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Nikon Corporation is proud to introduce the new king of the hill in digital photography — the COOLPIX 990 Superhigh-Performance 3x Zoom Digital Camera.

Topping off the quality-laden COOLPIX digital compact camera lineup, the COOLPIX 990 is the new flagship model for “pro-sumers”, or professional and experienced amateur photographers.

The COOLPIX 990 carries forth the basic concepts of 1) Better Total Picture Quality, 2) Higher Speed and 3) Increased Ease of Use that characterise Nikon’s COOLPIX 950 (1999), while incorporating a wide variety of enhancements that make it stand out even from its very high-quality predecessors.

The COOLPIX 990 is a 3.34-megapixel powerhouse that’s packed with even more features than the COOLPIX cameras that came before it.

Incredible images are made possible by the new CCD, a newly designed 3x Zoom-Nikkor lens and advanced total digital image control. Add to this accelerated and simplified operation along with increased versatility and operability, and it’s easy to see that the COOLPIX 990 is one superhigh-quality, super-cool digital camera.

The COOLPIX 990 will appeal to users who demand high performance, such as silver-halide film SLR users and people with interest in mobile equipment. This camera has the quality to set the pace in the global consumer digital camera market.


Nikon COOLPIX 990 Major Features

Breathtaking Images
• 3.34-megapixel 1/1.8-in. CCD for ultrahigh-definition 2,048 x 1,536-pixel images
• Newly designed 3x Zoom-Nikkor lens with focal range of 8-24mm (equivalent to 38-115mm in 35mm [135] camera format); virtually stepless digital zoom up to 4x magnification (12x with optical zoom)
• Nikon’s new algorithm drastically enhances image quality
• Advanced total digital image control
• 256-segment Matrix Metering
• Matrix Auto White Balance
• 5-area Multi AF
• High-precision AF with 4,896 steps including macro range (shortest working distance of 2cm [0.8 in.])

Dazzling Speed
• Quick startup and approx. 0.1 sec. shutter release time lag
• Short exposure interval and fast data processing enable continuous shooting
• Overall high-speed operation from zooming and autofocus to data processing and transfer
• USB interface for data transfer at 2.5 sec. per full-size frame in Normal mode
• Movie mode enables reproduction of QVGA-size (320 x 240 pixels) images in QuickTime® file format for 40 sec. at approx. 15 fps.
• Ultra High-speed Continuous mode captures 80 QVGA-size (320 x 240 pixels) images at up to approx. 30 fps.

Effortless Operation and Expanded Versatility
• Slim, compact swivel design with light, tough molded magnesium (Mg) exterior
• Superb operability with ergonomic button layout, directional "Multi selector" and Command Dial
• Easy-to-see, 110,000-dot, low temp polysilicon TFT LCD screen
• Versatile exposure control with four exposure modes including Manual, Exposure Compensation and Auto Bracketing capabilities
• 7-blade iris diaphragm for expanded possibilities in image creation
• Advanced 5-mode built-in Speedlight
• Extended battery life of approx. 1.5 hrs. with four LR6 "AA"-size alkaline batteries
• Compatible with Telephoto (2x/3x), Wideangle and Fisheye Converters (optional)

Nikon COOLPIX 990 Specifications


 Type of camera Digital camera

 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 [35mm (135) format equivalent to 38-115mm]/F2.5~4 with macro; 9 elements in 8 groups; all elements are made of environment-friendly glass; Nikon Super Integrated Coating (SIC) applied; glass-molded aspherical lens element included

 Autofocus Contrast-detect TTL AF; 4,896-step autofocus control including macro range; 5-area Multi AF or Spot AF selectable

 Focus modes 1) Continuous AF mode (when using LCD monitor), 2) Single AF mode (when not using LCD monitor and/or selectable from shooting menu), 3) Manual [50 steps from 2cm (0.8 in.) to infinity () with Peaking indication]

 Shooting distance 30cm (11.8 in.) to infinity (); 2cm (0.8 in.) to infinity () in Macro mode

 Optical viewfinder Real-image zoom viewfinder; magnification: 0.4~1.1x; frame coverage: approx. 85%; diopter adjustment: -2~+1 DP; LED indication

 LCD monitor 1.8-in., 110,000-dot, low-temp. polysilicon TFT LCD; brightness/hue adjustment; frame coverage: approx. 97% (through/freeze image)

 Auto OFF mode 30 sec.; can be set manually (1/5/30 min.)

 Storage System: Digitally stored (uncompressed TIFF or compressed JPEG)
Media: CompactFlash™ (CF) Card

 Shooting modes Fully automatic ([A]-REC) mode; Custom ([M]-REC) mode (three combinations of mode settings can be memorized)

 Shooting menu 1) White balance, 2) Exposure metering, 3) Continuous, 4) Best-Shot Selector (BSS), 5) Converters, 6) Image Adjustment (Auto/Normal/More Contrast/Less Contrast/Lighten/Darken/Monochrome), 7) Image Sharpening 8) Digital zoom (stepless, up to 4x)

 Capture mode 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 charge-coupled electronic shutter; 8 to 1/1,000 sec. and Bulb

 Aperture 7-blade iris diaphragm; 3 EV range in 1/3 EV steps

 Exposure control 1) Programmed Auto with Flexible Program, 2) Shutter-Priority Auto, 3) Aperture-Priority Auto, 4) Manual; Exposure Compensation (±2 EV in 1/3 EV steps); Auto Bracketing (5 steps within ±2/3 EV)

 Exposure range EV -2~+15.5 (W), EV -0.8~+16.7 (T) (ISO 100 equivalent)

 Sensitivity ISO 100 equivalent; dEf, 100, 200, 400, Auto; can be controlled in any exposure mode

 White balance 1) Matrix Auto White Balance with TTL control, 2) 5-mode Manual with fine tuning (Fine/Incandescent/Fluorescent/Cloudy/Speedlight), 3) Preset

 Self-timer 10 sec. or 3 sec. duration

 Built-in Speedlight Guide number: 9/30 (at ISO 100, m/ft.)
Flash control: sensor flash system
Flash modes: 1) Auto Flash, 2) Flash Cancel, 3) Anytime Flash, 4) Slow Sync, 5) Red-Eye Reduction

 External Speedlight Multi-flash sync terminal connects to external Nikon Speedlight SB-28/28DX/26/25/24/22s through the Multi-Flash Bracket Unit SK-E900; built-in Speedlight can be canceled when using external Speedlight(s)

 Playback menu 1) 1 frame, 2) Thumbnail (4/9 segments), 3) Slide show, 4) Zoom playback (stepless up to 3x); Histogram indication & highlight point display; Peaking indication; Hide and protect attributes can be set to each image

 Delete function Deletes all frames or selected frames

 Interface USB interface or Serial interface (Windows®: 115kbps, Macintosh®: 230kbps)

 Video output NTSC or PAL (selectable)

 I/O terminal Power input; Video output; Digital output terminal (USB/Serial); Sync terminal for external Speedlight

 Power requirements 4 x 1.5V LR6 [alkaline "AA"-size (L40)] batteries; 1.5V FR6 lithium, 1.2V Ni-MH or 1.2V NiCd "AA"-size batteries can also be used; AC adapter (optional)

 Battery life Approx. 1.5 hrs. when using LCD monitor and four 1.5V LR6 [alkaline "AA"-size (L40)] batteries at normal temperature (20°C/68°F)

 Dimensions (W x H x D) Approx. 149 x 79 x 38mm (5.9 x 3.1 x 1.5 in.)

 Weight (without battery) Approx. 370g (13.1 oz.)

 Accessories included* Lens cap, Neck strap, Video cable, 8MB CompactFlash™ Card, USB cable, four 1.5V LR6 [alkaline "AA"-size (L40)] batteries, NikonView Ver. 3 CD-ROM, Photoshop® 5.0LE CD-ROM

 Optional accessories Soft Case CS-E990, AC Adapter EH-31, CompactFlashTM Cards, PC Card Adapter EC-AD1, Serial Cables (SC-EW3 for Windows® and SC-EM3 for Macintosh®), Telephoto Converter, Wideangle Converter, Fisheye Converter, Slide Copy Adapter ES-E28, Multi-Flash Bracket Unit SK-E900

*Standard accessories may differ in each country or area.

In addition to Nikon’s EC-CF series, the E990 may be used with the following CompactFlash™ Cards: SanDisk Corporation’s SDC-FB4/8/15/30/40/48/64/96 and Lexar Media Corporation’s 4X (8MB).
For more details, please contact the respective company.

Microsoft® and Windows® are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Macintosh® and QuickTime® are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Apple Computer Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
CompactFlash™ is a trademark of SanDisk Corporation.
Products and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Specifications and equipment are subject to change without any notice or obligation on the part of the manufacturer. January 2000