Nikon Coolpix P950 vs Nikon Coolpix P500

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon Coolpix P950 and the Nikon Coolpix P500, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Nikon Coolpix P950 was introduced in January 2020 and Nikon Coolpix P500 was introduced in February 2011. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon Coolpix P950 over Nikon Coolpix P500.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon Coolpix P500 over Nikon Coolpix P950.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Nikon Coolpix P950 has a 3.20" Fully Articulated screen with 921k dot resolution and Nikon Coolpix P500 has a 3.0" Tilting screen with 921k dot resolution. Fully articulated screen makes Nikon Coolpix P950 selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Tilting screen makes Nikon Coolpix P500 very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting.

Viewfinder

Nikon Coolpix P950 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 2,359k dot resolution and Nikon Coolpix P500 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder. Nikon Coolpix P950 has 90% coverage magnification and magnification.

Nikon Coolpix P950 features a 16 megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 28.1 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400. Nikon Coolpix P500 features a 12.1 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 20.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 160 - 3,200.

Nikon Coolpix P500 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Nikon Coolpix P950 can take pictures up to 4608 x 3456 resolution. Nikon Coolpix P500 is equipped with Expeed C2 processor and can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4000 x 3000, 3968 x 2232, 3264 x 2448, 2592 x 2944, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480 with 4:3, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Nikon Coolpix P500 has an image stabilization.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Nikon Coolpix P950

Nikon Coolpix P950 has a built-in Wi-Fi which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Nikon Coolpix P950

Nikon Coolpix P950 has a built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Nikon Coolpix P950 has a Micro HDMI and Nikon Coolpix P500 has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon Coolpix P950 comes with EN-EL20a battery pack with battery life of 290 shots and Nikon Coolpix P500 comes with EN-EL5 battery pack with battery life of 220 shots.

External Storage Slots

Cameras have a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Nikon Coolpix P950, and up to 1/1500 sec on Nikon Coolpix P500. Nikon Coolpix P950 can shoot continuously up to 7.0 fps. Nikon Coolpix P500 can shoot continuously up to 0.8 fps.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 11.50 m at Auto ISO on Nikon Coolpix P950 and 8.00 m on Nikon Coolpix P500. Nikon Coolpix P950 also accepts external flash which can be connected via Shoe Mount..

Nikon Coolpix P950 body has dimensions of 140 x 110 x 150 mm (5.51 x 4.33 x 5.91") and Nikon Coolpix P500 body has dimensions of 116 x 84 x 103 mm (4.57 x 3.31 x 4.06"). Nikon Coolpix P950 weighs 1005 g (2.22 lb / 35.45 oz) and Nikon Coolpix P500 weighs 494 g (1.09 lb / 17.43 oz).

Nikon Coolpix P950

Nikon Coolpix P500

140 mm

110 mm

116 mm

84 mm

110 mm

84 mm

150 mm

103 mm