Nikon CoolPix 950

Nikon's Coolpix 950 is firmly aimed at the top end of the consumer digital camera market. This does mean you'll pay a top-end price for it - £859 for the Premier kit. What you get, though, is a fantastically versatile piece of kit which takes beautiful photographs. The highest resolution of 1600 x 1200 produced by the 2.11 megapixel CCD gives more than enough detail for most people.

The camera is quite large, but it's still small enough to carry around in a bag. It's easy to hold it steady when taking photos due to the fat grip, and when you're out and about taking photos, battery life from the included NiMH rechargeables is not a problem.

There are three main modes, A-Rec, M-Rec and Play. In Auto, you can leave the 950 to do the business while you worry about capturing the moment you mustn't miss. Manual mode allows you to take on David Bailey and set the aperture, shutter speed, white balance and exposure to be a little more creative in your shots. To see if you made a good job of a picture, the 2" colour LCD displays sharp images, and the menu system is easy to use and extremely comprehensive.

For those action shots, the CoolPix 950 will let you take up to 10 consecutive shots, with intervals of under 1.5 seconds - not as fast as an SLR, but still a useful feature. The combination of up to 2.5x digital and 3x optical zoom lets you get closer to your subject when you can't physically, and the macro mode lets you capture detail on small objects.

Another high-end feature is the external flash connector, allowing you yet more flexibility. And when your wallet has recovered from purchasing the 950, you can think about add-ons - wide angle, 2x converter and even fish eye lenses are available.

From the selection of photos we took, including indoor and outdoor shots, we found that the focus was always excellent. When pictures were blurred, it was usually the fault of the photographer, rather than the equipment.

Without confusing you with even more in-depth technical details, the 950 is simply one of the most versatile digital cameras available. It has many more advanced features than there is room here to write about.