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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. The redeye reduction mode does little to help, the only
real solution is to use an external flash mounted away from the lens. There is a flash
sync connector that connects the 990 to a number of different Nikon Speedlites
including the new SB-28DX. Using these speedlites in bounce mode is of course the
perfect way to be rid of redeye forever but it a rather expensive solution.
Battery life is significantly improved when operating with the color LCD turned off. I had
no problem taking a day's worth (150+) of shots on a single set of NiMH rechargeable
batteries. It's the usual YMMV (your mileage may vary) once you start using the color
LCD as everyone uses it a little differently. With the LCD on you not only power it but
the continuous autofocus mechanism as well. Overall though I would have to say that
the smaller 1.8" LCD has contributed to better battery life as well as making it easier to
see in the sunlight.
The addition of the USB port was a major step in the right direction and it's no surprise
that Nikon did not package a serial cable. Downloading three megapixel images with the
USB port is a matter of seconds versus many, many minutes through a slow serial port.
Maybe we'll see an IEEE1394 FireWire port on the next Coolpix!
The included NikonView software communicated flawlessly with the camera and
downloads were very robust. The camera was detected by Windows 98 the moment I
turned it on and the USB driver installed from the CD with no trouble. The new
NikonView v3 software does not have the ability to control the camera though. As for
the optional USB remote control, we'll just have to wait to find out -- it isn't available just
yet.
The Coolpix 990 turns out some of the sharpest images I have seen yet from a three
megapixel digicam. The color balance and saturation is very good and the exposure
control is what we have come to expect from Nikon's best cameras. Just as the Coolpix
950 was one of the top selling digital cameras of 1999 I have no doubts that the new
990 is going to do the same in 2000. It's everything the 950 was and more, a whole lot
more!
9/18/00 Nikon 990 (or 950) Firmware update
Nikon has released the v1.1 firmware for the Coolpix 990 which allows it to work with
the wired remote control as well as fix or improve a few other things. The latest Coolpix
990 firmware is available from the Nikon Tech USA site and the Nikon Euro site - please
get your upgrade from the appropriate source and read the upgrade instructions
thoroughly before performing the procedure.