The new Nikon Coolpix P1000 is a bridge camera that does not provide interchangeable lens capability. The P1000 has an incredible OPTICAL zoom range from 24mm (f2.8) to 3,000mm (f8.0) (full frame equivalent).
Now how is that possible you may ask , well this bridge camera has a 5.6x crop factor sensor (the sensor size is very small) that when coupled with the lens design provides the incredible telephoto zoom range.
I was one of the early adopters of the P1000's predecessor the P900 which was also a "fun" camera to have with it's 1000mm optical capability. The strengths of the P900 was evident in photographing the moon and wildlife that were static in nature. The P900 however had many drawbacks , for example :
- it was a JPEG only camera
- AF was slow (but when it locked on it was sharp)
- the EVF was too small and not too comfortable to look at
Camera : P1000 ISO : 800 Focal Length : 1600mm
Monopod setup
Now the new P1000 bridge camera is a very much improved bridge camera
- still with a 16MP resolution sensor
- EVF is now so much larger and very much improved. A significantly improved EVF over the P900
- RAW shooting capability
- Optical zoom from 24mm @f2.8 to 3000mm #f8.0
- still 7 FPS like the P900
- AF performance & accuracy improved
- P1000 has a way better camera grip & better balanced but it is a way larger bridge camera
P900 on the left
P1000 on the right
The P1000 is so much larger , yet so much more comfortable to hold even for very long periods
P1000 also :
- has an in-built pop up flash
- a dedicated lens hood
- a new control ring which can be programmed for different functions like EV compensation if Shutter Priority or Aperture Priority modes were used.
The P1000 like the P900 has a fully articulated screen.
The P1000 can also transfer images via WIFI or Bluetooth using the Nikon Snapbridge applet.
Of course it can record in 4K too.
Image Highlights - Birding at Pasir Ris Park
Notes
The P1000 Images presented in this blog were as composed with no additional cropping during post processing
Images were post produced using my regular post processing workflow.
Camera : P1000 ISO : 400 Focal Length : 1600mm
Monopod setup
Image Quality
- With the right (good quality) light , the P1000 produces very detailed images with excellent color
- Dynamic range performance was good and better then the P900 but it still not quite as comparable to the mid range DSLRs (especially during low light conditions) , so proper exposure is important to get the most from the camera. Having said that , one has to remember that the image sensor in the P1000 camera is so much smaller then the DX or FX sensors.
- To get the best dynamic range , details & color rendition, I would recommend that only ISOs 800 & less are used whenever possible. When push comes to shove , higher ISOs can of course be used but image quality will be "compromised". I do have an image of the Sunda Scoup Owl captured at ISO3200 shared below
Camera : P1000 ISO : 200 Focal Length : 3000mm
Monopod setup
AF & Image Stabilisation Capability
- AF performance is better than the P900
- zooming speed also seems faster and quieter.
- but do not expect AF tracking capabilities of the mid to higher end DSLRs
- the Vibration Reductioin (VR) capability is TOP NOTCH and allows the P1000 to be hand-held even at the extreme focal lengths which is extremely usable
Camera : P1000 ISO : 400 Focal Length : 3000mm
Monopod setup
Camera : P1000 ISO : 400 Focal Length : 1600mm
Monopod setup
Camera : P1000 ISO : 3200 Focal Length : 930mm
Monopod setup
Camera : P1000 ISO : 400 Focal Length : 2600mm
Monopod setup
Camera : P1000 ISO : 800 Focal Length : 2800mm
Monopod setup
Final Words
For what the P1000 was designed to do , the P1000 does very well given the very small CMOS Sensor in this camera. I especially love the fact that the 3000mm capabilty is not just some marketing hype. This extended telephoto capability is actually usable & useful even when hand-held in good light of course.
The Vibration Reduction capability & performance is the key to the P1000's telephoto performance and something that Nikon did not skimp on.
Optical quality (Glass quality) was also excellent.
In summary , the P1000 when used "correctly" can produce excellent quality images and provides the capability of capturing unique images with it's extreme telephoto capabilities that even DSLRs matched with the longest telephotos will "fail" to capture.
I am really looking forward to using the P1000 bridge camera to capture unique wildlife images in my upcoming wildlife trip to the Masai Mara in Kenya. I will definitely share the P1000 results when they are ready.
Till the next P1000 blog update , take good care and happy shooting.
Cheers,
Andrew