CMCM
Veteran Member
I was just reading recent P1000 reviews on the B&H website, and these were kind of interesting and informative. There are also some comparisons with the P900.
1.
This camera has to get 5 stars just for existing. I am getting sharp photos handheld at 3000mm equivalent, even with shutter speeds as low as 1/60th of a second and sometimes even with 1/30th of a second. Of course, the subject has to be still for that.
This camera is also faster at every focal length for which there is overlap than my older Canon SX60HS. At 1400mm equivalent, the Nikon is still F/5.6. At 2000mm, it is F/6.3, which is still faster than the Canon's F/6.5 at 1365mm.
In a forest, 3000mm at F/8 is just too much. Close focus is 23 feet. And, F/8 is too slow to focus in low light. But, it still does very well at 1400mm and even sometimes at 2000mm in the forest. This is based on testing on a cloudy day in Central Park's Ramble.
That said, this camera is not perfect.
Nikon doesn't seem to have the same respect for this camera that I do. There are too few menu options, for example. I have found no way to specify that it is OK for auto ISO to go above 1600. There is no way to get the camera to display the ISO during shooting with auto ISO (Nikon support responded that this was not a DSLR). I have requested a firmware enhancement for this. There is no option for electronic shutter. In birdwatching mode (kudos for thinking of that), the camera will only shoot JPG, not RAW.
There also seems to be a bug with the snap back zoom. There is a feature to zoom out for subject acquisition. By default it is supposed to zoom out to 467mm equivalent. I don't know how they picked that number. But, mine keeps losing that default and zooming out only as far as 2000mm. The option to set this is ignored once this happens. The camera must be reset (and turned off and the battery and card pulled out) to get it back to normal. Hopefully, there will be a firmware fix for this. It has happened to me 3 times so far.
All of that said, I am thrilled to have this camera. It is delivering sharp photos of high quality (as best I can tell without being able to process the RAW files in Lightroom yet, waiting for the new camera raw release).
This camera is far more responsive than the SX60HS was and does better at shooting continuous shots. However, it is not quite as responsive as my Lumix DMC-FZ300. Nor will it do as well in very low light.
There is also a minor annoyance that the digital level gets somewhat in the way of actually viewing the subject. Another minor annoyance is that if you start zooming while not looking in the viewfinder (e.g. while you're lifting the camera), until you stop zooming, the camera will not recognize that you are looking at the viewfinder and will not turn it on. Frustrating.
Other positives, there are two ways to zoom. The lever on the left will always go through all zoom ranges. The lever near the shutter button defaults to doing the same, but can be set to particular focal lengths. This is very useful because you can set for the longest focal lengths at particular F-stops.
Another positive that may not be obvious. When you have less zoom, even if the camera is objectively better, for distant subjects, the camera may not be able to pick out the subject and focus accurately. With this much zoom, it is often possible to focus on smaller and more distant subjects precisely because the subject is physically bigger on the sensor.
When shooting birds, there is no such thing as too much zoom. This camera is so far beyond anything else out there that it must be at least considered. If you choose another superzoom, it will likely be either because of cost or size/weight of this camera. (Note that I'm no longer considering my Lumix to be a superzoom with only 25-600mm equivalent, even with F/2.8 through the full range. But, I will still use the Lumix for closer/larger subjects, action photos, and low light.)
The two photos I uploaded for this review were both taken in OK, but far from ideal lighting. They show that the camera can work well with only decent light as opposed to requiring very good light (which had been one of my fears about so much zoom and an F/8 lens).
I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone who is willing to cough up a kilobuck on a point and shoot and carry a 3.12 pound camera. I would not expect to get SLR quality results, just high quality superzoom results.
Another review....
I can't imagine a more versatile camera to take on long hikes, or as a travel camera. In a relatively compact and lightweight package, it combines the ability to shoot wide enough to get a good context shot of a large building, yet with enough zooming capability to zero-in on an architectural detail at the top of a skyscraper. It's an amazing accomplishment in that regard. As for the reviewers complaining that the image quality doesn't equal a fast prime telephoto of a D5, well what did you expect for $1000?
Of course there's no free lunch in photography. The design of the lens entails compromises because of lens diffraction at smaller apertures. Therefore, minimum aperture is f8 even at 24 mm, and it rapidly becomes essentially a fixed aperture f8 lens as you zoom out, so there's no ability to stop down for depth of field or slower shutter speeds. If you understand this and are willing to accept the necessary compromises, it's a great addition to your camera arsenal.
Ergonomics are a mixed bag. The camera tends to be a little "front-heavy" and the multi-function "OK" joystick button tries to do too many things. They should have added another sub-command dial to access some of the settings, since it's too easy to accidentally press "OK" when you're trying to change one of the settings by toggling the button. On the other hand, the "snap-back" zoom button is incredibly helpful, and overall, the camera is lightweight and comfortable to use, given the nature of the lens.
In sum, if you're a sight-seer or casual shooter, it is a definite buy. If you're a pro, and want a camera that can reach 3000 mm on those rare occasions when you really need it, it's also a good buy. If you're looking for maximum image control and quality, there are better options.
Another review..
I own the P900 and love it, but when the new P1000 was announced I jumped on getting it.
First of all.. it is NOT like the P900.. it appears to be a D class Nikon body with this rather amazing 14-3000mm lens on it, and a hybrid set of software, part Coolpix, part DSLR. It is much heavier than the Coolpix cameras, so take that into consideration.
What I love: they corrected most of the deficiencies of the P900 : larger flash, hot shoe, manual focus ( a biggie!!) , better manual settings ,including a Bulb setting, larger batteries ( but still a battery hog) , RAW support , and of course the 3000mm lens... see a couple of example photos below
still, it has its weaknesses: It is not armored at all for weather - not great when you shoot most of the time in the rainforests. It has a great 'birding watching' setting, but it only shoots in JPEG when set to that, not allowing RAW. It still eats batteries alive ( always buy backup batteries) and it is a tad heavier than I thought, as compared to the P900.
I have not had time to test out its astrophotography capabilities, but plan on testing it out since I travel all over to photograph Total Eclipses of the sun , and hope its capability matches what it can do with birds and nature.
All in all, I am very pleased with the performance of the P1000 - it may not be for everyone, but it is perfect for my needs.
Another review...
Overall, I'm pretty happy with this camera. Couple of issues..... It takes quite a while for processing multiple images when shooting in continuous mode. I shoot mostly wildlife and this can be quite annoying, but it's something I'm getting used to. I'm also getting used to people's looks - wondering what it is in my hands - especially when fully zoomed out.
Being in Arizona, I don't do a lot of shooting above 2000 mm - too much distortion caused by heat waves. As expected, sharpness drops off a little at the upper zoom ranges, but I understand this and don't try to get quality images at great distances.
Is it worth $1, 000?..... I think six- seven hundred would be more realistic, and I'm betting that will be the case in about 6 months.
And another review
FIRST: A MUST! Turn the NR (Noise Reduction) to LOW. You will be much happier with the sharpness of your photos. Somehow the NR affects the photos more than with the P900. I wish the menu allowed us to turn it off completely. Noise reduction should be done in post-processing and before you do any more with the photo. Also, with full or near full zoom, make sure your shutter speed is high. When I use my elbows as a tripod, I still see much better sharpness with 1/200 shutter speed or above. ISO 200 works great.
And this 5 star review was interesting....
I am writing a review because I read so many reviews to make my decisions and appreciate the folks that take time to write them. Hopefully this helps someone.
To provide perspective, I've owned several Nikon DSLRs (D70, D200, D700) and currently use the D750 with the 28-300 mm lens. I have also owned the Nikon P900. My decision to get a P900 (and now P1000) was balanced against getting a 150-600 mm zoom for the D750. After considerable research, I decided the P900 would provide greater capabilities at long zooms with acceptable image quality for anything that far away. It simply allows one to capture images other setups cannot. When the P1000 was announced, I sold my P900 and upgraded.
I find the P1000 to meet or exceed my expectations. If your expectations are that you can expand a photo to 100% and observe the sharpness a full-size sensor can provide, you will be sorely disappointed. This is a small senor and pixel peeping begins to show a painted look at 100% magnification. That said, the P1000 images I've taken seem very sharp. The trade-off for the astrological zoom provided by the P1000 in a relatively small frame is a small sensor, which are inherently noisier. If one existed, the lens to achieve that level of zoom on a full-sized sensor would weigh 100 pounds or more and require a cart to move it around. That's just lens physics. Further there are some comparisons by professional photographers out there that demonstrate the D850 with 600 mm + crop (to 16 mp) vs P1000 at 3000 mm equivalent and the P1000 holds its ground, at a much lower price point and much smaller, lighter package.
In comparing to the P900, I find the P1000 to be superior in every respect except size. The sharpness and image quality is better in my comparisons, though it is definitely not a major leap for IQ. It has 50% more zoom capability. The electronic viewfinder is excellent, representing a huge improvement over the P900. The addition of the control ring to manually focus, adjust exposure, white balance, etc. greatly bridges problems the P900 had in acquiring focus in difficult situations. Finally, the addition of raw format provides a much greater flexibility to tease out the best of every picture (shot in P, S, A, M & U modes) through post-processing. And those are just the major points. Others includes addition of 4k @30 fps video or 1080p@60 fps. The zoom motor on the P900 is easily heard on videos; it is nearly unnoticeable on the P1000. There is an external flash shoe. It's response time seems quicker than the P900. There are just more options and more levels of control provided. It is a complete upgrade. The downside to 50% more zoom is the camera size. This camera is a beast and on par with the size of a full-size DSLR with moderate zoom lens attached. It is about the same size, but lighter than my D750 with 28-300 lens attached. It is still more convenient and lighter than toting around a zoom lens that only achieves 20% of the zoom the P1000 does.
I originally got this to fill a niche at longer focal lengths, but the more I use it, the more I like it for a versatile partner for many situations. This is a new product and I expect a few bugs to show up (I haven't really found any yet), but I also expect firmware updates to hone the performance over time as well. I am very happy "as is". I'd recommend this product and thank Nikon for addressing nearly every suggested improvement to the P900; I am glad I upgraded.
1.
This camera has to get 5 stars just for existing. I am getting sharp photos handheld at 3000mm equivalent, even with shutter speeds as low as 1/60th of a second and sometimes even with 1/30th of a second. Of course, the subject has to be still for that.
This camera is also faster at every focal length for which there is overlap than my older Canon SX60HS. At 1400mm equivalent, the Nikon is still F/5.6. At 2000mm, it is F/6.3, which is still faster than the Canon's F/6.5 at 1365mm.
In a forest, 3000mm at F/8 is just too much. Close focus is 23 feet. And, F/8 is too slow to focus in low light. But, it still does very well at 1400mm and even sometimes at 2000mm in the forest. This is based on testing on a cloudy day in Central Park's Ramble.
That said, this camera is not perfect.
Nikon doesn't seem to have the same respect for this camera that I do. There are too few menu options, for example. I have found no way to specify that it is OK for auto ISO to go above 1600. There is no way to get the camera to display the ISO during shooting with auto ISO (Nikon support responded that this was not a DSLR). I have requested a firmware enhancement for this. There is no option for electronic shutter. In birdwatching mode (kudos for thinking of that), the camera will only shoot JPG, not RAW.
There also seems to be a bug with the snap back zoom. There is a feature to zoom out for subject acquisition. By default it is supposed to zoom out to 467mm equivalent. I don't know how they picked that number. But, mine keeps losing that default and zooming out only as far as 2000mm. The option to set this is ignored once this happens. The camera must be reset (and turned off and the battery and card pulled out) to get it back to normal. Hopefully, there will be a firmware fix for this. It has happened to me 3 times so far.
All of that said, I am thrilled to have this camera. It is delivering sharp photos of high quality (as best I can tell without being able to process the RAW files in Lightroom yet, waiting for the new camera raw release).
This camera is far more responsive than the SX60HS was and does better at shooting continuous shots. However, it is not quite as responsive as my Lumix DMC-FZ300. Nor will it do as well in very low light.
There is also a minor annoyance that the digital level gets somewhat in the way of actually viewing the subject. Another minor annoyance is that if you start zooming while not looking in the viewfinder (e.g. while you're lifting the camera), until you stop zooming, the camera will not recognize that you are looking at the viewfinder and will not turn it on. Frustrating.
Other positives, there are two ways to zoom. The lever on the left will always go through all zoom ranges. The lever near the shutter button defaults to doing the same, but can be set to particular focal lengths. This is very useful because you can set for the longest focal lengths at particular F-stops.
Another positive that may not be obvious. When you have less zoom, even if the camera is objectively better, for distant subjects, the camera may not be able to pick out the subject and focus accurately. With this much zoom, it is often possible to focus on smaller and more distant subjects precisely because the subject is physically bigger on the sensor.
When shooting birds, there is no such thing as too much zoom. This camera is so far beyond anything else out there that it must be at least considered. If you choose another superzoom, it will likely be either because of cost or size/weight of this camera. (Note that I'm no longer considering my Lumix to be a superzoom with only 25-600mm equivalent, even with F/2.8 through the full range. But, I will still use the Lumix for closer/larger subjects, action photos, and low light.)
The two photos I uploaded for this review were both taken in OK, but far from ideal lighting. They show that the camera can work well with only decent light as opposed to requiring very good light (which had been one of my fears about so much zoom and an F/8 lens).
I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone who is willing to cough up a kilobuck on a point and shoot and carry a 3.12 pound camera. I would not expect to get SLR quality results, just high quality superzoom results.
Another review....
I can't imagine a more versatile camera to take on long hikes, or as a travel camera. In a relatively compact and lightweight package, it combines the ability to shoot wide enough to get a good context shot of a large building, yet with enough zooming capability to zero-in on an architectural detail at the top of a skyscraper. It's an amazing accomplishment in that regard. As for the reviewers complaining that the image quality doesn't equal a fast prime telephoto of a D5, well what did you expect for $1000?
Of course there's no free lunch in photography. The design of the lens entails compromises because of lens diffraction at smaller apertures. Therefore, minimum aperture is f8 even at 24 mm, and it rapidly becomes essentially a fixed aperture f8 lens as you zoom out, so there's no ability to stop down for depth of field or slower shutter speeds. If you understand this and are willing to accept the necessary compromises, it's a great addition to your camera arsenal.
Ergonomics are a mixed bag. The camera tends to be a little "front-heavy" and the multi-function "OK" joystick button tries to do too many things. They should have added another sub-command dial to access some of the settings, since it's too easy to accidentally press "OK" when you're trying to change one of the settings by toggling the button. On the other hand, the "snap-back" zoom button is incredibly helpful, and overall, the camera is lightweight and comfortable to use, given the nature of the lens.
In sum, if you're a sight-seer or casual shooter, it is a definite buy. If you're a pro, and want a camera that can reach 3000 mm on those rare occasions when you really need it, it's also a good buy. If you're looking for maximum image control and quality, there are better options.
Another review..
I own the P900 and love it, but when the new P1000 was announced I jumped on getting it.
First of all.. it is NOT like the P900.. it appears to be a D class Nikon body with this rather amazing 14-3000mm lens on it, and a hybrid set of software, part Coolpix, part DSLR. It is much heavier than the Coolpix cameras, so take that into consideration.
What I love: they corrected most of the deficiencies of the P900 : larger flash, hot shoe, manual focus ( a biggie!!) , better manual settings ,including a Bulb setting, larger batteries ( but still a battery hog) , RAW support , and of course the 3000mm lens... see a couple of example photos below
still, it has its weaknesses: It is not armored at all for weather - not great when you shoot most of the time in the rainforests. It has a great 'birding watching' setting, but it only shoots in JPEG when set to that, not allowing RAW. It still eats batteries alive ( always buy backup batteries) and it is a tad heavier than I thought, as compared to the P900.
I have not had time to test out its astrophotography capabilities, but plan on testing it out since I travel all over to photograph Total Eclipses of the sun , and hope its capability matches what it can do with birds and nature.
All in all, I am very pleased with the performance of the P1000 - it may not be for everyone, but it is perfect for my needs.
Another review...
Overall, I'm pretty happy with this camera. Couple of issues..... It takes quite a while for processing multiple images when shooting in continuous mode. I shoot mostly wildlife and this can be quite annoying, but it's something I'm getting used to. I'm also getting used to people's looks - wondering what it is in my hands - especially when fully zoomed out.
Being in Arizona, I don't do a lot of shooting above 2000 mm - too much distortion caused by heat waves. As expected, sharpness drops off a little at the upper zoom ranges, but I understand this and don't try to get quality images at great distances.
Is it worth $1, 000?..... I think six- seven hundred would be more realistic, and I'm betting that will be the case in about 6 months.
And another review
FIRST: A MUST! Turn the NR (Noise Reduction) to LOW. You will be much happier with the sharpness of your photos. Somehow the NR affects the photos more than with the P900. I wish the menu allowed us to turn it off completely. Noise reduction should be done in post-processing and before you do any more with the photo. Also, with full or near full zoom, make sure your shutter speed is high. When I use my elbows as a tripod, I still see much better sharpness with 1/200 shutter speed or above. ISO 200 works great.
And this 5 star review was interesting....
I am writing a review because I read so many reviews to make my decisions and appreciate the folks that take time to write them. Hopefully this helps someone.
To provide perspective, I've owned several Nikon DSLRs (D70, D200, D700) and currently use the D750 with the 28-300 mm lens. I have also owned the Nikon P900. My decision to get a P900 (and now P1000) was balanced against getting a 150-600 mm zoom for the D750. After considerable research, I decided the P900 would provide greater capabilities at long zooms with acceptable image quality for anything that far away. It simply allows one to capture images other setups cannot. When the P1000 was announced, I sold my P900 and upgraded.
I find the P1000 to meet or exceed my expectations. If your expectations are that you can expand a photo to 100% and observe the sharpness a full-size sensor can provide, you will be sorely disappointed. This is a small senor and pixel peeping begins to show a painted look at 100% magnification. That said, the P1000 images I've taken seem very sharp. The trade-off for the astrological zoom provided by the P1000 in a relatively small frame is a small sensor, which are inherently noisier. If one existed, the lens to achieve that level of zoom on a full-sized sensor would weigh 100 pounds or more and require a cart to move it around. That's just lens physics. Further there are some comparisons by professional photographers out there that demonstrate the D850 with 600 mm + crop (to 16 mp) vs P1000 at 3000 mm equivalent and the P1000 holds its ground, at a much lower price point and much smaller, lighter package.
In comparing to the P900, I find the P1000 to be superior in every respect except size. The sharpness and image quality is better in my comparisons, though it is definitely not a major leap for IQ. It has 50% more zoom capability. The electronic viewfinder is excellent, representing a huge improvement over the P900. The addition of the control ring to manually focus, adjust exposure, white balance, etc. greatly bridges problems the P900 had in acquiring focus in difficult situations. Finally, the addition of raw format provides a much greater flexibility to tease out the best of every picture (shot in P, S, A, M & U modes) through post-processing. And those are just the major points. Others includes addition of 4k @30 fps video or 1080p@60 fps. The zoom motor on the P900 is easily heard on videos; it is nearly unnoticeable on the P1000. There is an external flash shoe. It's response time seems quicker than the P900. There are just more options and more levels of control provided. It is a complete upgrade. The downside to 50% more zoom is the camera size. This camera is a beast and on par with the size of a full-size DSLR with moderate zoom lens attached. It is about the same size, but lighter than my D750 with 28-300 lens attached. It is still more convenient and lighter than toting around a zoom lens that only achieves 20% of the zoom the P1000 does.
I originally got this to fill a niche at longer focal lengths, but the more I use it, the more I like it for a versatile partner for many situations. This is a new product and I expect a few bugs to show up (I haven't really found any yet), but I also expect firmware updates to hone the performance over time as well. I am very happy "as is". I'd recommend this product and thank Nikon for addressing nearly every suggested improvement to the P900; I am glad I upgraded.
