COOLPIX P950 Superzoom Digital Camera | 83x Optical Zoom with Image Stabilization 16 MP 4K Ultra HD Video Wi-Fi Connectivity RAW Format and Rotating LCD Screen (Black)

I received the camera 2 days after ordering. The 83X optical zoom is great for bird photos where it seems like you just can't get enough zoom. It has a small lens aperture for this much zoom so the trade off is shallow depth of field at high zoom levels. The image stabilization is really amazing with decent photos taken at full optical zoom while being hand held. This isn't a camera for those wanting very high quality photos from a distance but it does what it is meant to do very well for a very reasonable price. It does a really good job with macro images too. I'd say that the worst feature is the auto-focus, it often just won't focus on a bird that I'm zoomed in on. However this issue is made up for this by having an easy access manual focus wheel on the left side of the lens (you have to place another easy to access switch to us this feature). This is a big improvement over it's predecessor the P900. The digital zoom processing seems to have improved too.

Incredible camera! Great for those far away birding photos. Fairly compact and lighter than other DSLR Nikons we’ve owned. Buy once-cry once!

Photography is a hobby to me. I have had a few cameras over the years, and still do. I have different uses for each of them. I use the Nikon P950 for nature and, in particular, taking pictures of a nearby eagles' nest activity over the past 5 years. I purchased the P950 to get close up shots that are uncropped. These pictures are right out of the camera. two of the pictures give you an idea how far away I was. All shots are hand held, shutter priority at 1/000. Shooting towards the sky sometimes requires using exposure compensation to prevent the bird being too dark (.3 or .7, or 1 easy to do.). Great image stabilization at full zoom hand held. It is my go to camera for nature photography. Sure it has a small sensor, but you can't beat it for the price and results. 2000mm Zoom!! You just have to know what you want to use your camera for. You don't need to spend $3000 or $4000 for a larger sensor camera and lens. Even doing that, you still won't get the reach this camera has. I realize in low light it will not perform as good as more expensive cameras, Again, do your research. know what you want your camera to do. Make sure it meets your needs, and price range. This is a super camera. I love it.

This is only an initial review of the P950. I will update at a later date after fully evaluating the beast. Weighs in at 10 more ounces than my other heaviest camera. I give the camera a 4 rating because the auto focus and image stabilization are key requirements for me. And these areas did not meet my expectation as of this review over full zoom ranges. These areas have acceptable performance, but I would like the capability to be better. Maybe usage of the camera will reduce this complaint, but I ensured the camera had viable manual focus as needed. The long focal length zoom lens met my expectations; I had to have a minimum of 60X. Yesterday evaluating a palm tree at a hundred yards, the manual focus worked great. I had a well-focused and stable image using manual focus when I saw a raven about to land on a palm branch wings spread. Dang I only hit the shutter button half way instead of fully depressing it. Not used to the control buttons yet I guess. Nor have I tried all of the features the camera has. But the more I use it the better I feel about the purchase. The eye piece scene view is better than on my previous cameras. The video capture button is on the back of the camera and seems it should be next to the shutter button? I assume placed on the back of the camera for thumb actuation but seems clumsy at this time. And geez the fact that the USB cable is not a USB C version is highly disappointing. Although I knew that before the purchase. March 31 2025: Test drove the P950 again and stabilization did rather well and one auto focus fault when zooming about half a dozen times. Tried the Nikon NK Studio and Transfer 2 software. Worked OK but suspect I will just download files to my computer via the supplied USB cable and use my own post processing tools. Tried some 4K video capture and it played in my Divinci Resolve rendering software. Good Dove chick footage was obtained. And looking through a window to boot. Have not evaluated all core functions of the camera, but meets my needs so far. Attached a short video of a distance palm in a wide field of view and zoom close up of the palm when zoomed closer. Early morning shoot and palm more than 100 yards. I was able to pair camera to my smart phone and view pictures and allow my location to be seen on the camera using the snapbridge app. I used Nikon NK Studio and Transfer 2 software to view picture metadata and location of camera when a picture is taken. One can easily and easily find useful info for the camera online for example setting time stamp when using a google or similar search. Rather than searching through the manual. As one might suspect battery life could be better?

I'd been thinking about purchasing this for a couple years. Glad I did. It is just great. It's the size of a large DSLR, but it's mostly composite materials, so for me (small woman) it is NO problem to carry it all day. The controls are intelligently placed. I like the Zoom Back option to quickly get an overall view. It's fast and precise. I'm amazed at the quality of the images coming from such a small sensor. However, I do shoot in RAW and have NOT even tried the JPEG setting. I would not have purchased the camera without a RAW option. That option gives a small sensor a chance to look good. I could easily make an 8x10 or maybe even an 11x14 print, and you'd be hard pressed to believe it came from a small sensor. I bet the JPEGS look great too. I did put a filter on the lens. I don't bother with the lens cap, generally. I think they have a winner here. Amazon did the usual great job in getting it to me in perfect shape, and quickly.

I am a complete novice photographer. The bald eagle is about 250 ft away, the Cooper's Hawk about 25 ft and the cat about 12 ft. This is a "bridge" camera - takes a little learning versus a simple point and shoot - but nothing too difficult. I bought it primarily to take bird pictures and the zoom is incredible! I take the photos in .RAW and use Nikon's free software to fix/make into JPEGs. I also considered a P1000 - but it felt too large. Of course, the first time I used it in the field there were several other birders taking pictures with these incredible lens cameras that made my P950 seem quite small - but it is so easy to carry, and great for my needs. It does super well when the day is bright. Sometimes (<5%) I have to go to manual zoom - because it seems to love to focus in on green leaves/needles. I am completely happy with the camera - I understand it's limitations, but for me it is perfect. I gave it 1 star because I ordered a "new" camera on Amazon - when it came it was clearly "used" (first hint was the used sticker on the box) - I tried to exchange for a new camera but that seemed impossible - so I returned it. It took several weeks but I got a refund. Then I went to a nearby camera store and bought a new Nikon CoolPix P950.

Excellent point and shoot for a non-professional such as myself. Works great for birding.

Bought this camera April 2024 for a safari in Africa. Overall had good quality photos as I was a newby and still getting used to the camera and experimenting. Forward to January 2025, another safari and this camera's zoom and focus function had frustrating issues. Slow to zoom, freezing or refusing to zoom. The focus and quality of photos few seconds apart on manual when zooming in and out not consistent. I wanted to love this camera because it has a fantastic zoom range but when you have to be quick to take a photo this is not the one.