What it's like to use
One area in which the Coolpix P1000 excels that doesn't fit into the use cases that we usually consider is lunar photography. With its incredible reach and no requirement for responsive autofocus or a large buffer, you'll get some amazing shots. The dedicated 'Moon Mode' is a bit limited in terms of features, with the lack of Raw being the main offense (you can still take photos of the moon in other shooting modes).
The use cases for which we think the P1000 is a decent fit include:
Travel
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ISO 100 | 1/1000 sec | F3.5 | 75mm equiv. |
The P1000's lens allows it to handle any just about situation that may come up, from majestic landscapes to a whale breaching in the distance. That said, unless you're shooting at extreme focal lengths, it's a burden to carry around and outright image quality is unimpressive compared to competitors with less zoom range but larger sensors.
Pros:
- Lens can be used for almost every shooting situation
- Good out-of-camera JPEGs
- SnapBridge app allows geo-tagging and image sharing
- EVF good for shooting in bright light
- USB charging
- Good quality 4K video
Cons:
- Bulk and weight make camera a burden to carry around all day
- Lens sharpness drops off at longer focal lengths
- Small sensor and slow lens produces noisy images
- Poor battery life
- Slow USB charging; external charger should've be included
Sports and wildlife
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ISO 1600 | 1/400 sec | F7.1 | 2600mm equiv. |
The P1000's versatile lens makes it a top choice for wildlife photography, as long as your subject isn't moving. It's not well-suited for sports, as telephoto focusing can be slow and the buffer fills very quickly in burst mode.
Pros:
- Lens has incredible reach
- Very good image stabilization, to a point
- 'Snap zoom' lets you 'back out' to relocate a subject
- Optional dot sight for bird-in-flight photography
Cons:
- Quickly becomes front-heavy, making it hard to support, both in-hand and on modest tripods. There's no practical way to support the camera around the lens barrel
- Heavy for a superzoom camera
- Lens is very slow at telephoto end, reducing sharpness further
- Small buffer greatly limits continuous shooting
- No touchscreen, which is useful for tripod shooting
- Poor battery life
Landscapes
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ISO 100 | 1/800 sec | F2.8 | 24mm equiv. |
With a lens starting at 24mm equiv. and nice-looking JPEGs, the P1000 is a camera worth considering if you're a landscape photographer, but there are far better options if image quality is your primary concern.
Pros:
- Pleasing JPEG colors
- Raw support lets you get the most of out the P1000's small sensor
- Fully articulating LCD
- Lens is threaded for filters
Cons:
- Quickly becomes front-heavy, making it hard to support, both in-hand and on modest tripods
- Not weather-sealed
- Bare-bones remote capture in SnapBridge app
- Noise reduction a bit high in JPEGs
- Poor battery life
- Heavy to carry around, especially compared to smaller cameras with 1" sensors and better image quality
Family and moments
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ISO 100 | 1/200 sec | F8 | 145mm equiv. Photo by Wenmei Hill. |
While some may look at versatility of the P1000's focal range and consider it good for everyday family photos, for virtually every situation a smaller camera will produce significantly better image quality, sometimes for half the price.
Pros:
- Good out-of-camera JPEGs (for a camera with a small sensor)
- Long focal range helps you spot your kids after they've run away
- SnapBridge app allows for easily posting photos on social media
Cons:
- Too big and heavy for most family outings, can be intimidating
- Slow lens and small sensor will produce noisy images in low light
- Face detection autofocus works for stationary portraits but not moving children
Video
While the P1000 is capable of shooting decent quality 4K video in most situations, there are better choices that cost a lot less and are easier to carry around and offer still better quality. Nikon warns users in the manual that rolling shutter, moiré and autofocus issues may occur (and they will). We appreciate the company's honesty.
Pros:
- Decent quality 4K video with no crop
- Effective digital IS for 1080p video at shorter focal lengths
- Fully articulating LCD
- External mic input
- Dual zoom controllers
Cons:
- Cheaper and lighter cameras produce better quality video
- Large and heavy for video work
- Noticeable rolling shutter when panning or if fast subjects cross the frame
- Lack of a touchscreen makes rack focusing a challenge
- No exposure compensation with Auto ISO
Our reviews are designed with real-world shooting scenarios in mind, and on this page we're looking at how the Coolpix P1000 performs for several popular use-cases. After considering its features and target market, we have opted not to specifically address 'Candid and street,' 'Portraits,' 'People and lifestyle' and 'Weddings and events' in this section.
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