Rating: 
Summary: Great camera, but be prepared
Review: I've been taking and developing pictures for nearly 50 years. The Coolpix 950 is my second digital. It's truly one of the greats with plenty of creative features. The macros are impressive, with distances less than an inch. The Coolpix requires lots of time understanding the many buttons, wheels and software driven features. It seems to me that the Nikon computer people and their mechanical people could have made it easier for the user. The available user instructions from Nikon, including their CD ROM versions, could have been much better designed, even for old photography buffs. Their technical service phone number is a toll call and I got busy signals THREE times even after I connected with their menu-driven answering machine. Their website tech help is very good, but not if you are in a hurry. The camera is a major user of power so you will need long lasting batteries like NiMH. I bought a rechargable ProPower Pack from Unity Digital for $100 that lasts a considerable time. I'd rate the camera itself a 5-star and the support and user help a 3-star, for an average of 4-stars.
Rating:
Summary: GOOD: Image quality. BAD: No USB, distortion at wide angle.
Review: I own the 950 since the first days when it was launched. Since it is a product with many reviews, I will perhaps focus on a few positive and negative aspects I have found over this time.For positive, well, overall image quality is very good, colors are very balanced and not artificially saturated for that extra good look. I found myself doing some level adjustment sometimes, you will still need your Photoshop, but in any case, even with high-end professional models, you are likely to end up doing some digital darkroom work. The 2.11 CCD is quite good and enough to print excellent photo-quality A4 (I'm in Europe, that's about the area of a 17" monitor) prints that people will mistake for normal photos (matched with a good printer of course). The firmware is very effective, but a few features have been improved in the 990, which I have used too. The swivel design ends up being VERY useful. Trust me, you will notice the difference sometimes when a normal camera wouldn't work as good. My favorite aspect has to be the absolutely AMAZING macro mode. The 950 can focus sharply at a ridiculously small distance from the subject. This thing is almost a microscope. Yes, it can be tricky to adjust lightning in those cases, but the ability to focus so well at such distances really impressed me when this model came out. So to keep it short, I'm happy when it comes to overall image quality, color accuracy, and features the main problems with this model are: -Considerable barrel distortion at wide angle. If you do a lot of architectural photos or are just unlucky and pick a tricky shot (like a door for instance) at the edges of the screen, at wide angle, well, it is way too obvious sometimes. Few digital cameras offer high-quality lens that are completely (almost) barrel distortion free, but I can't help looking at some cheap digicams using Zeiss lenses and feeling that the Coolpix deserved better. At Tele, the problem is a lot less obvious, but on wide, expect some of your lines to be more like,well...splines. -No USB interface, no Firewire, no nothing besides the plain' old serial interface. Ever tried transferring 48MB at 115k? Well, let's just say that it reminds me the days when I used analog modems. A lot of patience is required. Again, this could and should have been released with USB support (which was widely available at the time). -Big body. The camera is a big big, not cigarrete-packet size like some Canon's and other models, so, that might end up meaning that you'll take it with you less often. -Some chromatic distortion (purple edges, etc) under certain conditions. -Forget about using Alkalines they will last 10 minutes. Go for NiMh 1600 rechargeables. The 8MB default card will only hold about 10 photos at maximum resolution, or 1 if you don't want lossy compression. 48 MB or 64 MB cards are essential. -Panel isn't always visible under bright sunlight (newer firmware revisions have addressed this issue, but it's still tricky sometimes) -First versions of NikonView were incredibly , to the point of the user not being able to recover transferred photos after a connection failure (that meant that aborted transfers at 90% of the card when you're using a slow serial protocol meant starting all over, quite fun). Don't worry, NikonView is now a lot more solid and, but I did suffer with the first versions. Overall, a very good camera that can give you very good photos (and that means printed photos). Also, keep in mind that the final price ends up rising, since you're likely to need at least the following accessories: A Bigger CompactFlash card (48 MB or 64 MB), At least 4 NiMh 1600 batteries + a charger, and a decent case With Zeiss lens instead of the Nikkor 7-21mm used and USB interface, this could still be the best 2.11 on the market. Because of these details, and since I paid full retail $ when it came out, I'm keeping a star to myself...
Rating: 
Summary: Great camera
Review: I am taking picture 3,901 and have never had a problem, other than trying to remember how to use the endless settings in the m mode. I just downloaded bios update to 1.3 and had no problem. Of course, I carefully followed all the directions. I had been at 1.2.
Rating:
Summary: A little more info to add to my other review
Review: Here is some more useful information that I forgot to include with my other review on the 950 Coolpix.
1. $100 REBATE !
Nikon is offering a $100 rebate if you buy a Coolpix 950 from April 1, 2000 thru June 30, 2000.
2. I have played with the camera alot lately and it is truly like 'falling in love'! The rotating body that 'breaks' in half is very helpful that you can hold the camera at any angle and still get a great shot!
3. Please be sure to get you some NiMH (nickle metal hydride) batteries and a charger! They last a LOT longer and cost a LOT less than regular 'throw aways'.
4. This camera is not cheap. If for some reason you just can't afford this digital camera, I have experience with Kodak digitals. You can grab you a Kodak DC215 for under $300 and it makes a GREAT cam!
5. If you want excellent printouts from your digital camera, get yourself an HP printer (model 700 or higher). I have owned Canon, Epson, and HP. For doing digital pics, go with HP!
6. Thanks!
Rating:
Summary: A GREAT Camera For Professionals
Review: Wow, what a difference. I currently sell items [online], and I've been using a HP C200 Digital Camera for the past year to take pictures of items that I was selling. It got the job done, but when it came to detailed shots and close ups, it just didn't cut it. I just received my Nikon Coolpix 950 and it's amazing. Excellent detail at 1600x1200 resolution. The close up shots (Macro Shots) are amazing. I'm extremely satisfied with this camera. If your a near power seller eBayer like myself, and you have the money, invest it into this camera. It's really worth it. I did my homework, and this camera gets you the best bang for your buck. The CP800 and CP880 are good, but they are slightly worse than this model, and they require non-AA batteries, which are very expensive (so are the rechargeable ones and the charger). The Coolpix 990 is slightly better than this model (it takes slightly better pictures and it boasts a higher resolution), but if you don't have the money, this model is worth it. The Coolpix 950 and the Coolpix 990 are the best two digital camera's that you can buy for under [$]. If you want to go up another level, you need to be ready to shovel out over $3000.00 for camera's like the Nikon D1. For accessories, get a USB CompactFlash Card reader, an A/C Adaptor, and two sets of rechargeable batteries. I recommend a tripod as well, a small one especially for Macro shots. Overall, this is a very good camera. The Coolpix 990 has better resolution, better picture quality, and its design is better, but if you don't have the extra money, the Coolpix 950 is simply the best you can get.
Rating:
Summary: best high-quality digital camera
Review: This is a feature packed camera that takes near-professional quality images, probably the best of all digital cameras. The manual mode allows you to adjust exposure, aperture, focus settings, etc. just like a SLR camera. I especially like the swiveling lens that pivots a full 180 degrees -- it allows you to take photos easily at any angle. It's great for taking pictures of yourself with friends without getting someone else to take it for you: just swing the lens around and hold out your arm and you could see yourself in the LCD screen. Some must-have accesories for this camera: 1. Two sets of rechargable batteries and charger. This camera uses a lot of juice. 2. A wide angle lens. Makes it easier to take photos of yourself. 3. At least a 32meg flash card. The 8meg card that comes with it doesn't hold a lot. Some negative points: 1. It's pricey and the accessories are not cheap either. 2. It takes a long time to download images to your computer directly from the camera. 3. The flash is pretty useless, but then again the images look great without it at any light level. 4. It's on the bulky side. Overall: This is a great camera for both work and play, I hope Nikon will make a more compact version of it with the swiveling lens.
Rating:
Summary: Great pix for a digital camera!
Review: I have used 11 different digital camera's and the 950 is the best currently offered in the $400 to $900 range. Price is a little steep, but quality outways the difference in price from competitors. the 950 will download 40 pix shot in Fine mode from Simple Technologies cardreader to a G4 in 11 seconds. It's a battery hog I recommend buying Energizer's NH15-AA instead of Duracell Ultra. I shot 150 pix in the fine mode 46 of them using the flash until they were depleted. It's ideal for Web publishing, however I shot several photos for magazine use and the results were non-distinguishable compared to film. If your a tweekhead you will spend hours trying different traditional photo techniques with this camera and your results will be quite surprising. Some of my favorites are Slow Shutter Sync, 8 second time exposure, and a very accurate white balance that is crucial when shooting in mixed lighting situations. Also try the macro mode, black & white mode and Optional Fish Eye Lens for more diversity. Have fun!
Rating: 
Summary: SYSTEM ERROR
Review: Almost a year to the day after the camera was bought, i turn it on and it greets me with SYSTEM ERROR and a LOUD clicking noise coming from the lens side of the camera. lovely. haven't taken it in yet to see how much this is going to cost me. and this is with me ONLY taking approx 40 pictures.
Rating: 
Summary: Problem with Camera too
Review: I'm having the exact same problem with the camera as mentioned about where the system error comes on and makes the clicking noise.
Rating:
Summary: Broken twice now
Review: Just before the warranty expired on this unit the "lens side" of the camera started to make clicking noises after turning it on, then displayed the dreaded "System Error" message on the LCD. Covered under warranty so no problem there. Probably about 4 months after the repair (and only 100 or so pictures) the unit now does the exact same thing. Only this time the repair bill is $$$ with absolutely no information from Nikon ... on what is actually wrong with the camera and/or if this is likely to happen again. When working, the camera is mostly fine and the reviews here ... are generally fair and accurate. Based on our
experience with Nikon ... the unit's poor reliability I'd recommend looking elsewhere.
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