dzn1

I am a D3200 owner but need to improve my kit with gear better able to do sports photography. Indoor and out. I have a budget of $500 and would consider a refurb P900 if it is up to the task for HD video and stllls. Post processing maybe, but not preferred. A one item solution is a plus as it will be loaned (given) to my daughter. Comments?

Quixdraw Loc: x

Bought one to be a car camera - finder was small and dark, autofocus seemed slow compared to my other Nikons. Never used it for sports. Returned it. If you do buy one PM me if interested I have an unused 2 battery kit with charger you can have for postage!

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

DSLR type cameras take great video - technically! They really need to be on a tripod and fixed in position because the body is not designed for video. Tracking and changing zoom on the fly with that type of body is hard to do smoothly. Also most use a viewscreen for video and you can't see it in the sunlight. I have an eyepiece with a lens I mount on the back of a D5300 and it works well but zooming smoothly is almost impossible, even on the tripod or monopod.
Many video cameras will also take stills if video is to be main use.

Kozan Loc: Trenton Tennessee

I have taken baseball photos at a minor league park with the P1000 and the delay from pressing the shutter and the picture actually being taken is about 1/2 second. To me, that is unacceptable. If you are really good at anticipating that delay, it might work for you.

Kozan

a6k Loc: Detroit & Sanibel

While our P1000 does not seem to have that delay, I would not recommend it for sports unless it's a slow moving sport or you want to shoot video. I would have to look it up but I think that the sensor is 12? bit, certainly not 14 bit and that can limit the quality of the stills and the video.

It's good for amazingly long shots and has impressive image stabilization at seemingly impossible zoom settings but it's not what I would choose for anything fast moving and at very long zoom settings you would have a hard time keeping it on the target.

This goes for any of that series. We have had them all. Rent one before you spend the money.

tramsey Loc: Texas

My friend has a Pany FZ1000 and he shots moto cross, base ball games (stops the ball in sharp focus) and many other types. He is extremely happy with it

dzn1

TU for the advice on P900 and FZ1000. I'll try to borrow each and compare performance. Another possibility would be to find a fixed length 500mm with a fast lens and mount it on the D3200. Expensive approach and not amenable to gifting my daughter. H.

Ltgk20 Loc: Salisbury, NC

Outdoors in good light I would think either would be fine. Indoors I don't think either would work.

insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

I think, from most major camera suppliers, I know it is true for Amazon.com, you can order the camera and return it within 30 days if unhappy. So why not get one and try it? You should know within 20-25 days of using if it will fit your needs.

Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts

While the P900 is a nice camera I would say not a great camera for sports. Especially indoor sports. I can’t speak to its video capabilities as I don’t shoot video. I don’t think the P900 would be an upgrade over your D3200. As far as I know it does not shoot raw which you really need for inside gyms or rinks. The other limiting factor is the burst rate. While is can shoot up to 7 frames per second the buffer can only handle 7 frames then it takes a couple of seconds to clear the buffer. That is really limiting.
Burst rate and more important buffer capacity does matter for action sports. I believe your D3200 also has better auto focus than the P900 which is another important factor shooting sports Unfortunately sports is the one genre where equipment does matter. You need fast lenses and a body with a decent burst rate and buffer and good auto focus. I have shot sports (hockey and lacrosse)with a D3100, D7100, D7200 and D500. The D500 (3x your budget)is made for sports and my personal opinion is the D7200 ($150 more than your budget) is the bare minimum you need to shoot sports. while it is a great camera it is still very limiting for sports.
To give you perspective I am not a gear snob. I am a budget shooter I love finding lower cost solutions to photography. I have successfully shot ice hockey and had images published with just a 50mm and 85mm 1.8 on the D7200 I do not own a 70-200 2.8 although I have on occasion rented one. I have had lacrosse images published using a $150 70-300 AFP lens with the D7200. So while I don’t think you need to spend crazy money to shoot sports I think you may need something better than a P900. As for video your D3200 has better video capability. Over all I am not sure where the P900 would be an upgrade. In my opinion the best upgrade to the body you have right now would be lenses
I hope this perspective helps rather than muddies the water for you
Good luck.

rcarol

THe FZ-1000 will do 12 FPS with continuous autofocus and up to 50 FPS with single first shot focus.

Gilkar

I tried using my P900 for sports last month. It was OK in the daytime but lousy under the lights. There is a lag time while the camera activates if you let it time out. There is also a lag time while the camera writes to the card in single frame mode. I found that it did not perform well under the demanding conditions needed and finally upgraded to a Z6. I love my P900 as a vacation camera. It is lightweight and beats having to carry a plethora of lenses. It is a great all in one for snap shooting and making memories.

Mr Bill 2011 Loc: southern Indiana

I have to agree; I'm not familiar with any Nikon cameras other than my P900, but it really is not suited to shooting sports unless that "sport" is a chess match. The time for the buffer to clear when using the burst feature is especially irritating and you will miss a lot of shots while waiting. It is much better for shooting non-moving objects at a distance.

a6k Loc: Detroit & Sanibel

Just FYI, the previous poster was correct that the P900 does not yield raw files. I believe the P950 does and I know the P1000 does. In my limited experience with the raw files from the P1000 it was not worth the effort. That is the complete opposite of my experience with my other cameras but they are 14 bit.

RLSprouse Loc: Encinitas CA (near Sandy Eggo)

I can verify that my P950 does produce .NRW (Nikon raw) files.