Nikon 800, 700, 900, 950 User Manual

iPIX Photography with
Nikon Digital Cameras

Coolpix 700, 800, 900, and 950 models

DOC- NIKL- R1

NTERNET PICTURES CORPORATION

I

CORPORATE

Oak Ridge, TN
World Headquarters

Internet Pictures Corporation
1009 Commerce Park Drive

Suite 400
Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA

1-888-909-iPIX
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Customer Service: 888-425-0098
Technical Support: 888-425-0048
Sales: 800-336-7113
Web site: http://www.ipix.com

San Ramon, CA
Co-Headquarters

Internet Pictures Corporation
3160 Crow Canyon Rd., 4th Floor
San Ramon, CA 94583
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Web site: http://www.ipix.com

SALES OFFICES

Oak Ridge, TN

Internet Pictures Corporation
1009 Commerce Park Drive

Suite 400
Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA

Phone: [phone]-iPIX
[phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Web site: http://www.ipix.com

United Kingdom/Europe

Internet Pictures UK LTD.
22 Welbeck Street
London W1G 8EG
United Kingdom
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Web site: http://www.ipix-eu.com

San Ramon, CA

Internet Pictures Corporation
3160 Crow Canyon Rd., 4th Floor
San Ramon, CA 94583
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Web site: http://www.ipix.com

SUPPORT OFFICES

Oak Ridge, TN

Internet Pictures Corporation
1009 Commerce Park Drive

Suite 400
Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA

Technical Support: 888-425-0048
Customer Service: 888-425-0098
Fax: [phone]
Email:
[e-mail]
Web site: http://www.ipix.com

United Kingdom/Europe

Internet Pictures UK LTD.
22 Welbeck Street
London W1G 8EG
United Kingdom
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Customer and Technical Support:
[e-mail]

Email: [e-mail]
Web site: http://www.ipix-eu.com

EGAL

L

Copyright ©2000-2001 Internet Pictures Corporation. All rights
reserved. iPIX image, PhotoBubble, iPIX Real Estate Virtual Tour
Wizard software, iPIX Wizard software, iPIX MyPhotoBubble
software, iPIX® Builder software, iPIX TV-Studio software, iPIX
WebCam software, and iPIX I-Linker software are trademarks of
Internet Pictures Corporation.

iPIX images are a means of viewing a totally immersive, unbounded
image created from two fisheye photographs. Based on the following
U.S. Patents RE 36,207; 5,384,588; 5,764,276; 5,877,801; and
5,903,319 (others pending).

Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer Inc.

Acrobat and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems
Incorporated.

Java is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Microsoft, Windows, and Internet Explorer are registered trademarks
of Microsoft Corporation.

Netscape is a registered trademark of Netscape Communications
Corporation.

This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG
Group. Portions of the imaging technology of this product are
copyrighted by Accusoft Corporation. Other product and brand names
may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners

This manual was last modified on February 11, 2002. DOC-NIKL-R1.

N

OTICE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 • Welcome to iPIX® Imaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Supported Camera Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

The iPIX Picture-taking Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Minimum Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2 • Installing Your Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 1: Install iPIX Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 2: Install Adobe Acrobat Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

3 • Preparing for Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Photography Preparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Assembling Your iPIX Camera Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

4 • Setting up Your Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Nikon Coolpix 700. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Nikon Coolpix 800. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Nikon Coolpix 900. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Nikon Coolpix 950. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

5 • Taking Your Pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Photography Tips for iPIX Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Step 1: Set the Auto Exposure Lock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Step 2: Set the White Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

iPIX® Photography with Nikon Digital Cameras

i

Step 3: Take the First Picture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Step 4: Take the Second Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Step 5: Finish Your Photo Session. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

6 • Downloading Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Option 1: Serial or USB Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Option 2: PCMCIA Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Option 3: USB Card Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Option 4: Parallel Port Card Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

ii

iPIX® Photography with Nikon Digital Cameras

.

Welcome to iPIX® Imaging

Thank you for your purchase of an iPIX® Camera Kit featuring the Nikon
Coolpix digital camera. With your kit, you can shoot and build immersive
iPIX images in a matter of minutes. iPIX images enable you to “step
inside” an environment—exploring up, down, and all around. It is a solu­tion that has proven valuable for many markets, including real estate,
travel, publishing, education, training, and journalism.

This book describes the steps to set up your equipment, establish settings
on your camera to optimize it for iPIX photography, and download your
images to your computer.

Two of the most important camera kit components are the fisheye lens and
rotator. The fisheye lens attaches to your camera and broadens the field of
view (FOV) of your camera’s fixed lens. The rotator lets you turn your

camera exactly 180°—capturing one 180° picture, or “hemisphere.” Two

hemispheres are used to create an iPIX image.

1

. . . .

The Fisheye Lens

attaches to the

camera’s fixed lens.

The Rotator attaches

to the camera base

and the tripod.

The fisheye lens and rotator attach to the camera. The rotators are customized for each

camera model.

iPIX® Photography with Nikon Digital Cameras

1

1 - WELCOME TO IPIX® IMAGING

Supported Camera Models

Supported Camera Models

iPIX photography supports eight Nikon Coolpix digital camera models,
including the 700, 800, 880, 885, 900, 950, 990, and 995. This photogra­phy guide covers the Coolpix 700, 800, 900, and 950 models. Contact
Internet Pictures on the World Wide Web at http://www.ipix.com for
guides for camera models not listed here.

The iPIX Picture-taking Process

This iPIX Photography guide explains how to set up your camera and take
pictures for iPIX image creation. The picture taking process is illustrated
below.

1. Select a location and place the camera close to an area of interest.

2. Take the first picture using the settings outlined in this Guide.

3. Rotate the camera 180°.

4. Take the second picture.

5. Download the images to your computer.

iPIX® Photography with Nikon Digital Cameras

2

Sel ect a loca t ion

Downloa d

images

Take the

first pi ctur e

Rot at e the

cam era

Take the

second pictur e

Minimum Requirements

The minimum system requirements will depend upon the software you
purchased. Your iPIX software manual contains complete details.

Personal Computer Requirements

To use this kit and all included software
with your personal computer, you will need:

• One free serial port, USB port, or a
PCMCIA Type II card slot.

• Microsoft Windows 95, 98, 2000, ME,
XP, or Windows NT 4.0 or later.

• Quad-speed or faster CD-ROM drive.

• Pentium 133 MHZ or faster processor (166 MHz or faster recom­mended).

• 32 MB RAM (64 MB recommended).

• 75 MB or more free hard disk space.

• Video display capable of 800 x 600 pixels or higher with 256 colors
(65,535 colors or higher recommended).

1 - WELCOME TO IPIX® IMAGING

Minimum Requirements

iPIX® Photography with Nikon Digital Cameras

3

1 - WELCOME TO IPIX® IMAGING

Technical Support

Macintosh Computer Requirements

To use this kit and all included software with
your Macintosh computer, you will need:

• One free serial port on your computer,
USB port, or a PCMCIA Type II card slot

To use the USB connectivity option, System 8.6
or later must be installed on your computer.

• System 8.1 with Appearance Manager
installed, System 8.6 or later recom­mended.

• QuickTime 4.0 or later installed.

• Quad-speed or faster CD-ROM drive.

• PowerPC 603e 180 Mhz or faster processor.

• 64 MB of physical RAM.

• 60 MB of free hard disk space.

• Video display capable of 640 x 480 pixels or higher with 256 colors
(thousands of colors or better recommended).

Technical Support

Technical support is available for assistance with any iPIX product by vis­iting Internet Pictures Corporation’s Web site located at
http://www.ipix.com/support/support.shtml or by calling toll-free (888)
425-0048.

iPIX® Photography with Nikon Digital Cameras

4

.

Installing Your Software

Your iPIX® Camera Kit includes three or more CD-ROMs: iPIX Software,
Nikon Coolpix Reference Manuals, and Nikon View software, depending
upon your camera model.

• iPIX Software. Your iPIX software creates interactive, spherical
images by aligning and seaming, two opposing hemispheres taken
with a fisheye lens-equipped digital camera.

• iPIX Viewer Software. The iPIX CD includes the iPIX Viewer, a
standalone application for viewing iPIX images. The Viewer software
also comes with Internet browser plug-ins for Netscape Navigator/
Communicator, and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

• Nikon Reference Manuals CD. The Nikon Reference CD contains elec-
tronic versions of the available camera documentation. This CD also
contains the installation program for Adobe Acrobat Reader. Adobe
Acrobat Reader allows you to view, navigate, and print PDF files.

• Nikon View. The Nikon View software allows your computer and the
Nikon Coolpix camera to communicate. The Nikon View software also
lets you view the images on your camera and download them to your
hard drive.

2

. . . .

iPIX® Photography with Nikon Digital Cameras

5

2 - INSTALLING YOUR SOFTWARE

Step 1: Install iPIX Software

Step 1: Install iPIX Software

The iPIX Viewer and iPIX Plug-ins are installed during this process. The
exact steps may vary. Please refer to your iPIX User Manual for detailed
instructions.

Windows Installation

This procedure will walk you through installing the iPIX software on your
computer.

1. Insert the iPIX CD into your CD-ROM drive. The Setup program

should start automatically.

If the program does not start, click on the Start button on the Windows
Task Bar. Select Run. Type D:\setup.exe (where D: is the letter of your CD­ROM drive) and press the Enter key on your keyboard.

2. Select the iPIX software you wish to install.

3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Macintosh Installation

This procedure will install the iPIX software on your computer.

iPIX software on the Macintosh requires the Appearance Manager and
QuickTime. If you do not have these items on your computer, the
Installation program will automatically install them. After the installation
is completed, you may need to restart your computer.

1. Close any open applications and insert the iPIX CD into your CD-

2. Double-click the iPIX icon when it appears on the desktop, then open

3. Select the iPIX software you wish to install.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions.

iPIX® Photography with Nikon Digital Cameras

6

ROM drive.

the Setup icon.

Step 2: Install Adobe Acrobat Reader

Adobe Acrobat Reader software is used to read the electronic copy of the
software manual included with your iPIX software. This step is optional.

Windows Installation

1. Turn on your computer and place the iPIX CD in your CD-ROM

drive. The setup screen should start automatically.

2. Select the Install Acrobat Reader option.

3. Follow the on-screen directions.

Macintosh Installation

1. Turn on your computer and place the iPIX CD into your CD-ROM

drive.

2. Double-click on the iPIX CD icon when it appears on your desktop.

3. Double-click on the Setup icon to start the setup screen.

2 - INSTALLING YOUR SOFTWARE

Step 2: Install Adobe Acrobat Reader

4. Select the Install Acrobat Reader option to begin.

5. Follow the on-screen directions.

iPIX® Photography with Nikon Digital Cameras

7

2 - INSTALLING YOUR SOFTWARE

Step 2: Install Adobe Acrobat Reader

iPIX® Photography with Nikon Digital Cameras

8