Quick Verdict
The Nikon Coolpix P950 is Nikon's update to the P900, and offers the same 83x optical zoom lens, but improves it with 4K video, a flash hot-shoe, microphone socket, and raw shooting. We test the P950 in a variety of places and find that the optical zoom, whilst impressive, needs care to get the best results. With a 2000mm equivalent reach, you may need to use a tripod to get the best results, and you'll definitely want to use a tripod for video. In good conditions, the images look good, and the camera offers a lot.
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The Nikon Coolpix P950 is an update to the Nikon Coolpix P900 and offers the same 83x optical zoom lens, and 16mp sensor, but now offers 4K video, a flash hot-shoe, raw shooting and microphone socket. The Nikon Coolpix P950 has an RRP of £799.
Nikon Coolpix P950 Features
When the Nikon Coolpix P900 was first introduced in 2015, everyone (including us), was shocked by the incredible 83x optical zoom on offer. Previously the longest or most optical zoom offered was around 65x optical zoom. We were then waiting for Kodak to beat this, with their Kodak Pixpro AZ901, with a 90x optical zoom lens, and then the AZ1000 with a 102x optical zoom lens, however, before Kodak could release the AZ1000, Nikon came along with the insane Nikon Coolpix P1000, with an incredible 125x optical zoom lens! Along with these incredible optical zooms, there comes a price to pay, and that can be found in the size of the camera. The Nikon Coolpix P950 isn't small, but at least it's not as big as the Nikon Coolpix P1000, which is quite frankly HUGE, and heavy (at 1.4kg)
How does the Nikon Coolpix P950 compare to the P900? Here are some of the main features added:
- 4K UHD video recording (30,25fps)
- Microphone socket
- Flash hot-shoe
- Raw shooting added
- Bluetooth added, GPS removed
- Up to 60 seconds shutter speeds available
- 3.2inch 921k dot viewfinder
- 2359K dots OLED electronic viewfinder, 0.39inch (larger), +/-3 dioptre
- EN-EL20a battery, 290 shot battery life
- 1005g with battery and memory card
- The P900 has been listed as discontinued on Nikon's website
The Nikon Coolpix P950 uses a 16mp BSI CMOS sensor, for improved low-light performance, compared to a standard CMOS sensor, but it is still a small sensor at 1/2.3inch - see our guide to sensor size here. Alternative ultra-zoom / bridge cameras, such as the Sony Cyber-shot RX10 IV, use a 1inch sensor, and by being larger they can produce better image quality, although due to the laws of physics, these cameras tend to offer "only" 25x optical zoom.
Aiming an 83x optical zoom lens can often be tricky... if you're using the full 83x optical zoom lens, you can easily lose your subject (if it's moving), and to help with this, Nikon has added ... side controls to quickly zoom out, as well as control the zoom more slowly. You can also have a look at the optional Nikon DF-M1 Dot Sight which helps you target your prey, I mean subject.
The 83x optical zoom lens gives a wide-angle view of 24mm (equivalent) and zooms to 2000mm (equivalent). The lens has a relatively bright aperture at the wide-end with f/2.8 available. As you zoom, this reduces, with the aperture becoming f/6.5 at the telephoto end of the lens. You can focus on subjects 1cm away from the lens.
The camera has P, A, S, M shooting modes, giving you manual controls, and raw shooting is now possible. There are multiple scene modes, a creative mode (with a variety of different effects), auto shooting, plus a "User" mode. There is a dedicated bird-watching mode, plus a moon shooting mode, which is designed to help you get the best bird and moon shots respectively.
There's an electronic viewfinder (EVF), with built-in eye-detection so that the camera will automatically switch between the rear screen and the EVF when you hold it up to your face. The EVF has dioptre correction, and is a larger, higher-resolution OLED viewfinder, compared to the P900, with 2,359K dots.
The screen is now 3.2inch in size but has the same resolution with 921K dots. It's not a touch-screen, but does tilt, and swivel, as well as turning forwards for selfies and other group shots, or video use.
Using Nikon's SnapBridge app you can use your smartphone to add geotag location data to your photos, as well as transfer images (via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi), and remotely control the camera (using Wi-Fi).
4K UHD video recording is possible, with 30/25fps available, and there's a microphone socket on the side, in case you want to use an external microphone. You can record FullHD video at 60fps.
Key Features
- 16mp BSI CMOS sensor, 1/2.3inch
- 83x optical zoom lens, f/2.8-6.5, 24-2000mm equivalent
- Vibration Reduction (VR) Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), up to 5 stops
- 3.2inch 921K vari-angle screen
- 2,359K dot OLED electronic viewfinder, 0.39inch, dioptre correction
- P, A, S, M shooting modes, with RAW
- 7fps continuous shooting speed (up to 10 shots)
- Built-in pop-up flash
- 4K UHD Video, 30,25fps, FullHD video at 60fps
- ISO100 to ISO6400
- Moon and bird-watching scene modes
- 1cm macro focus
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth built-in
- Microphone socket
Nikon Coolpix P950 Handling
The camera has a mostly plastic camera body, although there are some metal accents, including the end of the lens barrel, and the metal flash hot-shoe. It goes without saying, that this camera is large, weighing in at just over 1kg. It doesn’t fit in a jacket pocket, and you’re best carrying the camera in a padded bag to protect the camera from damage. The dimensions are 140.2 x 109.6 x 149.8mm.
There’s a large rubber handgrip, and the style is similar in design to a DSLR. The rubber grip covers the camera grip from the front, all the way round to the back, where you’ll find an area for your thumb, with a protruding area to make it easier to get a firm grip of the camera. The lens barrel has a textured area making the camera texture extra grippy. The use of two hands to hold the camera is definitely recommended, and pretty much essential, in order to make sure you are holding the camera as still as possible.
The updated controls on the side of the lens give more precise control over the zoom speed, which can be helpful when framing your shot, or when recording video.
EVF and SCREEN
The electronic viewfinder (EVF) has been improved over the previous camera, the P900, having a higher resolution and being physically larger. The view provided is good, although often appeared brighter than the final image. The EVF features dioptre correction, as well as an eye-detection sensor to that the camera can automatically switch between the screen and EVF when you hold the camera up to your eye.
There’s a 3.2inch vari-angle screen, so that you can swing the screen out and face it forwards for selfies, or vlogging. The resolution is reasonable at 921K dots, and the screen has good visibility with good viewing angles. The screen is not a touch-screen, which seems a slightly odd choice in the current market.
Menus
The menus aren't as polished as those found in Nikon DSLRs, however, there are clearly laid out, with large fonts making it easier to read and change options. The photo and video options are separated, making it clearer what options you are accessing. There's a dedicated Wi-Fi / Communications menu, as well as the setup menus.
You can use the buttons on the camera to directly access flash, exposure compensation, self-timer, macro, and on top of the camera there's a customisable function button.
Wi-Fi features
The camera can be connected to Nikon’s SnapBridge app, available for iOS and Android devices, letting you transfer images (via Bluetooth), remotely control the camera (via Wi-Fi), as well as add GPS location data to images from your smartphone.
Battery life - The Nikon Coolpix P950 uses a new battery compared to the P900, the EN-EL29a. Unfortunately, battery life is lower than the P900, at 290 shots, so we’d definitely recommend a spare battery. The camera battery can be charged in the camera, using the provided MicroUSB cable.
Nikon Coolpix P950 Performance
The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
Nikon Coolpix P950 Sample Photos
Sample Photos - When viewing images on-line, images look great, with bright saturated colours. Exposure is generally reliable, although the camera can struggle with contrasty scenes, with less dynamic range than we'd like to see. You can use the backlighting scene mode, which has an HDR option to extend the dynamic range captured, or you can shoot in RAW and process the raw files. This also gives you the opportunity to fine-tune the look of the image, as images can appear slightly over-sharpened straight out of the camera.
Nikon Coolpix P950 Lens test images
Lens Performance - The camera gives an impressive zoom range, from 24mm equivalent, all the way to 2000mm equivalent. The fact that this is even possible is something quite remarkable. Of course, the camera is correcting the image in-camera. As you use more of the optical zoom, it can become more difficult to get a sharp shot, due to the need for faster shutter speeds, and you're going to get the best results under bright conditions. A tripod may even be needed at times, as the camera's vibration reduction, while good, isn't always able to hold the image steady.
When using the wide-angle end of the lens there is visible blurring towards the corner of the frame in some shots, but for the most part, and at other zoom positions results are good. We didn't spot any issues with flare, although we did leave the included lens hood on the camera, so this should have helped.
Lens distortion is automatically corrected in-camera, raw files are also automatically corrected when opened in raw processing software, such as Adobe Photoshop. Vignetting was not noticeable, again, this is automatically corrected in-camera. Chromatic aberration is kept under control, with this being corrected in-camera.
Macro focus is impressive with the camera able to focus on subjects that are just in front of the lens. However, this causes lighting issues as the camera lens will block light getting to your subject.
Nikon Coolpix P950 ISO test images
ISO Noise Performance - Noise is lowest at ISO100 to ISO200, with ISO400 also showing quite low noise levels. At ISO800 noise starts to become more visible in photos, and detail is reduced. At ISO1600 noise becomes more noticeable again and is best avoided, perhaps being useful if you have no alternative. ISO3200 and ISO6400 show higher levels of noise and are also best avoided.
Nikon Coolpix P950 White-balance test images
White Balance Performance - Auto white balance (AWB) gives a good result under tungsten lighting, and there's an option to record a "Warm" image if you'd like to capture the mood of a scene. The tungsten preset gives a more neutral result, but for completely white results you many need to use manual white balance. Results under mixed light are very good. Under fluorescent light, the auto white balance does a very good job, with the fluorescent presets giving a colour cast.
Nikon Coolpix P950 Digital filters
Digital Filters - There are a huge range of filters that can be applied, with the camera letting you select the effect before you take the photo. We've included examples above. You can also edit the photo after taking the shot, to apply different effects if so desired.
Iceland Glacier Panoramic | 1/250 sec | f/2.8 | 5.0 mm | ISO 100
The camera has an automatic panoramic mode, found in the scene mode. The image is stitched together well, however, it produces a low-resolution image compared to others.
Video - With an 83x optical zoom lens, the camera can zoom in to things far away, however, you're most likely going to need a tripod to get stable footage as the camera's built-in vibration reduction can struggle to keep the image stable. Particularly at the long end of the lens. Wind noise is easily picked up on the cameras built-in microphones, and this is something to be aware of as it can easily ruin a video if you're in a windy location - you can use the microphone socket. When using the zoom the camera does a good job of keeping the image in focus, and barely any lens noise is picked up by the camera. Additional videos can be found on the ePHOTOzine YouTube Channel.
Value For Money
The Nikon Coolpix P950 is available for £799, this makes it more expensive than the P900 it replaces, and only a little bit cheaper than the Nikon Coolpix P1000 (£879, with 125x optical zoom). Other cameras with a lot of optical zoom, include the following cameras.
Nikon Coolpix P900, 83x optical zoom, FullHD video, 899g (while still available)
Nikon Coolpix P1000, 125x optical zoom, 4K video, 1.4kg
Kodak PIXPRO AZ901, 90x optical zoom, FullHD video, 499g
Canon Powershot SX70 HS, 65x optical zoom, 4K video, 608g
Panasonic Lumix FZ82, 60x optical zoom, 4K video, 616g
Have a look at more ultra-zoom / bridge cameras Top 13 Best Ultra Zoom Cameras. You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.
Nikon Coolpix P950 Verdict
If you’re looking for a camera with boasting rights when it comes to optical zoom, then the Nikon Coolpix P950 delivers a range that zooms all the way to 2000mm equivalent. Smaller and lighter than the Nikon Coolpix P1000, the P950 is still a large and heavy camera, at 1kg.
With a “small” 1/23inch sensor, the camera benefits from bright sunny conditions, struggling in lower light. However, if the camera used a sensor any bigger, then the camera would need to be significantly larger, or have less optical zoom. It’s simply the laws of physics. If you want a larger sensor (and better low-light performance) then you’ll need to look at the Sony Cyber-shot RX10 series, or Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 II / FZ2000 cameras, with 25x, 20x, 16x optical zoom depending which model you are looking at.
The Nikon Coolpix P900 was one of Nikon’s most popular ultra-zoom cameras, and the P950 updates the camera with new features, including raw shooting, a flash hot-shoe, and 4K video recording. There’s also an improved electronic viewfinder and a larger screen.
It’s like a compact camera on steroids. Whether that’s a good thing, or not, will be down to one’s own personal needs and preferences. There are people out there, that like the extreme versatility offered by the ultra-zoom bridge camera, and P950 is packed full of features, as well as the headline 83x optical zoom lens.
If you're used to quick snappy cameras, or quick mirrorless and DSLR cameras, then the P950 can feel a little sluggish in comparison but isn't too bad. It can just take some time to get used to.
The camera would be well suited for travel, plus the occasional wildlife and moon photography, as well as video, although the camera does struggle in low-light.
| If you're looking for an ultra-zoom camera, and shoot mostly in bright conditions, then the P950 is camera full of features. |
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