What are your current opinions of the Nikon P900 bridge camera?
Jul 9, 2016 10:04:11 #
I was in SAM's yesterday and saw for the first time the Nikon P900 with the 83x zoom, price $579.00. Though I had previously seen pictures of it numerous times, I was frankly impressed by the appearance and feel of the actual item. It was fully as big or bigger than most full size dslr's and had nice heft to it. I'm thinking it might be just the thing for hobby/enthusiast wildlife shooters--which would include me, I suppose--in lieu of the big, expensive telephoto lenses. There was much conversation about it when it was initially released, but lately I have heard very little about it. Now that it has been around for awhile, I would like to know your thoughts about it, both pro and con. Among other things, is 83x zoom really that much more usable than the "standard" 50x or 60x zoom on smaller bridge cameras? And, does anyone have any clues whether Nikon may/will upgrade it anytime in the near future to include RAW capability?
Jul 9, 2016 10:24:34 #
Jul 9, 2016 10:26:35 #
Jul 9, 2016 10:39:50 #
Jul 9, 2016 11:54:14 #
At 83x it remains the King of Bridge Zooms!! If you shoot outdoors a lot, you mention you do, it is hard to beat. Is it a DSLR? No! And, in reality, I don't think it tries to be. In my opinion it's major weakness is not having RAW available. Also becomes a great backup camera if you are a DSLR owner. Do a search on this site for a lot of helpful information. At $579 the price is right.
Jul 9, 2016 14:13:39 #
bsprague wrote:
Hello, bsprague. Thank you for the response. I followed your link to those threads, and realized that I had read them in the past as they were posted, all of them being in 2015 as I recall. In general, there seemed to be some widely differing opinions about that time. Considering that there is probably broader and longer use of the P900 since then, I'm wondering if any general consensus of opinion may be discernible.
Jul 9, 2016 15:44:56 #
For those of us who have one and use it extensively, my broad opinion is get one at that good price before they're gone. I have no other camera in my arsenal that has the range ..... and it comes in handy. However, if you're out at 2000mm, you'd probably rest it on a tripod or some other support.
Jul 9, 2016 17:25:15 #
Bob Yankle wrote:
For those of us who have one and use it extensively, my broad opinion is get one at that good price before they're gone. I have no other camera in my arsenal that has the range ..... and it comes in handy. However, if you're out at 2000mm, you'd probably rest it on a tripod or some other support.
Thanks, Bob. I have a Fuji S-1 that goes to 50x magnification (1200mm equiv.) and I find that I need a tripod or support for it. So, there's no question that I would need support for a P900 that reaches to 83x magnification (2000mm equiv.). I might add that I am satisfied with the quality of the pictures that the S-1 actually makes. However, it frustrates me with the difficulty that it has in achieving focus on birds or other subjects that do not have a contrasty background. Sometimes an acceptable focus just doesn't happen for me in such conditions. What has been your experience with the ability of the P900 to achieve focus in difficult conditions like long distances, low light, or low contrast?
Jul 10, 2016 06:38:49 #
mas24
Loc: Southern CA
If you can do without shooting RAW, this is still an excellent camera. Focal length to 2000mm as already mentioned. However, if you want to shoot RAW, I recommend the Canon SX60, 65X,1350mm focal length. $500 new.
Jul 10, 2016 09:34:19 #
Jul 10, 2016 10:05:05 #
Jul 10, 2016 10:21:04 #
lhardister wrote:
I was in SAM's yesterday and saw for the first tim... (show quote)
I have one and love it! I had the P510 and the P600 before it and I have loved every one of them. Even when I take my Sony a6000 with me, I never leave my P900 at home! I have pix from all 3 on my flickr page....and I should add that I am no photographer...
Jul 10, 2016 10:22:00 #
pooralice
Loc: merced, ca
Should I trade my x50 for p900? Raw is not important on this camera for me
Jul 10, 2016 10:27:44 #
I have the P600, "daddy" of the P900, and like it alot. On everything from macro to full zoom the image quality is quite good. Like others, I miss having the RAW feature, but otherwise it's a great camera to keep handy at all times, recognizing that it is a bridge.
Jul 10, 2016 11:15:00 #
I bought the p900 for a trip to the Galapagos islands and Machu Picchu instead of my dslr, due to weight and size restrictions. It was great! I took over 1400 pics and am very pleased with the results. I was getting shots no one else could. The accuracy of the auto focus is amazing. Being all electronic, you do want an additional battery available. I find that i gravitate to the p900 more and more. It doesn't replace my dslr, but is a wonderful compliment. Worth every penny.
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