Nikon VQA100EA COOLPIX P950, Black

What a great camera. Clear shots and video. The attached video was taken from a moving boat. You can see the stability of focus and movement and the clarity of the the shot. I didn’t realise how far I had zoomed in. I have an SLR with interchangeable lenses but having a range from 24-2000 on this is very handy in not missing a shot while changing lenses. The shot of the moon is also hand held, very impressed by the detail It has managed to pick out. The overall quality, size and weight is very good. It’s not cumbersome and yet feels solid. Looking forward to taking this on many outings

Some reviews here criticise the sensor, image quality, image stabilisation and build quality. I'd just like to try to add a little bit of perspective here. The build quality is just fine, and I've had no cause to raise any concerns. It's priced below £1,000, but that doesn't mean that the build quality has been compromised. Image stabilisation? Back in the 1970s and 80s, a 1,000mm telephoto lens was regarded as a really long lens. 2000mm was out of reach of anyone except an affluent professional, and most photographers wouldn't even try to use such lenses without using a tripod. The zoom on this camera goes out to 2,000mm (even more if the digital zoom is used), and the on board image stabilisation does a really good job of steadying the image but if you want really crisp shots, just work with the camera and use a tripod or something steady to rest the camera on. For most practical purposes, the image quality is extremely good. With a 16 megapixel sensor, you're not going to be able to severely crop and enlarge the image after it's taken, but that's what the zoom is for, pay attention to the image composition before you press the shutter release. Carefully frame the image in the viewfinder and zoom in on the subject, and again just work within the capabilities of the camera. Cropping out large areas of the image and re-framing the photo in your computer software will just waste valuable pixels. The sensor is comparatively small by today's standards, but that's exactly what gives the camera it's ultrazoom capability. Every piece of equipment has limitations, but a good photographer will be able to work within those limitations to achieve good results. I bought this camera about a year ago, and I've taken some excellent photographs with it. The sensor size doesn't cause any problems as long as you work to get the best out of it. With a zoom range of 28 to 2,000mm, the P950 is a practical alternative to carrying around a DSLR and a large selection of lenses. Remember that most people wouldn't want to carry around a 2000mm lens for a full frame DSLR (check out the size and weight of a typical super telephoto lens). Using the zoom is also much quicker than swapping lenses. The P950 will take excellent 4K videos and records sound very well with the on board microphones. Please be aware though that these same on board mikes are sensitive enough to pick up the sound of the zoom motor. This would probably spoil your enjoyment of the video on playback. It's nice to be able to use the zoom whilst filming, so the problem is easily and relatively cheaply solved by using lavalier or shotgun microphones plugged into the camera's mike socket. For anyone interested, the camera ships with a neck strap, charger and usb cable, lens cap and lens hood.

I can’t recommend this camera enough , the pictures are outstanding & it’s connectivity to the phone is second to none , meaning it’s easy to download the photos & video directly easily and ready to work with on their app or on anything you want . No need to take out the memory card & use the computer . It’s big but is easy to hold and works great on the Scope 2 Gimble. Buy here & not from the company that Nikon directs you to use on here they sent a broken P950 that didn’t work & was clearly a returned broken camera. I would have have them the benefit of doubt & let them replace it but they took 2 weeks to return my money & offered no replacement so I bought here with the bag & it’s brilliant fits all my accessories but sadly not the humble too but it has a case so no loss or fowl.

**update below main after uses** **Further update on Moon Photography** Just got this camera after originally thinking of getting the P1000. I can say this camera is a lot lighter and a bit smaller than the P1000. The 24mm-2000mm is a great range and I wanted this for a great range rather than buying multiple lenses. If the camera lasts a long time, then I can't see wanting a new one due to it giving me landscape and zoom capabilities. I have no had extensive use of the camera (so will update when I do) - but there seems to be a lot of options for specific photo types for beginners or good manual modes too. I think the fact this is very very similar to the P1000 (and newer) and is smaller, cheaper and lighter it is a great option. Going over 2000mm to 3000mm doesn't seem for me personally worth the extra cost as it already is pretty shakey at 2000mm. I would recommend a tripod for sure on this camera. For me, this gives me a great lens range and less bulky than carrying lots of lenses. I know people are not fans of bridge cameras, but I'm hoping it will be good for wildlife, macro, zoom etc rather than lugging around a normal, macro, zoom etc lenses when I go out and about. N.b. The closness you can get to the moon is extraordinary! I will update with more use. *Update* Really enjoying this camera at the moment, getting some good wildlife pictures and the zoom is fantastic, I would recommend this camera for sure. Make sure you get a tripod. But it gives such a good range and diverse ability to take landscapes and zoom shots, only thing I can is wrong is sometimes the VR isn't as good as it says. Love the Moon photography on this, always wanted to be able to do this and the versatility of the lens is great. It is slightly too heavy for my tripod which isn't ideal, so bear that in mind.

After toying with getting the P950 or the newer P1100, I decided to go with the older P950. The P1100 is ludicrously too big and after receiving the P950, I realised that I've 100% made the right choice. It's very easy to use and already has bird and moon shots programed into it. The quality of the photos are fantastic and with the amazing zoom capability, you really do get some great shots. It's a little lighter than the P1100 but it does still carry some weight. It's definitely recommended to buy a memory card, tripod, spare batteries and carrier bag for all of it. A nice touch is free usage of the Nikon SnapBridge app, where you can connect it to your camera via Bluetooth and WiFi and use your phone as a remote shutter, and also transfer over photos to your phone. The P950 is highly recommended if you want a camera that offers a lot of versatility without the need for multiple lenses, and is simple to use.

In the item, (orders section), where it offers help, it tells me to put paper in correctly (digital camera???) and various steps just not applicable to above item. I have had several cameras before and two Nikon ones, but this one has been a trial. Because I have used it, I cannot send it back though it came in packaging that looked as if it had been opened before. Despair and a great waste of money from something that was bought out of love for me. ran my laptop battery out trying to get going on this camera. I always preferred the natural colours of Nikon but my Canon 6D was straightforward to us, came with a decent manual and did not make me feel that I have been ripped off!

Having taken up photography in 1978 with a Canon SLR before switching to a Nikon SLR and laterly a Nikon DSLR complete with three interchangeble zoom lenses covering 18mm to 500mm, I purchased this bridge camera with a single inbuilt zoom lens with some trepidation. We were taking 9 flights on a 9 week tour of NZ, Australia and Singapore so taking my 4kg of lenses wasn't an option. However, I can't praise this camera enough. The quality of photos is fantastic and indistinguishable from my Nikon DSLR. The zoom range is an amazing 28mm to 2000mm with just the one lens. This picture of a NZ Falcon was taken from 50 metres away without a tripod.

Love this camera. So easy to use and so light