I always wanted one of these.

This camera came out about the time I bought my first digicam, a Canon Powershot S100. I couldn’t justify the cost back then, as I was still shooting mostly film.

I was impressed by the swiveling body – it was a way to take selfies before camera phones and cameras with rotating screens. Full PSAM (Program, Shutter, Aperture, Manual) controls meant I could shoot and maintain the same level of control as I’d get with my film camera of choice, a Canon AE-1 Program. The Coolpix series cameras have a threaded len mount, meaning you could add a wide angle lens, telephoto lens, neutral density filter or polarizer. a 3.34 megapixel CMOS sensor gives it that retro digicam look that photographers are looking for these days. The chunky body and rubberized accents give a positive grip. The tiny little viewscreen takes a bit of getting used to.

The Coolpix 995’s macro mode and manual focus gives the camera more of a film camera feel.

What sold me on the camera is having a proper optical viewfinder with a diopter adjustment. Instead of composing a picture looking at a small viewscreen, I can look through a bright optical viewfinder – and with the diopter adjustment I can shoot without glasses. Shooting through a viewfinder is a pleasant experience – I can concentrate on composition, light, and feel much more instinctually.

Shooting with the 995 brings comments from people on the street, shooting with one is akin to wearing a film camera around your neck. One oddity of the camera is that the auto-focus continually adjusts, even when not shooting. It results in an audible chattering noise as the stepper motor adjusts the focus. I found a way to turn it off, but it resets when the batteries die.

This was my creative shooter of choice, until I found its successor, the Nikon Coolpix 4500, for a similar price.  It uses the same filter threads and same batteries as the 995, but has a metal body and is smaller and lighter.

 

 

Specifications
Body type	Compact
Sensor
Max resolution	2048 x 1536
Other resolutions	1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480
Image ratio w:h	4:3
Effective pixels	3 megapixels
Sensor photo detectors	3 megapixels
Sensor size	1/1.8″ (7.144 x 5.358 mm)
Sensor type	CCD
Image
ISO	Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800
White balance presets	5
Custom white balance	Yes
Image stabilization	No
Uncompressed format	TIFF
JPEG quality levels	Hi, Fine, Normal, Basic
Optics & Focus
Focal length (equiv.)	38–152 mm
Optical zoom	4×
Maximum aperture	F2.6–10
Autofocus	Contrast Detect (sensor) Single Continuous Live View
Digital zoom	Yes (1.2x – 4x in 0.2x steps)
Manual focus	Yes (50 positions)
Normal focus range	30 cm (11.81?)
Macro focus range	2 cm (0.79?)
Screen / viewfinder
Screen size	1.8?
Screen dots	112,000
Touch screen	No
Live view	Yes
Viewfinder type	Optical (tunnel)
Photography features
Minimum shutter speed	8 sec
Maximum shutter speed	1/2300 sec
Aperture priority	Yes
Shutter priority	Yes
Built-in flash	Yes (pop-up)
Flash range	7.00 m
External flash	Yes (Nikon Speedlight sync terminal)
Flash modes	Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow, Off
Self-timer	Yes (3 or 10 sec)
Exposure compensation	±2 (at 1/3 EV steps)
Videography features
Resolutions	40 sec 15 fps
Storage
Storage types	Compact Flash (Type I or II)
Storage included	16 MB CompactFlash
Connectivity
USB	USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec)
HDMI	No
Remote control	Yes (Wire(Optional))
Physical
Environmentally sealed	No
Battery	Battery Pack
Battery description	Nikon EN-EL1 Lithium-Ion & charger included
Weight (inc. batteries)	420 g (0.93 lb / 14.82 oz)
Dimensions	138 x 82 x 40 mm (5.43 x 3.23 x 1.57?)
Other features
Orientation sensor	No
Timelapse recording	No