Nikon COOLPIX P900 - Any thoughts?

Msmoto

This is an interesting camera, small sensor, but a zoom range that is incredible. And, for many, will most likely produce results that will be found pleasing. This thread is about anyone who might think about one of these to have as a carry around, all-purpose, snapshot camera. Let's try to keep the discussion to the Compact Digital Cameras and not drift into some side street.

All comers...

Nikon's info:
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/Compact-Digital-Cameras/COOLPIX-P900.html

Ironheart

This is a pretty impressive machine, esp considering all you get for $600:
24-2000mm and a minimum focus of 1cm (to the front element)? Crazy
7fps? Faster than a D800
PSAM dial? Check

Deal breaker for me? No RAW/NEF support, AFAICT.

tcole1983

I saw this and it seemed interesting. Seems like a cool package for those that don't want to have to switch lenses. It might be something I would suggest instead of a dslr with a super zoom. Wonder how it would compare to a D3XXX or D5XXX and an 18-200...obviously the P900 having more zoom range.

First thing that popped into my head was my parents.

Photobug

I saw this and it seemed interesting. Seems like a cool package for those that don't want to have to switch lenses. It might be something I would suggest instead of a dslr with a super zoom. Wonder how it would compare to a D3XXX or D5XXX and an 18-200...obviously the P900 having more zoom range.
First thing that popped into my head was my parents.

Good point @tcole1983. I also thought of younger couple with kids in sports who now realize cell phone cameras and point & shoot cameras can't capture the image they want. I think size and weight will be important. Need to check this one out. I have two friends wanting to buy a good camera but don't want to spent about $500 or $700. Bet it competes well against the small Canon DSLR.

PB_PM

Deal breaker for me? No RAW/NEF support, AFAICT.

Deal breaker for me is the puny 1/2.3 inch sensor.

sevencrossing

Nikon has some sample images. They don't have any EXIF data and look a like they might have been taken on a smart phone
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/Compact-Digital-Cameras/COOLPIX-P900.html#!/media:image:P900_sample-photo3_01.jpg

donaldejose

With WiFi and NFC you can transfer a photo to your laptop or Android cell phone and post it on facebook. There are some facebook addicts who like to post everything they do and live for getting "likes." The P900 will allow them to get images their cell phone cannot produce and the image quality will be "good enough" for cell phone or tablet displays. I think that use is where this product may sell well, if it does. I don't think it is going to produce image quality which will print larger than 8x10. It is just a product for the digital world. If Nikon put the Nikon 1 sensor or the DX sensor into some Coolpix models (like the DX Coolpix A) they would be usable beyond the digital world.

I should add that my wife has become all too much of a facebook addict wanting to post photos of herself and her food in dimly lit restaurants. Of course, cell phones are particularly weak in dim light. In order to enable her to get decent images I purchased two Toshiba FlashAir II SD cards and put them into a Nikon 1 and a Coolpix A. A photo can be transferred over WiFi to her Samsung Galaxy cell phone right after it is taken and she can post it to facebook before she even starts eating her meal. This makes her happy. I tend to think a WiFi enabled SD card is a better option than the P900 because it lets you use any sensor you want:CX, DX or FX. If you want to have a wide to tele zoom just mount such a lens on your body. Of course, you are missing NFC but that feature may be added to future SD WiFi cards, if it can be.

tcole1983

I never understand why Nikon doesn't post better resolution pictures in their samples. I can see posting small format for the slideshow or something, but why not any larger versions? The samples pictures look OK, but not stellar...hard to judge them at 908 x 682. If picture quality wasn't terrible then it seems like a steal for something with that much zoom. The best I could do for under lots of $$$ would be a 2x converter on my 300 F4 which probably wouldn't be great and only get me to 900 mm in 35mm equivalent. I would get one to take on any trip where wildlife might be.

Normally I wouldn't be excited by a coolpix camera, but for some reason I like this one from what I see.

donaldejose

Surely the shots taken at 2000mm are going to be terrible. Better to put a Nikon 1 or DX sensor into the body and reduce the zoom range accordingly. Normal people cannot hand hold more than 400mm anyway. How many people who purchase the camera will be putting it on a tripod?

Snowleopard

I did not see this thread when I posted my post earlier, but my concern is that Nikon can invest so much money in making 24mm-2000mm lenses for coolpix camera's.... but it would take an act of multiple gods for Nikon to release an updated Zoom-Nikkor 1200-1700mm f/5.6-8P IF-ED at a reasonable cost.

Nikon is forgetting about it's pro customers.

sevencrossing

it is infact 4.3-357mm and only has to cover a 1/2.3 inch sensor.

Ironheart

Surely the shots taken at 2000mm are going to be terrible. Better to put a Nikon 1 or DX sensor into the body and reduce the zoom range accordingly. Normal people cannot hand hold more than 400mm anyway. How many people who purchase the camera will be putting it on a tripod?

Nikon claims "5.0 stops Dual Detect Optical VR" which means:
"Dual Detect Optical VR that provides compensation for camera shake equivalent to a 5.0-stop increase in shutter speed
With adoption of the new Dual Detect Optical VR, the P900 achieves the highest level of camera shake compensation, equivalent to a 5.0-stop* increase in shutter speed, available with a Nikon compact digital camera. This function calculates the amount of camera shake with even greater precision with a new VR algorithm that uses two types of information with calculation—camera shake information detected by the angular velocity sensor, and information regarding the direction and amount of camera shake (motion vector) calculated based on image information. This significantly increases the accuracy of camera shake compensation."

funtagraph

... but it would take an act of multiple gods for Nikon to release an updated Zoom-Nikkor 1200-1700mm f/5.6-8P IF-ED at a reasonable cost.

Comparing a 1.4× zoom with a 83× zoom including a tiny sensor at possibly 1/20 or 1/30 of the cost of this zoom thingy for 50 people in the world using it? At which price tag you'd consider buying it? Stop. Maybe I don't want to know why bring some telescopes in a bridge-superzoom thread.

As for handhold or not - I'd prefer to try and come to verdict afterwards

Ironheart

This entire camera and lens weighs in at 2lbs, or 900g. A 1200-1700 f/5.6-8 weighs in at 36lbs or 16,000g. Not only that, but the lens retailed at $60K. So even a 50% reduction in price and weight would still be unwieldy.

Photobug

Wow, nice lens. I was just thinking what you could do with that on a DX DSLR. Not practical for most users but for the pro with deep pockets - nice. Thanks for posting the images.

newfoundlander61

I currently shoot birds with a Nikon D50 and the original ver of the 80-400VR handheld. Wondering if this type of camera (Nikon CoolPix P900) would give me similar results or maybe even better, considering an upgrade but haven't decided yet until I saw this one.

tcole1983

The "P" series CoolPix are actually pretty good point and shoot cameras. I got my parents a P310 and I thought it did a good job. Obviously the sensor on this isn't going to match a dSLR and I would think at full zoom it will take a bit to get really great photos, but it does boast according to Nikon's information the best VR available. I just look at it as there is NO reasonably priced dSLR option that comes near the range of it. Cheapest is the 70-300 then the 300 F4 and then the 80-400. The 70-300 running a smidge under the P900 price right now new on Amazon. You can buy two for the old version non-VR 300 F4 and 3 or 4 for the new VR model....same for the new 80-400.

donaldejose

The high zoom is the obvious attraction but I still think the sensor will be too small to yield acceptable results at such a high zoom for anything other than cell phones and 4 x 6 prints. The photos Nikon has published so far are very unimpressive. I would wait to see other photos produced by this camera before I bought one.

heartyfisher

For almost the same cost you can get a D7100 which will work with your current lense.
The IQ from the D7100 will be so much better than your D50, you will in effect double your "range" (just about). Not only that, the high ISO and DR will be a significant advantage. However, I would wait and see the output of the P900. The price of the D7100 can only drop as the D7200 is now out.

SWR

I'm thinking about getting one. There are so many events where I can't bring my D810.
Tomorrow I'm going to an open air Toto concert where you can't bring a camera with a detatchable lense. Yesterday I was at a soccer match where I had to go back to the car and leave my camera. It's like an epedemic spreading out over all our public events.

heartyfisher

:-(

Snowleopard

I was actually able to hold one and check it out at the local camera store last weekend. It is nice, but for a Coolpix, the P900 is massive.... almost the side of a DSLR., it is lightweight for what it is though. I am mixed on weather I would want one or not.... I think I would rather get the image quality from the D810 and use a dolly to lug around an 83x zoom for the full frame camera then to sacrifice image quality for the sensor they have in the P900.... just my thoughts.....

SWR

I actually do have a 2000mm and a 2800mm for my D810, but it's an 11" Celestron EdgeHD telescope that is totally impractical to bring anywhere but star parties. I highly doubt that I would be allowed to bring it to the events I want to photograph anyway, because you can detatch the Optical Tube Assembly.
It's too much reach anyway, so I think the P900 would be a much better alternative. The sensor is tiny compared to a FF, so it's clear that you won't get the color depth, dynamic range and ISO sensitivity of a FF sensor, but if you can't bring a DSLR of any kind, then i much prefer a good lense in front of the tiny sensor instead of the tiny piece of plastic on my iPhone.

DaveyJ

We own a Celestron set up for Nikon cameras. It sits in our computer work room as a statement. The actual use of it is none. Some of the big Nikon lens out now are rapidly heading that way.....disuse......I see very few huge cameras in the hands of young people. Is this because they can't afford the big stuff....or just plain don't want that heavy gear.....My guess is the latter. I predict the Nikon Coolpix 900 will really help keep Nikon in business. A similar DX package would give a better sensor if the rig (total of lens and camera) could be kept down to a size appropriate to efficient field use.

johnincornwall

The Nikon Coolpix P900 looks like a great camera I just wish Nikon was making them available to customers in the UK. Launched here in March but since then almost no supplies. Amazon used to say 'delivery 1 to 3 months' but they've been saying that for months so clearly just a guess, and now they have change it to simply 'Currently unavailable we don't know when or if this item will be back in stock' !

Some specialist camera sites are taking pre-orders but with no idea when they will have stocks and one has now posted a red banner across the page saying that 'Due to issues with Nikon securing stock for the UK we will not be able to supply this camera until September / October 2015' And I have to wonder how sure they are even of that prediction as no-one seems to know what is happening with supplies.

I've pre-ordered with a company that wants only a nominal deposit which seems fairer but none of them have any idea when Nikon will ship any cameras to fill even the pre-orders.

I know Nikon issued an apology back in May but that was 6 weeks ago surely they must have some idea what is happening and IF they are still actually manufacturing, and it has to be a big IF, then surely they should have some schedule of shipments and so be able to say when the UK Nikon dealers will be getting their share of whatever units are being made. The fact that they haven't makes me think the reason is that, despite the predictable denials, there is some serious technical fault which they are endeavouring to rectify before shipping more units. Why else the near total lack of stock worldwide and the deafening silence re future deliveries.So, who knows, by the time they get it rectified and in production one of the other makers will have something even better about to launch. There is talk of a 100 x zoom Canon Powershot for 2016.

alphadog

Just got the P900 and I am really impressed. nice handheld shots at 1700mm. the VR is great on these. Nikon would make a lot of points if they would honor a US warranty on the gray market P900's for 2015 since these shmucks seemed to supply the rest of the world with these and none (or very few) for the US. Way to gain customers Nikon.