Nikon gave us our first glimpse of the 775 behind closed doors at PMA 2001, it was announced a little later at the same time as the Coolpix 995. The ultra-compact 775 features a 3x optical zoom lens and a 2.1 megapixel CCD, its small proportions, plastic case and lightweight lithium battery makes it one of the lightest digital cameras on the market today, it tips the scales at just 230g (8 oz) fully loaded.
The Coolpix 775 joins the Coolpix 700, 800 and 880 as part of the more compact side of the Coolpix range. It's the first ultra-compact Coolpix, its small proportions and light weight put it in that category. Clearly aimed at the first time buyer or size conscious end of the market. With a street price of approximately $450 it's up against the likes of Canon's PowerShot A20, Olympus D-510Z and the new Kodak DX's.
The 775 is designed to be small, pocketable and extremely easy to use.. With a straightforward Auto mode and seven preprogrammed exposure modes which configure the camera for optimum use in different types of scene you don't need to be a shutterbug to use this camera. This means of course that there isn't the normal Coolpix wide range of manual options, although you can still control white balance (including a manual preset), exposure compensation and sharpening. The 775 also has a movie mode which is limited to 15 second clips without audio.