The Nikon Coolpix 990

[murphy]

I got my camera in yesterday. I bought it through ebay from a camera shop in New Jersey. It's a used Nikon Coolpix E990. I know it's been used to snap at least 590 photos because that's approximately the number of the last photo that I transfered to my PC. I think they started making them 6-years ago and they sold for something like $990. They have come down substantially since then. You can get one on eBay today for $100 to $200 depending on condition, if it's got a power adaptor, external flash, etc.

I ran into trouble with the Nikon software installation disc. It was so old that my WinXP OS did not "recognize it". I had to go to Nikon's website and download the software from there. But once that was done I immediately started snapping pics and transferring them via USB cable to my PC for cropping, resizing and viewing. I ran into another WinXP problem that is still unresolved. I think it concerns the folders that the photos are kept in and I will figure that out eventually. In the meantime, I have to occasionally re-install the Nikon image transfer program onto my PC.

At first I started using the macro mode to position the camera an inch above my subject, a new penny. The camera blocked so much light that I had to get out a bright halogen light that I had gotten last year to experiment with, but never used. Now it combined with my regular table lamp to illuminate the coin a little too much maybe, because there was ample glare produced by this lighting combo. Color was way off but the focus decent.

My second attempt was much better than the first try and I used the 990 to shoot down the tube of my microscope. I changed subjects to an Indian Head cent. And for lighting I turned off the table lamp and just used the one halogen light positioned 15" above the table top. As for settings, everything was on auto. I did not use any white balance or anything else other than auto settings. Here's my results:




The color was a little bright, so in my photo program I backed off on the brightness by 22 clicks and now the color is "dead-on"!

The focus is as good or better than my old Sony Cybershot, but still has the fuzziness up top of the coin as is caused by the microscope. That can be fixed, I just forget to tilt the Mike stand slightly. So far, the color is what impresses me most. I'll play around with it some more and post more photos as I take them.

If anyone has experience using the 990 and WinXp, let me know how you fare using the Nikon transfer program.

[wavysteps2003]

Murph - very nice shots, great detail and excellent color. That is the way to go.

Regards,
BJ

[murphy]

Thanks BJ. I just took a couple more to see what they would look like through the microscope. The '43S looks a little blue due to the halogen lamp. The '65 is one of the most lusterous coins that I have, but you only see a hint of it in the photo. They both have too much glare on the devices while the fields are too dark. (I'll have to work on that too.) I didn't alter these in any way:

[wavysteps2003]

Actually when I shoot a picture through the scope, I am using a reading light



It is using two very small halogen bulbs that run on small batteries. Of course the pictures come out blue tinted, but that is taken care of in the photo shop.



My main concern is the clarity of the picture with just secondary thoughts to the actual color and I am always trying to get rid of the hot spots. In the past month or so, I have gotten rid of most of the hot spots on my pictures by using this light, so I am happy with the results that I see.

Your pictures are very good Murph and you will develope your own style, everyone does. Good luck and good shooting.

BJ

[coop]

BJ: Is that one of the NEW Mighty Brites? I've seen them, but prefered the old one as I bump up the current from 6 volt to 12 volt and use a 14 Watt bulb through a cloudy stiff quarter tube held by a wire abd the stabd for the mighty bright. Works great on BU and Poof coins, a little dim yet on circulated Cents. If the light is Too bright I have an adjustable tranformer and can reduce the power to lower to other settings. But so far too bright hasn't been a problem. The 6 volt setup works alright with the 12 volt transformer, you just can't use the hood as it will melt from extra heat created. If you have a slight glare problem with your set up, try cutting a small piece of plastic grocery bag and attach it over the light (as long as isn't hot) to diffuse the light to get rid of glare.

[murphy]

Ok I took a few pics using the Macro Mode on this thing. The color is way off for the most part, but I just wanted to check out its Macro capabilities. Not sure if that first pic is Macro, but I know the others are.






Best results from the Macro mode came from backing off from the coins 4 or 5 inches and zooming in close.

[Bob P]

Very nice pics Murph. Seems like you are getting the features down pat pretty quickly. Keep up the great work.

=BOB=

[wavysteps2003]

Hey Coop - Actually it is a little portable book reading light with its own battery supply. The stand it is on is a self made one, using a duck decoy weight.

BJ

[rollmeupabe]

Murph, I have just one word for you - showoff ! Those are great pictures. I have a Nikon Coolpix 4500 and I also have a Canon digital camera. The Canon is supposed to take macro shots also but I can't get it to take pictures anywhere near as close as the Nikon. They definitely make a nice product for this hobby.

[murphy]

Thank you. This 990 is supposed to be able to shoot macro shots within .8" from the coin. I couldn't get it near that close! It simply would not focus. The AF(auto focus) will blink a green led until it is focused, then led stops blinking. Close shots would not focus! The led just kept on blinking indicating it wasn't focussed. I backed off 4 or 5 inches and hit the zoom. Bingo! Led blinks for a couple seconds then stops, it's focussed. Yes, Nikon makes a perty nice product for us coin buffs.

[Dick]

Boy, you sure know how to hurt a guy! Just kidding!! My brother has one like that. He shoots deer, birds, rattlesnakes, sidewinders, elk, anything that moves! Only problem is he doesn't reduce the photo so it can be emailed! I usually get it in installments!
Very nice toy! Wish mine could perform as well, sniff, sniff.
Coop, you're right! The closest I'll ever get to one of "them varmits" will be by walking by the store!
Dick

[Dick]

Murph, did you check the 1980 photo of ABE? I see a nice doubled ear lobe. Did you?
Dick

[Dick]

Murphy, I would suggest getting a second computer, nothing fancy, but fast, and with win98SE, AND a very large Hard drive, and USB2.0 or better, IF available, to use exclusively for photography. I walk that path, myself for the same reasons, and incompatibility with XP! I don't like XP, but I live with it.
Those photos are real beauties. Nice job!
Dick

[murphy]

Thanks Dick. Funny you should mention getting a new pc, I just built one. I gave my old pc to my son and I use my new one for everything I need to do such as email, gaming, listening/watching/burning cd's & dvd's, coin forums & related websites, edit and upload photography, upload eBay auctions with Turbo-Lister, keep track of my finances and just surfing the web. I've got the bugs worked out of it and it does a much better job than the old pc did. Both have WinXp (I love it!)The best part about building this new one is that it (and the camera) only cost me a few cents. Well, I may have one or two proof sets invested that I bought real cheap for a valuable coin inside, but I sold those and the cents that I got from searching through new 2005 and 2006 rolls. I found high quality examples as well as doubled dies, which I had graded and sold or else sold raw. My next project is to search thru cents and finance a new house with the procedes. (yeah, right!)

[Dick]

Murph, looks like we have a few thing in common! I build my own computers, too. I also have an old "dinasaur" flatbed scanner, (SCSI), and can't find any system boards with at least one 16 bit slot, so I can use it. An old PB, with lots of RAM. It is WIN98SE, and the rst, (5), all run XP. It has its afdvantages, and I like it, but, there are some peripherals that just don't want to "do their thing" with it, so I keep '98 handy. Two of them have both, XP, and 98SE. Three of them are networked together, and operate with broadband. I don't burn many cd's. Just what I want to keep, from MY Documents. Mostly photos, family, etcI don't listen to music. My hearing is so bad that I have a hard tine figuring what the wife says, even with hearing aids! Mostly in the normal comunication range, but, the areas above,, and below, especially below that range, I hear as well as anyone! That is what makes it so bad. I hear those "Boom Boxes', forty miles away! Too many hours in the Seaplanes, with the four bladed props. All in a lifetime, I guess.
Dick