[David Turner]

Hello

I am both new to this forum and to digiscoping which I want to take up. All the research I have done indicates the Nikon 995 is the camera to have (available around £300-£350 on e-bay). Can anyone advise me which is the better camera between the 995 and 4500 or is there nothing in it? I also have a Fuji S602 which does not seem to work too well with my Swarov scope but is excellent for other purposes. I am therefore only looking for a dedicated digiscoping camera.

Regards, David

[Ashley beolens]

Hello and welcom to BF.

From all the questions I have asked, and all the reviews I have read I would say that the cp4500 is slightly better although Im not sure if its £100-200 better, in saying that I have just bought one (awaiting delivery) there is a thread that gives the best deals so far. I would recomend checking out Andy Brights website, if you haven't already. and reading through the other threads on Nikon cameras, I think most of us on here are lead by what Andy and a few others have said in them.

[Andy Bright]

From personal experience and from the results/comments from other digiscopers, the cp995 is very slightly inferior to it's predecessor the cp990, and it's sucessor the cp4500... this is strictly from an image quality viewpoint rather than ease of use and functionality for digiscoping (though all the camera's have their plus-points).

CP990 is still reckoned to be the camera that gives the sharpest images, only a 3x lens but it's rated at f2.5 at the wide end (f4 at 3x) so will let in slightly more light and give fractionally faster shutter-speeds given the same scene/lighting as the cp995/4500. Magnesium alloy body throughout, uses AA batteries (which can give more life than Li-ion's) and that can be purchased anywhere. Anything above ISO100 is noisy!

CP995 is similar but has a semi alloy body, uses Li-ion rechargeable batteries and has a 4x lens. f2.6 at wide end (f5.1 at 4x) Improved ISO200+ is less noisy.

CP4500 gives a 4mp image, so enables slightly larger prints than the 3mp cameras without showing problems. Extra resolution enables more scope for cropping the image (to enlarge the subject) and leaving enough pixels left for a decent print. Smaller and lighter in weight than previous Nikon 9** cameras. Monitor is smaller (which may be a problem for some) but it's a higher quality monitor than cp990/995. Same lens as the cp995, higher ISO settings still good. All Magnesium alloy body again.

To be honest, I don't think there is much between all three cameras... buying the cheapest may be the smart move.

Regards,
Andy Bright... who uses the cp4500, but won't sell my cp990 for love nor money.