I've had mine for 3 years and it's just what I wanted for what I use it for. If anyone wants a great camera to use for just about any task or just fun? Buy it. Buy it now!

This product, if still available, isn't a great camera. Look up the canon G2 or G3 or a newer Olympus model.

I picked up this camera used to do some assignment work for an online publication. I specifically wanted full manual control and the ability to use an external flash (the internal flash is almost useless).

The large handgrip is a welcomed change from most other digicams out there. It feels nice and solid in your hand while the no-slip surface does its job admirably. The shutter release button is solid and the mode jog dial is placed perfectly. The user interface could benefit from minor usability improvements, but for the most part is easy to use and learn in seconds without consulting the manual. And to echo what everyone else mentions, battery life lasts me about 40 shots with the monitor and flash turned off. I take along a spare set of AA batteries for short outings. For longer outings, I mount a DigiPower DPS9000 external battery pack into the tripod mount

Overall picture quality is good, but not to the level of my 35mm film cameras under moderate scrutiny. For web content, picture quality is awesome, though. Resolution and sharpness are perfectly acceptable for 4x6 prints. Nice to have the 3:2 ratio to let you print uncropped 4x6 images. Macro capabilities are great.

Since I prefer to print my personal images, I feel the Coolpix's weakness is in its color reproduction. Photos printed on a Fuji Frontier 370 system seem to lack a certain saturation or 'punch' in various colors - things seem to be on the dull or compressed side and not very vibrant, even if the original scene was. This is especially noticeable when you hold a digital print next to a film print when both have used the same exposure and focal length and have been printed on the same machine.

Sure, I can spend time in PhotoShop adjusting curves and levels, but that's more time consuming than it's worth if you ask me. For a few photos, no big deal. But if I just shot 50+ images that are keepers, I'm not going to spend countless hours tweaking each one.

I found that a semi-decent shortcut is to get the ICC profile for my target printer and batch up all the images in PhotoShop to have the profile applied automatically. I then spend $0.29/print at my local camera shop getting them printed. Inexpensive, fast, sharp, and durable -there's no way I can print at home at that price or time savings, and I doubt anyone else can.

PROS:
Sharp images (provided you keep the sharpness setting on Auto)
Easy user interface
Inexpensive on the used market
Decent build quality

CONS:
Condensed color range
Slow to focus and fire shutter (2-3 sec.)
Supplied software is almost useless
Viewfinder shows too little of actual image (85%?)

Technology may have passed this camera by as you can buy a smaller 3+ megapixel camera for less money, but I've used this camera for 2 years with nary a problem. You may be able to get a good deal on a used model. I use it as camera that is shared by many departments where I work, so it gets heavy use.

The quality of photos taken in bright light on the "fine" setting is stunning and prints well as 8 x 10s (you can even get away with larger sizes, if you don't mind a little pixelation). The camera's auotmatic mode is adequate for most shots, but you can adjust the shutter speed and other customizable features. The pivoting lens body is also handy to get into tight spaces. The LCD screen is bright, but can be hard to read outdoors.

Battery life is 40+ photos with rechargables. I don't recommend using Alkalines with this camera, but they work in a pinch.

The biggest drawback with this camera is the flash. The proximity of the lens to the flash means you'll be correcting lots of "red eye" on your PC or Mac. The flash is also very weak in low to medium light situations, and you can't add an external flash to the camera.

This camera sometimes fails to start when turning it on, or shuts off after a few seconds on, but turning it off and on again seems to help. I attribute these glitches to age and abuse due to heavy use rather than poor manufacturing.

This is a fantastic camera. I routinely use the second or third highest resolution setting and I am able to take pictures that have excellent detail and color. My preferences are close-up shots and panoramic views and this camera excels at both. The 3.34 megapixels is more than sufficient to print off non-pixelated 8x10 photos from my Canon s900 photo printer (also very good). I've used this camera at night to get some good city-scapes (especially considering that I don't have a tripod) and for shots ranging from dreary days in Ireland to sunny mornings in Santa Fe and the camera is great.

I picked the brains of camera-philes before purchasing my digicam and Nikon was repeatedly recommended as one of the best cameras in the price range, regardless of extra features (Sony) and higher pixel concentrations (Olympus, HP, Epson). That advice proved correct. If you can't find this model, look into the CoolPix 4500, which is essentially the 990's replacement.

As background, I (and 4 colleagues) use 2 of the Nikon 990s daily to take entire animal photos plus macro closeups at a Veterinary School. This camera is very popular for this use as the quality of the macro photographs is excellent. All of the positives and most of the negatives have already been stated about this camera. I want to add an irritating design flaw that to my knowledge cannot be fixed. After careful, but frequent use for 3 years, the plastic 'nub' that the battery compartment door latches to has first bent and then broken off. The plastic piece is part of a large casting and cannot be replaced. This has happened to 4 Nikon 990s used at our school. I complained about this defect at a recent meeting and found that multiple colleagues at other institutions have experienced the identical defect.
Using adhesive tape to wrap the battery compartment shut has offered a temporary solution, but this unit uses batteries too quickly for taping to be more than a temporary stop gap until we buy new cameras..
Nikon 990s are still readily available on the web. This design flaw limits very frequent use.

The 6/13/00 itemized review above is accurate, but there are some more good things to say. I've long relied on the quality of Nikon lenses, in business, and am still, after three years, surprised that the glass in the E990 is no whit inferior, notwithstanding that it's meant for e consumer marke.

The swivel body is to die for. I can't imagine why Nikon discontinued it. It gives both waist-level and eye-level capability. You can shoot from ground/floor level without lying down, and, to do macro photography without impossible contortions, this is a very useful, innovative feature.

I do a lot of macro photography, also photography of small objects indoors, where I use the AC adapter instead of rechargeable batteries. Outdoors, the very, very long cord of the battery pack is a nuisance, and the NiMH batteries seem to have lost rather a lot of their charge while just lying idle. So I have two sets. These batteries are not made by Nikon, of course. On the other hand, I don't know where to assign blame for the fact that the plugs between camera and battery cord and between cord and batteries tend to lose contact; I have to frequently twist then a bit to restore power, and of course the settings are lost and have to be re-made. This has been true of three different cords and battery packs.

All in all, though, I just *like* the E990. It feels good, works well, gives excellent results. I rather prefer it to my Nikon D70 (eye-level SLR with professional lenses), although each has its advantages and disadvantages - you need both, if you're serious.

Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth. The image quality, ease of use and features on this camera are very, very good but not worth the original price of nearly $900. However when our company's needs grew I did think it was wise to buy a used one for under $300. Shortly thereafter BOTH cameras experienced the same broken battery cover problem described elsewhere here. A little research revealed vendors who actually sell replacement doors (but alas no instructions on how to complete what seems like a fairly tricky repair). We still use the cameras with tape and cords when possible but buyer beware!

Suffice it to say, the cp990 battery door and battery compartment issues have been established. For me, it was one of the little plastic catches on the battery compartment that failed (broke). Once the integrity of the tiny plastic catch has been compromised it's either tape-the-door-shut or replace-the-compartment. I was quoted $120 and $150 for the repair at two respectable camera shops. In 2006 this camera can/could be had used at approx $200 or less - I would/did NOT pay to have it repaired. I guess the 'not repairing it' logic would also point to why the cost is so high -- if a camera shop hoses the job, then they'd most likely have to replace the camera. Luckily I found the 'battery compartment' piece on the big auction site and ordered it, cost approx $29 plus shipping. In reality, what would I have lost if I messed the camera up further? For the repair all that was required is a good desk lamp, precision screwdrivers, and patience. I won't turn this rating into a tutorial, I like the camera and it was worth the effort to fix it. Outside the redeye issues, and the toy like battery compartment, this camera beats most 5mp ps cameras hands down.
Repair at your own risk - I did!

I have had one or 6 of these excellent cameras with various faults over the years,some with broken lenses and some with broken battery doors - as previously mentioned they knock the spots off most 5 MP current cameras - more megapixels = more noise. They are a simple design and also very easy to dismantle and repair.
The battery door problem can easily be repaired by drilling 2 small holes next to where the tabs have broken off ( through the metal front) and screwing 2 appropriately sized black self tapping screws long enough to catch onto the metal lugs of the door. No need to strip the camera down and it will last as long as the rest of the camera.
Phil

I've been using this camera for years now doing digital 360 photography.
What makes this camera great is the len(s) you can get (wide angle & fish eye) which lets you make 360 degree panoramas with the help of software like VRToolbox, and pano-head from Kaidan.

Sean B. Halliday
http://www.thetricitiesbest.com