that the quality of the pictures is not nearly as good as those from the 990. I liked the picture quality of the 990, but I sold it because I wanted several things it couldn't offer. I wanted an on-board hot shoe, and I wanted a camera that had available accesories that didn't cost an arm and a leg. Maybe I'm crazy, but paying more than a few dollars for a stupid cable to attach my flash to the camera seems absurd. I sold the 990 before the 995 came out, and when it did come out, I was hoping for some changes, which if had been made might have convinced me to buy a 995. Unfortunately, Nikon didn't make those changes. The manual controls are still tricky and annoying to use (compared to the Canon G2's at least, which are laid out in a very easy to use and understand way). Why Nikon insists on making manual control so convoluted is beyond me; it's completely unnecessary. It's things like this that make people who are new to digital want to turn away from it. Here is Nikon's method of manual control: 1. Flip the power switch to "M."
2. Push in and hold the "Mode" button.
3. While holding the "Mode" button, turn the control dial until the LCD screen displays the mode you wish (i.e. "M" for Manual).
4. Let go of the "Mode" button. Now when you turn the dial, your shutter speed changes.
5. "Oh, I want to change the aperture." Press in the "Mode" button to switch to aperture.
6. Turn the dial to change aperture. 7. "Oh, I want to change shutt -- oh, darn, my subject moved. Too late. Oh well." Now, here's manual control on the Canon:
1. Flip the control dial to "M."
2. Control pad on the back--up/down to control aperture, left/right to control shutter speed. The Nikon 995 has a pad like this on the camera, why isn't it optimized for this use? No on-board hot shoe for the flash. Still no anti-glare coating on the screen; seeing the screen outside in the sun is impossible without sticking one of those annoying screen-hoods on it. As for image quality, I find the that image quality isn't as good as the 990. It's visibly less sharp than the 990. I did some tests at the store, and the color correction is also pitiful. I did a side-by-side comparison of the 995 and another high-end camera people often ask to see, the Canon G2. I took the same pictures with both cameras using the same settings, and printed an 8x10" from each. The G2's color correction was far more accurate, plus the pictures were sharp from edge to edge. The Nikon was sharp in the middle and fuzzy in the corners. Even my coworkers, the majority of whom are Nikonians, agreed the the G2 took a much better picture. Both cameras were set *exactly* the same (auto focus, auto white balance, timer exposure as to avoid camera shake, no flash). And before you say, "hey, you're comparing apples and oranges, 3 megapixel cameras and 4 megapixel cameras," keep in mind that a 3 megapixel camera is very well capable of producing a very sharp 10x15" print (which I have printed from the original 990 model). An 8x10" should be no problem for a 3 megapixel camera, therefore, I feel it is fair to compare it to a camera of equal or higher resolution. To top it all off, Nikon still refuses to bundle some decent software with their cameras. Nikon View is awful. For the price of the 995, they should at least bundle something like Adobe Photodeluxe. Canon is generous enough to include copies of Adobe Photoshop LE with the G2. In closing, I highly recommend you check out the Canon G2. Nikon is coming out with a new model (the 5000) which is supposed to be much better than the 995, but if it were me buying it, I'd still stick with the G2 because overall I've been more impressed with Canon's line of digital cameras. They must be doing something right--afterall, Nikon pretty much stole the G2's design for their new CP 5000 model, go see for yourself!
Rating:
Summary: Finally a digital camera for camera enthusiasts
Review: Gone are the days of the cheesy little novelty item digicam, with its whopping 640*480 resolution, ASA 60 equivalence and lens that does not compare favorably to a Koday Funsaver disposable. This is the real thing. A digital camera to satisfy photography enthusiasts. This camera produces remarkable results at high resolutions. It emulates ASA 100, 200, 400 and 800. Has white-balance settings to satisfy most conditions, allows you to set your own if you want more accuracy. Goes a reasonable distance on both sides of 50mm, at selectable F-stops in the F3-F10 range. Aperature-priority, shutter-priority, programmable auto and full manual settings let you take control of what you want. Two complaints: the included 16mb card is a bit small for my tastes, but prices on those are falling. (Amazon has a Viking 128mb card at [a good price] And the shutter timer only works in macro focus mode and deselects itself after you use it, which can get annoying if you are taking a series of tripod shots. But this is all minor, and does not change the fact that this is the only digital I've found that has made me hang up my Minolta SLR.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Put
Review: Simply put, the 995 Coolpix by Nikon is the best I have seen for a mid-priced camera.
|
