I love my new Coolpix 4500!

I feel privileged to be one of the first 'kids' on my block to get a new Coolpix 4500 digital camera. I wont bore you with the specifications....there are plenty of good site with lots of the juicy details...try this link for the ultimate review of this new camera:

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/nikoncp4500/

This camera is a pure joy. As soon as i got it i had to go out and get some more fun gadgets for it. So i have since added the WC-E63 wide angle lens and the 'too much fun' fisheye lens FC-E8. This are great add-ons to the Coolpix arsenal. The wide angle lens offers x0.63 zoom and the fisheye takes this even further to x0.21 [ultra-wide].

The base price of $699 includes a charger and a li-ion battery. I have since added a second battery. Most times this is plenty of battery power to get through a days work.
The camera will also take more traditional 2CR5 batteries if your get stuck away from your charger and need some power.

I also added the filter set #5363 of 4 filters which offer some nice versatility to the lighting effects. I purchased an AC Adapter EH-52 as well to use when i had access to electric outlet.

My next order will be for the Remote Cord MC-EU1 which will come in handy for how i shoot.

Some other cool add-ons to consider are the LCD Lens Hood for dealing with sunny days glaring out your LCD and the Ultra-Cool Coollight SL-1 designed for direct lighting of those tight macro shots.

The Coolpix 4500 also offers 35 second video clips with sound. The only complaint in this area is that the video is output in .mov file format = quicktime.....not one of my favorite things to deal with. I prefer simple .avi. But there is plenty of third party software to convert from .mov file type. Another cool feature is the video/audio ports that allow you to connect to a TV for 'live' view.

Image upload of .jpg files is a snap with the included USB cable.

What are you waiting for? Get the Coolpix party started!
Beware of prices under the $699 nikon set price...
At least for the next several months [as of jul 2002]