Gordon Laing of Cameralabs has an early Christmas gift for vintage digital camera enthusiasts, a brand-new Retro Review. Continuing Laing’s current Nikon kick, the latest retro camera to go under the microscope is the Nikon Coolpix 990.
“Welcome vintage camera lovers, and travel back with me to the Year 2000 where you find yourself shopping for a digital camera built for the new millennium,” Laing writes. He reviewed this camera when it was new back for Personal Computer World magazine, calling the Nikon Coolpix 990 the best choice for people with £850 to spend on a high-end digital camera. Jumping ahead a quarter of a century, does Laing still feel the same way?
One thing that has undoubtedly changed in the more than two decades since is the Coolpix 990’s price tag. Although it was over $1,000 in 2000 — which is nearly $2,000 in today’s dollars — Laing grabbed the retro 3.3-megapixel camera for around $40. In the fast-paced world of digital photography, cameras rarely hold their value, and the Coolpix 990 is no exception.
At first glance, the Coolpix 990 looks a lot like the Coolpix 950 Laing reviewed in October 2022, but upon closer inspection, there are notable changes. The 990 has more pronounced shapes and repositioned ports. In fact, the Coolpix 990 was Nikon’s first camera to include a USB port. However, “before you get too excited,” it used a proprietary connector, which required a special Nikon-supplied cable.
The 990 also features improved ergonomics and controls, plus a new imaging pipeline. The camera sports a “new” 3.34-megapixel Type 1/1.8 CCD sensor, which later found its way into competing cameras from Canon and Sony. Paired with the novel sensor is a new 38-115mm equivalent f/2.5-4 lens. This lens can also focus very close, as Laing shows in the sample image below.
Beyond these new features, the Coolpix 990 was Nikon’s first camera to include a video mode. In 2000, this was a wild feature. Unsurprisingly, it was also constrained. The camera records up to 40 seconds of 320×240 video at a sluggish 15 frames per second. It’s a far cry from the 8K/60P RAW video recording in Nikon’s current flagship Z9 camera. How far the industry has come.
The Nikon Coolpix 990 is a slick retro camera with some fun features. 25 years after it launched, it is easy to find, cheap to buy, and simple to use.
Gordon’s complete thoughts on the Nikon Coolpix 990 and many more sample photos are available in his written review plus in the video above. More of Laing’s Retro Review videos are available on his YouTube channel, Dino Bytes by Gordon Laing.
Image credits: All images by Gordon Laing / Cameralabs
