I just bought a Nikon Coolpix 990 for phase contrast work on a microscope
in a tissue culture room in a remote location.  Our local Nikon dealer
(Fryer Company) sold us the attachments for the microscope and I bought a
little smart card reader for the computer from MacWarehouse for $89.  This
saves moving the camera around.  The Nikon dealer would have sold us the
whole lot as a package for about $1500.

The Coolpix has a couple of nice features for microscopy - a real-time
video output (I have a colour monitor set up for focusing), and the ability
to zoom the field using the camera itself.  I also bought an AC adapter for
it - batteries do not last too long!!   If you are interested in ultra-low
light levels then this is not the camera for you - but it's good for
routine screening of phase contrast images, and great for taking pictures
around the lab.  The zoom feature works well on a copy stand too.

Steve

Steve Paddock, Ph.D.,
Howard Hughes Medical Institute,
Dept. Molecular Biology,
Univ. Wisconsin,
Madison, WI 53706.
Tel: 608 262 7898 (lab.)
     608 242 7391 (home)
FAX: 608 262 9343