I'm looking at buying a digital camera and I am down to these two. The only negative I have heard on the olympus is price, since its cheaper than the Nikon thats a moot point. I have heard negative things about tech support from Nikon and also about their software.

I have some doubts about the durability of the of the Nikon with the pivot as well. Seems abit gimmicky and a weak point on the camera physically. Ultimately I want to get the best pics for the dollar, what would you recommend?

Thanks

-- Malcolm Obrien (malsnake@uswest.net), March 02, 1999

Answers

You sure you don't mean the Oly 2000 and not the Oly 400? They made the swivel on the nikon 950 stronger than the one on the 900.

Between the 950 and 2000 we're all waiting for pics from final production version of the cameras. Both look pretty bitchin'

-- Benoit (foo@bar.com), March 02, 1999.

Comparing these 2 cameras is like apples and oranges, don't you think? I mean, the Oly is a megapixel, while the Nikon is a 2 megapixel. The Nikon pic quality is probably going to be much more superior. You might consider the Nikon 900s if it's still around. That and the Oly 400 are more similar. Personally, I think the Nikon is better.

-- Alex Man (alex@fluevog.com), March 02, 1999.

I bought a Nikon 900s two months ago (maybe the last one on the market. It had come down to pretty much the 900s and Olympus D400Z when I saw a review of digital cameras in PC Magazine (I think Jan. 19, 1999) which you may still be able to find on their web site. The Magazine consensus was that the images on the Olympus were not that great. The Nikon, on the other hand, was rated number 1 for image quality. It appears that the 950 will be significantly better. I've been very happy with the 900s and would think there's no comparison between that camera and the Olympus. I would upgrade if I could find a way to unload my 900, even though I'm very happy with it.

-- Richard Hartzman (Rhartzman@aol.com), March 03, 1999.

I purchased a CP900 just before the CP900s came out. I will respond to your concerns about the CP900's pivot. Don't worry about it being a weak point. Mine has been dropped twice and only dented the corner. As for the pivot being gimmicky, I don't think you will believe so after using one for a day or two. I find it a very useful convenience. Overall the CP900 is a great camera. I just wish it had a cable release like the CP900s.

-- Bob Benson (benson@gbasin.com), March 05, 1999.

This should keep you confused. I personally like the Oly400. I purchased one three months ago and it is more than I expected. Im not into swivel head cameras, I wanted something that took great pictures, was convenient to carry, and easy to get the picks on my PC. Oly400 is all of that and more. I did about three months research before I decided to buy. This may not be the camera for you but dont go by that PC magazine review, it was not a true test of the cameras. Check out the review here and also on meagpixel.net Tom

-- Thomas Colsher (twc50@prodigy.net), March 06, 1999.

I was looking at the same two cameras (among among a few others), and ended up pre-ordering the Nikon. The most significant factor for me was the vastly greater user control offered by the Nikon (i.e., shutter & aperture priority, long exposure, adjustable ISO, etc.). Other factors include the 950's rapid shooting (important) and macro capability, swivel lens, cool interface, and threaded lens.

As far as picture quality goes, I expect that the 950s will be better, but not tremendously so. If manual features were equal I would have saved some money and purchased the 400z. I also prefer its smaller size.

-- Adam Trachtenberg (adamtracht@earthlink.net), March 08, 1999.