P1000 versus P900 Test

I just got my P1000 today, and have taken a few comparison shots with my P900. These are not the end-all of comparison shots, but just of a couple things seen out my front window. Not a bird (with feathers) or anything beautiful, but at least some comparisons. Done rather quickly, processed identically (some sharpening and clarity added).

I just love the EVF on the P1000. I've always wished the P900 had this quality of EVF. Regarding the size and weight of the P1000...hmmm. Pretty big and heavy. Based on my comparisons so far, without exception, I've liked the P900 shots better than the P1000, when both are enlarged (cropped) to yield the same size images. I'm pretty bummed.

Ron






P1000 at 24mm Note: comparisons are of things across the street




P900 at 2000mm




P1000 at 2000mm




P1000 at 3000mm




P900 at 2000mm




P1000 at 2000mm




P1000 at 3000mm




P900 at 2000mm




P1000 at 2000mm




P1000 at 3000mm








P900 at 2000mm




P1000 at 2000mm




P1000 at 3000mm

Here are a couple shots at greater distance. Unfortunately, I messed up, only shooting the P1000 at 2000mm. Didn't notice this until I got home. Sorry about that, but still of some interest perhaps.




Shot at 24mm with P1000...there is a tower in the distance sticking out above the trees




P900 at 2000mm




P1000 at 2000mm

..Thanks for doing these testings!

..yes, the P900 is a fine camera, and able to take some incredible pictures..

..but the P1000 should not be so "bummed" once you do more practicing..

..had noticed you took all the P1000 pictures using f/8, and also slow shutter speeds..

..just to let you know that..

..when the P900 takes pictures at 2000mm using f/6.5..

..the P1000 can take the same pictures at 2000mm using f/6.3..

..and to allow able to take pictures with higher shutter speeds, can allow to use higher ISO's, such as iso400, and the image qualities should be fine..

(below are some screen captures of the pictures you've posted)









***********

..Cheers..

jshen808 said:

..Thanks for doing these testings!

..yes, the P900 is a fine camera, and able to take some incredible pictures..

..but the P1000 should not be so "bummed" once you do more practicing..

..had noticed you took all the P1000 pictures using f/8, and also slow shutter speeds.

Click to expand...

f8 is the lowest aperture at 3000mm. No choice there, except the shots at 24mm. I normally shoot in Aperture mode, and hadn't noticed that at 24mm, I was still at f8. For most photography, I use my RX10iv, in aperture mode. I set the aperture at f2.8, and it then just uses the lowest aperture possible (f4 at 600mm...max FL). I hadn't noticed for the wide shots that I was still at f8. Shutter speed was low, but I wanted low ISO for best shot. All photos were taken using a good tripod.

jshen808 said:

.

..just to let you know that..

..when the P900 takes pictures at 2000mm using f/6.5..

..the P1000 can take the same pictures at 2000mm using f/6.3..

Click to expand...

Yes, you are correct. I could have shot it at f6.3. I saw the f6.5 but thought that was the lowest at 2000mm.

jshen808 said:

..and to allow able to take pictures with higher shutter speeds, can allow to use higher ISO's, such as iso400, and the image qualities should be fine..

Click to expand...

But...not as good as at ISO 100

jshen808 said:

(below are some screen captures of the pictures you've posted)









***********

..Cheers..

Click to expand...

..Thanks for your responses and sharing your experiences..

..each camera may "operate" differently for optimal results..

..I can certainly understand where you are coming from..

..if I have a zoom 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, I would have a tendency to use Aperture Priority and just take pictures using f/5.6 for all focal lengths..

..but this does not seem to work the best for the P1000 camera..

..even though I have not received my copy of the P1000..

..from what I have seen so far with the P1000 camera, I personally would not take pictures using f/8 for the 24mm (efov) focal length..

..nor with the 2000mm (efov) focal length, knowing I could use f/6.3..

*****

..just to experiment..

..maybe try taking some pictures with the P900 at 2000mm using "f/8", and see the results..

***********

..Cheers..

P900 pics seem to be bit better than p1000 pics, for whatever reason... :-O

The images are blurred in the vertical direction. Is that because of you pressing the shutter-release button?

Nice simple tests. Thanks for sharing.

I haven't gone through each image and examined all the details yet (like the aperture differences already pointed out).

After quick scroll through, this is my first impression. I like the color/contrast of the P1000. I do see more camera shake/blur in the P1000 than in the P900. I am guessing that it is due to the longer/heavier lens and the additional 1000mm focal length.

I feel that with some more practice and/or using some support, you will be able to eliminate the additional blur with the P1000 and probably will start liking the images.

Thanks again and all the best.

Thanks for taking the time to post this comparison and your first impressions. Regardless of any minor differences in camera settings, it would seem there is no great leap in IQ with the P1000. In fact, some of the P900 images look better to me. After seeing all the professional shots taken with hand built and tested pre-production units, it's nice to see some “real” images taken with actual production cameras.

I like the fact that the P1000 offers an improved viewfinder, a manual focus ring, and the ability to shoot in RAW. But, given the fact that it uses the same sensor as the P900, I couldn’t see how Nikon could get much more out of it. It is the current king of the super zooms, and that is a strong selling point. I never thought my own P900 offered particularly fine image quality, but it is certainly adequate for most shots. But getting good results at 2000mm is not easy. Getting acceptable results at 3000mm is even more of a challenge. It takes a lot of trial and error ... and a lot of patience. I would expect that the P1000's IQ will be good enough to give decent IQ results at it’s full zoom, but it will take some time and experience to achieve that.

I'm glad Nikon chose to market a 3000mm super zoom ... it brings a level of excitement to this market segment. For me however, given the sheer bulk of the new entry, I plan to stay with my old P900 for its light weight and relatively compact size. The 2000mm is enough for me, and it does stand up to at least some cropping without serious image degradation. Still, when I really need the best IQ and dynamic range ... with low noise levels ... the Canon 80D is always my camera of choice.

TheDarkPrince said:

The images are blurred in the vertical direction. Is that because of you pressing the shutter-release button?

Click to expand...

No. I don't believe it's from camera shake. I used the 3 second delay timer for all photos, and of course taken with a sturdy tripod.

jshen808 said:

..Thanks for your responses and sharing your experiences..

..each camera may "operate" differently for optimal results..

..I can certainly understand where you are coming from..

..if I have a zoom 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, I would have a tendency to use Aperture Priority and just take pictures using f/5.6 for all focal lengths..

..but this does not seem to work the best for the P1000 camera..

..even though I have not received my copy of the P1000..

..from what I have seen so far with the P1000 camera, I personally would not take pictures using f/8 for the 24mm (efov) focal length..

..nor with the 2000mm (efov) focal length, knowing I could use f/6.3..

*****

..just to experiment..

..maybe try taking some pictures with the P900 at 2000mm using "f/8", and see the results..

***********

..Cheers..

Click to expand...

Thanks for your comments. Please note that it was never my intention to shoot the 24mm shots at f8. It was a mistake. Unless expecting to need much longer focal lengths, I normally carry my RX10iv. It varies from f2.4 at 24mm to f4 at 600mm. Since it turns out to be sharp wide open, I just set the manual aperture ring to f2.4, which using Aperture mode yields the lowest f-stop available at a given focal length. Yesterday, I was in a hurry with my testing, and forgot to knock the f-stop down for the wide angle shots.

I think it would probably be an accomplishment for Nikon just to yield equal sharpness with the P1000 as the P900, given the use of the same sensor, and the diffraction increase resulting from having f8 for 3000mm.

Regards,

Ron

Thanks for the samples. Did you do any post processing?

Reason for the question, the cell tower set specifically for the p900 looks like it has halo artifacts around the crossed devices on the left side of tower. Those artifacts are not present in the p1000. So if its not post processing by you it looks like the jpg engine may have been tuned for the p1000. Or the slight difference in camera settings affected the final images differently.

Very interesting comparison. Appears the P900 images are indeed better quality. If this is representative of the P1000, there are going to be some returns on this camera.

VBone said:

Thanks for the samples. Did you do any post processing?

Reason for the question, the cell tower set specifically for the p900 looks like it has halo artifacts around the crossed devices on the left side of tower. Those artifacts are not present in the p1000. So if its not post processing by you it looks like the jpg engine may have been tuned for the p1000. Or the slight difference in camera settings affected the final images differently.

Click to expand...

Yes, I did do some post processing. The same for both P900 and P1000. Over the years, I've settled on batch processing with some sharpening, and "clarity" added. I shoot with 5 cameras, and have found these process settings to work pretty well. I don't doubt that one could tweak a little bit more by customizing post processing. I do individualized processing as needed, but generally all my photos get the sharpening and clarity work.

Regarding the halo artifacts, the sun came out from behind clouds, as it was nearing sundown. Consequently, the lighting may have varied a little, even though they were taken within a few minutes of each other. I hadn't yet set the time on the P1000, because I usually don't do that until more certain I'll be keeping a camera. The jury is still out, but this morning's outing may tip things towards keeping the P1000. There are a lot of things I like about it, but still reconciling the size/weight. I need to see positive benefits on photo's also. Time (a little) will tell.

Ron

Weather was good today so I got a number of comparison shots with the P900 and P1000. I think I'm sold on the P1000. The viewfinder is a dream, along with the rear screen, and a few other improvements. I really like now having the option to have the 3 second timer stay on between shots. All my other cameras have this but the P900 forces you to push three buttons for every shot you want the delay timer, which I really use a lot.

For the shots below, mostly I used ISO 100, but a couple were at ISO 200 (noted on pictures). I also went beyond optical zoom, which generally I hadn't done much with the P900, but it really does work pretty well, yielding the best picture on occasion. All photos were shot using a tripod and 3 second delay. I see why Nikon changed from a 2 sec. to 3 sec. delay. With the P1000, tripod mounted and outside with potential breeze, it takes the 3 seconds to settle down from pushing the shutter button.




P1000 at 24mm The next three subjects were shot from this vantage point.




P1000 at 2000mm. This is the top of the Perry Monument, with a light on top.




P1000 at 3000mm






P1000 at 6000mm






P1000 at 9000 mm






P1000 at 12000 mm




P900 at 2000 mm




P900 at 4000 mm




P1000 at 2000 mm




P1000 at 3000 mm




P1000 at 6000 mm




P1000 at 9000 mm




P1000 at 12000 mm




P900 at 2000 mm




P900 at 4000 mm




P1000 at 2000 mm




P1000 at 3000 mm




P1000 at 6000 mm




P1000 at 9000 mm




P1000 at 12000 mm




P900 at 2000 mm




P900 4000 mm

Interesting!

It sure looks like the P900 @ 2000mm and F6.5 will always be better photos than the P1000 @ 2000mm and F8. Where does the P1000 drop to F6.3? It seems everything from 2000mm on up shooting the P1000 might be lackluster?

All shots taken with tripod and 3 second delay. ISO 100






The photos of the Canadian geese were taken from here. P1000 at 24mm.




P1000 at 2000 mm




P1000 at 3000 mm




P1000 at 6000 mm




P900 at 2000 mm




P900 at 4000 mm




P900 at 6000 mm

..All I can say is "WOW" & "THANK YOU" for doing & sharing these testing pictures! :-D

..and also sharing your experiences so far with your P900 & P1000 cameras..

..I'm certain there's going to be more learnings & experimentings..

..but I am completely impressed how the images from the P1000 is very usable up to 6000mm (efov), and is still quite impressive at 12,000mm (efov)..

..just fascinating to see these comparison pictures from both the P900 & P1000 cameras!

..Cheers..

Cool! After you have some more time with it please let us know which you like best based on your experiences.

rhtK7 said:

Weather was good today so I got a number of comparison shots with the P900 and P1000. I think I'm sold on the P1000. The viewfinder is a dream, along with the rear screen, and a few other improvements. I really like now having the option to have the 3 second timer stay on between shots. All my other cameras have this but the P900 forces you to push three buttons for every shot you want the delay timer, which I really use a lot.

For the shots below, mostly I used ISO 100, but a couple were at ISO 200 (noted on pictures). I also went beyond optical zoom, which generally I hadn't done much with the P900, but it really does work pretty well, yielding the best picture on occasion. All photos were shot using a tripod and 3 second delay. I see why Nikon changed from a 2 sec. to 3 sec. delay. With the P1000, tripod mounted and outside with potential breeze, it takes the 3 seconds to settle down from pushing the shutter button.


P1000 at 2000 mm


P1000 at 3000 mm


P900 at 2000 mm

Click to expand...

If you look at the small text on the left and the text in the oval at 100%, the two 2000mm images are similar, but you can read a bit more detail in the P1000 3000mm image. This is only the 2nd set of posts I've seen which show more detail at 3000. Hopefully there will be more

--

Sherm
Sherms flickr page

P900 album

Intercooler2 said:

Cool! After you have some more time with it please let us know which you like best based on your experiences.

Click to expand...

..Will do, will do..

..here's my initial thinkings, because the P900 can take all pictures (with adequate light) using f/6.5, and without much thought, it's still a great camera for someone who just wants to pick it up and start taking pictures..

..the P1000 on the other hand, seems to require the photographer to think & choose which settings & things to take the best picture.. so to me, seems the P1000 requires the photographer to have some knowledge base, and seems to be an "advanced" camera..

..again, this is just my initial thinkings for now..

..Cheers..