Nikon 990 manual

Free shipping, no sales tax & in-stock -- order today ! Nikon Coolpix 990 User Review Posted 3/4/2000 (updated 10/18/2000) -------Select Review Page-------[...]

Click on the camera for 360-degree QTVR tour The Nikon Coolpix 990 is the first of the new wave of 3.34-megapixel resolution digital cameras. It retains the best features of the Coolpix 950 like the razor sharp Nikkor 3x zoom lens, the closest macro capability of any digicam, the highly durable magnesium alloy body and the unique swiveling lens des[...]

Nikon has finally answered the question of how to keep the lens cap with the camera. They now include a "lens string" that slips around the joint between the two sections of the camera. Read the: Nikon Coolpix 990 Manual 8-page Coolpix 990 sales brochure[...]

The Coolpix 990 has an exclusive Multi-Area autofocus mode for quick composition without interruption. It searches the 5 zones for closest subject or sharpest subject. It is a direct descendant of Nikon pro film and D1 digital SLR cameras. The 990 also features a 50-step manual focus, Nikon’s 256 element Matrix metering and new 256 element Matrix[...]

files to a PC or Mac very fast. This is a dual I/O port supporting both USB and serial RS-232 connections. Nikon does not supply a serial port cable and the NikonView software is not capable of controlling the camera other than image downloads. The 990 now has user-selectable video output (NTSC or PAL). This eliminates the need to build two differe[...]

The 990's CompactFlash card slot is located on the side, making it easy to change cards without removing it from a tripod. Nikon is supplying a 16MB 8x high performance Lexar CF card. This is a CompactFlash Type I slot, it is not Microdrive compatible.[...]

Nikon has bundled one of Lexar Media's new and fast 8x speed, 16MB USB-enabled JumpSHOT CompactFlash cards. Included is a mail-in coupon for the JumpSHOT USB cable for $9.99 (50% discount) if you'd like to have an untethered way of downloading your images. Click here to Continue on to Lenses & Options[...]

Coolpix 990 Specifications CCD 1/1.8-in. high-density CCD; total number of pixels: 3.34 million Image size 2,048 x 1,536 pixels XGA-size (1,024 x 768) VGA-size (640 x 480) 3:2 (2,048 x 1,360) selectable Lens 3x Zoom-Nikkor; f = 8-24mm (equivalent to 38-115mm) F2.5-4 with macro; 9 elements in 8 groups; all glass Autofocus Contrast-detect TTL AF; 4,8[...]

Capture modes 1) Single 2) Continuous 3) Multi-Shot 16 (16 frames in 1/16 size) 4) VGA Sequence 5) Ultra High-speed Continuous (approx. 30 fps for 80 QVGA-size images) 6) Movie (40 sec. for QVGA-size images at 15 fps) Exposure metering 4-mode TTL metering: 1) 256-segment Matrix 2) Center-Weighted 3) Spot and 4) Spot AF Area Shutter Mechanical and c[...]

I/O terminal Power input Video output Digital output terminal (USB/Serial) Sync terminal for external Speedlight Bundled Software NikonView Version 3, Altimira Group's Genuine Fractals 2.0 LE, Canto's Cumulus 5.0 LE Image and Asset Management Software, iPIX's Immersive Imaging Software, and QuickTime Video Version 4. Great Photo! ima[...]

copied without the author's prior permission.[...]

Free shipping, no sales tax & in-stock -- order today ! Nikon Coolpix 990 -------Select Review Page-------[...]

The all glass, 3x Zoom-Nikkor lens has 38-115mm coverage (35mm equivalent) plus a virtually stepless 4x digital zoom option. If you enjoy shooting close-ups you can get as close as 0.8 inches away from your subject with the Nikkor lens' superb macro capability. The Coolpix 990 accepts optional Coolpix Lenses and accessories , including the Nik[...]

Shown here is the older WC-E24 and the new and larger WC-E63 wideangle conversion lenses. The WC-E63 features ED glass for less distortion and flares and is threaded for 72mm filters. Closeup of the large monochrome data display, the Mode/Power switch and the[...]

programmable mode/function buttons. The command dial has been moved to the top-rear of the camera and is easily operated with your thumb. Note the "P*" -- the Coolpix 990 has a Flexible-Program mode. Rotating the command dial lets you use different combinations of shutter speed and aperture. The Coolpix 990 has TTL support for an external[...]

The Coolpix 990, like its sibling the Coolpix 950, has a swiveling lens and an all-metal magnesium chassis for lightness and durability. The 990 sports a charcoal gray textured color with a blue grip area and lettering. The hand grip has been significantly enlarged to give you more stability when shooting at extreme telephoto or slower shutter spee[...]

The Coolpix 990 uses four AA size batteries as its power source. I highly recommend NiMH rechargeables as this camera like all digicams, eats alkaline batteries like candy. At first I was a little concerned about the DC power input jack being on the front of the camera. But after plugging the cable in that goes to my Unity Digital ProPower pack I w[...]

There's a whole range of accessories available for the Coolpix 990. Click here to Continue on to Page Two[...]

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Free shipping, no sales tax & in-stock -- order today ! Nikon Coolpix 990 Features Menus -------Select Review Page-------[...]

The Coolpix 990 has a new 4-way jog switch on the back that lets you more easily navigate the extensive menu system. Some menu items can also be changed quickly by rotating the command dial.[...]

The first menu option is the white balance settings. Choices should be rather obvious; Automatic, White Balance Preset (see next frame), Fine (Sunny), Incandescent, Flourescent, Cloudy and Flash. When using the White Balance Preset option you get a live preview to assist you in pointing the camera at your known white reference value.[...]

Metering options are Matrix (256 element), Center-Weighted, Spot and the Spot metering option that is used if you are using the Autofocus Area option.[...]

Here's the Record mode options: Single: Camera records one picture each time shutter is pressed ● Continuous: Camera records pictures in continuous sequence ● Multi-Shot 16: Camera takes 16 pictures which are combined into one image. ● VGA Sequence: Camera takes series of consecutive 640x480 Normal quality images at approx 2fps. ● Ultr[...]

When using the optional Nikkor lenses you can lock in certain presets with the Converters menu: Normal: No modifications made to settings (default) ● Wide Adapter: For WC-E24,, camera zoomed out to widest angle, flash is disabled for both internal and external. ● Telephoto1: For TC-E2 2X, camera zoomed out to maximum optical zoom, third step in[...]

Image enhancement menu, these settings are hopefully obvious. Only one setting may be used at a time. Image Sharpness menu options. To give the user complete control over the images you can now manually set the amount of sharpness applied to your pictures.[...]

As with the Coolpix 950 the 990 allows you to build three user profiles of camera settings and store them for easy recall. Any modifications you make while in M-Rec mode are stored in the #1 profile.[...]

Exposure Options. Set, reset or release the AE Lock, most useful when shooting panorama shots. Auto Bracketing now lets you shoot a sequence of five shots and is somewhat complicated in operation but simple in use. Exposure changes in order +2/3 step, +1/3 step, 0 step, -1/3 step, -2/3 step with each photograph taken. In Programmed Auto, Aperture P[...]

Using the focusing options you can enable the focus tracking manual mode and you'll see these brackets on the LCD monitor. By using the jog switch you can select any of the areas desired. You can also set the metering so that it uses spot mode on the selected focusing area. Zoom Options: Digital zoom enabled or disabled. Startup Position (see [...]

Fixed Aperture - if possible the aperture is fixed when zooming in or out. Those of us with the Coolpix 950 practically screamed for this option and now we have it (at least 990 owners have it). You can have the camera remember where the lens was when you power down and it returns there on power up. Or you can manually lock it to full wideangle or [...]

Flash Options: Variable Power - the power output of the builtin flash can be varied from -2 to +2 EV in increments of 1/3 EV. Speedlight Control: Enable or disable internal flash when using an external flash via the sync connector. Click here to[...]

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Free shipping, no sales tax & in-stock -- order today ! Nikon Coolpix 990 Record / Playback / Options -------Select Review Page-------[...]

Another most-requested item, the ability to use the selftimer while in macro mode is now a reality. You simply push the lower-left mode button below the color LCD to cycle through; infinity focus, selftimer, macro, macro with selftimer. New to the Coolpix 990 is the Flexible Program mode. If the ISO is set to Auto and the camera is in the "P&q[...]

and bring up different combinations of shutter speed and aperture. When the 990 is in Flexible Program mode the "P" changes to a "P*" and you can see the shutter speed and aperture values change as you rotate the command dial. Another new feature is full Manual exposure control of both shutter and aperture. While in Manual mode [...]

The Setup menu while in M-Rec is now a 3 page affair. You can toggle over to the numbers on the left and then quickly jump to the desired menu page. Here's the onscreen color LCD backlight brightness adjustment menu.[...]

The "Led Shot Confirm" when enabled will blink the redeye reduction lamp on the front of the camera when the shutter fires. The video output is now user-selectable and can be easily changed back and forth between NTSC and PAL format.[...]

The rest of the screen shots will show the various features in the Play mode. This is a standard Play mode screen showing the last picture taken with all of the overlay data enabled. To find a desired image you can use the thumbnail play mode, it is toggleable between 4 or 9 thumbsnails per screen. Just move the cursor to any desired image and then[...]

Here's the Play mode menu of options, the same as the Coolpix 950. You'll note the obvious beta firmware error with the word "Scrole" at the bottom instead of scroll. Even though the Coolpix 990 has a smaller (1.8") LCD screen it is actually a higher resolution type of LCD. The zoom playback mode now lets you enlarge the pi[...]

and down using the 4-way jog switch. As with the Coolpix 950, the 990 displays all the camera and exposure data of the viewed picture by rotating the command dial. There are four pages of this data available by continuing to turn the command dial.[...]

This is the second page of camera and exposure data. New to the Nikon 990 is this histogram display like the expensive pro cameras. The histogram graphically shows the levels of luminance in the captured image.[...]

The last page is also new to the 990 and it shows lens and focus settings including what area the autofocus was centered on. Steve's conclusion Well here we are again, experiencing yet another feeding frenzy as the release date nears for the new Coolpix 990. It's reminiscent of last year when we saw the same thing happen with the Coolpix [...]

3D color matrix metering and multizone autofocus like the D1 ● Flexible Program mode with a variety of shutter speed and aperture combinations ● Spot metering that follows the multizone autofocus ● Focus confirmation in manual mode by edge-highlighting (peaking) ● QuickTime movie capture mode ● Ultra high-speed 30fps QVGA capture mode ●[...]

The Coolpix 990 has benefited greatly by what Nikon learned while designing the D1. You may not know what the big deal is about multizone focusing but you will once you use it. It's especially handy when shooting in wideangle as the focus system will actually track an object moving from one zone to another or focus on the closest subject to th[...]

of pictures and alter each one up to two f/stops in both the plus and minus directions. You get five shots of the same scene, all of them slightly different in exposure values so there is sure to be a "perfect" one in there somewhere. The 990 has white balance options for Automatic, Cloudy, Sunny, Incandescent, Fluorescent and Speedlight [...]

color when the Nikon folks first told me about it but, it does grow on you and now it doesn't really bother me at all. Before you think that this is a "perfect" digicam, unfortunately it isn't. The Coolpix 990 suffers from the same problem as the 950, the builtin speedlite is too close to the lens and extremely prone to redeye. [...]

(This procedure verified on Coolpix 700, 800, 950 and 990 cameras) Thanks to some detective work by Don Hergert we now know that you can also upgrade your firmware via the CompactFlash card if you have a card reader. If you do not understand the following then please use your USB cable and follow the firmware upgrade instructions as posted at the N[...]

Turn Mode dial to A-Rec or M-Rec and format the CF card to erase the firmware upgrade software and use your camera normally. 13. Additional info for Macintosh users Macintosh users may need to perform an additional step if they have the Nikon View software installed. With the software installed, you will not be able to copy files to the CF Card. Th[...]

Continue on to Steve's Sample Pics John Cowley's Nikon 990 Review Imaging-Resource's Nikon 990 Review Megapixel.net's Nikon 990 Review[...]

Return To Steve's Reviews Index Note: All photographs and page content Copyright © 2000 Steve's Digicam Online, Inc. Nothing on this page may be used, distributed or copied without the author's prior permission.[...]