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Nikon Coolpix 995 3.2MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom

Nikon Coolpix 995 3.2MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom

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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great camera, but not without limitations
Review: 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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Nikon's Grand Reputation Untarnished
Review: 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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: THE BEST CAMERA EVER
Review: I have been using the 995 since 2001, I am a medical Radiologist, in my field everybody needs a high quality digital camara aid for storing cases. The results using my Nikon 995 compared to other cameras (from my collegues) in the same range are breath taking!! You a get a great Nikor lens, with a very convenient Makro and so many manual options that makes it impossible to need another camera.
Plus you can have add-ons that the others don't have like the slide reproducer that lets you digitize all the old slides!!. I have literaly taken thousands of pictures and works as good as new. The 995 lets you take charge when you need to, but also has the automatic ¨SNAPPY¨ mode for easier shots. It's a must have. After comparing I can't imagine 3 years later why would I want to change it for another.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It was a great first Digital Camera for me the dentist
Review: Just got home today after looking at new digital cameras, all of the sudden my Nikon 995 seems HUGE. But over the past 18 months it has been flawless, and made me switch completely to digital for family and some work (dentist).
I thought it interesting that someone noted that red eye was not as much of a problem as earlier Nikon digital cameras - I thought it was a big problem, and it would be my one complaint about the 995.
The 3.2MP was more then sufficient, I recently just got an 8 X 10" from an online printing surface, and it is beautiful. Printing on my HP 7550 I was able to get excellent 5" X 7"'s, but I guess this isn't a printer review.
The menus are easy, and downloading via USB was a snap. I would rate the software as very average. I still don't understand why WIN XP can't just recognize the camera for direct downloading instead of going through a third party soft ware.
I have now attached the camera to a clinical microscope and will continue to use it. And I don't think I will buy anything more then a 4MP camera for my next hobby camera. Of course, I just purchased the 6.2 Canon Rebel today for work and serious photograpy, but that's another story...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome for closeup pictures!
Review: I received this camera as a gift 2 years ago.

I sell gemstones and jewelry and it was very important that I could get a camera that took good closeup pictures. This camera never let me down!

It is also great for everyday pics of the family or vacation shots but it met and exceeded my needs for the up close images I needed.

Thanks Nikon for an awesome camera! :-)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Must Have Digital Camera
Review: I have always enjoyed using Nikon camera's. I recently Switched to the digital from the 35mm after some extensive questions regarding the cost of and usefullnes of the digital. I found that the Coolpix 995 was as flexable as any of my 35mm's. I have taken an image up to 11x14 and was real impressed with the resolution of the 995 in comparison to the 35mm Nikon loaded with asa 100 film. Ya can't go wrong with this camera, "Hurray" for the Nikon company...you've done it again, Thanks!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent camera
Review: I bought my Coolpix 995 almost a year ago and can finally say that I
have used, and feel comfortable with all it's capabilities. This is not just a point and shoot camera, although it can be used that way with excellent results. In difficult situations one is able to control everything from exposure to focus, and easily confirm that the result is what you hoped for. I have been taking photos for 30 (yes thirty) years and graduated from the darkroom to digital with anticipation. I was not disappointed. I have used this camera to convert slides and negatives to digital format with excellent results. The built in flash is good for many situations and you can fiddle with the settings to extend it's range, but an accessory bracket will allow you to use your old flash unit to extend it even more.
The accessories I would recommend are the flash bracket, Nikon's wide angle adapter, at least 1 128 Meg flash card and an extra battery. I have filled a 128 meg flash card (about 120 pictures at the full/fine setting) using the monitor and built in flash for each and still had power to review them. I had another battery and flash card and that shoot netted me over 200 images of a local band for their web site.

I haven't touched my "analog" cameras since buying this one and have not looked back with any regrets, except that digital capabilities didn't come sooner.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not worthy of the money
Review: Well I'm one of those bad luck or what. It's 9 months' old and it stopped working. Will follow up if any luck with the warranty.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Exquisite Camera
Review: I have owned this camera for almost 16 months now and have shot over 4,600 photos with it! To say I love it is an understatement. I have been doing photography seriously for over 40 years and waited quite a while before getting a digital camera.

This camera has not only not disappointed me, it has performed beyond my hopes for a digital camera. The many choices of settings enable me to capture most any photo I attempt, from very low light (by using the 800 ASA setting) or on Slow Sync with a Tripod allowing the camera to decide the settings...or by using shutter priority to capture motion or aperture priority for amazing portraits. There are many, many settings to choose from, and learning how to operate everything takes some time. Read the owner's manual several times, and keep it handy to refer to as you are learning the camera. Well worth the effort!

The pop-up flash does a good job, within the distance that Nikon recommends. With any flash on any camera, it is necessary to pay attention to the recommended distance for use.

I also get a lot of fun out of the swivel function of the lens. It is great fun to pull a friend close, hold the camera out at arm's length pointing it back at ourselves and watch in the monitor and take the photo.

And holding it is a joy. It's large enough to be able to hold it with both hands, thereby making it very easy to hold still...but it's not overly large. It feels solid and strong and functions like a real camera, not a toy! I have looked at some of the newer Nikons since this came out, and they don't seem as well built...too much plastic.

Let me mention that one of the specs listed here is wrong. It has 3.34 megapixels, NOT 3.2 megapixels.

I highly recommend this to anyone who values good photography!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good one, I love mine.
Review: It just so flexible and let me shoot from any angle I want, control is hard to learned and seems complicated at first but after all it's just great.
Macro mode delivers the nice crip details. I equips it with the nikon wide converter wc-e24 0.66x and found the good combination on it. Like 990 modle, the 995 give me the solid feels when hold it and the grip is well designed so it fits well with my hand.
The camera does require some few secounds to turned on and focus, but it doesn't bad compared with its quality. I don't like the way nikon use the proprietary battery for this model so I ended up buying the ... external battery for [$$]and it can go for 2-3 hours with mornitor on (2-3 times longer than the internal one)... Love it.


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