Great camera once you learn the menus and buttons. Advanced users of electronic cameras will find this easy. I have avoided the auto-everything camera's because I like controlling all of the creative process. Because of  this, it took me a while to get used to the menus and buttons, but it was  not hard. The Coolpix 950 still allows you to control the creative process  but I would recommend a good book on digital photography (such as Real  World Digital Photography) to get you started, especially if you're a film  junkie such as myself. Note: a memory card reader for your computer and  bigger CompactFlash cards will make the camera much more enjoyable as well  as rechargeable Ni-MH batteries. The first two replace your film and  processing budget. One nice thing is that you can instantly reuse the  memory card. Mistakes can be erased immediately and the same memory space  used for a better shot. A light steady tripod is also recommended as the  camera has a "speed rating" of ISO 80 and shutter speeds tend to  be slow without flash. If you must use flash, get an external unit as the  on board flash is too close to the lens and, as with all small cameras,  produces flat featureless images. You'll also need access to a good, fast  color printer to print out the full reference manual. A copy center such as  Kinko's should work. This is not a camera for the "instamatic"  crowd. Hint: negative reviewers tend to be disappointed because it is not  an out-of-the-box instant hit, but with a little creative work, the camera  does well. I may trade up to the CoolPix 990 in a year or two after the  price comes down.