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I, too, began with a Nikon 990 — taking nearly 20,000 images before finally busting the hinges on the battery compartment. I upgraded to a Nikon 5700 — which is fantastic outdoors –but less than ideal focusing at low light levels and with an external flash (despite the built-in hot shoe).
I highly recommend going to www.dpreview.com before purchasing a replacement camera. Their depth of analysis is amazing!
I’ve been loyal to Nikon since 1965, owning many of their top-of-the-line professional cameras. But now, there’s much more than fine optics and a good reputation seperating the various brands.
I carry a digital camera with me at least 90 percent of the time — and often regret not having one when I don’t. Although a bit bulky, and nowhere near as compact as my old 990, my 5700 is MUCH lighter than my professional F4.
My old 990 took so many spectacular photos, I still regret having shot thousands of images at low resolution (for e-mail distribution) before discovering Photoshop. Fortunately, CF cards have really come down in price since the 990 was introduced!
Oleg, well said. The advice to take pictures at your camera’s highest resolution is given on this forum over and over; the lowest settings on most cameras should be locked out, at least in one’s mind. The only compromise I make on images is not in pixel dimensions but in compression; on occasion, when I know I’m not shooting for some artistic goal, I’ll save my images in JPEG because the RAW images are so huge on my camera (6-8 MB each). With respect to pixel dimensions, I’m alway set at maximum for best print quality and flexibility to crop and still have enough pixels left to print.
Chuck, my ittle 2.2 Kodak only shoots Jpeg and I have it set on HQ of course. I have taken some darn good pics with it and printed some phenominal images from my EPSON. Sooooo, if i had option to shoot in raw i probably wouldn’t use it. All I have is a 32 CF card which gives me 49 pics on a good day. I plan on picking up another card soon and will test the ‘kodak’ brand CF and see if there is a difference. Currently using PNY.
It’s interesting just how good shots you can take with a little point and shoot, if you stick to the conditions that the camera can cope with best, because all the attention has to be given to the actual picture rather than fidling around to get the best settings. While my new camera can do some things that in many ways are much better and take pictures in light that the Kodak never could, the Kodak’s simplicity and clear images has a lot going for it. Despite having a G3 I’m still using the old camera from time to time. Looking through my old pictures (i’ve been redoing albums into acid-free mounts recently) I think the best pictures I’ve ever taken were with an Olympus OM10 which just had a (very good) 50mm standard lens . A wonderful combination of quality and simplicity. I still miss that camera.
They are hard to find because it’s, as you say, camera season! People around here have all turned to digital, even my "technically challenged" friends (those that still use a typewritter to send a letter…) Even the high end models (2000$ and up) are hard to find!
Jane, perhaps this will help you decide upon which model you’ll choose. When all things technical being equal (resolution, file format, picture quality, memory media), revert to what you feel with the camera in your hands / around your neck. Since they’re not all made identical, one will please your hand more than the other. Or the weight of one will be comfortable than the other. Or the way buttons are places will make more sense to you on one model than on the others.
You may as well look for the available accessories. An external flash? An adapter rign to mount wide angle / macro lenses ? A tripod mount ? Look for a camera that could expand with your needs, both current and future. If you spend a great deal of time on the road, perhaps a model with a car charger adapter, so that the camera will be constantly ready!
And the kind of batteries it uses ? Some cameras use proprietary batteries (like my Canon). First, they are usually highly expensive, and second, it’s impossible to find these, fully charged, while on vacation / far from home. So it may a good advice to look for a model with standard AA bateries. The ones you can find everywhere.
Susan, if I had my choice right now I’d be shooting with fuji’s FinePix S602. Although the 600$ price tag ( 450 if you shop around ) is too much for this gal who knows how quick the S602 will be in the archives. Technology moves so quickly that if i wait a year the same camera will be on sale somewhere for $250. However, will I still want it knowing that I can get better for again another $600. Sooooo, until i make up my mind i must settle for my ittle point n shoot digi mini.
I think the Nikon CP 4300 is going to win. The only drawback is the slower ‘speed’, and the Casios have the fastest speed. But I know Nikons well, so I probably will go with the 4300. There is so much info out there on each and every camera! Jane
It’s been so long, I had forgotten about the Nikon 990’s batteries. I loved the fact I could always find AAs at gas stations and 24/7 convience stores — just like for my F4.
When Energizer came out with their Lithium Photo battery I was in heaven. They last so long, I gave away my rechargeable batteries — even though I usually review and delete photos in the field.
So when I moved up to the Nikon 5700, I was sorry to learn that the ubiquitous AAs had been discontinued. But I was thrilled when my salesmen handed me an Energizer Photo battery for my camera.
In the long run, I’m much happier with my single rechargeable battery pack (and the spare Energizers ) — since I can quickly change them — even in the dark. As much as I loved those readily available AA’s, I missed many a shot making sure the positive and negative poles were facing the correct way.
Whatever camera you buy, make sure you don’t have to rely totally on rechargeables. Although I tend to use the rechargeables first, I never leave home without at least one Energizer in my pocket — since they have an expiration date of 2012!
I too have a Coolpix 990. When I bought it a few years ago I was impressed with its revolutionary design (swivelhead) and that it had 3.3 Mega pixels, which was then the max. you could get. The fact that it was a Nikon convinced me I would buy a good camera. And indeed it is.
However if I were to buy a new one today I would not get a swivelhead any more but one based on the basic reflex camera. It would probably be a Nikon again. A manufacturer with a good reputation and an eye for innovation I feel quite comfortable with.
Unfortunately these reflex camera’s are still very expensive cameras (around 1.600 to 2.000 euro’s for a body) so I will happily continue with my 990 untill it comes apart beyond repair.
Thanks everybody for all the info! I did buy the little CP 4300 today, uses both the rechargable batts and the lithium photo ones. Then my husband decided that we absolutly should get the CP 990 repaired, I would assume that Nikon will completely recondition it and should be ‘like new’. That’s the best camera I have ever owned. Jane
Then my husband decided that we absolutly should get the CP 990 repaired
I feel the same way about my CP 950. If it failed, I would probably have it repaired, even though it might not make sense to do it. I really LIKE that camera. The image quality always surprises me. I took some pix with it in Africa earlier this year…at Victoria Falls. Thsn, I decided I should also take some with my Olympus E20. I have looked at both of them, and the Oly images are obviously higher resolution, but the color in the Nikon pix is actually better in some photos. It’s a darn good little camera, even if it is only 2MP. Bert
Very nice! Reminds me of how amazing the macro was on my old 990. I think I’ll get mine repaired. I might try to copy slides again, with my third party attachment, now that I own PE2.
I rarely use my lithium batteries with my Nikon 5700, but they offer great peace of mind. On a few occassions — back when CF cards were expensive — I had to delete images to make room for better ones, but I’ve never run out of battery power.
Until I switched to external battery packs and lithiums for my 990, my pockets were filled with half a dozen sets of carefully labeled rechargeable batteries, which were a pain to carry and recharge. But one time, a stranger grabbed my camera to take a photo of me, and my external battery fell into the river–since she didn’t notice the attached cable. Generally, my remaining external pack is my last resort.
Like you, I fell in love with my 990 — often calling it my "magic" camera — due to the amazing photos it took. It’s small size made it the first camera I carried everywhere I went — as indispensable as my cell phone and PDA.
I’m glad it was my first digital camera, since it’s rekindled my love of photography from long ago, and most people thought my enlargements looked as good as film. Some were even surprised to learn my prints were digital, because of the absolutely awful first generation cameras. (Just as early PCs gave computers a bad name.)
But there are still times I miss my exquisite, albeit bulky, lens collection which is just collecting dust. Now that the prices have dropped, I’m tempted to move back to "fast" interchangeable lenses. However, I can still recall trips where I felt like a pack mule lugging my gear. In some ways, the vacation always began when I retuned home and finally got to put those heavy camera bags down! 😉
Oleg, I can relate to what you’re saying about the heavy camera bags! I have a Canon G2 point-and-shoot which fits in a nice little case I can put on my belt; I also have a Canon 10D with a couple lenses that needs a medium-sized bag and is pretty bulky. Guess which one I (still) grab when I just want to have a camera along for the chance shot….?!
A question regarding batteries for you 990 veterans. I use ni-mh rechargeable batteries for my 990. They are 1600mAh. Are there ones available with a higher mAh as I understood that determines how long they last. Is it true that 100 mAh more gives you ten minutes more power?
I agree with the both of you, the 990 is a "cool" camera. Some of the pictures turn out at miraculous quality.
Don’t mix new batteries with old charger. Under certain circumstances, you could damage the batteries and / or the charger.
I learned by experience. I had an old Kodak charger (rated for 1600Mha) and later bought one set of extra batteries.
Of course, newer batteries = better performance (new ones were rated 1800Mha). What happened is that when I tried to charge them with the old charger, the charger became extremely hot and got damaged, after the second cycle. Two of my new batteries were damaged as well (they last way less than the others).
The guy at the camera shop explained that with a new charger only (no need to buy the whole kit), I would be able to charge all my batteries (new and old). I bought a new charger and indeed, everything is fine now. Except, I lost two NiMh batteries and my old charger.. A costly adventure 🙂
I don’t say it’s always the case, but be wise and bring your old batteries / charger along with you when shopping for new parts, and ask the salespersons.
Nikon runs a site for "Nikonians" (www.nikonians.com) and there it was mentioned that rechargeable batteries should last for 400 to 600 recharges. The "not so peppy bit of batteries after a while" is mentioned there as well. They talk about reconditioning the batteries but I couldn’t find this word explained anywhere. One should recondition every 5 times you charged the batteries.
There is lot’s more on mixing old an new batteries (better not) and using the wrong charger etc.
This item about batteries remarks that already 2000 mAh exist. Haven’t seen any of those about.
Thank you for the info! My husband will be taking over my 990 when its fixed, and he was thinking about getting some new batteries. (I just sent him this info, his computer is in his office in the other end of the house. The electronic age is funny, here we are in the same house and we e-mail to eachother.) Jane
Jane, we do the same at home. We have two computers in the same room, but one wireless portable.
When I’m surfing on the portable and I need some information, my friend will send me the file from his e-mail to the portable, or we’ll be using some instant messenging service 🙂
Heck, I just find "talking" with Hubby via e-mail a good communication skill. I can always pull up my message and prove what I REALLY said. People sometimes think it’s "cute" that couples who’ve been together for decades can finish each other’s sentences. Bah humbug. Highly overrated in the real world and often disasterous. 🙂 Long live e-mail between ends of the house!!!
It gets even funnier when I am on the phone with my brother(about 3 miles away) and e-mailing him something, then getting e-mail from Hubby, and the cell phone rings, phone on each ear, on and on,,,,,, The electronic age is upon us! But its fun, isnt it. Jane
we’ve saved a ton of money over the past year and a half using e-mail instead of the phone. My mother lives up in Quebec and I’m in NY and we are able to keep in touch alot more frequently this way. God Bless E-mail !
Three years ago, maybe four I was spending $80-$125 each month on long distance. Then "Dial Pad" came along with FREE long distance. At first mono so only one person could be speaking at a time, then later Duplex and for over a year it was great! Zero long distance bills. WooHoo! But then the sad day came when Dial Pad decided they needed to make money to stay in business:(
Starting about 3 or 4 months ago there is an offering through ‘Earthlink’ (and they bought ‘Mindspring’) for long distance for DSL and cable users. (Can’t remember the name of the telecommunications company that cut the deal with them)
Interesting, I used Dialpad many years ago, then when I switched to Mac, it was not available. It sure was nice. E-mail has brought the phone bills way down for all of us. And the ablilty to send pictures to far off relatives and friends is wonderful.
But the SPAM that I get with Earthlink and our cable ISP, is really overwhelming now. I wish we could go back to our little local ISPs, but they are rapidly being bought up by the biggies. The delete button is wearing out,,,,,, But I think that the positives outweigh the negatives, all except for the doggone spam. Jane
Hi Pete, Yes, I guess we do spend a lot more, counting our cable access, cell phone, and countless other goodies. Neat software like plug-ins for PSE and stuff like that is irresistable. But other hobbies do the same, boating, shooting, biking and so forth. I love to learn new stuff, so am always signing up for some sort of lessons. But as long as we can afford it, go for it, we get old faster than we think. Gotta have toys + fun. Glad I’m retired. Jane
Ray, it was an ongoing thing with Chuck and I…he was always correcting my grammar. I knew that if I messed up I would have the instant ‘ Chuck text editor’ not far behind…I kind of enjoyed it more than i thought…oh the CTE will in fact be available in the next version of Adobe Page Layout.
