Nikon's New Coolpix 885

August 23, 2001 – Nikon today introduced the Coolpix 885, the newest digital camera in the Coolpix line to include a Transfer button on the camera for directly uploading digital to the desktop or the Internet. The Coolpix 885’s One-Touch Upload to the Web feature takes the guesswork out of digital photography for creating personalized photo albums online, adding special effects and e-mailing photos to friends and family. The camera features a 3-megapixel CCD, 3x Optical Zoom-Nikkor lens, and can be used with Nikon Telephoto, Wide-angle and Fisheye Converter Lenses. It also has a movie mode for capturing 40 seconds of 15 fps video. The Coolpix 885 features a 3.21 million effective pixels CCD and a new 3x Optical Zoom-Nikkor lens (8-24mm/38-114mm equivalent) to provide images with defined color, contrast and clarity. The new camera weighs only 7.9 ounces without battery and CompactFlash card.

Sharing digital photos, emailing friends and family, printing digital photos and creating online photo albums has never been easier. After pictures are taken, users connect the camera to a computer (with the included USB cable), press the “Transfer” button on the back of the camera, and photos can be automatically moved to the desktop or uploaded to NikonNet (www.nikonnet.com) through NikonView software. NikonView is included with the camera and can be easily installed on any compatible computer. Once photos are uploaded to NikonNet, the user can save the images, share them via e-mail or create online photo albums.

The Coolpix 885 has an Automatic mode for beginning photographers as well as 12 different Scene modes. Selected Scene modes in the camera include: Portrait; Party/Indoor; Night Portrait; Beach/Snow; Landscape; Night Landscape; Sunset; Fireworks; Close Up; Copy; Backlight and the new Museum mode which cancels the flash. To make sure the best shot was taken, users simply press the Quick Review button on the camera to display the image in ¼ of the LCD screen, so that users can still see and shoot the action taking place on the other side of the lens.

For the more advanced photographer, the camera comes with an automatic Noise Reduction mode for clean images taken at slower shutter speeds and versatile white balance settings and White Balance Bracketing. Additional advanced features on the Coolpix 885 include a Five-Area Multi Autofocus and a five-mode advanced built-in speedlight. The Coolpix 885 is compatible with Nikon Telephoto, Wideangle and Fisheye Converter Lenses as well as the Slide Copy Adapter (with optional Step Down Ring Lens Adapter UR-E4).

The Coolpix 885 digital camera includes NikonView 4 software, which gives users ultimate control of how they save, view, store and use their digital images. For added image creativity, the camera features an easy-to-use suite of software from ArcSoft. PhotoImpression 2000, is a fun manipulation package that allows users to edit, retouch or apply special effects to photos. ArcSoft VideoImpression lets users edit and share their QuickTime, MPG and AVI movies. PhotoPrinter Pro 2000 makes it possible to create prints easily, in varying sizes on one sheet of printer paper. The Coolpix 885 also offers ArcSoft Panorama Maker 2000, which lets users easily stitch together a number of images to automatically create beautiful panoramic photographs ready to print or e-mail. To organize and catalog all the pictures, the Coolpix 885 comes with Canto Cumulus 5.0 Trial and iView Media Pro – trial version (Macintosh only).

Complete with a 16MB Lexar Media CompactFlash card and a 2CR5 lithium battery, as well as a lens cap, wrist strap, USB and video cables, the Nikon 885 will be available in September 2001 for $599.95. www.nikonusa.com.