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The Nikon 950

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kdixey

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With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
 
I just bought a 950 because the 990 wasn't available, and being new to the photography field I didn't see much point in spending too much money.

It might be a good idea for your needs.
kdixey said:
With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I
am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a
Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature
and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the
metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I
suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
Click to expand...
 
I am not so worried abouit the cost (although I won't be rushing out for a D1, Canon D30 or an Olympus E10) How do you like your 950?

To clarify a bit

1. I primarily shoot for web display
2. Sometimes I like to print up to 8x10
3. I would like a camera that can shoot several frames in succession

4. I want picture quality at least as good as my other digicams (an Olympus 2020 and a Canon s10)
5. I like some control (the reason the Canon s10 isn't my favorite)

6. I am pretty hard on equipment so I would like it durable (although I realize that the 950 is a consumer grade camera)

Has anyone shot with a 950 and 990, and how do they compare in real life (aside form the obvious).
stodge said:
It might be a good idea for your needs.
kdixey said:
With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I
am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a
Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature
and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the
metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I
suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
To be honest I only got mine a week ago, and as I said, I'm very new to photography in general. It's too early for me to form any opinions yet. So considering this, judge for yourself:

http://www.stodge.net/gallery/
kdixey said:
To clarify a bit

1. I primarily shoot for web display
2. Sometimes I like to print up to 8x10
3. I would like a camera that can shoot several frames in succession
4. I want picture quality at least as good as my other digicams (an
Olympus 2020 and a Canon s10)
5. I like some control (the reason the Canon s10 isn't my favorite)
6. I am pretty hard on equipment so I would like it durable
(although I realize that the 950 is a consumer grade camera)

Has anyone shot with a 950 and 990, and how do they compare in real
life (aside form the obvious).
stodge said:
It might be a good idea for your needs.
kdixey said:
With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I
am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a
Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature
and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the
metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I
suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I bought a 950 when they first came out and was very happy with it. I 'upgraded' to a 990 when there was a special deal through Mercata (which folded in Feb) for - $620 delivered.

Although the 990 has a few more features, higher resolution, and a slightly better grip, I don't really notice much difference in the prints from my Epson 870. The higher resolution of the 990 will allow for more cropping while maintaining enough resolution for 8x10s, but that has not come into play very often for me.

I have dropped my 950 twice, but was able to deflect it some both times. It still works fine.

In short, the 950 makes a great backup camera for my 990. If I ever need to get the 990 repaired, I don't worry. There are very few, if any, things the 990 can do that the 950 can't.

By the way, you will really love the swivel. I was not too sure about it when I got the Nikon 900, but I grew to depend on it very quickly. It really reduces the contortions you need to make for nice macro shots.
kdixey said:
To clarify a bit

1. I primarily shoot for web display
2. Sometimes I like to print up to 8x10
3. I would like a camera that can shoot several frames in succession
4. I want picture quality at least as good as my other digicams (an
Olympus 2020 and a Canon s10)
5. I like some control (the reason the Canon s10 isn't my favorite)
6. I am pretty hard on equipment so I would like it durable
(although I realize that the 950 is a consumer grade camera)

Has anyone shot with a 950 and 990, and how do they compare in real
life (aside form the obvious).
stodge said:
It might be a good idea for your needs.
kdixey said:
With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I
am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a
Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature
and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the
metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I
suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
kdixey said:
With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I
am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a
Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature
and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the
metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I
suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
Click to expand...
Kevin,

I have been using a 950 for almost 18 monthes. I have enjoyed every minute. I know in all detail the extra features of the 990 and the 995, and may possibly buy a 995. But based on the requirements you have listed, I think you will be happy for some time with the 950. It is very durable and produces very nice 8 x 10 type prints with my inexpensive Epson 860 printer. If I get a better camera, I'll invest in a different printer. By better camera I mean with an increase in resolution. The design and operation of the 950 has been very adequate. Extra lenses help. The 24 wide for sure.
Good luck
Paul Linder
 
kdixey said:
With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I
am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a
Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature
and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the
metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I
suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
Click to expand...
Not a bad choice at all. I have 990 and two 950's and all get used. The smaller 950 sits on my hip a bit easier than the 990. The macro abilities on the trail are all there. The panoramics will still be bigger than a single shot. The same converters work on any of the 9xx series...

-iNova
 
I picked up a 950 last night (5/8/01). I am new to photography so I am by no means an expert on the finer details of quality. The first 100 or so pictures that I have taken in the Auto setting have turned out very will. Colors are very bright and sharp. I had read many peoples reviews that said the 9xx series was hard to learn. So far for a novice it has been pretty easy. It has challenged me to learn a little more about photography in general.

By the way the Ritz camera in Rockford, IL has 2 990's on the shelf ($890?ea). The price on the 950 was $499 new (not recon.).

My .02 worth,

Steve
kdixey said:
With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I
am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a
Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature
and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the
metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I
suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
Click to expand...
 
I have had my 950 for about 18 months. I am still learning things about it. I was a little jealous when the 990 came out because of the higher resolution. Now I have turned that into a better solution, I am learning how to get more out of my printing.

I won't be moving up to the 995. I don't really see the point. I will wait for the next step and maybe it will be a lot higher res and maybe use a TTL flash.
kdixey said:
With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I
am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a
Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature
and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the
metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I
suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
Click to expand...
 
I upgraded my CP950 to a CP990. I thought that I'd sell the CP950 as soon as I was familiar enough with the CP990. But I can't bear to let it go. It really is a great camera.

From comments in this forum and elsewhere it seems that 99% of people hate the swivel UNTIL they actually use it. Then they wonder how they ever managed without it!

Clive
 
What are my options for adding zoom to the 950? I would want something that I could handhold if possible (although I have a Kenko 8x32 that I use on a Canon S10).

thanks

Kevin
Peter iNova said:
kdixey said:
With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I
am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a
Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature
and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the
metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I
suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
Click to expand...
Not a bad choice at all. I have 990 and two 950's and all get used.
The smaller 950 sits on my hip a bit easier than the 990. The macro
abilities on the trail are all there. The panoramics will still be
bigger than a single shot. The same converters work on any of the
9xx series...

-iNova
Click to expand...
 
kdixey said:
With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I
am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a
Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature
and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the
metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I
suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
Click to expand...
I don't know what a "song" correlates to in $ in your case but in my opinion anything less than $500 would be quite a bargain. I do know that rebuilt 950s are going for as little as $450.

I wasn't real crazy about the swivel either. It took very little time to get used to it and frankly if I ever buy another digicam the "swivel" would probably be a must, other things being equal or nearly equal.
 
You guys are excited about the 950 now being below $500? I bought my 950 about a year ago for $508 (new) when the now defunct Accompany.com featured them. Now if someone would like to give me say, $450 for it (and I'd throw in some memory and accessories), I could upgrade to a G1. Any takers?

Rick
[email protected]
Bob said:
kdixey said:
With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I
am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a
Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature
and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the
metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I
suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
Click to expand...
I don't know what a "song" correlates to in $ in your case but in
my opinion anything less than $500 would be quite a bargain. I do
know that rebuilt 950s are going for as little as $450.

I wasn't real crazy about the swivel either. It took very little
time to get used to it and frankly if I ever buy another digicam
the "swivel" would probably be a must, other things being equal or
nearly equal.
Click to expand...
 
Well, maybe "song" was a bit optimistic, but 950's are reasonably priced and much more available than 990s.

Kevin
Bob said:
kdixey said:
With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I
am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a
Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature
and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the
metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I
suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
Click to expand...
I don't know what a "song" correlates to in $ in your case but in
my opinion anything less than $500 would be quite a bargain. I do
know that rebuilt 950s are going for as little as $450.

I wasn't real crazy about the swivel either. It took very little
time to get used to it and frankly if I ever buy another digicam
the "swivel" would probably be a must, other things being equal or
nearly equal.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Kevin

I just bought a 950. Wanted a 990 but they were all too expensive. Had to choose between a new 3 Mp camera such as Kodak DC9800 or the 2 p Oly 2040 or a 2ndhand 950. As soon as I picked the 950 up I knew it was a real camera and not plastic lke the others. Quality in every sense is fantastic...I take rock climbing shots mostly plus some landscapes for web and guidebook use. If you want way good 10x8 prints then you'll need to go for the 990 but otherwise the 950 is superb and pretty cheap now too. Get one!

Ian
 
Kevin,

I have been using the CP950 for 2 years now to take snapshots of my hiking group. It is sufficiently light and tough so that I can sling it in the water bottle holder of my Jansport fanny pack or into my Eddie Bauer Walkman belt and go out on the trail for 3 or 6 miles. Occasionally, I will screw on the wide angle or more often the telephoto to get some unusual photos of the Morrisville Ale & Trail Association. It is perfect for creating the shots that I need for my website "Triangle Unfinished Travels" ( http://www.geocities.com/falconb1 ) and with my JVC multimedia printer I can print some creditable dye sub prints. I just created a nice wedding album with 3X4.5 inch DeskJet prints for one of our long time hikers. I like to create handmade albums like this for house gifts for the hikers.

I have not been seduced by the pixel proudness of the CP990 users. I still await a camera that will offer me the pixels with just the right features that will make me want to change from the CP950. The CP995 is something to consider but their popup flash would interfere with the Rx Flash Bracket for my SB22s speedlight. Not good.

Go for the CP950.

Dave
kdixey said:
With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I
am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a
Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature
and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the
metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I
suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
Click to expand...
 
You can get awesome 8x10s with the 950. Try it on any one of Epson's newer photo printers. The output is outstanding. The extra pixels from the 990 will give you more freedom when you need to crop.
Ian Hill said:
Hi Kevin

I just bought a 950. Wanted a 990 but they were all too expensive.
Had to choose between a new 3 Mp camera such as Kodak DC9800 or the
2 p Oly 2040 or a 2ndhand 950. As soon as I picked the 950 up I
knew it was a real camera and not plastic lke the others. Quality
in every sense is fantastic...I take rock climbing shots mostly
plus some landscapes for web and guidebook use. If you want way
good 10x8 prints then you'll need to go for the 990 but otherwise
the 950 is superb and pretty cheap now too. Get one!

Ian
Click to expand...
 
If I didn't have a 990, I would definitely get the 950 which was priced in a local (Austin TX) ad this morning for $495. That's new, not RB. As for the 990, I noticed that Wolfe Camera (online) has it for $799, a hundred less than I paid back in February.

Biggest problem I might have with the 950 is getting to the card when you are using a tripod.

And the swivel? Best thing since pockets on shirts!
kdixey said:
Kevin
Bob said:
kdixey said:
With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I
am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a
Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature
and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the
metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I
suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
Click to expand...
I don't know what a "song" correlates to in $ in your case but in
my opinion anything less than $500 would be quite a bargain. I do
know that rebuilt 950s are going for as little as $450.

I wasn't real crazy about the swivel either. It took very little
time to get used to it and frankly if I ever buy another digicam
the "swivel" would probably be a must, other things being equal or
nearly equal.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Well, everyone seems to agree that the swivel is something I will come to love once I try it (I'm OK with that). I must admit that the 950/990 is currently running a slight favorite to the Olympus 2100. But, there are some things about the 2100 that are really attractive (although it seems to have a reliability problem).

1. Love that 10x stabilized lens
2. I like the faux SLR feel (it's better than nothing)
3. Also a good deal currently (although not as good as the 950)

From the images I've seen here at dpreview the Olymous 2100 is a bit nicer in the image category than the 950 (although sadly lacking in macro ability). I am curious, what are my options as far as add on lenses for the 950. I like to take animal shots and the 10X stabilized lens on the 2100 is mighty tempting.

Thanks to everone for your input.

Kevin
Milton Bell said:
Biggest problem I might have with the 950 is getting to the card
when you are using a tripod.

And the swivel? Best thing since pockets on shirts!
kdixey said:
Kevin
Bob said:
kdixey said:
With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I
am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a
Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature
and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the
metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I
suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
Click to expand...
I don't know what a "song" correlates to in $ in your case but in
my opinion anything less than $500 would be quite a bargain. I do
know that rebuilt 950s are going for as little as $450.

I wasn't real crazy about the swivel either. It took very little
time to get used to it and frankly if I ever buy another digicam
the "swivel" would probably be a must, other things being equal or
nearly equal.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Among the more common add-on lenses for the Nikon 950/990 are:

Nikon 2x converter
Nikon 3x converter
Olympus B-300 1.7x converter
EagleEye 5x

The Olympus can be attached in front of the Nikon 2x with a 62mm - 55mm step-down ring, and it can be attached in front of the EagleEye using a 37mm - 55mm step-up ring. Combinations including the EagleEye do require some coarse manual focusing.

There are also a few converted monoculars available that range from 5x through 8x. http://www.ckcpower.com/ carries most of the monocular conversions.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/ has reviews of the EagleEye and at least two of the monoculars.
kdixey said:
1. Love that 10x stabilized lens
2. I like the faux SLR feel (it's better than nothing)
3. Also a good deal currently (although not as good as the 950)

From the images I've seen here at dpreview the Olymous 2100 is a
bit nicer in the image category than the 950 (although sadly
lacking in macro ability). I am curious, what are my options as far
as add on lenses for the 950. I like to take animal shots and the
10X stabilized lens on the 2100 is mighty tempting.

Thanks to everone for your input.

Kevin
Milton Bell said:
Biggest problem I might have with the 950 is getting to the card
when you are using a tripod.

And the swivel? Best thing since pockets on shirts!
kdixey said:
Kevin
Bob said:
kdixey said:
With the CP990 rarer than hens teeth and the 995 not yet released I
am wondering what you (the Nikon faithful) think about picking up a
Nikon 950 for a camera that I want to take hiking for some nature
and animal shots.

It can be had for a song (relatively) and I have always liked the
metal body (although I have never been a fan of the swivel, but I
suppose I could get used to it).

Any thoughts?

Kevin
Click to expand...
I don't know what a "song" correlates to in $ in your case but in
my opinion anything less than $500 would be quite a bargain. I do
know that rebuilt 950s are going for as little as $450.

I wasn't real crazy about the swivel either. It took very little
time to get used to it and frankly if I ever buy another digicam
the "swivel" would probably be a must, other things being equal or
nearly equal.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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