Nikon COOLPIX 950: 23 YEARS later! RETRO review of a classic camera

[@DinoBytes]

Reviewing Nikon’s COOLPIX 950 from 1999, 23 years after it was launched! Buy Gordon a coffee: www.paypal.me/cameralabs Gordon's In Camera book: amzn.to/2n61PfI / Amazon uk: amzn.to/2mBqRVZ Cameralabs merchandise: redbubble.com/people/cameralabs/shop Check eBay to find vintage gear: rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=1&pub=5574908462&toolid=10001&campid=5338329149&customid=&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg Check MPB to buy and sell used gear: bit.ly/3ULU9yL Lost photos? I recover mine with: www.dpbolvw.net/click-100568658-13808570?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stellarinfo.com%2Fphoto-recovery-software.php Selected photos: Digital Kamera Museum / www.digitalkameramuseum.de/ Nikon lens adapter b-roll: Stu Maschwitz / @5tu Equipment used for producing my videos Sony A6400: amzn.to/3hul53c Sony e 24mm f1.8: amzn.to/2TqWNzk Rode NT USB mic: amzn.to/3AdHcUp Rode Wireless Go II mic: amzn.to/3xkCvGo Rode Lavalier Go mic: amzn.to/3ygzzKY Godox UL150 light: amzn.to/2VpVbXE Godox QR-P70 softbox: amzn.to/3yQfGdF MacBook Pro 14in (16GB / 1TB): bhpho.to/3HiafJL Music: www.davidcuttermusic.com / @dcuttermusic As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

[@thrillarama]

What ironic: When you see the quality of the photos here, you start to wonder why we have to pay so much money nowadays for something that was already possible 23 years ago...

[@thegreatujo]

I was thinking the same as I watched the samples. Surely we can now crop a lot from 20-45 MPs, but other than that, there's not that much improvement in good lighting at base ISO when viewing on a screen. And dynamic range even though it's better it is not that much better. I mean we're still a long way till the point where it's impossible to blow up highlights on any scene even with all the computational photography trickery modern smartphones do. Hope my english makes sense ;)

[@gantz4u]

@@thegreatujo perfect summary. its all about the zooming and cropping in post with higher megapixel, unless youre blowing up your images into huge poster sized print formats. And who's really doing that with a consumer model digital camera?

[@thegroove2000]

@@gantz4u TOPAZ GIGAPIXEL enters the arena.

[@gantz4u]

@@thegroove2000 Alright. I actually know about AI too..China just re released some movie they filmed awhile back and fixed low light and graininess with AI. But the way AI works is 2 competing neural nets(GAN) 1. is tasked with hallucinating and the other has a data set for a memory of what something should look like. It essentially checks what the 1st one hallucinated against known images a human declared are true and passes or fails the "other guys" hallucinations. Thats dangerous when a DA starts trying to introduce AI fixed images as evidence and the judge doesnt know what RGB means and no one is going to explain anything to a judge and jury. Obviously it can work for good because China has tweeked it to serve their purpose. But if you could zoom in on 1 pixel, declare it a chipmunk. Give it a 1000 images of a closeup of that chipmunk and the AI would copy paste a picture of a chipmunk there...But you could also do it in photoshop, by just cropping images into each other. Oh also i forgot. Right now you need 10k worth of graphics cards to perform the "chipmunk trick" Also I think were reaching the stage where we steal Chinas IP then convince everyone they stole it from us.

[@jaggerman646]

because we have phone cameras and people only need standalone cameras for professional use of situations where a high quality professional camera is needed, so there’s not really a market for these single lens consumer cameras anymore

[@daniel635biturbo]

As others have written, I'm also impressed with the image quality. The sensors are really bad compared to today, but the optics were really good. Today smart phones rely on data processing heavily, so many photos look like water paintings when you look close.

[@zilog1]

Its incredible to think that a late 90s consumer digital camera is still better than some smart phone cameras these days. damn i want one now

[@DinoBytes]

Go for it!

[@yuidfbse]

STUNNING IQ AND COLORS from a 2 decade+ camera! Where is the innovation gone in the past 20 years if then was already possible to capture such lovely images? Use this camera for all your Instagram and selfies needs and NO ONE WOULD EVER COMPLAIN that the images are not good enough. Great video as always, thanks Gordon :)

[@DinoBytes]

Thanks!

[@senseofeverthing]

This was my first digital camera. My granfather bought it for me in 2000 and I still have it today and it still works! Love these reviews! I read that it is well suited for infrared fotography, but I haven't tried that out yet.

[@DinoBytes]

Excellent, glad it still works!

[@joshuaconti989]

the results from these early coolpix are exactly why I keep my Nikon D1 / D100s and D40 around- Nikon was putting out some of the best sensors in digital cameras at this time and its amazing how this 950 can still hold up today =)

[@DinoBytes]

I'm still really fond of this camera.

[@joshuaconti989]

@@DinoBytes if i had one i'd totally take it photowalking still =)

[@asphotographics]

My dad had a 990 which I used for some professional commercial work. Paired with an excellent Nikon flash on a bracket made for a very versatile setup. Under good lighting like this I had no complaints about the image quality. It was actually the only Nikon camera I had ever used and I really enjoyed it. For really serious work in that era I still shot film (35mm, medium format, and 4x5). We eventually got a Canon 10D and at that point committed fully to digital photography.

[@DinoBytes]

Yes, the interesting thing is many of these early cameras had PC Sync ports or some kind of flash sync on them that wasn't a hotshoe. They were designed for that, so it's nice to hear about you using them as intended!

[@ole-tommypedersen136]

I learned the trade with this camera in my local newspaper in Norway. Hated them a bit then, because ours were beat up after a few years use. But impressive in hindsight for a pre-2000s consumer priced camera. That form factor really made room for a good amount of glass, I guess that compensated quite a bit for the low sensor quality. Wouldn't mind trying a modern camera with that twist

[@maurogalch2098]

The Nikon Coolpix 990 was my third digital camera, but more important than having this equipment today were the photos I took at the time. Still bring back great memories

[@jaymikevillanueva1212]

I have the same model and just bought it for like $80 not too ago! I still use it and I gave it a new life using off the shelf rechargeable AAs (and use a portable USB powered battery charging dock. Having so many USB cables and fast charging plugs or a power bank are so handy here), a 1 gig Type I CF card, USB CF card reader, and a USB A to USB C adapter so I can transfer images to my smartphone. I love this camera to death and I get funny looks every time I use it! It's truly is a marvel of engineering. Hats off to Nikon for making this camera.

[@DinoBytes]

Nice setup! Yes, part of the appeal of using these older cameras are the looks you get!

[@aManVexed]

Always excited to see new uploads from you! The slideshows are always such a good part of your awesome videos :) Your channel is by far my favourite when it comes to camera content. Keep it up!

[@DinoBytes]

Thankyou! Many more to come!

[@acrummey85]

I have a 990 sent to me by a viewer of my channel. It is a fun camera that produces nice images in good light, and that macro....wow! And it still works perfectly, and has its tethered lens cap.

[@DinoBytes]

I'll be making a video about the 990 and 995 soon!

[@jkkay477]

What a fantastic video, well scripted and produced and absolutely no guff. Thanks Gordon! I've never owned any Nikon cameras, being a Minolta and Canon shooter, but I do remember seriously considering the 950 for my first digital camera.

[@DinoBytes]

Thanks, I plan to do some Minolta models in the future

[@greyzog]

Great review. The 995 was my first digital camera. I still played with film or years but it made me fall in love with digital cameras and it's the one I still have the most fond memories of.

[@DinoBytes]

Thanks! I will be making future videos about the 990 and 995 as there's enough differences between them all...

[@tomb5552]

I bought mine the first day they went on sale. I loved it for INFERRED black and white photos. Any thing giving off heat would appear white, great with vegitation? I used Tiffen 49mm 87 filter. This was the only digital camera that could shoot true inferred. I still have it and it works.

[@DinoBytes]

Have you seen my video about the Sony F828?

[@angeldc54]

I still have the Coolpix 4300, a piece of charm.

[@Jeo-What]

Wow AGFA 1280, my very first digital camera with external battery pack! Thanks for making videos like this as they really bring back memories of my years of experiences with photography. My sister had the Coolpix 950 while I was shooting Olympus 2020 at that time!

[@DinoBytes]

Nice! You're the first person to comment who owned an Agfa 1280! Tell me what you remember about it, pros and cons... I'm thinking of buying one for a future video. I remember reviewing it, but feel it was overshadowed a bit by the Nikons.

[@Jeo-What]

@@DinoBytes It was revolution when it came out as it was very different than traditional camera which would not have the tilt/rotation split lens/body. Smart Media card that only holds a roll of photos and Ni-MH rechargeable batteries was in infant stage that needs constant recharge after every use unless you get the optional external pack. LCD screen was very low resolution and very hard to see under the sun. I believe the sensor interpolate the photos from 1024 to 1280 and I had to use AGFA software to edit the photos. It was a fun experience printing photos on an Epson R800 Photo printer right away and people was surprised to see the photo developed so quickly.

[@ericj.w.ruijssenaars3421]

Found the 990 in a local thriftshop today 😊. Love the fact that it runs on AA batteries. Now, let the fun begin! Greetings from the Netherlands.

[@DinoBytes]

Nice find! How much did it cost?

[@ericj.w.ruijssenaars3421]

@@DinoBytes euro 25,- It even still had an empty CF card in it 👍

[@DinoBytes]

@@ericj.w.ruijssenaars3421 that card itself could be worth that for compatibility with older cameras- nice find!

[@danc2014]

Watch that battery door it always breaks.

[@danielknowles8859]

Sorry to Necro a year old comment, but I just found one of these 950s in a thrift store today for $10 usd. Devastated to find it has some kind of mechanical problem which throws a system error. :(

[@thegreatujo]

Love this series. It's a shame you only got 5k subs... you deserve more. I had the Nikon Coolpix 2100 (2.1 MP) as my first digital camera.

[@DinoBytes]

Thanks for your support, I'm glad you've found my channel and hope you enjoy my other videos!

[@akbearable]

Nice seeing this blast from the past review! My 990 that I bought in 2000 has been in storage for so many years that I couldn't even find it for a while. It is in mint condition, and after putting the memory card and 4 aa batts it was taking sweet pictures like it did when it was new!😊

[@DinoBytes]

Excellent! I'll be making a separate video about the 990 soon...

[@chris_b101]

Great video as always. I immediately grabbed my 950 off the shelf and learned a few things! I had no idea you could press and hold those two buttons and spin the wheel to make changes!

[@DinoBytes]

Glad to be of service! I try to make these videos work as normal reviews as well as history pieces.

[@MattyHughes]

Great review! Man I feel old, lol...I used the Coolpix 950 for product shots of all the inventory of lighting products for an e-commerce startup I was working for back in 2000. I remember all of my co-workers and myself thinking it was the coolest digital camera we'd ever seen or used at the time.

[@DinoBytes]

I still think it is one of the coolest digital cameras I've ever seen!

[@JohnRobertsTV]

Great video. The Coolpix 950 was my second digital camera (after my Fuji DS-7 which was rather toy-like) and the camera that really got me into digital photography for the reasons you cited. I still enjoy the Coolpix 950 photos of me and my Dad on a hike 20 years ago that actually hold up very well. I even posted those photos on Facebook a couple of Father's Days ago. The 950 was a very hot-selling camera here in the U.S. that created a lot of buzz when it launched. Sometimes I lament that digital cameras today just emulate the ergonomics of film cameras. The swivel body of the 950 shows other possibilities we just aren't getting today.

[@DinoBytes]

Exactly. I feel there was so much innovation in form factor 20 years ago, and now everything looks the same.

[@teethtrainsandcameras2668]

Well mine was broken, dug it out after seeing your video and still no joy. Used a screw driver and cleaned the battery and now works!

[@DinoBytes]

Hurrah! Were they loose or corroded?

[@teethtrainsandcameras2668]

@@DinoBytes They didn't look corroded, maybe just an oxidised layer on top. Gave them all a scrap with a small flat screwdriver and it came back to life. Having not switched it on for over 15 years its a shock how blocky the text in the menus is.

[@timspencer289]

My first digital camera was a Nikon Coolpix 775 2.0mp. It was a basic image grabber and very crude. Despite the drawbacks I shot all of the component parts of the debut Scissor Sisters album sleeve on it, which were then all comped together in Photoshop to eventually build up a big enough, high enough resolution file for a 12" album sleeve and large format posters. Not too bad for a primitive 2mp camera.

[@DinoBytes]

That's a fantastic anecdote, and I was also a big fan of that band!

[@UdoKrawallo]

I enjoyed the review as usual! The colours really look nice - would pick them over todays camera colours.

[@DinoBytes]

Thanks, yes, there's a nice style to these older CCD sensors.

[@robertbirnbach2312]

I still hve mine I gave it to my son about 10 years ago and he loved it. It still works !

[@DinoBytes]

Brilliant! Keep it going...

[@CameraNostalgiaClub]

The Nikon Coolpix 950 will forever be iconic to me absolutely love the silhouette and how they experimented with different crazy designs back then 🤩

[@DinoBytes]

Exactly!

[@Riccardo_Mori]

My first digital camera was a Nikon Coolpix 885, purchased in 2002 for 620 euros (!). Unfortunately it got drenched in a thunderstorm just a month after purchase. I was travelling and carrying it in what I thought was a weatherproof pouch. Accidental water damage was (of course…) NOT covered by the warranty. The camera still worked but the flash was inoperable right away, then other functions progressively failed, until the 885 reached a point where the only thing you could do was turning it on and taking a photo at infinity. Given the initial expense, I tried to make the most of this camera for as long as I could, and the poor thing finally stopped working 4 years later. I then upgraded to a Coolpix 7600, and to a Coolpix 8800 in 2006. Both these Coolpix still work great. Since 2020 I've been bitten by the "Digicams from the 2000s" shooting nostalgia, and so now I've also added to my collection a Coolpix 995 and a 700. I have to say, both of these cameras impressed me with their image quality. Even the 700: since it's a fixed 'prime' lens, I found it very responsive in use, and takes nice-looking B&W pictures! I'm very glad to have found this channel of yours, Gordon. I've been a fan of your work for years, and when I started my career as a freelance translator more than 20 years ago, I remember translating a few of your articles for Italian computer magazines. :-) Keep up the good work! Cheers, //Rick

[@cheeseblog]

My first digital camera, although it was a special edition silver one. Lots of fun and good memories.

[@DinoBytes]

Nice!

[@GregTardif]

I just grabbed this camera from my parents house. Still works!!

[@DinoBytes]

Excellent!

[@RyeOnHam]

I had a Coolpix 5400. I used that camera for everything. Ended up deploying to the middle east where it promptly died on me. The magnesium body and flip-out screen were very sturdy and I miss having that camera. I still use a picture taken in Dillingham, Alaska with the 5400 as my desktop background.

[@DinoBytes]

Nice!

[@jasonhubbard5422]

I drunk bought a 990 in mint condition at a local thrift shop for $9. I didn't have a CF card so tossed in my closet. Then in a momentary feeling of hoarding guilt (I collect slr lenses to use on mirrorless) I put in donation bag in garage. After seeing the image quality of your photos I'm thinking I need to go dig that camera out of the bag. Gosh I hope my wife didn't already take to donate! Great video! New sub from me!!

[@DinoBytes]

Quick, go get it!

[@Adam_T]

Used mine for product photography and museum artifact archives for work - was a godsend as it had enough resolution (the 900 I had before wasn`t quite enough - 0.8MP made a big diff in those days) and had the perfect handling for the job - saved a fortune avoiding burning through bricks of film like I had to do previously . The weakness is the tags which secure the battery door, they break off either rendering the camera either useless for handheld use or needing to be covered in Gaffa-tape to hold the door down , check if after getting one for nostalgia

[@DinoBytes]

Definitely, the battery door is an Achilles' Hinge on all cameras!

[@youareawesome8]

Thank you gordon. coffee on me. love your channel. you are my top 5 camera reviewers. cheers.

[@DinoBytes]

cheers, very much appreciated!

[@herrreinsch]

These videos never fail to make my day. :) 👌

[@DinoBytes]

Why thank you!

[@herrreinsch]

@@DinoBytes idk, 20 year old cameras are just cool.

[@skfineshriber]

I owned a Coolpix 950 and 990. My daughter called it the Rubik's cube camera! I used the 990 to photograph used cars for dealerships. It was a good investment, even though it seemed pretty expensive at the time. I still have a flyer done for a client with a 5x7 inch product image taken with the 950. It still looks very good, even by today's standards. To get good images without film, without processing and without scanning was HUGE at the time. While CMOS sensors are state-of-the-art today they started out with inferior image quality to CCDs.

[@rudyreimer302]

Col vid! Thank you! Brings back memories of my 995 which I still have. It was great for its time. I was the first grad student or maybe person at my university to use a digital camera in research. I am going to see if I can charge app the battery and see if it all works after 20 years.

[@DinoBytes]

Let us know if you get it working! I will also make videos about the 990 and 995 soon. Any strong memories, good and bad?

[@rudyreimer302]

@@DinoBytes I will try it out soon and let you know.

[@aayt8336]

Thank you, great vid. Question-- any idea of FAIR pricing for a second-hand purchase of one of these today?

[@DinoBytes]

If it's working, then around $40. If it's untested, then $20.

[@owenlaprath4135]

Thank you! This old beastie is certainly a handy piece and still makes very beautiful images! As may have been said before by somebody: "It's all about the lens!" I don't have an old Nikon, as at the time none came my way at the right price, but this review is neat and reminds us of what was and is! Things have come a loooong way, but a few years ago, progress hit some physical ceilings and slowed down a lot. Have you noticed, how IQ has not improved significantly in at least 5 years? The last major jumps were about 10 years ago, and then improvements became marginal. A USD600 u4/3 E-PL5 of 2012 was about as good as a USD3000 "full frame" had been just a few years earlier, and IQ has not gotten so much better for a while, that one feels compelled to spend major money for an upgrade, unless a professional needs it for wok! A 20 year old consumer camera, if it was good then, still has its uses, especially for macro-photography, where small sensors in easily lit scenarios are just superior for the job. My first digicam in 2002 was a Fuji 2600 for about USD 300 at the time. It made beautiful 2MP pictures in slightly orange tinted Fuji colours that Fujicolour fans would have expected, but it ate those 2 AA batts in about 5 shots. The body was a flimsy and easily torqued plastic affair, with the lens-cover slide interlock switch failing after less than a year, causing problems. The only thing left from that flimsy Fuji is the front lens, which use as a lupe! My second digicam I bought in 2003, a Panasonic DMC-LC40 with a Leica branded 33-100mm equivalent lens. The price had just dropped from over 600 down to USD 350, so I pounced. THAT was finally a solid piece and gave me years of joy, with its battery good for marathon sessions. Outdoors it made crisp and true to colour pictures, and indoors, when restricted to ISO100, I managed to still get good shots, after years of practice just shooting with ISO100 film in my Ricoh KR-5 SLR. I still have the 2003 Panasonic, sitting next to my old Ricoh from 1979, and it still works with a replacement battery, but the postage stamp screens of back then are no longer large enough for my deteriorated eye-ball lenses ;) These days, my Olympus E-PL6 and E-PL8 u4/3 cams do everything so very well, with excellent IQ at ISO6400 and working anti-shake, in a compact format, with excellent lenses even in the kit (also have three Sigma fixed focals in f/2.8, which were dirt cheap but are damned good), and with nice big screens I can see with my glasses. I know that many still prefer view-finders, but I preferred the screens for composition the first time I used them! You simply know how the picture will look, when you shoot it. I also don't have my glasses get in the way of any viewfinder, which is important!

[@DinoBytes]

Glad you're still getting good use out of your M43 cameras, I do like mine too.

[@owenlaprath4135]

@@DinoBytes - Greetings! At the time, I fell into "lens-buying mania" for my Pentax K100d (2006), ds, K20d, and Kx, but then the first M43, a PL2 went on blow-out sale for $300. I never looked back after it, despite all that K-bayonet glass! The PL6 and PL8 also got blown out at $300, and the newer models have some extras, but I comfortably live with my models. The Pentax family has been retired, and I even gave away the K20d and Kx, because I much preferred the handling and perfect no-cramp hand-fit of the K100d and ds, but they are just getting dusty these days. I also think Olympus and Panasonic must be doing better now, because they have not had these blow-out liquidations in a few years now :) That means, they will be around for while, which is good.

[@ChemaGD]

I remember selling this one when I was a photographer seller back in 2002, I guess models lasted longer on shops selfs??. Such good memories!

[@paraveterinary]

Stunning image quality and colours! I was thinking of buying one, your video convinced me! I don't think 15 Euros is a bad price 😊

[@DinoBytes]

15 Euros is a great price if it works!

[@paraveterinary]

@@DinoBytes According to the seller it does. It should arrive tomorrow.

[@DinoBytes]

@@paraveterinary finger's crossed!

[@paraveterinary]

@@DinoBytes The 950 arrived and works very well with 2450 Ni MH batteries and the 1GB CF card. Superb photos, very sharp and I love the colours. Hard to believe it is only 2.1 Megapixel. I now also bought a 995 including a battery battery charger, CF card, converter and bag for 50 Euro. Going to have a lot of fun this weekend! Thanks again for the Videos! 🥂

[@DinoBytes]

@@paraveterinary nice one! I'll be making videos about the other 900 series models soon...

[@johnpickett5561]

The colours and ‘look’ of the photos remind me of images from educational videos around the late 90’s/early 2000’s (as you’d expect). Still impressive quality of such an old camera

[@Kirinukistworks]

These are awesome!! 👍👍

[@calvinchann1996]

I still have the 990 that I bought back in the day. Unfortunately although it still works, the battery door latch is broken making use very difficult. My first digital camera was another split body camera, the Minolta D’Image V. With the Minolta you could even separate the lens module from the body and use it via a supplied interface cable as a semi remote setup.

[@DinoBytes]

Ah that's annoying then the battery door breaks as they normally have to hold back quite strong springs.

[@jackm9008]

The Coolpix 950 was the first digital camera I really got to use. And it spoiled me, because when I bought my own digital camera, I couldn't afford a 950 myself, and what I could afford was no where near as fun to use. The 950 was - for its day - very snappy on focus, quick on shot review, and fast to zoom. I'd say it was a real triumph for Nikon. Wild that I could have (in theory) used the memory cards from this fella' in a modern D850.

[@DinoBytes]

Yep, and those CF cards are still usable today.

[@thegroove2000]

Literally had one delivered yesterday. Its fantastic for macro shots. Just tssting out the bracketing and multishot that finds the sharpest image. Needs a tripod or something to sit it on for telephoto shots as not the fastest lens and there is no stabilisation. But so far fun and quality images. Good resolution.

[@thegroove2000]

Tried a 2 gig sandisk compact flash card and the images are black and cannot be opened on the computer but the 128 meg one that came with it works fine.

[@thegroove2000]

Going to grab a 1 gig one like yours now I know that works,. Thanks.

[@thegroove2000]

There is also a way to access RAW mode from what I have seen.

[@obedbrinkman]

thanks Gordon! great video - I do own a 950 as well as a 4500, great cameras!

[@DinoBytes]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@matt_phistopheles]

My first digital was a Olympus C-820L camera. It had only a 0.8 MP CCD sensor but the lens was fantastic. The image quality was very good and it was a joy to use. We used it extensively to create textures for architecture renderings and things like that. I still have the camera somewhere in my basement. Maybe I should use it again just for fun. It used AA batteries so I don't have to worry about power but I don't know where my SmartMedia reader is...

[@DinoBytes]

Definitely see if it still works!

[@mikeireland2428]

The 950 was the camera that gave me the confidence to move on to dslr.

[@DinoBytes]

It was really nice. I should get on with my 990 and 995 reviews!

[@SinaFarhat]

NIce! You even get a raw mode via the tif files :) Its also nice that you can use regular batteries and cf cards!

[@semanageralds9610]

Very nice and informative video. Hoping that you'll do a review on Sony DSC W200 and Canon Ixus 70 in the future. Would love to see it!

[@DinoBytes]

I'll definitely be doing one of the first W and IXUS models.

[@loficcd7846]

I recently got the Coolpix 700 and absolutely love the image. Doesn't have as many features as the 950, and only has a fixed lens, but it's a pretty cool camera as well. The only thing that annoys me is that it's super sloooow 😅. It takes ages to write even a JPEG, let alone TIFFs.

[@DinoBytes]

Hurrah, someone mentioning the 700! Glad you got one and that it works.

[@jamesmgreen15]

Nice one. How the years fly. Even back then we wondered at design choice V practicality. Experimentation done we we settled on tradition. Away from corner sharpness, we have all been fine for a very long time (even before digital). Nice review ..........I remember things were going too fast for their own good in many ways...........No one (normal) was upgrading that quickly (and that's saying something for the time). .............The smartphone was 10 years hence (ish) still..................Now..............

[@DinoBytes]

I plan to complete my 900 series reviews soon!

[@mulletATheart]

I still have one! It came in an iPix kit with a 183 degree fisheye.

[@DinoBytes]

Love that fisheye!

[@mulletATheart]

@@DinoBytes I actually still have that thing too.

[@yawningmarmot]

Oh man. I never really saw these split designs in real life, but I might have seen them in magazines. For some reason, I always associated the Coolpix brand with Nikon's lower-end point-and-shoots, but now I see there is more to it! Also, I still wish Nikon had kept their Nikon 1 line and released those Nikon DL models that were meant to rival the Sony RXs. I had a Nikon J1 and at the time it was pure innovation: it had a fast and accurate hybrid AF in photo and video modes, an insane RAW and JPG burst rate (60fps!) that still can't be matched by most cameras today, and a dual gain sensor that took the low light performance to the next level. Good times!

[@DinoBytes]

Yes, those unreleased Nikons with 1in sensors and really wide lenses would have been amazing.

[@Nedski42YT]

The Nikon 950 was my first digital camera. A cool $999 back in May 1999. $200 for a 64MB CompactFlash card. Last year I bought one from eBay for $25. I gave it to my neighbors son.

[@DinoBytes]

It's great to pick these up now at affordable prices. Hope the battery door was ok.

[@Nedski42YT]

The battery door was fine for a while. It doesn't seem as if it will last much longer. I also bought a Nikon 990, it has some welcome improvements.

[@DinoBytes]

@@Nedski42YT I think the 950 and 990 were my favourites.

[@Synchrodipity]

This was my first digital camera - I don't know what I did with it, but I still have some of the photos I took, and (short of them being tiny on my 4k screen) they still look pretty good. I think I spent as much on batteries as I did on the actual camera! 😂 The Minolta Dynax film SLR camera I had prior to this ended up gathering dust!

[@DinoBytes]

It was certainly a classic - try to dig it out!

[@nicoloriccardolastrico4877]

Hello! Thanks for your amazing video! I just bought a Coolpix 990 and when I tried to transfer photos to some PCs it didn’t work (both with Mac and Windows). I still didn’t try to do it from the CF card, as I still didn’t buy an adapter for USB ports. Should it work on my Mac then? Do you have any tips? Thanks a lot!!

[@DinoBytes]

As luck would have it, I'm testing the 990 next! I'm not sure the USB port will work for direct file transfer without Nikon software, but I'll find out. in the meantime, you can always use a CF card reader.

[@nicoloriccardolastrico4877]

@@DinoBytes thanks !

[@ianj3845]

Love these trips down memory lane but I have to ask, where did you get that cool t-shirt?

[@DinoBytes]

Thanks! I got this one from a fun shop in Spain with branches in Barcelona, Valencia etc, I'll see if they have a website.

[@ziginox]

I really miss the hold-and-turn design for changing settings, it worked really well. The Minolta DiMage 7 series really took that one to the extreme. Also, did I hear you adopting Chris and Jordan's sensor size standards?

[@DinoBytes]

Yes, I think dpreview made a good suggestion regarding sensor descriptions.

[@블랙맘마-l2g]

What kind of sd card do I need to use for old digital cameras. Are there any alternatives available for the sd card you showed in the video that’s available to purchase online?

[@DinoBytes]

This camera uses Compact Flash memory cards.

[@mm8276352]

The 950 got me into photography. I even shot weddings with it, mounted on a bracket with an external indirect flash and all. Sadly, it died the usual death of a broken battery door. Got a 990 to replace it, same death, then a D70, and so on.

[@DinoBytes]

Yeah, the broken battery door of doom... I'll mention that in my next one

[@derekcoe9633]

I was talking to my son the other day about his upcoming 24th birthday and it got me thinking what was available in 1998, so went on eBay and bought a Coolpix 800 (£18).. it drains batteries like you wouldn’t believe, the screen is awful and likewise the OVF, but it looks cool and the images are surprisingly decent despite the 2.1mp and ‘massive’ 2x zoom! I’m now saving up for some more AA batteries 😏

[@DinoBytes]

One word: Eneloops! Get some rechargeable ASAP!

[@deedoubleu9483]

Gordon, can you tell me your version of firmware on your model 950. I have the exact camera but don't seem to have the control of f-stop and shutter speed that you demonstrate. My fw version is 1.3 ... perhaps the EU people got a better version?

[@DinoBytes]

Sorry for the delay on this, I will try to answer on my next 900 series review when I dig them out again!

[@shirokane2617]

Hi there! I recently bought one but a secondhand and doesn't have a lens cover/cap. I wonder what's the size of the lens cap/cover? Thank you!

[@DinoBytes]

I think it's 28mm

[@shirokane2617]

@@DinoBytes Thank you!

[@xxGravyBabyxx]

I really wish that Nikon kept the color scheme for their coolpix cameras. Seeing the red bar on the handle oozes cool and modern. It pairs well with the DSLR color scheme. Also I wish they made a rangefinder still coolpix. Imagine if we got a 15 mega pixel ccd rangefinder with the red handle color scheme? It would of been glorious

[@DinoBytes]

Yeah, I loved that red swoosh! Although I think it may have become purple in some regions on other models.

[@ledheavy26]

I seriously lusted after these split body Coolpix cameras when I was younger. I was so excited that you had the fisheye lens attachment as it was one of the main reasons I wanted this camera back in the day, but no example photos with it Gordon?! I know cell phones are far more convenient for the masses and basic photography snapshots but they still cant really compete with a quality digital camera in my mind. I can get decent results editing the raw files from my phone but the straight out of camera experience from a phone is way too over processed. I wish camera companies still made cool cameras like they did in the late 90s and early 2000s, models were unique and quirky. If Nikon came out with a 1" type sensor variant of this model camera I would buy it so fast.

[@DinoBytes]

Glad you liked the b-roll of the fisheye! I never had that accessory myself, but a friend of mine in another country mentioned to me he still knew where his was, so I asked him to film some b-roll of it for the video, rather than using a static or old photo. Sorry no examples in this review, but I'll see if he can supply some for the next one, or maybe the 995, as that was his model.

[@ledheavy26]

@@DinoBytes Well I'll be on the lookout for the next nostalgia injection! Keep up the continuous and long running great work.

[@emilyhensx]

I've just picked one up for a few dollars and it won't turn on. Taking it to a camera shop to hopefully getting it working

[@DinoBytes]

Good luck! Sometimes they're unfixable. That's the gamble buying old cameras, especially untested. I've had a few that didn't wake up, but I'd say only about 5%. Most have been fine.

[@Lukieohello]

I having a problem with this camera it has a terrible color grade all colors off almost like a red tint do you know how to fix this?

[@DinoBytes]

If all your colour settings and white balance are set to normal / default, then it sounds like a sensor issue, which won't be good. Do check the WB is set to Auto

[@Lukieohello]

@@DinoBytes is there any way I can fix the sensor?

[@DinoBytes]

@@Lukieohello sadly not. They don't make them anymore. You'll be better off just buying this model again if you like it.

[@zcaller12]

hi, do you know how to fix a system error on this camera model, I have changed the CF card and the batteries so any help would be appreciated

[@DinoBytes]

Hmmm, not sure, but I'll be testing some others in this series soon, so I'll investigate.

[@sra_beats]

my coolpix 950 is taking photos but not showing up in the CF file on my computer when I use a reader, what can I do to see the pictures that I have taken?

[@DinoBytes]

Does the reader work with other cards, and does the CF card work in other cameras?

[@sra_beats]

@@DinoBytes I don't have another camera to test with, but I have two CF cards and both show up in my finder when I put them into the reader, but the file is empty. I know it's not empty though because in the camera you can playback the images :/

[@DinoBytes]

@@sra_beats hmmm, maybe your computer is set up to hide certain file types, or it may not be recognising an old type? What file type do you have the 950 set to? If it's standard JPEG, it should be ok. Beware the top quality option on the 950 as it might be a different format. Try one of the lower quality options. If that doesn't work, try the card reader on a different computer.

[@sra_beats]

@@DinoBytes thank you for the responses! I'm not sure why but I have to use a file recovery software to get access to my photos, not sure why I can't see them directly, but it worked.

[@DinoBytes]

@@sra_beats glad you found them, but that still doesn't sound right long-term!

[@Ryanhothersall]

this was my first serious camera. My very first camera was one made by Samsung, called the Digimax 800k. That one was quite basic. would be interesting to see a modern day review.

[@DinoBytes]

When was it?

[@Ryanhothersall]

@@DinoBytes Early 2000s, 2000-2001 thereabouts.

[@paulb9453]

A pocket Fuji Finepix, 2 MP and an xD storage card. Rather plasticky consumer camera but it was acceptable at the time. The novelty of seeing photos immediately vs waiting for the post was a leap forward.d It was quite a relief when Nikon introduced its D50 DSLR though. Made photography fun again.

[@faisalsheraz8101]

Nikon Coolpix series was popular and stylish camera series at that time...i am still using my 3700 coolpix camera and it still surprised me with good results...the only thing which i dont like about them is that they dont offer simple manual features like shutter and iso which was offered by sony W series...

[@DinoBytes]

This one had shutter and ISO control - I show it in the video!

[@carrysparelens8498]

I picked up a 950 Millennium Edition recently. Only 2,000 of them made. I rather like the odd blue/silver color

[@tanhockjun]

The picture quality is good even for today

[@user9932]

hi ive the 990 but it turn off every time i turn it on it neeed helpppp

[@DinoBytes]

Are the batteries new and charged? if they are, then it sounds like it might be dead, or very sick.

[@mrhaag]

I love these old digital cameras and I'm trying to track one of these down that works. eBay is loaded with them but most of the affordable ones are listed as for "parts not working" so that doesn't really work for me. I recently got a couple of Kodak DC120 Zoom cameras from about 96 or 97. The major downside is they take photos in a proprietary .kdc format that you have to convert.

[@DinoBytes]

I find that a lot of the models advertised as being for parts actually work if you can get the right battery / charger / memory card.

[@mrhaag]

Yeah, I'm thinking about just giving it a shot. If it doesn't work I won't be out much money.

[@DinoBytes]

@@mrhaag exactly. I've bought about 30 vintage cameras for this channel so far, most described as untested or for parts and only TWO have been genuinely broken.

[@mrhaag]

I did order one off eBay and it's on its way. Fingers crossed.

[@DinoBytes]

@@mrhaag the worst thing is when the battery door latch is broken - that's game over really.

[@westapoint7274]

Nice t-shirt btw.😁😁

[@DinoBytes]

Thanks for mentioning!

[@elisascarduelli1955]

heeey, anyone knows if is there a way to take videos with this camera ? If yes, how ? thanksss

[@DinoBytes]

No there isn't

[@AuslanderReal]

I have this one But Can you do Videos with this Camera too?

[@DinoBytes]

Sadly not, it came in later models. If a camera has video, I'll always demo it in my reviews.

[@AuslanderReal]

@@DinoBytesOkay😢 Thank you very much

[@budisetiawan6404]

Is there language change menu ? I want buy it but the menu still on japanese language

[@DinoBytes]

Some Japanese models only came with Japanese menus, but if you're lucky it should have English and others too. You just find to find a manual for it to navigate to the correct page and menu option to change it - you can also look for the characters for Japanese language as that would be the correct menu. or use Google Lens to translate

[@frstesiste7670]

I got to try a 990, but never bought one myself. Obviously one of the best cameras of the time, but to me the price was too high for a non-interchangeable lens 3MP camera (and even more so with the 950) so I stayed with film and scanning for a while.

[@DinoBytes]

They were expensive at the time. I remember wanting one but never being able to afford it, and getting a Sony S70 instead.

[@liebeg]

8:23 i really want to see the donat in person

[@fritzfilter]

The battery door of my 990 was the weak point of that camera. Too strong springs, weak plastik latch. Guarantee was just over and Nikon refused to sell me the part, repair price was too high, and so I decided my next camera would definetly not be a Nikon. The lens had strong chromatic aberrations, the start-up time was slow, I had to try three copies to find one with a correctly adjusted infinity button (no further manual focus), but for a while I was quite happy with the 990, great ergonomics. My first digital! I had tele and wideangel converters and a slide-copier. After that coolpix 990 I had a Minolta Dimage 7 for a short time, then Canon DLSRs

[@DinoBytes]

yes, the battery hinge was a weak point and I'll mention that in my next video about the 990 and 995,

[@LelleKidd]

I had one, but it had a purple rubber grip

[@DinoBytes]

I remember that one. I think it was a regional variation.

[@theunknown4629]

Can it record videos or not just asking

[@DinoBytes]

There's no video, I mention this in the review.

[@SteveMorton]

I'm sure I've used one of these at work. It was a great camera. Your Retro Digital book needs to be re-printed.. S/H price on Amazon UK is a bit silly!

[@DinoBytes]

I know! The publisher let it go out of print, so right now only 2nd hand available. I'm hoping to make an updated version in the future.

[@SteveMorton]

@@DinoBytes Excellent. Thanks.

[@thecaveofthedead]

I really admired the 950 at the time. But hell you paid a lot for very little in the early days of digital. Once you got to 6MP and acceptable results at ISO800 it started to look not obviously worse than film for general photography. In the first 10 years every camera became obsolete compared to next year's model. Whereas now you can still get entirely satisfying results from cameras built 2010 and on even if they lack some nice-to-have features.

[@brianmckeever5280]

Burp. Thanks for the serving of nostalgia: Tasty.

[@DinoBytes]

You're welcome!

[@maneet5711]

Actually the image quality surprise me I want one for the purpose of renaissance collection

[@DinoBytes]

It's a mandatory model to have in your collection!

[@zarproject4225]

ini kamera yang keren, semoga aku juga bisa memilikinya

[@DinoBytes]

It's possible today as they are much cheaper on eBay!

[@brentsummers7377]

Such a clever & well implemented design. Too expensive for me to consider back then. Many of those 2 or 3 mp cameras had really good image quality when pictures were viewed on 12 or 14 inch monitors. There must be a lot of perfectly good cameras out there that are useless now because their tiny lithium rechargeable batteries are no longer available. AA size rules!

[@DinoBytes]

Using AAs definitely makes them a LOT easier to get working today.

[@tobiasgregori-u4b]

Can it do Videos ???

[@DinoBytes]

Sadly not. if it did I would have shown it!

[@beachboy0505]

Amazing camera 📷 which makes complete sense now. But 23 years ago how do you take this 'film' to the local chemist and get the 24 / 36 pictures for your photo album ?? What's a photo album , dude ???

[@DinoBytes]

Not sure what you're getting at, but you could print from memory cards at photo labs 25 years ago - I even wrote an article about it for the same magazine I was reviewing cameras in!

[@danc2014]

You can also upload the digital photos and make a book Kinda like an album for many people. But making prints for people to hold is a nice treat after 20 years have passed. Where are your digital photo after 20 years?

[@yellowgorillaz]

Don't leave out Coolpix 4500! But this model has lost the charm of the 950/990 somehow

[@MysteriousZikkurat]

Just ordered one for me here in Russia, i really wonder how such expensive and sort of iconic cameras remain unknown so i bought it for under 30$ The only issue for me is how to deal with transfering images to PC, don't even remember any cardreaders for such cards

[@DinoBytes]

The good news is it used Compact Flash cards and you can still buy USB compact flash card readers. Have fun!

[@DengekiGamer]

The Nikon holds up very well Today and shows, nobody needs an 64MP Camera in their Phones.