If you’re looking for a camera with a massive zoom range, then look no further than the Nikon Coolpix P950. The Nikon P950’s main selling point is its huge zoom, which offers an equivalent focal length of 24-2000mm. That’s right, 2000mm. That’s an 83x zoom and the sort of focal length range that most interchangeable-lens photographers can only dream about.
With this kind of focal power it means that provided you have a steady hand or a tripod, you can get tightly composed shots of far-distant subjects.
There probably aren’t that many occasions when you need a 2000mm lens, but it could fun to take away on holiday or on a day trip to a wildlife park. It’s also good to see a decent viewfinder and a vari-angle screen, but it’s a shame there’s no touch-control.
Although it has the same sensor and lens as the P900, the Nikon P950 adds a few requested features such as as raw file recording, a better viewfinder, a larger screen, 4K video recording and an external mic port.
Why buy the Nikon P950?
- 83x zoom range
- Good quality electronic viewfinder with an eye sensor
- Can shoot raw files as well as Jpegs
- Dual Detect Optical Vibration Reduction stabilisation
Nikon Coolpix P950
Specification
- Camera type: Superzoom bridge
- Date announced: 7th January 2020
- Sensor: 16.0Mp 1/2.3-inch type BSI CMOS
- Lens: 4.3-357mm f/2.8-6.5 (83x zoom equivalent to 24–2000mm)
- Stabilisation: Dual Detect Optical Vibration Reduction
- Viewfinder: 0.39-inch 2,360,000-dot OLED with eye sensor
- Screen: Vari-angle 3.2-inch 921,000-dot LCD
- Max video resolution: 4K at 30p footage, Full HD (1080p) at up to 60p
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, USB, Bluetooth and SnapBridge, HDMI (clean output), mic
- Dimensions: 140.2 x 109.6 x 149.8mm
- Weight: 1050g
We mentioned the P950’s incredible focal range. If for some reason that isn’t enough, the P950 also has a digital zoom function that takes it to the equivalent of 8000mm (333x zoom).
Shooting sharp images at these focal lengths is always a challenge, but Nikon has added lens-based stabilisation (VR) for when you are shooting still images and both lens and electronic (digital) stabilisation for video shooting.
On the video front, where the P900’s video capability peaked at Full HD, the P950 can shoot 4K video at 25/30p. Plus there’s a 3.5mm mic port to connect an external microphone and the ability to output a clean feed via HDMI. Full HD footage can be recorded at up to 60p.
Further good news is that Nikon’s SnapBridge system is built in to transfer images quickly to a paired smartphone.
The Nikon P950 is a chunky camera, but it feels solid, and its control arrangement and menus are straightforward.
In our tests we found the Nikon Coolpix P950 to be fun and easy to use. It’s one of the best bridge cameras you can buy and offers plenty of photographic opportunities, not just because of its huge focal range but due to some of the other nice additions Nikon has added to its arsenal.
A 2000mm lens might not always be practical, but if you’re keen to get frame-filling shots of the moon or start photographing wildlife, the Nikon P950 could be a great introduction.
Nikon P950 deals
Below are some of the best Nikon P950 deals available today from a wide range of retailers. We’ll update this list as and when new deals arrive.
You can also find great Nikon P950 deals at Amazon UK and Amazon US.
£799
$96.95For
- 83x zoom range
- Good quality electronic viewfinder with an eye sensor
- Can shoot raw files as well as Jpegs
Against
- Moderately high ISO results are disappointing
- Bulky
- 83x zoom range is overkill in many situations