With its crazy 125x optical zoom (24-3000mm full-frame equivalent), a 16 MP BSI CMOS sensor, 7 FPS continuous shooting speed and 4K video recording capabilities, the Nikon Coolpix P1000 is a very unique camera that has no real competitors. Its closest rival is its predecessor, the Coolpix P900, which offers inferior zoom range, no RAW shooting capability, inferior electronic viewfinder, and it is limited to full HD video. This makes the P1000 possibly the most feature-rich superzoom the world has ever seen.
If you use a long enough lens and shoot the sea horizon, you will be able to see ships many miles away in their entirety, which proves that the Earth is flat. This is one of the arguments of “flat-Earthers”, a group of people who believe that the Earth is flat, that we never made it to the Moon, and that NASA is just a money-wasting machine. The Nikon Coolpix P900 and P1000 are their favorite cameras because they can see further than “we are supposed to be able to see”…whatever the heck that means.
Anyway, where was I? Ah, the Nikon Coolpix P1000, the camera with an impressive 24-3000mm zoom range. 3000mm is no joke – it would seem like an ultimate camera for photographing distant subjects. But the reality is, with its tiny 1/2.3” sensor, it is more like a super telephoto lens attached to a smartphone. The actual focal length of the lens is 4.5-539mm, so it is primarily the crop factor of 5.6x that gets the lens to equivalent focal length of 3000mm in 35mm format.
COOLPIX P1000 @ 5mm, ISO 100, 1/40, f/5.6
As long as one does not look at the P1000 as a “do it all” camera, but more of a specialized tool to get as close to a subject as possible, it shows tremendous value. What else can get you to 3000mm equivalent field of view? A Nikon D500 coupled with an 800mm f/5.6 lens and a 2x teleconverter will weigh close to 6 kilos, cost you a little under $20K, and will only give you a 2400mm f/11 equivalent setup. To properly stabilize the gear, you will need a high-end tripod and a head, which will cost another $1K+ on top of that. And it won’t be sharp at f/11, so you will need to stop it down to at least f/13 to get anything “usable” at pixel level. That’s a lot of money to pay for a monstrous configuration that provides questionable results. In comparison, the Nikon Coolpix P1000 goes for under $1K and weighs mere 1.4 kilos. See where I am going with this?
Table of Contents
Nikon Coolpix P1000 Specifications
Let’s take a look at the key specifications of the Nikon Coolpix P1000:
- Image Sensor: 16 MP 1/2.3” BSI CMOS Sensor
- ISO Range: 100-6400
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Processor: EXPEED
- Lens Focal Length: 4.5-539mm
- Equivalent Focal Length in 35mm Format: 24-3000mm
- Vibration Reduction: Yes, Up to 5 Stops
- Focal Range: 30.48 cm to Infinity (Wide), 7.01 m to Infinity (Telephoto)
- Optical Design: 17 Elements in 12 Groups
- Lens Filter Size: 77mm
- Continuous Shooting Speed: Up to 7 FPS
- Rear Screen: 3.2” tilt/flip LCD with 921,000 Dots
- EVF: 2.35 Million Dot, 100% Coverage
- Video: Up to 4K Video @ 25p/29.97p
- Memory Card Slot: 1x SD/SDHC/SDXC
- WiFi and GPS: Yes
- Battery: EN-EL20a
- Battery Life: Up to 250 Shots
- Dimensions: 146.3 x 118.8 x 181.3mm
- Weight: 1415 g (Camera body, battery and memory card)
Build Quality and Ergonomics
The build quality of the Coolpix P1000 is quite good, in-line with what one would expect from a high-quality Nikon camera. The camera body is mostly plastic, including the bulky lens barrel. As long as you don’t drop the camera, it should be able to handle plenty of normal use in the field.
In regards to ergonomics, Nikon has mostly done a great job. The grip is covered with soft rubber, similar to what we see on Nikon’s high-end cameras. It feels deep, secure and comfortable, even for larger hands. The shutter release is where it should be, while the On/Off switch has been moved to a dedicated button on top of the camera. Although there is an up/down switch on the left side of the lens barrel for zooming in and out, Nikon also provided the same functionality on the shutter release dial. This way, you can move it clock-wise to zoom in and counter clock-wise to zoom out.
The top of the camera has a large PASM dial with plenty of options, including specific scene modes like Scene Auto, Moon Mode, Bird Watching mode, etc. To the right of it, there is a smaller dial that you can use to adjust specific settings. I set up mine to adjust Aperture when shooting in Aperture Priority Mode (done via Menu -> Setup -> Toggle Av/Tv selection) – the default behavior is to rotate the dial on the back of the camera.
The lens barrel has a single ring called “Control ring” that can be used for adjusting focus when shooting in manual focus mode, or when shooting in autofocus mode, it can be programmed to adjust things like Exposure Compensation, ISO or White Balance (Menu -> Setup -> Control ring options). To the left of the lens barrel you will find a “Snap-back zoom” button used to quickly zoom out of the scene and zoom back in to help with the framing. Right next to it, there is a large up / down switch that by default is used for zooming in / out, but you can also set it up to adjust focus when shooting in manual focus mode.
The back of the camera is designed quite well, with an intuitive rotary dial and four buttons to the top and the bottom of the dial. The rotary dial has a four way button layout as well, so that you can quickly adjust things like exposure compensation, self-timer, etc. Right above those is a dedicated video recording button, which is conveniently located to be able to quickly capture video footage with your thumb. The last two buttons are to the right of the EVF. The first button is used to switch between the EVF and the LCD, while the AEL-AFL button can be used for locking the exposure / focus, as well as for switching between autofocus and manual focus. Sadly, the Coolpix P1000 cannot be set up for back-button focusing using the AEL-AFL button. The only solution that somewhat provides this functionality, is to switch to manual focus, then use one of the buttons on the rotary dial to autofocus. It is not convenient by any means though.
The EVF on the Nikon Coolpix P1000 is very good. It has a lot more resolution compared to the P900 (2.36 Million Dots vs 921K Dots) and it feels brighter in comparison. It is not as good as the EVF on the Nikon Z-series cameras – it feels quite digitized and noisy in low light, but that’s expected, considering that the image is coming from a tiny sensor. I like that Nikon engineers pushed the EVF away from the camera body, so that you don’t end up squishing your nose on the rear LCD.
Speaking of the LCD, it is quite large at 3.2” and it has plenty of pixels (921K dots) to make images and the menu look great, without any pixelation. I love the fact that the LCD screen is fully articulated – you can flip it to the side and rotate it from front to back, to be able to capture any subject at any angle.
Similar to some other Nikon cameras, the SD memory card slot is located inside the battery chamber. The tripod socket is placed parallel to the center of the lens barrel, making it easy to attach tripod plates.
The menu system of the camera is somewhat limited compared to Nikon’s advanced DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, but that’s a good thing, considering that it is a point-and-shoot aimed primarily at beginners and enthusiasts.
Overall, Nikon did a great job with the ergonomics of the P1000. Aside from the inability to program the AEL-AFL button for back-button focusing, I really don’t have any other complaints.
Lens Performance
As you may already know, superzoom lenses are a big gamble when it comes to their optical performance, as it is not easy to optically design a sharp lens with such a large focal length range. Making sure that each sample performs well is not easy either, so you will naturally have some that are sharper than others at different focal lengths. My particular sample performed quite well optically in its mid-range – it seemed to be somewhat weak on the wide end, and when zoomed in all the way to 3000mm, it was not particularly sharp either, especially in the corners. But from around 105mm to 1600mm, it showed excellent sharpness at maximum aperture.
Another thing to keep in mind is the effects of atmospheric particles on sharpness at long focal lengths. Heat waves, haze, moisture and other elements in the air can cause a lot of damage to images and reduce the perception of sharpness in images. I struggled with that quite a bit at 3000mm when shooting the moon – atmospheric haze was a huge problem, in addition to the shaky nature of such long focal lengths. I document my experience shooting the moon further down in the review.
I encountered similar struggles when photographing wildlife at 2000mm and above. Although the P1000 feels quicker to focus than the P900, it hunts quite often in less than stellar light, and it is not a great choice for fast-moving birds. Perched birds are not a problem, but if a bird is constantly on the move and you need to refocus, operating the camera can get frustrating pretty quickly.
Still, once you nail focus, the P1000 can be a great tool for watching and tracking wildlife (there is even a dedicated “bird watching” mode on the camera), provided that you don’t have a lot of heat waves to battle with. I personally love the ability to shoot 4K video at long focal lengths, which I discuss below.
Here is a table of maximum apertures and focal lengths of the P1000:
| Aperture | Focal Length Range |
|---|---|
| f/2.8 | 24-29mm |
| f/3.2 | 30-54mm |
| f/3.5 | 55-104mm |
| f/4.0 | 105-184mm |
| f/4.5 | 185-369mm |
| f/5.0 | 370-749mm |
| f/5.6 | 750-1599mm |
| f/6.3 | 1600-2199mm |
| f/7.1 | 2200-2799mm |
| f/8.0 | 2800-3000mm |
As you can see, the lens loses a lot of light as you zoom in. This is something you have to keep in mind when shooting in the field – you will need a lot of light in order to take sharp images at long focal lengths, especially anything beyond 1600mm. Shutter speed drops fairly quickly at long focal lengths, so you will need to balance shutter speed and ISO quite a bit to get images without camera shake / motion blur, with the least amount of noise possible.
Vibration Reduction Performance
Similar to the P900, the Coolpix P1000 comes with optical vibration reduction (VR), which is supposed to provide up to 5 stops of compensation. While I cannot say that I was able to get 5 stops of compensation, VR worked quite well for me, especially when hand-holding the camera. To be honest, I cannot imagine not having VR when using such long focal lengths – even finding a subject in the frame can get difficult.
When using a tripod, I tried shooting with both VR enabled and disabled. I found that keeping VR enabled helped when using a shaky tripod, or when it got a bit windy. However, when it was absolutely stable and when I was using a self-timer, turning off VR gave me sharper results. Your mileage might vary, but I have to warn you – turning off VR and trying to adjust the tripod can get really difficult above 2000mm, because everything gets extremely shaky.
Autofocus Performance
The autofocus performance of the P1000 is similar to that of P900 – it is not great, especially when compared to a modern DSLR or a mirrorless camera. Although the focus motor seems to be fast, and the camera snaps into focus fairly quickly when there is plenty of light and contrast, it tends to lose focus and hunt quite a bit, especially at longer focal lengths. Tracking subjects is difficult, so if you have wildlife that constantly moves, using the P1000 can get very frustrating. The camera also gets easily fooled by things in front and behind the subject. I have tried tracking a bird on a tree with a bunch of branches, and the camera kept on focusing on everything but the bird, making it tough to keep it in focus.
Where the P1000 shines, is if you have a very clear view of the subject, and there is plenty of ambient light. In such conditions, it does a great job at keeping the subject in focus.
Frame Rates and Shooting Speed
Similar to the P900, the P1000 can shoot up to 7 FPS, and its buffer is limited to just 7 frames. Once the buffer fills up, the camera just stops shooting. The good news is, you can just restart the process and shoot more. I did this 3-4 times before the buffer really filled up – that’s when I got rotating squares on the screen, indicating that the camera is busy. After 5-6 seconds, the camera would come back to live view and allow me to start over. That’s not bad, but certainly far worse than a good wildlife camera like the Nikon D500, which has a huge buffer and can shoot many more frames in comparison.
Image Quality
As I have already pointed out, the Nikon Coolpix P1000 has a tiny 1/2.3” sensor, similar to what you would find on some smartphone cameras. This means that we can expect similar image quality as what we can get from a modern smartphone and other small sensor point-and-shoot cameras. Both P900 and P1000 have identical sensor sizes and sensor resolution, so there is not much difference in image quality between the two.
Unfortunately, the 1/2.3” sensor is not a great choice in terms of high ISO and dynamic range performance. Cramming so many megapixels in such a tiny sensor certainly has its drawbacks, and it really shows in images.
In fact, when shooting at short focal lengths below 50mm, I really see no benefit of using the P1000 – you are going to be better off using your smartphone. Why? Because smartphones are equipped with very powerful processors that can handle a lot of computational photography, so they can yield images that are sharper, less noisy and capture far more dynamic range.
For example, some modern smartphones can capture a series of images, then use an averaging technique to reduce noise in the resulting image. They can also capture multiple images at different exposures, then seamlessly blend them to create a single composite. In addition, they can use artificial intelligence and machine learning to create images, something the P1000 and other modern digital cameras were never designed to do.
To me, this brings up an important point – I think Nikon should make future generations of its Coolpix cameras more specialized, only focusing on their telephoto performance. What is the point of shooting at 24mm, if your smartphone can take a much nicer and cleaner image? Considering that it is difficult to design lenses that can span both wide and telephoto ranges, I think Nikon would be able to make its next-generation point-and-shoot smaller, lighter and potentially superior in optical performance. I would rather have a sharp 100-2000mm lens, than an average 24-3000mm one…
In terms of ISO range, the P1000 does fairly well up to ISO 400, sometimes even 800 – anything above that looks like trash. In fact, I tried to keep my ISO at 100 whenever possible, because even base ISO showed its limitations when trying to recover highlight or shadow detail in post (I only shot in RAW). A better technique would be to switch the camera to continuous shooting mode, and shoot a burst of images, then bring them all to Photoshop and average them out – this will significantly reduce noise and increase overall sharpness. However, this technique only works well when shooting from a tripod, and when there is no wind or subject movement, so its use is quite limiting.
One of the biggest differences between the P1000 and P900, is that the former can shoot RAW. This is enough of a difference for many to consider choosing the P1000 over the P900. With the P900, you have to make sure to nail white balance each time, and you are at the mercy of 8-bit JPEG images. This is no longer a problem with the P1000, since you can always shoot auto white balance, and there is more legroom with recovering shadows and details in RAW files.
4K Video Shooting
While the Coolpix P900 was limited to Full HD video resolution, the P1000 is able to record high-quality 4K UHD video at 3840×2160 resolution in H.264 / MPEG-4 format, which is impressive. The camera has an HDMI port to output video to an external monitor or recorder, and even has a microphone port to record external audio. Take a look at this sample video from Nikon, which shows what a close-up of a lion’s face looks like at 3000mm. I don’t do much video, but after looking at this footage, I think the P1000 would be a better candidate for 4K video at 3000mm than stills!
Battery Life
Although Nikon states that the P1000 is capable of only yielding 250 images from a single charge, I was easily able to surpass this number when shooting in the field. Keep in mind that CIPA numbers are calculated based on usage of LCD, EVF and flash, so if you do not use flash at all, minimize the use of EVF and LCD, you will get a lot more images than stated by Nikon.
Shooting the Moon
One of the reasons for wanting to get a camera like the Coolpix P1000, is to be able to capture distant subjects in great detail. The moon is a perfect subject for the P1000, because you can literally fill the frame with the Moon! In fact, if you zoom beyond 2000mm at full Moon, it will be larger than the frame, so you will only be able to capture parts of it.
The Coolpix P1000 has a dedicated “Moon Shot Mode”, which is something you can access on the PASM dial. Once you switch to this mode, you can simply align the brackets over the moon, push “OK” and the camera will automatically zoom 1000mm (default behavior). If that’s not enough, you can change the value from 1000mm to 2000mm, 2400mm or 3000mm through the camera’s menu (Menu -> Moon Shot Mode -> Focal length selection). The Moon Shot Mode also automatically enables a 3-second self-timer, so that you don’t end up with a blurry image due to camera shake.
While the Moon Shot Mode seems to be quite helpful, it does have one big negative – it switches image recording to JPEG shooting, and there is no way to switch back to RAW through the menu, unless you switch away from the scene mode into one of the PASM or Auto modes. This is a major oversight on behalf of Nikon, and seems to be more of a bug / oversight, than a planned feature. I hope Nikon addresses this via a firmware update in the future, although considering how long the P1000 has been out, I don’t have much faith in it ever happening.
COOLPIX P1000 @ 359mm, ISO 100, 1/125, f/6.3
For this reason alone, I only photographed the moon in Aperture Priority and Manual modes, as I did not want to resort to JPEG.
Summary
Without a doubt, the Nikon Coolpix P1000 is a very unique offering that has no real competition today. With its insane 24-3000mm equivalent zoom range, it is a truly versatile superzoom camera. Bird watchers will love this camera, because they can get a close-up image or a video of their subject without disturbing it. They don’t have to carry and set up large and heavy gear, and best of all, they can do it for under a thousand dollars!
However, the camera has its list of flaws. To be able to achieve such an enormous zoom range, Nikon had to stick a tiny 1/2.3” sensor into the P1000, which obviously limits its potential in terms of ISO and dynamic range performance. Even when shooting at base ISO in RAW format, one can easily see noise patterns, especially when shadows are recovered. Some of the detail looks quite mushy, partly because of the small sensor, and partly because the 24-3000m lens is far from being perfect – something we can expect from such a superzoom.
My sample didn’t do well on the wide end, as well as the long end in terms of sharpness, particularly outside the center frame. While it might not matter for shooting most subjects that will be centered anyway, it is something you have to always keep in mind. I personally found my iPhone to yield much better results on the wide-end, which is disappointing for the P1000, considering how big and heavy it is in comparison. As I have pointed out in this review, Nikon should take that into account and potentially do away with wide focal lengths, specializing only on long-range telephoto – something smartphones cannot really compete with at the moment.
In addition to image quality concerns, the camera is very slow to focus and track subjects. I tried to do some wildlife photography with the P1000 and I gave up rather quickly, as it was a very frustrating process to constantly keep moving subjects in focus. The camera would front and back focus, hunt, and sometimes completely fail to acquire focus, especially at anything longer than 2000mm. This is not very welcoming news for wildlife photographers, who need their cameras to constantly keep up with fast movements and erratic animal behavior.
However, these are all normal concerns on a camera like this – it would be extremely difficult to make something that is drastically better without completely overhauling the camera and making it more like a smartphone. Still, there is a lot to like about the P1000, especially when compared to its predecessor.
With the added range, ability to shoot RAW, 4K video shooting and a few other enhancements, the Coolpix P1000 has a number of advantages to put it ahead of the P900. Sadly, Nikon put a $300 price premium on the P1000 upon its release, which makes it tough to choose for those who are on a tight budget. Currently, the Nikon Coolpix P1000 is selling for $999, while the P900 has been discounted to $499 thanks to the $100 instant rebate. One has to wonder if the P1000 is truly worth twice the price premium. I guess I will leave that up to you to decide…
Where to Buy
As usual, you can buy the Nikon P1000 from our trusted partner, B&H Photo Video, using this link.
Nikon Coolpix P1000
- Optical Performance
- Features
- Build Quality
- Focus Speed and Accuracy
- Handling
- Image Stabilization
- Battery Life
- Image Quality
- High ISO Performance
- Size and Weight
- Metering and Exposure
- Movie Recording Features
- Dynamic Range
- Value
Photography Life Overall Rating
Although many wildlife photographers would say ‘you can never have enough reach’, in reality tracking subjects above 1500mm is virtually impossible since a tiny movement in your hand results in a large movement in the view. So for photography you can ignore the 1500-3000mm range, and as Nasim says, the P1000 cannot compete with other types of body at shorter distances. However, at the two opportunities I have had to demo the P1000, it has been linked up to a monitor to demonstrate it’s raison d’etre – an electronic spotting-scope. If you need to view a group of Oystercatchers or such like on a pond half a mile away or more, and your viewing area is fixed, using the P1000’s backscreen or linked to a TV is a serious rival to a typical 40x scope, if not in sharpness, then at least in ease of viewing.
Thanks for sharing Burghclerebilly! I think very long focal lengths are generally a problem both due to camera shake and all the atmospheric issues. I remember when I was shooting with the 800mm f/5.6 VR + 1.2x TC in Yellowstone and I was not able to get a single sharp photo one day. At first, I blamed it on the lens, but after the day cooled down and I shot more photos, I realized the haze was the issue.
The same thing happened when I first used the P1000 for shooting the Moon. The Moon looked very blurry in every single photo, except in different areas – some craters looked sharp, others looked like a blurry mess. After a few weeks, once things cooled down a lot and the sky looked clear, I was able to capture a very sharp photo of the Moon…
Yes, just to clarify, my concern shooting above 1500mm is not to do with optical or VR issues, which I agree the P1000 is uniquely capable. It was regarding moving subjects [and the moon ‘moves’ relatively slow!]. Trying to follow something moving rapidly, even using a smooth tripod, is extremely difficult if not impossible if the movement is erratic like BiF. This is the case for any lens above around 1500mm, which is similarly why you don’t see many binoculars above 20x magnification. At that narrow field of view, a static shot is the realistic option – again why you often see the P1000 linked to a monitor alongside fixed spotting scopes.
A thousand times yes on putting a better lens on this camera. I was just telling my wife that I wish they would make like a 600-2000mm equivalent lens for a camera like this and make it really sharp and a wider aperture at full zoom… rather than a super wide to super zoom like they do now with mediocre quality at the short end and the long end.
I’ve decided now that I am a little older I really want to get a camera like this for bird watching trips with the local bird club because trudging around for hours on end with my 600mm lens is just impossible. All I want is bird pictures for reference and/or just looking through the camera to see the bird, so the quality doesn’t have to be perfect — then maybe I can leave the binoculars and the 600mm lens at home and save my back.
100% agree with you Sir, I have returned back my P1000, after two days of testing it, for wildlife watching, or taking photos about birds and animals, who needs wide, or even normal, to short telephoto ability, yes 600-2000mm, or 1000-2000mm with a bigger sensor would much better, because I think many, many of us is buying this kinda gear as a third, or fourth camera…
I mean 600-2000mm, or 1000-3000mm :) with bigger sensor…
Joshua, I hope Nikon creates a really good telephoto camera – that would be awesome! There is no point in trying to compete with wide-angle, since smartphones are already better with the same sensor size.
Just got finished shooting with my P900 this morning. It stays permanently in the back of my car. On trips, I use a P1000 to capture images of wildlife that are so far away that they might not even show up on your camera you use for landscapes. My rule of thumb is that if the subject is moving, don’t bother shooting. Also, 2500 mm is about max on the P1000 to maintain sharpness. (1800mm on the P900) I would really like to see Nikon incorporate some of the more advanced imaging technologies that Apple is using in their iPhone 11 Pro. Unbelievable.
Michael, I agree with you – anywhere above 2000mm for me gave pretty questionable results, especially closer to 3000mm. Would be awesome if Nikon incorporated some of the smartphone technology, at least some image averaging would be nice!
The NikonP1000 definitely will allow the user to take some great shots. I use it for sports – baseball & football. It’s allowed me to capture some pics I never would have with a traditional zoom. Props to Nikon. I like the camera. Checkout some pics I took on IG: RUalphasig89 see what you think these were only jpegs!
Regards-
Mark, as I have pointed out in the review, the P1000 can be great in good light, at some focal lengths.
Yes indeed agreed. Btw the pics you took with it are pretty spectacular. I try and hold steady & hold my breath when shooting with this camera – seems to work. Keep up the great articles-
Thank you Mark, appreciate your feedback!
This is an excellent camera for a true beginner in photography given all of its shooting Modes and Preset Scene Modes…This Camera is nothing short of an entry DSLR to the extent of traveling extremely light…Also, given ALL the hypes about mirrorless cameras and weight…
As your sample photographs clearly illustrate; it’s about the gear…
Thank you for your feedback JR!
J.R., I have no idea who you are or what you know about photography, but the P1000 is far from an entry DSLR or something to travel light. There are far better cameras for beginners and far lighter ones too, and many that fulfil both criteria. In order to offer this headline-grabbing 125x zoom, it sacrifices in many areas that make it a deal-breaker for many reasons: it’s big and heavy, so not pocketable; its tele capabilities are not only in detriment of the final picture’s image quality, but as many point out, going beyond 1500mm becomes just a number, with no real application; and starting from 24mm does no favours to the long end in terms of design constrains, and it shows. Finally, there are many cameras with a more reasonable zoom range and bigger sensor, with all its advantages.
Interesting camera. It would be great if you could include a few more shots on the long end of the focal range, especially ones of birds and wildlife.
I would say for the wildlife photographer this type of camera does make a good record shot device for perched birds and slower animals. Although I am fine with carrying a D500 and a lighter telephoto like a 300 f/4 or a 500 pf, there are some birdwatching scenarios where I’m not very comfortable bringing such gear into the field.
However, given the price of this particular camera, a small micro 4/3rds camera and the 40-150mm lens is also an attractive option, and will give much better shots within the range that the 40-150 is useful for, and this latter option is also much cheaper (used micro 4/3ds camera + lens would be about 300-400 dollars). The Olympus 75-300 would be even more useful in this arena and not that much larger.
Jason, I do have some images of wildlife with this camera, but I don’t like them – the light was dull, and many of the images came out very soft, unacceptable for publishing at PL. To be honest, I am not a big fan of this camera for shooting anything moving. Perhaps if I have it a little longer and only focus on stationary subjects, I might be able to get a shot or two that is worth publishing.
Personally, I would take a 300mm PF or 500mm PF + D500 anytime over the P1000.
I was looking for a camera like this for when I travel and it’s not a photo trip. The camera of choice, FOR ME, is more expensive than this one (and I did own and use earlier Nikon cameras like this) was the Sony RX10 IV. It’s sensor is 1″ square and offers optical FOV 24-600mm and shoots in RAW. I have found this to be a great camera for this purpose. Smaller and lighter than my high end gear, but has really done a great job, even in lower light, due to that relatively large sensor. The one snag, which I now have a solution for, and I suspect it would help on the P1000 also. The supplied lens hood has to allow for the wide end, but it provides virtually no help for the telephoto end (on mine, basically nothing beyond 50mm. I invested in a series of screw on hoods that now provide the kind of flare protection I’m used to on my long lenses. Of course if I have them on and try to shoot at 24mm, then I have a blackened area for much of the frame, but once I zoom out, then I get all the benefits of a quality hood for all the telephoto ranges, yielding better contrast and flare protection – key to getting good feather and fur detail.
Wile, I had some experience with the Sony RX10 IV in one of my workshops and had to deal with it quite a bit, since the person who owned it had no idea how to navigate the menu or any of the features. It wasn’t a bad camera, but it also did quite poorly at long focal lengths – I think that’s generally true for all super telephoto lenses.
Hi Nasim, between the Sony above and the P1000, which would be your recommendation for bird Photography and making enlargements?
Thanks so much
Elsie, in terms of focal length, the Sony doesn’t get anywhere close to the P1000. So I guess it really depends on what you are trying to do.
The rx10 IV is extremely sharp all the way to 600mm. I had the p900 and the p1000 too but the limited IQ with noise even at base, limited DR and detail that just gets worse at long focal ranges with diffraction hitting…I ended up selling both.
Oh and the AF of the Sony is on an other league.
Mark, sorry, but when I used the RX10 IV, it was nowhere sharp at 600mm. I do agree with other statements regarding noise and limited DR though – a tiny sensor vs 1″ sensor is not going to do well in comparison.
I love my FZ1000. I keep the digital zoom turned off and limit it to 800mm and I have a low key easy to use camera always to hand for less than $500. For an amateur of average needs a super zoom is portable flexible and versatile.
Thank you for sharing your experience Michael!
May I suggest another option for telephoto lovers that can target most of what is praised in above comments?
I’m personally using a largely underrated camera, the Nikon 1 v3, that I bought used for about $600 in a kit containing a 10-30 power zoom, the external EVF, the additional grip and the FT1 adapter that allows to mount every AF-S lens with autofocus AF-S and AF-C capability (although limited to center AF point). What I discovered is that it nicely pairs with the excellent value for money telephoto zoom, the Nikkor AF-S 200-500 F/5.6 E ED VR.
Given the fact that the 18 megapixels 1” sensor of the Nikon 1 has a 2.7 crop factor vs full frame, this ends up as a 540-1350 f/5.6 which is very capable. As any teleconverter is accepted by this zoom, pairing it with a 1.4 TC II (I didn’t test TCIII) pushes the range to 750-1900 f/8 approx which is not bad.
And for those who really want even more extreme tele at the expense of quality, the x2 TCIII remains a compatible option, with a range of 1080-2700 f/11 still usable in good light. Not that far from the desired 1000-3000 combo of nYcKo.
Overall configuration is more close to $2000 when starting from scratch, but for those who already own some Nikon gear like the telezoom and/or the TCs, the extra cost for the Nikon 1 and adapter can be worth it. Being an obsolete product, the harder part may be to get your hands on one….
…And of course the same focal length multiplication can be achieved with other Nikon 1 models, giving more affordable options than the high end “v series” described here. But one will loose the stronger build of the “v” and the extra comfort given by the EVF for shooting, and also the detachable grip which provides a valuable holding improvement for such a front heavy setup.
I wish Nikon never abandoned the Nikon 1 system – all Nikon had to do, was price the system right and it would have sold quite a bit.
Sadly, I can no longer recommend Nikon 1 to any of our readers, because the system is now discontinued. This means that there is no path to upgrade, and with time, you will no longer be able to get cameras in good used condition, or get existing gear serviced anywhere. Very sad…
Would have been better to compare with Canon’s and Sony’s offering in same product niche. I am still not convinced that this will not foster disappointment due to small sensor sizes used in all the offerings. Not really understanding sensors, I fall back on the aphorism that size matters with them. But attempting image capture with anything over 1000 mm is a fools errand for anyone but the most patient person. Okay everyone, I know, I know. Here’s where you all pile on as you will. But just saying as a person familiar with long focal lens refactors puttering around with astronomy and high magnification for years. btw – did I miss the mention of environmental sealing?
John, there is no equivalent product from any other manufacturer. I am not aware of any system that can get to 2000mm equivalent and beyond.
I agree with you regarding long focal lengths – one has to really understand all the issues before using such focal lengths.
If you shoot with P1000 at 3000mm eq. and the images didn’t come out as you expected, most probably nothing is wrong with your camera and moreover, you are probably a gifted photographer. The problem is you just don’t resonate with that type of cameras, which requires a lot of passion, perseverance and patience. If you’re ready for that challenge, the results will appear; or perhaps they won’t. Please dont blame the small sensor, the huge size and weight (for a consumer compact camera) or other factors. Two features make the P1000 camera unique: the lens and the image stabilization. They are both incredible good, delivering excellent handheld images in the entire optical range up to 125X. I won’t insist anymore, because I’m just a hobbyist addicted to zoom, but I’d like to add here some handheld images at 3000mm eq. Unfortunately I can’t, but there are already fantastic achiements with that camera. Happy shooting everyone!
Hunted to find focus at longer focal length’s especially moving targets, what was your experience to try it in manual focus mode. Did MF improve the situation and was it reactive enough to utilize MF at those longer focal lengths?
Richard, when wildlife moves fast, MF is kind of out of question for me. I tried it once or twice – you can actually use focus peaking in MF mode, which helps.
I like to shoot nature and wildlife, primarily birds and occasionally scenic views. I want an everyday camera to always have with me for the days I didn’t plan and wouldn’t have my regular gear with me. When I started researching bridge cameras, the reach the P1000 has really caught my eye. I am now wondering if the P1000 will have image quality to allow for enlargements. Especially of bird shots.
If not, is there a comparable bridge with less reach that would still be great for birds and image quality to allow for enlargements?
Thanks in advance
It does not..it is extremely noisy and lacks detail in all but perfect light. Check sample images from flikr and see it for yourself. The rx10 IV would be better if 600mm is enough for you
The RX10 IV gets you to 600mm eq. with 20mp. But it also costs $1600 and is NOT a compelling option. Any aps-c camera, preferably a DSLR, with a 100-400mm zoom, such as the Tamron or the Sigma, with give you superior results with identical 600mm eq. reach. Please don’t say the DSLR would be unacceptably heavy, a Nikon D7500 is very light with excellent AF and an absolute bargain – actually cheaper than the Sony WITH the needed lens. And far more robust in its build than the plastic fantastic Sony.
The Nikon P1000 is far from perfect but it also has no equal and no direct competition.
Elsie, I agree with Mark – if you want a better all-around camera with superior image quality for potential enlargements, the Sony RX10 IV is a better option. It won’t have the same reach, but at shorter focal lengths, its image quality is much better.
Hey Nasim- 1 other thing- look forward to your review on the Samsung s11 w the 108 mp camera.✌️perhaps february-
Mark, unless Samsung sends me that phone, I won’t be reviewing it, as I am an iPhone user.
Talking about resolution, we have also to consider the effect of diffraction. Even though the resolution at f2.8 is 16 Mpix, real resolution at f8.0 is only around 2 Mpix.
It would be very interesting to see a table of aperture vs. resolution.
Olav, you are right – the tiny sensor shows diffraction at basically every aperture. Not sure how it would be possible to measure diffracted resolution.
You deleted my post in reference to the focus hunting issue at max focal length, please answer did you attempt to focus in manual mode to resolve this issue.
If a problem exist there are many options to compensate especially focusing at a target at 3000 mm and if you did attempt it in MF mode was it reactive and usable.
Please stop deleting my questions.
Your original post is about 5 posts above your last one.
Richard, we never delete any comments – I think you just skipped through comments and couldn’t find it, which is clearly above.
Merry Christmas! I bought the P1000 when it was first introduced. It is an amazing camera and your review is quite good. I also own the P900 and there is definitely a learning curve involved to get great results with the longer zoom and larger camera. Larger sensor cameras require a substantially higher investment in quality lens to beat the P1000 in terms of image results. Please feel free to view some of my “work” on flickr. Just search on my name to find them. Thank you for the review and Happy New Year 2020!!!
Happy New Year Dodge Rock, and thank you for your feedback! Checked out your Flickr gallery, the pelican shots are very nice, thanks for sharing!
More expensive then the d7500 pr the z50, being a bridge camera, not understandable
Muhammad, please read the review and my comments regarding the camera. You will never be able to get to 3000mm equivalent focal length with the D7500 or the Z50, even if you buy the $18K 800mm f/5.6 lens.
Hello! When we also see a review of the Nikon Z 50 and the New DX lenses z 16-50 and z 50-250.
Have a nice day and Happy Holidays!
David, I will be receiving the Nikon Z 50 in a couple of days – should get the review going once I get back from my January Death Valley workshop.
Some people are saying the Z50 is better than the Z6\7 because they have better implemented the eye detect AF. Having owned it for a month now I can say that the sensor seems to be superior than the D500 that it’s based on. Ok, the dynamic tracking AF isn’t as good as D500, but then only the D5 is. I like the image overlay preview in multiple exposure mode – an unalloyed EVF benefit. Also the picture controls and raw processing options are usefully enhanced with Expeed 6. Movies are great and adapted lenses work fine. Definitely a lot of camera for your money. Look forward to your analysis.
Thank you very much Nasim! I look forward to the review.
Hi,
take a look my pics with a Nikon P1000
Roby photo
www.juzaphoto.com/galle…;t=2998294 – et cetera
What do you thing ?
Happy Hollidays
Nasim
I think your review was spot on. What interested me most was your comment about this camera being surpassed by smartphone technology in the 20-100mm FL range. I am sure this is true for all 1/2.3 sensor cameras in the 20-100mm FL range. My question is how are 1” sensor cameras like the Sony RX series or the Nikon N1 cameras fairing in the 20-100mm FL range with the latest smartphones like the iphone 11. I guess its 4 times sensor area vs massive computing capability and AI.
Thanks
Doug
Nasim- did you see Nikon is releasing the Coolpix P950 24mm-2000mm with a “dynamic zoom” that effectively doubles the zoom to 4000? Holy Cow!!!! Sounds better than the P1000 but maybe you will test it (hopefully)!!!!????
I finally have some time for something else other than working and ensuring my existence coninues. It is lovely to start catching up on what I’ve missed this past year. And I missed you folks. I just wandered here from the “Top Photography Ideas for 2020 page”, somewhat lost its shine when I clicked it was from 2019 😁
A lovely bright shiny new Nikon camera on index took my eye. But Nasim I am a rather disappointed by the review images… “shooting at short focal lengths below 50mm, I really see no benefit of using the P1000” and yet all your sample images are under 50 mm (actually all under 25 mm bar one).
You say “around 105mm to 1600mm it showed excellent sharpness at maximum aperture” but again no images to show. I’m a little confused, are you trying to sell it to buyers stuck on their choice of buying a mobile phone or a camera? A camera with a 3000 mm equivalent but no photos at 1000, nor 2000 let alone 30000 mm? Surely people who might want maximum reach for minimum cost will be looking at this. It’s the telephoto end people struggle to obtain without selling all their other belongings. I have very few photos at the wide angle end and sped most time at the longer end of my 150-600 mm lens. It would be nice to be able to compare images taken wth the Coolpix compared with the great weight of gear I lug around.
Anyway, Happy New Year. It’s good to be back!
““we are supposed to be able to see”…whatever the heck that means.”
It means exactly what it says… can’t you read?
Whoops, looks like we have a flat-Earther here!
Do you truly believe in Earth being flat?