Rating: 
Summary: Great Camera
Review: I will make this short for you! If you need/want a great digital camera get the Coolpix 950. Play with the settings. It does not take long to learn. I didn't need the manual. Click away, no film to waste :-) I had a Sony Mavica! I dumped it soon after the purchase. Trust Nikon, they know what they are doing!
Rating:
Summary: Great Product - Does Everything But Make Dinner...
Review: I just received this camera about a week ago. Since then I'vereplaced the 8mb memory card with a 96mb card. This camera definitelytakes some getting used to. I'm taking mostly photo's of my new twinsand find that I'm either afflicted with the palsy or the camera is super sensitive to shaking. Suggest trying a tripod (that is my next investment). I think you also need to experiment with things like shutter speed to get the maximum picture out of the camera. I have had very mixed results with closeups but blame myself for not having gotten the hang of this yet. Overall it is a really nice unit, solidly built. You'll need a bigger memory card, probably a USB card reader and NIMH batterys (don't let them sell you NICADS - get the 1500mah NIMH along with a 1 hour rapid charger). You won't be sorry with the camera!
Rating:
Summary: Best Digital Camera Going
Review: I've owned my Coolpix 950 for over six months now, and it was one of the best investments I've made. The imaging is astounding. I could read the numbers on football players on a T.V. in the background, of a dimly lit bar. I read the reviews in P.C. Mag which said if you want 35mm quality you had to have a camera with 2.1 megapixels, but this baby exceeds the quality of a 35mm. Two things though, The software leaves a lot to be desired, and the flash ram is way to small if you want high quality pictures in any quantity. The 8 megabyte flash ram that comes with the camera will give you 8 high quality pictures. But if you boost it (we bought an 80 megabyte flash ram by SanDisk which is totally compatible) you'll be able to take more pictures than you'll ever need or want. We went to Paris in June and took over 300 pictures (high quality), and the Camera still had a couple of hundred left. You probably don't need the 80 megabyte, but I think you would want the 32 megabyte. Also, while your at it get yourself some AA rechargeable batteries (also high quality), because you'll go through AA's like they are going out of style. People love to see what you have taken in the little LCD screen and it really chews up the batteries. Also, the flash will use them up! If your going to use this as a web publishing tool you couldn't find a better one. I recommend that you use a real digital imaging tool like Photoshop, or MS Imaging. The flash gives most people red eyes (real evil looking) and you'll need to brush that out with a good imaging tool. Also, you can magnify your images 2 or 3X's and not lose quality, and with a good imaging tool you can crop it, lighten, darken, change color, and make thumbnails with a couple of clicks. Hint: Nikon View is cumberson to work with but you can speed up the downloading by using it away from your browser. Load direct from file, instead of from file open from browser then you can choose from the thumbnails (right click the thumbnail, choose copy)then paste it into Word,Powerpoint or Photoshop. If you use Powerpoint, you have a built in slide show. Good Luck!...you'll love it!
Rating:
Summary: Great Camera
Review: Before the Cool Pix 950 I had a Sony Mavica. Don't bother with the Mavica, the Coolpix blows it away. I do presentations, web pictures, and build digital family photo albums. I highly recomend the 950. It is easy to learn to use and a fun way to get into the world of digital photography. I also recomend the SanDisk Flash Card reader along with rechargeable batteries.
Rating: 
Summary: Potential is there, lots of effort and $ needed to find it
Review: I bought this as a gift for my wife and intended that we'd both use it for work and home. I didn't read all the feedback here; I don't think it was as plentiful a month ago. Summary: I think it will work out but the early days will be frustrating. We have two Blue and White Mac G3's and a Power G3 powerbook. If you have these USB dependent items, you need a USB cardreader. You also need AC adapter or battery recharger because the batteries burn out very quickly. The other reviews have already panned the manuals, so I'll just add that the documentation was a severe letdown. This may work out, and the positive reviews posted elsewhere have me optimistic. It is a bit depressing to get the camera only to find out you have at least a couple more purchases to make it useful. If you get this camera, get the USB cardreader and rechargeable battery equipment at the same time; you'll at least know how much the whole deal will cost you and you'll avoid the disappointment of having an 80% usable unit on the day of delivery.
Rating:
Summary: Best digital camera I've used
Review: I'm a 35mm film die-hard (primarily Nikon), but this digital camera is the first I've seen that could be considered a viable alternative for many uses. Digital will never replace film, but there are times I prefer my Coolpix 950 to my F100. If you've used a Nikon F100 or F5, this camera will feel right at home, too. Quality through and through. The only thing it needs is a USB cable instead of the antiquated serial cord included with the unit. I use a USB CompactFlash reader, which I recommend, as it's much faster and more convenient than cables will ever be.
Rating: 
Summary: A Hassle but Worth It
Review: I use this camera with a usb sans disk flashcard reader, which I find incredibly convenient. I email pictures to family regularly. The quality is matchless, but I have to ramp down the resolution and size or some files can be over 1 meg. The quality is so exquisite, that (get this) got a color matched fabric from a friend in NY based on a close up picture I took of a printed upholstery piece. I took a closeup of a diseased mahonia leaf, emailed it to my mom, and she diagnosed thrips and suggested BT. This is a camera with more capability than I need, but the picture quality and features are worth developing the patience to deal with the online manual and learn. I print pics on a HP722 and the prints look great. (Tho the color degrades after a year. Printer ink problem, not Camera) However, it has a few shortcomings. The paperless manual is a pain when you are learning. You just CANNOT see the lcd screen on the camera in bright light which makes using the manual settings impossible. The add on lenses (wide angle, etc) are awkward to use. I have lost more of the tiny lens caps than I will confess. I even dropped one on the grass and was unable to find it right after dropping it. I now have 6, having asked everyone I know for one for presents.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive pictures, easy to use, kids love it
Review: Our coolpix 950 came in the evening before thanksgiving. Once we figued out how to get the battery case opened (manuals are usually the last thing that I read), we were off and running taking pictures. The whole camera was rather intuitive and I was thrilled with the ease of downloading the pictures to my G4. We had also purchased a USB Film reader with the camera. We were surprized by how quickly the batteries ran out (about 1.5 hours of use) but have quickly ordered rechargable batteries. This I can see as the only downside of taking this camera on a long trip. We now have to pack a battery charger and always kep an extra set of batteries on us. Picture quality was amazing clear (I could easily pick out the discolored grout on my kitchen counter). And I am VERY picture about photo quality! Currently taking pictures that are 440k in size. I printed up a picture (epson color 900 printer) of my thanksgiving turkey and pasted in on my fridge - a few people have asked me what magazine I cut the picture from.... very impressive. Overall I am impressed and thrilled with this purchase. My kids (7 & 5) love it because suddenly they can take as many pictures as they like and later we can select to only keep their best shots.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not perfect
Review: Since I bought this camera in July, I have run over 800 exposures through it. The Coolpix 950 takes some getting used to and the manuals are required reading, but this is a camera worth learning how to use. There are two manuals, one printed and one on CD-ROM, plus the Getting Started sheet. You need to look at all three; each contains information not present in the other documents. The macro capability is phenomenal. I have a picture of a dime that fills most of the frame. The ability to push the sensitivity of the CCD to ISO 400 and to overexpose by up to two f/stops allows even night pictures by available street light. The enhanced speed (at some cost in picture quality) also allows candids by available light. The Coolpix is also quiet in operation, even quieter if you shut off the discreet beeper that tells you that you have taken a shot. On the down side, you will have to spring for rechargeable batteries. I have gotten by so far with NiCd batteries plus a fast recharger. A ribbon on your lens cap is also highly recommended. I have also been having some trouble lately with my off-record-play switch, and there is some barrel distortion and color fringing in the lens at its wide-angle setting. The lens' focus at its landscape setting also seems a little questionable at high magnification. I also wish that the manual focus settings weren't so coarse and that it were possible to do a completely manual exposure. (You can set either the shutter speed or the aperture manually, but not both simultaneously.) There is a noticeable delay between pushing the button and actually getting an exposure. This is sometimes a problem for candids and sports photography and when working with animals, but I have still gotten successful pictures in all these categories, and the Coolpix is faster than most digital cameras in this respect. Other than these few small problems, I am happy with the quality of the pictures I have been getting, and it is small enough for me to carry on my belt for instant access. I could never carry a standard 35 mm camera with similar capability around like that. The Coolpix seems to be holding up well mechanically, even though it gets bumped now and again. (The extra batteries do get a little lumpy when I sit down, though!)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent digital, more than I expected
Review: I am continually amazed at the pictures this camera produces. Depth of field is very good. I have not tried the storage space on the camera but I understand 999 pictures can be stored to a folder. This would work well for long vacations. I prefer to size and save to disks. I use the SanDisk Image Mate with it and am very pleased with the speed I can be viewing my pictures.
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