COOLPIX P900 Digital Camera (Black)

[Edit: After years of use, this camera is still going strong! I am raising my rating to five stars because this camera has been such a reliable performer and a delight to use. My favorite settings for birding are P-mode with spot focus and spot exposure. I don't always nail focus, or capture birds darting from branch to branch, with this camera when I am zoomed all the way to 2000mm (in 35mm full frame equivalent), but when I have the time to get a bird in the frame and nail the focus the results are spectacular. The zoom reach of this camera has totally spoiled me. Even though I have played with the Sony RX10IV and loved it, the 600mm zoom reach of that camera seem paltry by comparison to the 2000mm reach of the p950. Nikon, you have won the hearts of us birders. Keep up the good work!] This is a fun camera, and I realize that there is nothing like it available from other manufacturers, but I still want Nikon to make some improvements to the next version of this camera so they can compete with Sony and Panasonic in areas other than zoom reach. Make no mistake, buy this camera if you like to look at birds and animals like seals that are typically too far away to get a good picture of. I have had the camera only a few weeks and already I have found that the P900 is the perfect complement to my bird watching hobby.The P900 is light enough to carry around my neck without any fatigue, and the massive zoom can capture pretty much any bird or animal I see on my nature walks. I think of the camera as the ultimate pair of binoculars, and the photos are helping me appreciate nature more than ever. I saw a seagull in the distance and couldn't make out what it was doing, so I trained the P900 on it and saw that the bird was eating a crab. I never would have been able to see this scene without this camera and I am thrilled to be able to delve into nature this way. The auto-focus works very well for most subjects. The jpegs of non-moving birds and animals have a great amount of detail and the auto exposure settings typically produce good results. The video works surprisingly well when locked down tight on a tripod. When you are into the long zoom reach you have to account for atmospheric distortion, which should temper your expectations, but also make you realize that the reach of this lens is colossal. Any camera movement will ruin your shot with a Jello-like shake, so for video it is best to lock the camera on a tripod and focus on non-moving subjects or plan for animals to walk into your frame and then let them walk out of the frame rather than panning to follow their path. The Timelapse feature is a joy to use and the menu settings for it are easy to navigate and understand. However, I would love to see the timelapse videos look a bit smoother. And, that brings me to my final thought on this camera. What I would love to see from Nikon in a future version of this camera is better image quality overall. For still photos I would love to see the option to shoot RAW, and for video I would appreciate having 4K. A microphone input and built-in ND filters would be nice, too. I don't know what Nikon's plans are, but if they make a fancier version of this camera to compete with bridge cameras like the Sony RX10 III and the Panasonic FZ2500, then I will be among the first in line to pick it up. [Edit: Nikon now has the p950 and the p1000, and I have played with both. When I am ready to upgrade I will probably go with the p950 or something like it over the p1000 because I found that the p1000 with its smaller aperture produced grainier photos than the p900/p950. I like the longer reach of the p1000, but the photos from the p900/p950 just look more clear to me than the p1000 images.]

Great camera, I love the ability to zzoom right into the moon and take a great photo.

Perhaps one of the best cameras I have owned. I bought it because it has a 24-2000mm lens and a lot of different modes. This camera is actually my second one. The first one's base broke off when it was mounted on a tripod. So I'm extra careful with this one. It's been over a year since I bought it. Everyone I show it too is impressed with the pictures I've taken. I especially like how I can zoom in on the moon and other objects to get excellent pictures. People think I'm using a telescope! I would purchase it again if anything goes wrong.

I bought this as a packed deal from Amazon. My initial impressions (out-of-box) and first trial run: Real World Usage Review: As mentioned earlier, this is week # 3 review from real-world usage, I believe that I may have received a 'lemon' out-of-the box, and this camera has played a bit of Hawaiian Big Island vacation spoiler (at least for me), but fortunately I had 2 additional cameras as a back-up (muy wife and son). Also, fortunately, this is my 4th Hawaiian escape. The initial impressions about this camera is still excellent, and overall lens (83x) is mesmerizing for point-n-shoot. This is perfect camera to avoid changing lenses and rough (and unforgiving) terrains of volcanic Big Island, especially for those exploring the depths of volcano national park. Now about the Camera, and please READ this before buying, and if You do BUY, this should be your FIRST test of the Camera: 1. Almost all pictures from the top of the lens has a (weird pink) discoloration patch (smear), as if there was no Quality Testing done at NIKON (I guess folks at Nikon must be on vacation)!! 2. Yes, for those photography geeks, I have all the extra gizmos (filters, etc.) and I have tested this camera extensively in almost all settings (in-built features and external attachments), and this weird discoloration just doesn't disappear in all light conditions (in-door, out-door, low light, day, night, etc mode). 3. Please review the attached pictures. PLEASE NOTE: Amazon Customer Services is flawless, and buy this camera (or other products) with 100% CONFIDENCE. Customer Service has dispatched a new replacement for me urgently (upon my arrival back home). As we all know, Amazon doesn't make NIKON. Out of 1,000 Pictures from Real World Testing, I have attached just a few examples (others are family pictures and for privacy reason, not attached). However, almost all pictures have discoloration at the top of the screen (indoor and outdoor). I will test the replacement camera and update Amazon (and potential customers) over the next 2-3 weeks, again from real-world testing. My other cameras (yes, NIKON COOLPIX B500 is amazing and flawless with incredible picture quality as well as all mobile phone cameras). Thanks to Amazon for dispatching a replacement (which is yet to be tested). However, the 1st purchase is a 'lemon,' thus a defective P900!! I suggest if you are purchasing this camera, to buy directly from Amazon.com as customer service from other buyers may not be up to par with Amazon. And this is not a cheap camera from Nikon!! 3rd review to follow soon over next 2-3 weeks.....

I love this camera it takes great photos I like it because it take alot of the features of a DSLR and with a very large zoom but there is some things that I don't like it takes a few seconds to zoom in and out and focusing can take a few second and you can't take a photo and refocus in a split second like you can do with a DSLR . I have a canon rebel sxi and it was getting old.but other than the slow zoom and focusing its a great camera and yes the moon pictures that you see on the site are real and you don't even need a tripod you can hold it in your hand and I can do it and I have shaky hands. you just need to figure out what you want in a camera do you want good pictures with a long zoom and put up with the nagatives i mentioned up above or do you need fast zoom and focus but the only way to do that is a DSLR which will cost you at least $500 for the camera and another $200+++ depending on what you want to do plus you will have to change lens. I love this camera for most of what I do but I do miss the speed that I talked about up above but I also like not having to change lenses where you could miss the shot while you are changing them. I take photos of many different things my pets.wildlife people and other things.I gave it 4 out of 5 just because of the slow zoom ,slow refocus and shoot and for a point and shoot it is a great camera I am just compairing it to my DSLR I have had other point and shoots and this one blows those out of the water in every way. I new about the negatives when I got this camera and I was really sceptical about the features of this camera when I was reading about the features of this camera but it seems to be just what they say it is and yes if I had to do it all over again knowing what I know I would do it again

My wife and I just started birding, and I have been trying to decide on a portable and usable solution, knowing that her most favorite view was to observe eagle nests. I spent weeks reading reviews and am aware of all the pros and cons, and actually ordered the Lumix FZ300K. I also looked at the Z1000 and 2500. I used to do Pro Photography, darkroom work and all in the film days. Then within 12 hours of ordering the Lumix, I went on a birding trip in Knoxville, TN, 7 islands State Birding park. One member had a Canon DSLR, 300MM lens converted to 630mm. One experienced member had the P900. Two guides had ~$800 and $2000. field scopes respectfully. Now after all the online reading came reality! The reality was that the scopes averaged 40 to 60X magnification to just see the bird decently. The guides told me that usually they at about 40-48X magnification and beyond that it was hard to see. The P900 user told me in his use he was between 1500mm to 2000mm zoom to be of practical use. The fixed lens Canon user bemoaned that her lens was indeed fixed, so she also had a tight range of effectiveness, and told me any usable picture would have to cropped in post processing. The P900 user told me that at his age, this was his enjoyment, and well aware of the range of usefulness and small sensor of the P900 vs the Canon full format camera, he got his picture and enjoyed it and no post processing and a bargain of all others price points. I cancelled the Lumix when I got home and ordered the P900. Sunday was my 4th day of shooting, and I am posting 3 photos, two in the back yard with no post processing all on Auto, handheld, and the third on Sunday of a mother Bald Eagle in the nest with one Fledge that hangs around to be fed, 2000mm tripod mount. For the Eagle photos i used either Auto or Backlight scene setting at 2000mm optical zoom. The Eagles nest was 80FT on a 100 ft ridge, and I was standing across a lake on a downslope that I learned was a fair vantage point for viewing the nest. The Eagle tree looked like a bush to my naked eye, I could not see the bird and only a brown blob of nest with my naked eye. I could not tell there were 2 birds in the nest. With 8x magnification binoculars I could see the bird and nest but poor detail. When I took the picture, the detail looked poor and I WAS NOT SURE WHAT I TOOK EVEN WHEN ENLARGED ON THE LCD. WHEN MY WIFE AND I POPPED the SD card in the computer at home and viewed the picture I have uploaded of the eagle nest, we were excited beyond belief! Thus far I am ecstatic with the P900 for my purposes, and buying it from Amazon an "authorized dealer." The camera is well built, I have added a BolinUS hard case, the Pro Photog book from amazon, and a Black Rapid neck strap and Joby Tether from amazon, that I think were essential purchases to carry the camera and protect it as the frame is a heavy composite plastic, though well built. I have used Nikon and Canon products for over 40 years, and am very impressed with the quality and value of the P900!

I'm a semi professional photographer, been working part time at it since the 90's and needed a long zoom solution for vacation photos. I have a Canon 100-400 L lens and thought about coupling it with one of my APS-C bodies and a 2x teleconverter but something about carrying all that gear for photos with little to no commercial viability didn't appeal to me. This camera came up a a warehouse deal with an additional 15% off for Amazon Prime day and so I thought I'll get it considering I'm going on vacation to Yellowstone and could use an the extra long zoom reach. To put the camera to the test I took the obligatory moon shot but then I took a short trip. I visited a local wild life ranch and cavern here in San Antonio area called Natural Bridge Wild Life Ranch and Natural Bridge Caverns. In the wild life ranch I snagged a shot of a Zebra which I sold four copies of in a week just by word of mouth - so much for no commercial viability. Wildlife Ranch photos here:[...] Cavern Photos here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1675684126085238.1073741885.1535609413426044&type=1&l=2f0cb6c5a6 It was a lot of fun to play with the camera, the zoom reach is beyond expectation and certainly has a bit of a WOW factor to it. The fact the camera has manual modes is a bit of a misnomer since the shutter and aperture range you're allow to play with are not the full spectrum but a very limited set, for example, when zoomed in you can open all the way up to f6.5 or stop all the way down to f8.0. Ideally with an inexpensive lens I'd have liked to stop down to f11 to ensure edge to edge sharpness. Do to this limitation I ended up using full auto and adjusting the scene selection as well as using exposure comp for almost every shot. As one might expect this kind of zoom range makes it easy to induce camera shake but the camera does a reasonably good job of suppressing it. For example, shooting at 1/500 of a second and zoomed to 2000mm yields a sharp image about 1/3 of the time. During shooting I was constantly pixel peeping to see if focus was sharp which it usually wasn't so the solution is to take lots of shots, bracing, holding breath, leaning on something (I brought a mono pod into the caverns). Shooting with it on the wide angle is great if you're not using flash (flash was too powerful and no flash settings, could possibly fix with a napkin or post-it over the flash), zoomed all the way out the P900 provides a nice f2.8 aperture which is faster than some of the competition in the range with smaller zoom lenses. Back at the computer it was disappointing not to have Raw files to work with. The jpgs were highly compressed and I suspect highly processed in camera to compensate for the inexpensive lens. My first test shots at home made me adjust the in camera processing to add one more notch (you can add up to three) of both contrast and saturation. None the less there is a stop or two of additional range in processing the images in Adobe LR. Highlights and shadows were unrecoverable when completely blown out something my 5D has probably spoiled me on. In the end I think I threw out 1/5th of the shots and about 1/10th of remaining were worth talking about (see links). Like I said before, the solution to the shortcomings of the camera are to take multiple shots of the composition and subj. you want. Honestly I think if I had used my APS-C body and teleconverter I wouldn't have fared too much better and the time spent taking extra shots with the P900 would have been spent catching my breath carrying an additional 5lbs of gear; not to mention shaking the cramps out of my hand. ---Summary--- Pros: Zoom Reach Relative portability Value considering the lens is unique Cons: Small sensor size compression noise ISO noise even at relatively low ISO (I was trying to keep it at or below 800) high rate of poor shots Slow to respond after taking multiple shots (serious problem if you intend to do bird watching) And not such a con but a note, there are better options out there in this price range if you're not looking the occasional bird photo or moon shot. I teetered on the edge of returning it but in the end it does provide unique shots at a price that doesn't hurt that bad. So if you can find a deal you're probably going to be very happy with it. Would I recommend it to a friend? Hell yes - gotta try this zoom, it's insane and worth the shortcomings especially if you have a little skill (or just patience) and can work at overcoming them.

I've been putting the camera through its paces for several weeks now. It's definitely a birder's dream. No need to carry my Nikon SLR around with all the lenses. This camera has great light gathering ability, even at full zoom. A technical comment on the claim of 83x magnification. Prior to digital zoom cameras, zoom was measured (binoculars, telescopes) as the magnification over visual. The 35mm visual level is about 50mm. The camera manufacturers (all of them) started using "zoom" as the magnification over the lowest wide-angle setting, in the case of this camera, 28mm. So, expect about 40x magnification, not 80x. That said, the 16mp sensor allows you to magnify the picture several times on your computer and get very good results. A few of the reviewers said the pictures at high zoom weren't clear. I suspect that they are shooting at great distances expecting sharp images, and as astronomers know, all the air instability and particulate matter in between the lens and the subject are magnified and can cause very muddy images. I am finding at a distance of under 100 yards, the pictures are remarkably clear. As a snapshot camera, it doesn't provide any improvement over an 8mp I-Phone camera, so I won't be carrying the camera around to social events. However, at a recent large meeting, I was able to take a shot of a group engaged in conversation from about 50 feet, and everyone thought they had taken a selfie. There is a long learning curve. I probably have only used about 20% of the capabilities and am rethinking my methods of bird photography in view of its prowess. For positive bird identification, I usually start with a 50mm view and then zoom in to about 1000mm, keeping the bird solidly in the viewfinder and taking the photo. Then at home I further enlarge the photo to verify the identity. I even find myself setting the camera at about half zoom, aiming at about where the bird is, knowing that I can get a good enlargement of the bird at home. Several additional advantages of this camera: There is no mirror to cause camera shake. I'm rather amazed at the clarity of the photos, even at high zoom. The flip out screen not only allows me to see the frame from many angles, but it protects the screen from damage. The auto-focus works much better than my old Nikon, particularly with birds high up in flight. If I can get the bird in the frame, the auto-focus will work on it. It appears the flash is stronger and more under control than my old Nikon. So, I'll give it a 5. More than meets my expectations at an affordable price.