Four decades ago, the typical superzoom'bridge' camera needed a zoom power of around 50x. Over the years the number has slowly improved before leveling out in 65x. And then came the Nikon Coolpix P900, whose 83x, 24-2000mm equiv. Lens suddenly took zoom ranges from'quite long' into'foolish'.
Nikon's new Coolpix P1000 has moved the needle to'foolish,' having an equivalent focal length of 24-3000mm. That's correct, 3000mm. This is a lens so long we were able to fill the frame with a 1 meter (3.3 ft ) tall fighter that has 70 meters (230 feet) away.
This can come at a price, however. To begin with, the P1000 is huge and its lens has been challenged by a slow maximum aperture (and so diffraction) and picture quality can be jeopardized by the identical thermal and atmospheric issues that are standard of images shot at extreme distances using almost any ultra telephoto lens. Besides the lens, the P1000 includes a 16MP 1/2.3" BSI-CMOS detector, a fully articulating LCD and also high-res EVF, Raw support along with the ability to capture 4K video.
Nikon Coolpix P1000 technical specs :
16MP, 1/2.3" BSI-CMOS sensor
24-3000mm equiv. F2.8-8 lens
'Dual Detect' optical image stabilization
3.2", 921k-dot fully articulating LCD
2.36M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder with eye sensor
Raw support
UHD 4K/30p video capture
Microphone input
Hot shoe
Wi-Fi + Bluetooth (SnapBridge)
250 shots per charge (CIPA standard)
16MP, 1/2.3" BSI-CMOS sensor
24-3000mm equiv. F2.8-8 lens
'Dual Detect' optical image stabilization
3.2", 921k-dot fully articulating LCD
2.36M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder with eye sensor
Raw support
UHD 4K/30p video capture
Microphone input
Hot shoe
Wi-Fi + Bluetooth (SnapBridge)
250 shots per charge (CIPA standard)
The P1000 includes a spec sheet nearly as long as its lens. From Raw support to some high-res EVF, the camera includes just about everything you would want in a bridge camera, then save to get decent battery life and a touchscreen (a glaring omission). Image stabilization is a necessity for superzoom cameras, and Nikon's'Dual Detect VR' reduces shake by up to 5 stops (based on focal length,) according to Nikon. Being 2018, it is no surprise that Wi-FI and Bluetooth will also be onboard.
Let's get right to the point: that the biggest selling point of this Nikon Coolpix P1000 is its 24-3000mm equivalent F2.8-8 lens. That sort of range is, in nearly most situations, far more than required. In actuality, It's sometimes difficult to find something that far away to take a picture of. Only at 1.4kg (3.2lbs), it is not the sort of camera you want to take around daily. However, having that range is part of their allure of the camera: it is just enjoyable to use.
Key takeaways:
The 24-3000mm equivalent lens on the P1000 provides, by far, more reach than any camera on the market. It has has a minimum focus distance of 1cm (0.4") at wide-angle and 7m (23ft) at telephoto.
The long lens has trade-offs, including size, weight and a slow maximum aperture near its telephoto end.
The 1/2.3" sensor on the P1000 is much smaller than the 1" sensors on other enthusiast long zooms.
Dedicated Moon and Bird modes address the two biggest use cases for the P1000.
Battery life is the lowest of any camera in the enthusiast long zoom class.
The long lens has trade-offs, including size, weight and a slow maximum aperture near its telephoto end.
The 1/2.3" sensor on the P1000 is much smaller than the 1" sensors on other enthusiast long zooms.
Dedicated Moon and Bird modes address the two biggest use cases for the P1000.
Battery life is the lowest of any camera in the enthusiast long zoom class.
Moon mode
Two regions that Nikon has emphasized in its advertising of the P1000 is bird and lunar photography. In reality, they have dedicated shooting modes for each of these use cases.
Two regions that Nikon has emphasized in its advertising of the P1000 is bird and lunar photography. In reality, they have dedicated shooting modes for each of these use cases.
Moon style provides quite a few features not found in other shooting modes. First, the camera sets the focus distance to infinity and activates the 3 next self-timer. Guidelines shown about the LCD/EVF outline the section of the frame covered by the lens in 1000mm (that is elastic ). Pressing the'OK' button will instantly zoom into that particular focal length (it is possible to continue to zoom in case you would like). An choice to change the colour of the picture is also near at hand.
Note that you cannot shoot in skies mode, though you are able to take amazing photos of the moon at the shooting modes which do offer this feature.
Body and controls
At this point in the review we've established the Coolpix P1000 is really a big, thick and bulky camera. It's the largest superzoom camera ever produced and is very close in size to the massive DSLR (using a lens attached).The center of gravity is simply beneath the flash (if you sliced the camera ) till 700mm roughly, and after that it shifts dramatically toward front. As a result of this you will need a robust tripod to keep the cam from'dipping' downward. We would have believed that Nikon could put a tripod bracket beneath the lens or provide a tripod - but they don't.
At this point in the review we've established the Coolpix P1000 is really a big, thick and bulky camera. It's the largest superzoom camera ever produced and is very close in size to the massive DSLR (using a lens attached).The center of gravity is simply beneath the flash (if you sliced the camera ) till 700mm roughly, and after that it shifts dramatically toward front. As a result of this you will need a robust tripod to keep the cam from'dipping' downward. We would have believed that Nikon could put a tripod bracket beneath the lens or provide a tripod - but they don't.
Happily, the clasp is the perfect dimensions, at least for larger hands, along with the controller dial around the lens can be used to encourage your camera, provided that you anticipate its lurch forward. You do need to have a solid grip on the camera at long focal lengths, so as the smallest moves will influence makeup, even with the image stabilization trying its finest. While the zoom lever, primary dial on the top plate and Fn button are easy to reach, the secondary dial to the rear of the camera is not.
Build standard in the body itself is quite good, though some of these dials and the zoom lever feel cheap. It's a shame the P1000 is not weather-sealed given its cost, though the only models in this class that are sealed would be the more expensive Sony RX10 III and IV.
The layout of the controls is typical of a camera that is secondhand, using four buttons surrounding a 4-way controller with a control wheel around it. While the dimensions of these buttons are nice, the controller wheel is a bit too small for such a massive camera. Naturally, there is a dedicated movie record button together with an AE/AF-Lock button (using AF/MF switch around it) along with a button for switching between the LCD and EVF.
Viewfinder and LCD
The specs of this electronic viewfinder are very similar to almost every modern superior superzoom: it is a good-sized EVF it utilizes an OLED panel using 2.4 million dots along with undisclosed magnification that is similar to the size of the socket about the Sony RX10 III. An eye sensor, which was not contained in the P900, switches between both LCD and EVF automatically.
The specs of this electronic viewfinder are very similar to almost every modern superior superzoom: it is a good-sized EVF it utilizes an OLED panel using 2.4 million dots along with undisclosed magnification that is similar to the size of the socket about the Sony RX10 III. An eye sensor, which was not contained in the P900, switches between both LCD and EVF automatically.
The LCD is 3.2" in size (somewhat bigger than average) with a resolution of 921k-dots. Frustratingly the display is not touch-enabled, making selecting a focal point and reviewing photographs that more of a job. The display is fully articulating making it well suited for tripod work, movie and vlogging.