Nikon Coolpix P900 Review
Last Updated On By John Sherman92 Comments
Nikon Coolpix P900 Review
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Thank You for a very good review and also your honest opinion on the ultra-zoom which I think most people will be interested in.
So for longer zooms one really needs a tripod of course…can you please still elaborate on the zoom abilities just a bit….What would be the longest zoom one can expect to still get decent shots with this camera and handheld? (maybe 600-700mm or something like that?)
I got several shots at 800mm handheld that I felt were acceptable, and even one at 2000mm that really surprised me. If I don’t have a tripod I usually look for something to brace on. The P900 is relatively light so you wouldn’t need a very heavy tripod. All this of course depends on shutter speed. I hope this helps.
Interesting camera. It obviously would have to have some limitations, but overall, for it’s intended audience, it’s not a bad package. Strange how Nikon could have a product with market focus like this and also have an entirely unfocused system like the Nikon 1. It could be worse, they could start selling selfie sticks.
Oh wait…
Typo on #10: D900 instead of P900 ;) thought it was funny though.
LOL, there is a single mistake in the review and I am the one who made it :) Thanks for letting me know, I fixed the typo :)
Haha, no problem. :)
I’m funnier than I thought :) Fixed it – thanks.
John, that wasn’t you, I added that last section :D
Hi John,
An honest review from a real photographer, not a pixel peeper. You clearly highlighted the pros and cons of this tiny superzoom and what it’s capable of. This is what I like about Photography Life review. The reviewer will try their very best to produce a stunning image from the camera, knowing it’s limitation and write a sensible conclusion about it.
BTW I can’t stop laughing reading this line “But for slower long-distance subjects, say celebrity cellulite on the beach…”
“The D810 absolutely clobbered the P900.”
I guess you were being sarcastic here, since even when reading this article on a rather large screen, I don’t see too much difference in the bird pictures!
Great and funny review, as always here!
I was thinking the same, considering the difference in sensor size the p900 gave the d810
a run for its life, I just bought a p900, it arrived yesterday.
So far I’m very impressed .
Great review. I’m quite impressed by this camera. The first moon shot is really good.
Loved the review. Would make a great travel camera. If you ever get down and out with photography you could transition into a successful standup comedian.
Great review! Didn’t expect for a very small sensor and supertelephoto lens to produce those beautiful images even in its longest zoom range…
Great review with no attempt to gild the lily or bash the camera because it is a “point and shoot” Considering its size and price, the images are awesome. Perhaps Nikon has shot itself in the foot with this model because it is sure to take away sales of more profitable entry DSLR/lens combos. While I don’t expect any decent photographer to do a wedding or fashion shoot with this, or any other bridge camera, it is the perfect tool for a MILF lover like myself to get up close from a great distance to that 50ish lady in her bikini, as long as I don’t expect to see every wrinkle on her face or varicose vein on her legs. It might also serve as a cost effective tool for supermarket tabloid or law enforcement/surveillance use.
Nikon just came out with the Nikon 1 J5 at only $499. It looks like a great little camera to take everywhere and it will fit in your pocket. I will buy the P900 for its versatility and the Nikon 1 J5 for its everywhere ability. But you are making a great point. People want to have fun with their camera and this camera will do it. I love to look at distant objects and this camera exceeds my expectations.
Oh you seem confused about what a MILF is… Up to 35 or maybe even 40 years old, that’s a milf. At 50+ years old, that’s a grandmother, not a mother, you should be saying GILF.
Dude, that photo of the guy taking a photo of the deer’s butt is perfect. So funny, on so many levels.
Very interesting tech, thanks for the realistic review. Also, thanks for taking some great photos. The moon shot and the B&W ones were my favorite besides the deer.
I’m very excited to see how this compares to the 1 V3, my current birding rig. Great fair review. It has some serious capabilities, but also limitations. Just like all gear. The limitations on my D810 is price and size.
Your V3 has an amazingly fast AF. This does not. Great reach without great AF is worthless when it comes to birding. At least if BIF is important and you are not only shooting perched birds.
The P900 focus is fast, but when shooting birds you’ll be at a longer focal length and the shutter lag increases with focal length on the P900. It’s the shutter lag that slows it down. As you said, and I agree, it’s poor for birds unless they are perched.
Thanks for the review. I enjoyed reading it. I have played with the P900 a little and I came to your same conclusion.
Some of the issues I found were related to the timer functions. Maybe you could confirm these findings.
A. The interval timer was rather limited. The camera would only take a picture at 30 second or longer intervals, in interval timer mode. 30 second increments only. For example, it would take a photo at one shot every 30 seconds, or one shot every 60 seconds, or one shot every 90 seconds, etc. I would have preferred it take a photo every 3 seconds or so. At least make shorter intervals available.
B. Self timer modes reset them selves after one use. That includes the 2 second and 10 second delayed release mode using the “not included” remote, and the self timer mode using 2 second and 10 second delay. After using a function just once, you have to reset it to use it again.
I did find flash compensation in the menu. You can reduce the flash power as much as 2 stops.
This camera does take really good pictures of the moon. I believe there is no such thing as a good distinct picture of a blood moon. The lighting is too odd, so there is no contrast of lunar features.
I think the P900 is a pretty nice camera if you need a super zoom camera.
As to A and B my experience confirms your findings. The self timer reset really drove me nuts at times. Seems anything you want to do out of Auto or Scene modes requires a lot of button pushing.
i last year bought 2 nikon coolpixgs the P520 and the P 600 and im raelly disappointed of both construction qualities the P520 i own now 9 month of the itz has spent 5 month in warranty reparings ans i stillhavent got it back
the P600 one has been twice at these guys for about two months and i not own it a half year and i dont touch it any more for that reason i just think i can be lucky to get back half the price ive invested in thes pigggsssupperzooooommm so what i think so called photography life better stops to writ on lies and lies about theses cameras ony doing a feew hunders shots and not being paying anxything???? Nikon Coolpix is a bloody bluffing hit for abusing the high reputation of the brand and abuse people seriously believin the abuse of journalism marketing public relations and things like this im am really disappointed about i get now at the same time better results whit my self build refractor lens adapted to a APS size camera chip
And it never occurred to you that it might have been just bad luck on your account ? Or do you think that you experiences reflect EVERY Coolpix out there ?
I shot over 2700 photos with the P900 for this review. Unfortunately, for us to publish timely reviews on new gear we don’t have the time to give them months or years of abuse to see how they hold up.
well ive got them back now how i thougt they should be when i get them first time, and not third, the ar quite little but not really good if you compare with qualities of a single reflex
I really can’t help thinking a little about attention to details. And the care needed to get a good result. There may be a correlation between your style in writing and the unfortunate experience you have had with the normally quite good Coolpix cameras.
Man I wish I could like this comment
I suggest you treat your equipment with the respect it deserves as you are obviously not doing so. I have a P900, D3100,2XD7000 and have never had a moments problem with any of them.
I would imagine you treat your equipment like you treat the English language to destruction!!! Also try going to spelling lessons as well. Nikon do not lie to the public either. With your attitude you do not deserve to own this sort of equipment.
Thanks for the serious but fun review Verm. What a neat camera. If I ever need a REALLY long lens, I’ll be sure to rent this fascinating compromise.
Thanks a lot and that was awesome coolpix. looks like we have decide on this before getting a high performance DSLR and a Long range Lenses. thanks for this cool review on this coolpix
One question about that 0.75s shutter lag on max tele: does that include focusing already or where is that measured from? If I have already half-pressed the shutter, there doesn’t seem to be much lag to actually make the shot.
That’s without focusing and is from Nikon’s specs. In most cases it’s unnoticeable, but I recall missing some key bird action due to the lag.
Nikon specs contain shooting time lag of 0.75s, not shutter lag:
http://www.nikon.com/news/2015/0302_cpx_03.htm
According to this new review (in German) the shutter lag is always just 0.03s:
http://www.dkamera.de/testbericht/nikon-coolpix-p900/fazit.html
So that quoted 0.75 seems to contain focusing as well.
So no comments on what seems to be invalid claims regarding the shutter lag?
Wow. I must have this camera for my next visit to the beach.
My P900 does not seem able to do ‘Full time AF’. Has anyone tried the Fulltime AF and found it out if it works?
Hi, I had the same doubts about AF-F on my P900 because I have also P600 and there is AF-F clearly visible. I tried P900 again, AF-F was (to me) really slower than on my P600. But it was working. Sorry for my English it is not my native language ..
I like Sara Palin, whats your beef with her. Stick to your camera review and stop advertising yourself as an extreme leftist
Well, if you like Sara Palin keep it for yourself.
It’s interesting that you would tell a commentor to keep his like of Palin to himself, but you don’t call out the author of the article for preaching his obvious hatred of Palin, and tell him to keep that to himself.
I suppose that standards don’t matter when the hate flows in the same direction, does it? How typically human of you.
Sorry Mark , but you have been the one that first told the author of the article to not talk about Sara Palin; and for me that comment was out of place, and also showed that you are the classic prepotent extrem right guy (I’m using your language). And I will not be surprised at all if you also are a George Bush fan.
I was miffed by John Sherman’s Palin jab. Regardless of your political stripe taking pot-shots at such an easy target is childish at best, and a clear indication of an adult stuck in a very low emotional rut – right up there by thumb sucking and a failure to potty train.
But what really caught my attention was when you called out Kafkiano, you made the comment, “How typically human of you”. Curious about your origins – are you an alien (e.g., another planet) or somehow just above it all?
Thank you for your funny Review.
If I were to meet John Sherman, I’d be severely temped to give him a slap. I don’t know why he felt like spitting in the faces of a portion of his readers by politicizing a camera review that obviously doesn’t call for it.
You ruined something that should be kept agenda-free and I don’t know why you did it. You are a child and a bigot.
My suspicion is that he did it because Sarah Palin is genuinely hilarious. The best U.S. satire for decades was during the laughable campaign she and her fellow ‘maverick’ sustained.
There is nothing bigoted in suggesting someone is a good source of comedy when they blatantly are.
Hi john,
Thanks for the nice review. Guess I read all available reviews now, but still I’m not sure of buying it. Maybe you can help, or suggest something else.
The main thing is, I’m absolutely a newbie when it comes to photography. But I will have to buy a camera for detailed macro pictures of different products for my business and I really liked your macro examples. The thing is that I would love to mix that must (work) with a want (fun). The zoom is amazing for the fun part… But after reading all the reviews, I’m not 100% sure if this camera is the right choice.
Would be great to get some suggestions from you..
Cheers,
Frank
I have the P600 and love it. Easy to use. Looking forward to its big brother the P900.
I have used a Panasonic FZ200 and 300 for several years. Both are 25 to 600mm at f2.8.
Both are amazing closeup shoot tools. You can buy a 300 now for about $350 in like new condition. They both make RAW or JPG.
I’ll be using a new cam for lots of birding shots (among others) and you mentioned it’s not great for that due to the lag at big zoom….what do you suggest instead if I don’t want to spend $2000+ on a body & lens kit and want incredible zoom?
Or, is the lag just something I live with because, let’s face, this is just a hobby for me and I’m not a pro?
Thanks
Thank you for a great review. I bought the P900 as a result and I’m really pleased with it. Early days.
What type of remote shutter release could I use with this camera if I felt I needed one?
It has built in wifi. Shutter can be triggered from phone or tablet with free software.
And also
JJC RM-E2 Wireless Remote Control For Nikon P900 P900s
Hello
I have been on many wild life and birding trips as well traveling to the National Parks on my own. To say that the 0.75 shutter lag is going to prevent one from using this camera for bird photography at 2000mm: simply I do not understand the logic. Here are my reasons: first when one is photographing birds at this distance it is hit or miss with field glasses, let along a camera. Second some birds perched in a tree top will stay right in place, as long as one does not move toward the bird. With this camera that is not going to be and issue. Third as I have watched many online videos showing off the zoom range of this camera there subject has been birds. Four I have seen the set up some professionals use to photograph birds at less than half the distance of this camera’s range, shutter lag is not the issue, but weight, cost, and set up time of equipment are the problems.
Given this is a feature rich camera from Nikon the only issues I see are the sensor and lens. With the improved back lighted sensor, and a capable 83x optical zoom lens those areas of the camera are the best on the market for this type of camera. This is all in one camera for family trips outdoors and or birding group trips and or if one only wants to carry one camera, and thinks they may need the long zoom range, not for professional photography, which have the $25,000 14lb lens to carry around.
Thank you
Christopher
John Sherman! That photo of the raven on your “sensor performance” page is THE BEST photograph I ever saw in any kind of camera or lens review ever! Put that thing in the art history books! John Sherman! Great work!
Great Review but doubt comes where it stands in comparison to its nearest rival
I use my P510 a LOT (more than my D5300) and particularly love her ability to utilize Scene mode “close up” with full zoom (42x). This forces me back 8 to 10 feet, but I regularly capture flower shots with excellent background blur. Did you try this with any of your 2700 shots?
A) Is it possible to increase shutter speed to capture fast moving subjects like a fan, humming bird etc?
B) While making a video, do they autofocus? I mean do they automatically isolate background subject by focusing on foreground subject and vice-versa?
C) The lens in P900 is fixed, so is it possible to manually focus on a subject? Or is it difficult coz lens is movable by only button press?
John, with immature Palin jab, you spoiled what would otherwise been a nice article on the camera. This so reminds me of many exotic car reviews on Youtube. So many commentators get caught up in the excitement ‘they’ we given a car to drive. The best reviews are only about the car. Sure the car causes emotion, but again, it about how and why the ‘car’ causes emotion. Same diff here – it’s about camera dummy. For those of that are different then you, revealing your political view takes our attention off the focus of the article. Other thoughts go through our heads like, “This is a really great website but why did they hire a guy to do reviews that still sucks his thumb.?!” I could have been thinking about questions like “Is there any ability to selectively focus, or there only one focus point?”
Nobody gives a rat’s a** about your political views. But if you really want to tell people how you feel politically in a very public way, go to work for Rolling Stone Mag, where jaundice quasi-reality + politics viewpoints go hand-in-hand.
Guys, why don’t you take a chill pill and just enjoy John’s brilliant review. Have you heard off World. Wide.Web? This site is available for whole world to see, not just Yanks. If you want to do a political bashing go on a political rally and leave this guy alone.
And by the wayway, at least Sara Pallin is hot, I’d be more worried about that Donald Trump guy. Peace.
Wow. Great review. Can anyone here give me some advice? I’m looking to upgrade my camera from the combo of an Iphone 4 and an old Canon Powershot A350. I was all set on the Nikon D3300, but now I’m wondering if the Coolpix p900 is a better choice for me. I’d like to be able to do some abstract work, action shots of musicians, a little portraiture, etc. A lot of what I do now involves putting the Powershot to maximum zoom (8x) and then zooming/cropping in photoshop: close-ups of fabric textures, weird light effects from the curves of glass bottles, etc.
I will NOT have money for a lot of additional lenses if I get the D3300, but would get a few basic accessories: UV filter, flash diffuser, cheap screw on wide angle and 2x, etc.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Very good review, if only the camera would become available.
Just watch this video. I was in shock when I watch this first time. Now this video has over 170.000 views on http://www.youtube.com/praxmajer
https://youtu.be/cyh9JsOZuf8
Hi John ,
Thanks for a detailed review. I currently own a NIKON D7000 with 18-105 VR lens and interested in travel, street and landscape Photography.I am not a professional Photographer but i aspire to become one after graduation.I was thinking of buying a prime and zoom lens to expand more, but after seeing P900 , i think i should drop the idea of zoom lens and buy this P&S. I want to know that this camera will be able to produce that quality of images which i can add in my portfolio. For reference about my photography please check https://web.facebook.com/vasubhattphotography?ref=hl
Vasu,
I would stick with DSLRs if you want to continue on the path to pro photography.
Thanks a lot Sir…
I’m a semi pro photographer in Ireland, I’ve been using Nikon for many years,
35mm then digital, I’ve also had two bridge cameras the P80 and P500,
Due to this review mainly and a few video reviews I have just bought a P900,
So far I am very impressed with it,
Unless I’m shooting a wedding or doing paid work I think the P900 will be keeping me
company from now on.
Hi John,
Neat, clean , simple review, without any fluff!! Thanks.
Am thinking of one of the superzooms- P610 or P900. Dont think i will be zooming more than 800mm and definitely dont want to carry a tripod around. That being the case, would the P610 serve my purpose? General photography with more landscape interest? The extra weight of the p900 puts me off. p610 would also save me some cash.
Would love to hear from you on this.
Thanks
GGP
I haven’t shot the P610 so don’t know how its lens performs, but in general the more you ask from a lens in terms of zoom length, the more compromises there will have to be made. Hence my advice is if you don’t need the extra zoom don’t pay for it. As well the smaller size would be a plus for you.
Hi,
I hope you don’t mind my input, going by what you said and having owned a p500
and now a p900, the p610 would be great, it still gives 1,400mm zoom but its literally half
the price of a p900 now which makes it a great deal,
You could use some of what you save to buy a mains charger and a couple of spare batteries,
Bridge cameras tend to use batteries fast as the zoom lens is motorised and the batteries are small
compared to a DSLR, you can buy duracell en-el 23 batteries for nikon p610 and p900
on ebay for half the price of original nikon ones.
Good luck
Chris
Hi John
Very good review.
I am a amateur and the idea about using superzooms is the “all in one” package. Enough quality to general use and good for birds. I had a Canon SX60HS and just bought a P900.
I have a technical question: what “357 mm” really mean??? I know it is related to max. lens focal distance. But measuring the lens distance to sensor, in the maximum zoom setting, it is far from 357 mm. Is it a “virtual” measure?
Thank you
John.
Hi ! I am not a professional photographer. But this is my hobby to take photo in very palces. which should I buy for better images or features Nikon P900 or Nikon D5300 ?
Pl. intimate me.
If you don’t need the extreme telephoto capabilities of the P900, then I would go for the D5300 – it’s larger sensor will produce more detailed files and you have the option to shoot RAW as well. P900 only shoots jpegs.
Just bought the P900 and it hasn’t stopped raining :)
I have actually gotten some decent backyard pics of some woodpeckers. Love the zoom and am looking forward to some star gazing.
Thanks for a really well written and documented review. It will take me sometime tonget to know this camera, but I can see us growing old together.
I want to buy point n shoot camera with super zoom so my only concern is this should I go with p900 or should i wait till ces 2016 for the latest superzoom from canon or Sony.
Thanks for the great review. I read many reviews but made my decision to buy the P900 very much based on this one due to the great sample images. As someone who regularly uses a Canon 6D I have to say I am more than impressed with the IQ. It’s all about not letting yourself get carried away with unreal expectations of what the camera can do. Just this morning I was both surprised and amazed to get a reasonable shot of the International Space Station. I can see enough detail to clearly make out the main body shape along with the solar arrays. What amazes me most is that this was a handheld shot at 1/125th. Tricky to get the focus right but do-able. Apart from that, this has been a heap of fun to use and has given me bird shots that I otherwise would not have had. Thanks again for the good review! I couldn’t be happier now that I have one in my hands. To all those who wonder whether or not to wait for something better, there will always be something better around the corner and you could convince yourself to wait and wait and wait. Buy something now.
Thanks John for the informative review. I have had a P900 for about 6 months and I.m still trying to grasp its abilities. Anyway I have sold at least 4 people on it, who like the way it works, point and shot at anything, see that thing way over there etc. As I said always looking for info and your review helps a lot and I will be looking for the flaws etc. you have pointed out.
Why your comment that the Pre-shooting Cache size is not good for anything but web viewing when I see on the Walgreens web site that it is suitable for printing 5×7 and 11×14 posters. What am I missing? http://photo.walgreens.com/walgreens/resolutionwarningviewallpopup
Hello, John. Great candid review. I just picked up the P900 a few days ago. So far I’m pretty impressed with its handling and photo quality. I still have my Sony HX400V (50x) and I think this Nikon is superior in many ways, especially the viewfinder. I’ll still take my Pentax K-50 viewfinder over just about anything with a reasonable price tag. I’m enjoying this incredible zoom all day. I only wish it had a lens hood. Need to check into finding one for it. Thanks again for the great review.
John, I have read many reviews on the p900 and yours really stands out for its focus on in the field examples (and sense of humor). I am looking for a camera for bird watching, but unlike many, I do not need to make prints over 5×7. I do need clean backgrounds for which I often use shallow depth of field, but am hoping that I can obtain them with the p900 by moving around and changing angles from a distance without causing birds to lift. I only need about a 1400 mm equivalent for that. Are there other bridge cameras I should look at, or should I buy the p900 and live with its limitations?
Dear Mr. Sherman
Thank you for a very thorough review of the Nikon P900. I always enjoy any reviews where the author has an ‘open mind’ towards a product and in reading your review you did keep an open mind on the camera.
I have been considering getting the Nikon P900, because like you, I am intrigued on having a long telephoto reach like the P900 offers (2,000mm) for my wildlife photography. Even though I use my Nikon D300 and Nikon 70-300mm 4.5 – 5.6 for wildlife photography and I have taken some good photos, there have been times when a longer focal length would be great!!
I first considered the Sigma Contemporary and the Tamron 150-600 lens but I wasn’t sure if I’d really get the use out either lens since I take wildlife pictures as a hobby I might not use the lens as much since it’s not a profession. I know that some reviews said that you could hand hold them however after trying at the camera store I knew that I would want the lens mounted on a tripod, so I’m glad that I did not purchase the Sigma or Tamron. I’m also glad that I didn’t purchase the Sigma or Tamron since they have now have upgraded models.
That is when I began to consider the P900 because I’d have the focal length lens at a much more reasonable price.
The only hesitation that I have in purchasing the camera after reading your article, is at the 2,000mm focal length, with the heat or atmospheric conditions would effect the image quality which would seem like it was defeating the purpose in having a long focal length lens but not getting a good quality image.
My other concern is the speed in which the lens zooms out or in. If I had the camera set at 1400mm of a bird in flight that is coming at me and as it gets closer I need to be taking pictures at the same time in bringing the lens down to 1,000mm then to 500mm, will the lens respond quick enough to take the picture?
If I decide not to purchase the Nikon D900 then most likely I will be getting the D7100 that is offering a $500 instant rebate for the price of $688.
Again a very nice review of the camera.
Best wishes,
Duane
Thanks for the very good review, and especially the great diversity of photos and test shots.
One major issue struck me early on– when viewing the photos up close, there are noticeable artifacts in many of the photos, because the sharpening is turned up to the point where edges have visible halos and other sharpening issues. I would rather see the photos in a less-affected state, so I can judge the true sharpness. Was this sharpening introduced in-camera? Since this camera constrains us to shooting only jpegs, are there ways to turn off the sharpening completely?
On a similar note, does the camera allows the user to turn the contrast down, to try to preserve shadow and highlight detail, within the jpeg?
Thanks again for all the work, and for sharing this with us.
In Florida and interested in bird photography, I figured out that the price of a bad telephoto is more than the price of the P900. I picked up a barely used one for $250, and I’m still not sure it’s any bargain. The zoom is amazing, but dim and with an agonizingly slow auto focus. I’ll try it on some birding trips and make a second report.
Hi THANKYOU for your review! What was inside flash photography like? I have used the p700 and the flash is not great indoors in low light! And on sports mode for quick children moving how many continuous photos can it take???? Any info would help me right now
A thorough and enjoyable review!
It would seem to me that a vast number of “shooting modes” could be dumped if the camera shot RAW. Maybe in the P910….
Thank you.
For Everyone that has an issue with this mans jokes an calling him names are failing to see that its them who are childish and overly sensitive whining and complaining over a comment not even directed at them so what he made a comment about Sarah Palin he made a few about himself slow reaction from his brain to his finger resulting in a lot of bird butt photos. I guarantee everybody complaining has no personal relationship to Sarah Palin an are failing to remember she went on Saturday Night Live mocking herself so grow up and appreciate a sense of humor even if you don’t have one …an to the writer of this review keep doing these awesome reviews jokes included …PS I’m getting mine tomorrow thank you good sir ?
very good , now pics of the space station please.
Here you go (not mine, mind you):
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/57584409
All the best,
Augustin
https://youtu.be/13DqXtA81sc
few here
Have you tried the Coolpix B700? If so, how would you compare it to the P900? Or even if you haven’t tried the B700, just by the specs could you tell which would do better in low-light conditions?