Below is Amazons review of this camera. My experience after having used and seen many cameras is that this camera has the most incredible picture quality I've ever seen, and it doesn't take a technical expert to use it. Its that simple. You get what you pay for! On the very bottom of this page are actual pictures taken with this camera. No special lighting and only a few hours experience.
Editorial
Reviews
Amazon.com
Nikon first brought 2-megapixel quality to the consumer price range with the
Coolpix 950; the Nikon Coolpix 800 digital camera continues Nikon's professional legacy at
an even more affordable price point. With a 2.11-million-pixel, 0.5-inch CCD and a maximum
resolution of 1,600 x 1,200, the Coolpix 800 gives you topnotch picture quality and a wide
array of advanced features. It lets you save images in an uncompressed TIFF format plus
three JPEG compression modes, with two resolution choices. It sports a 2x Zoom-Nikkor lens
and a 1.25 to 2.5x digital zoom; you can shoot subjects as close as 2.8 inches away with
the Macro setting.
The Nikon Coolpix 800's autofocus is truly impressive--it uses 480 steps for incredibly accuracy. The camera also offers 256-element matrix, spot, and center-weighted exposure modes. The built-in Speedlight flash includes auto flash, flash cancel, fill flash, slow sync, and red-eye reduction modes. Battery life is also a winner--even with the LCD turned on, the Nikon Coolpix 800 offers a battery life of approximately 100 minutes using four AA alkaline batteries. It ships with an industry standard 8 MB Nikon CompactFlash memory card, which stores up to 200 images, depending on image size; you can buy optional CompactFlash cards with up to 64 MB of memory.
From Imaging Resource
Overall, the Coolpix 800 is a very impressive camera: It captures many of the
unique features of its "big brother" the Coolpix 950, yet at a price that's a
couple of hundred dollars lower. What's there are many features that will for an excellent
shooting experience for the "advanced point & shoot" photographer:
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A more expensive model
of the above
Nikon Coolpix 950 Digital Camera
Editorial
Reviews
Amazon.com
Executive Overview
The Coolpix 950 is the first digicam in Nikon's line of popular digital cameras to break the 2-megapixel barrier, boasting a 1/2-inch , 2.11-megapixel CCD capable of producing prints as large as 8 x 10 inches. Measuring just 5.6 x 3 x 1.4 inches, and featuring the signature split-body, swivel-lens design, the 950 is smaller than its predecessors and compact enough to carry almost anywhere. Its black magnesium body houses a 3X Zoom-Nikkor 7-21mm, aspheric glass lens (equivalent to 38-115mm in 35mm format), real-image optical zoom viewfinder, and a low-temperature, polysilicon, 130,000-pixel resolution LCD display for sharp, high-quality previews of digitally captured images.
Images are recorded in 24-bit RGB color as uncompressed TIFF files, or one of three Exif 2.1 JPEG modes: Fine (1:4 compression ratio), Normal (1:8), and Basic (1:16). File sizes range from 640 x 480 pixels (VGA), to 1,024 x 768 (XGA) and 1,600 x 1,200 pixels (UXGA). The camera is shipped with a Nikon 8MB Removable CompactFlash card, which holds up to 32 Basic JPEG images. However, the 950 will accept memory cards with capacities as large as 64MB, or anything in between. (We strongly suggest that you invest in higher capacity memory cards, as low-resolution files are only satisfactory for Web purposes, and an 8MB card can only accommodate one high-resolution image.)
The Coolpix 950 is divided into two segments by a swivel bearing joint in the middle. The right side of the camera has a hand grip and Command Dial on the front panel; a shutter release surrounded by the Power/Mode dial, small LED data display, Flash/ISO control, and Normal/Macro/Self-timer button on top; an LCD monitor on the back; and a battery compartment and CompactFlash slot accessible through the bottom of the camera, next to the built-in tripod mount. Arranged around the LCD are the Monitor on/off button, Menu on/off button, Up and Down Arrow buttons, and three buttons under the LCD that serve as the heart of the control system, performing various functions, based on the Mode and Command Dial settings.
The left side of the camera houses the lens, built-in flash, off-camera flash synch connector, optical viewfinder, and flash/autofocus LED indicator lights next to the viewfinder. This portion of the camera can be turned to four different 90-degree locked positions, which allow you to turn the lens facing front, back, up, or down. The camera's lens is similar to the Coolpix 900, with an electromagnetic drive, three-step, rounded diaphragm opening that provides apertures of f/2.6, f/4.4, and f/7.4 at the wide-angle end and f/4.0, f/6.8, and f/11.4 at the telephoto end.
The 950 is the first Coolpix camera to incorporate Nikon's exclusive 256-element matrix exposure metering and high-precision, contrast-detect, through-the-lens autofocus. Focus modes include: Continuous AF, Single AF, and 10-step Manual Focus from 4 inches to infinity. Focal range in normal mode is 12 inches to infinity, and in Macro mode, an impressive 0.8 inches (2 cm) to infinity. The 950 also features a four-step digital zoom, with a choice of 1.25X, 1.6X, 2X, and 2.5X telephoto settings. (We recommend that you stick with optical zoom and avoid digital zoom options, because they only magnify the existing pixels, and as a result, reduce the quality of the final print.)
The 2.1-million-pixel CCD offers a range of light-sensitivity ratings, from ISO 80 (default) to 100, 160, and 320. A selection of exposure modes increase the versatility and capabilities of the 950. They include: Programmed Auto Exposure (AE), Aperture-priority Auto, and Shutter-priority Auto, with manual Exposure Compensation from +2 to -2 EV (exposure equivalents), in one-third-step equivalents. Shutter priority allows selection of shutter times in one-stop increments from 1/500 to 8 seconds. Through-the-lens metering operates in three modes: 256-element Matrix, Spot, and Center-weighted metering. In our tests, the 950 delivered exceptional exposure results, especially in low-light scenes.
White Balance can be used in Auto TTL mode or set manually for Sunny, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, and Flash lighting conditions. A White Preset option allows you to use a white card or sheet of paper to determine optimum white balance under specific lighting conditions. The 950 also provides five user-selectable Image Tone Curves to adjust image appearance for printing or monitor display. Settings include: Standard, Contrast +, Contrast -, Brightness +, and Brightness -.
The Coolpix Command Dial, patterned after the company's professional single-lens reflex film cameras, enables users to make setting adjustments with more speed and ease; and a Global Positioning System (GPS) input connector allows photographers to tag shot positions with precise accuracy, so they can return to the same location at a later time. The 950 also permits custom titling and renaming of stored shots, and features downloadable firmware that can be updated using CompactFlash cards.
Another new feature introduced with the Coolpix 950 is the Best Shot Selector. This function automatically records 10 frames of each exposure and then selects the sharpest image of the 10 to store on the camera's removable memory card. This sophisticated image analysis technology, which Nikon calls anti-jitter logic, is made possible by the camera's faster processing capabilities and increased RAM buffer. High-speed continuous shooting of up to 1.5 frames per second (or 60 continuous captures) is another benefit of Nikon's fastest Coolpix to date.
The Coolpix 950 is powered by four AA Alkaline, 1.2V NiCd, 1.5 NiMH, or 1.5V FR-6 Lithium batteries. An optional AC adapter is also available. The camera comes equipped with an NTSC video output for display on a standard TV, and serial interface connectors compatible with Windows and Macintosh computers, and ships with a soft case, carry strap, video cable, serial cable for Windows, Mac adapter, and NikonView Version 2.5 CD-ROM with NikonView Version 2 interface software, PictureWorks Hotshots, and Interactive Pictures IPIX. Click on above picture to order
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