Before I talk about a cool camera, I wanted to share some photos (and a video in the comments) of some baby hummingbirds in my neighborhood. For those viewing this post on the Web, the Facebook post is visible below. Those reading via email will have to click to view it. Go ahead and view this on the Web so it is easier to see.

OK, now that you’ve seen those photos you’ll have an appreciation for close-ups of very small objects. I’ll admit, I got those with only my phone since the nest was easy to access. Many times you won’t have that kind of access and you’ll want a powerful zoom lens to get close-ups. Yes, I’ll post a link to get the camera on Amazon and I earn a small commission if you buy using my links. No, I didn’t get anything for free and I don’t own the camera.

Now let’s go over the three biggest features of the Nikon COOLPIX P950. It has an 83X optical zoom and a 166x Dynamic Fine Zoom. If you want close-ups of the moon or faraway birds, this camera can do it. There are even built-in modes for the moon and birds. It shoots 16 megapixels which isn’t huge these days, but is really good considering the zoom it has. Video can be captured at 4K in UHD. New to this model is the ability to shoot photos in RAW (NRW) format.

While it can buy a standalone camera, you may want to buy a kit that includes a lot of the accessories you will need. This kit includes a backpack, memory card, filters, batteries, software and much more. Buying the kit does make the price a little bit higher, but it delivers a lot of extra value for a small additional cost.