I also own a Sony Mavica and a Kodak DC260 so this isn't my first digital camera. With the 950 I found that I needed to read the manual with care  because much of the interface is restrictive and confusing if you try to  just "go for it." After blowing through several dozen test pics,  I started to find the tricks to metering, autofocus and Nikon's digital  simulation of shutter and aperture settings found on a traditional camera.  The quality of the pictures, once you get the hang of using the camera in a  particular setting, is amazing. This is the highest digital quality I've  experienced with a digital camera.