With the Coolpix 880, Nikon has taken the 3.3-megapixel CCD and many of the advanced features from its semiprofessional 990 model and put them into a traditional compact point-and-shoot design simple enough for anyone to use.
The Nikkor all-glass lens features a 2.5x optical zoom (equivalent to 38- 95mm on a 35mm camera) with a macro mode that focuses down to 1.6 inches. A 4x digital zoom further increases magnification at lower resolutions. Images are stored on a Type I CompactFlash card (8 MB card included). Maximum image resolution is 2,048 x 1,536 pixels, and an uncompressed TIFF mode is available (remember, however, that uncompressed images are so large that you'll need a bigger memory card to store even one full-resolution uncompressed image).
Though the camera defaults to full-auto point-and-shoot mode, it has a host of manual features for advanced photographers. In addition, Nikon has included 11 special modes in which the camera is automatically programmed with the appropriate settings for specific situations like sunsets, beaches, night portraits, and extreme close-ups. For example, switch the camera to its party/indoor setting, and it will slow down the shutter and use a slow-synch flash with red-eye reduction.
The 880 is Nikon's smallest digital camera, with overall dimensions of only 3.9 by 3 by 2.1 inches, and weighs only 9.7 ounces without a battery.
Power is provided by either a disposable 2CR5 lithium battery (included) or an optional rechargeable lithium-ion battery. For environmental and economic reasons, we strongly recommend getting the rechargeable battery kit for anything more than occasional use.
Image transfer is quick and easy with the included USB cable. If you have an older computer with only a serial port, the Coolpix 880 also supports serial image transfer (though you'll need to purchase the serial cable separately). The camera ships with an impressive software suite that includes Genuine Fractals 2.0 LE for file compression and scaling, Cumulus 5.0 demo for image management, and Great Photo! for image manipulation and correction.