Click to take a 360° QuickTime tour The Coolpix 950 is the 2.1-megapixel update of Nikon's original Coolpix 900. Its swiveling-lens body is now made of a durable magnesium alloy, painted black with a large, red, rubberized finger grip. The grip, shutter release and control switch look like they came off of the Nikon F5 35mm SLR. The Coolpix 900 is a great digicam, however the Coolpix 950 takes it to a whole new level with double the image resolution, faster operation and the "look and feel" of Nikon's legendary film cameras. The 950's body is "sculptured" and feels rock solid in your hands. New to the 950 is a recessed wheel on the front just below the shutter release. This is the Command Dial, it works with buttons on the back and top to activate the advanced features. The zoom lens is now controlled by two separate buttons rather than a rocker switch as on the 900/900s models. The Monitor and Menu buttons are now above the 2-inch color LCD, below are three dual-function buttons. (See the next page for a thorough explanation of camera the controls.) The CompactFlash card slot is located on the bottom along with the battery door which now has a secure sliding latch. The Video Out and DC power jacks are in the same place as on the Coolpix 900 but are protected by a rubberized cover. The serial I/O data port uses a round mini-plug instead of the (difficult to release) flat plug.

Coolpix 950 Millennium Limited Edition

Nikon made a limited number of the metallic blue-colored Coolpix 950 Millennium cameras. They are functionally identical to the black and red Coolpix 950. (read the October 1999 press release) On the front you'll find a special Millennium nameplate and on the swiveling lens section there's a serial number plate to identify these unique cameras. Nikon produced serial number 0001 through 2000, this is my personal camera with serial number 1593. The Coolpix 950 Millennium Camera Outfit included the digital camera plus a rugged black Millennium camera bag, Energizer NiMH batteries and charger, Lexar 64MB CompactFlash Card, USB card reader and four filters with a filter wallet. Additionally, Nikon is providing a one year warranty that includes an additional four year extended service contract and a certificate of authenticity.

Nikkor 3x Zoom Lens

The Coolpix 950 has a 3X Nikkor 7-21mm f/2.6-4 zoom lens (38-115mm equivalent to 35mm). It uses the same 28mm filter threads as the older 900 and 900s so it can mount the existing Nikon wideangle and fisheye lenses as well as all of the Raynox and other third-party filters and lenses. Nikon will be offering a new 2X telephoto adapter that will be perfectly matched to the Nikkor zoom. To insure ultra-sharp images the focusing system now has a 4,746-step range, the Coolpix 900 used only a 945-step autofocus.

Super Macro!

The Nikon 950 has got a terrific macro/closeup capability. In any focal length the macro function can be used to get closeups but there is a special "sweet spot" about halfway to telephoto where the lens will focus down to about 0.8 inches. The white macro "flower" icon on the LCD will turn yellow when you have reached the sweet spot. The first picture here was taken at about 3-3/4 inches, the second picture was shot at just a little over 1 inch from the lens! Click on either picture to view the full 1600x1200 image.

Faster Power Up

A common complaint about the Coolpix 900 was the length of time it took to turn on. The 950 powers up in slightly over 2 seconds and changing modes from Record to Play mode is just as fast. The auto power-off timer is now selectable for 30sec, 1m, 5m, or 30m.

Advanced Manual Controls

The new Coolpix 950 offers manual control of all major camera functions. You can choose from Programmed AE, Shutter Speed Priority or Aperture Priority. The ISO sensitivity is variable from ISO 80, ISO 100, +1 or +2 to increase its low-light capability. Image resolution and JPG compression can be selected to suit your needs. The 950 can shoot continuously thanks to a large internal RAM buffer, create a 16-picture collage or shoot a 10-picture VGA sequence.

AutoExposure Override

The +/- button allows you to override the AE system by 0.3, 0.7, 1.0, 1.3, 1.7 and 2.0 steps in both the plus and minus ranges. This function operates in both A-Rec and M-Rec modes.

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