Bmarsh Loc: Bellaire, MI

Have had my P900 for about a month now and just got back from a 3 week trip to Maine.

The short story is that I think it is a great camera... but I learned a lot about it.

I started out with a Neewer CPL filter on it which I thought was a good filter. Turns out it wasn't. Every major zoom shot I took was terrible with a capital T. Began to realize that it was the filter that was messing up the focus at long range so I exchanged it for another filter which seemed to work better. But still, long range shots were a bit fuzzy and I began to blame the camera for it. At this point, I couldn't get the filter off the camera even with a wet rag and both strong hands. I had left my filter wrenches at home so I was stuck with the filter. (see my other post about getting the filter off) I finally did get the filter off and found that long range shots were excellent!! Sometimes bothered by haze and heat waves but I couldn't fault the camera for those problems.

So I am very happy with the camera... with the caveat that one must be careful of what they put on it for a filter. I haven't had a chance to try it with a really expensive filter but will do so.

You can compare the two pictures below... the first one is with the filter and the second is without any filter. The shots were taken at maximum zoom, a distance of about 2 miles to the lighthouse.

With a CPL filter

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Without any filter

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f8lee Loc: New Mexico

Wow, those shots surely do show the impact of a lower quality filter! And if that Neewer is one of the variable ND filters (which is essentially 2 CPLs in a mount allowing you to twist one against the other to reduce light passing through) then all the more reason to spend for the higher quality versions.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

I can't speak for the shots you didn't post, but part of your problem on this one is shooting at 3200 ISO! In addition, there's obvious camera shake going on. The "without filter" image was shot at a more reasonable 400 ISO, and without the camera shake.
Furthermore, the EXIF data reveals that these two images originated several days apart, and at different times of the day. Is it possible that the atmospheric conditions were very different as well?

I think the issue is more user error related rather than filter performance.

jba1 Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Good morning,

Couple of questions please...
When you refer to max. zoom..you are referring to optical, right?..not digital?
What about any problems at max zoon using it handheld vs Tripod or mono pod?
What do you find the best results are at full zoom regarding settings..Manual or automatic, etc?
Thanks.. I too have a P900 and results vary from amazing to just plain bad at high end zoom. All other pics at lower zoom or none are great. My second camera is the 7100 so I have a means of comparing....Jim

warrior Loc: Paso Robles CA

Photoshop Elements 14 will cure haze problems :thumbup:

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Nice catch. The OP needs to do a better comparison that uses equal settings. Perhaps using a tripod and manual settings. The camera may have adjusted for the loss of light when the filter is applied but it should only be one stop or so. Also, a CPL is most effective when used 90 degrees to the sunlight and must be adjusted for each shot. There is definately some camera shake going on there.

Bmarsh Loc: Bellaire, MI

Optical zoom only... and I also hve a d7100 and the two compare nicely for pictures taken at medium zoom on the 900 and full zoom (300mm) on the 7100.

I did, early on, take a different picture with a tripod and it was fuzzy from both heat waves and the filter I believe.

We rent a cabin on the shore of a bay and that is where I took the pictures of the lighthouse. Here are two pics take FROM the lighthouse back to the cabin and another house very nearby. Both at full zoom, optical only, handheld, in auto. I have taken a lot of pics using AP and I don't find it to be much different than the 7100. Yes, there is a lot of haze in the pictures.

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Bmarsh Loc: Bellaire, MI

Hmmm I'm a linux only user and will see what lightzone will do. I usually don't try to "fix" jpg files.

Bmarsh Loc: Bellaire, MI

Well, you 'might' be right but here's another pic taken a few days prior. In better light and very similar to the best picture of the two above... and at the same 400 ISO as the best picture above.

Not a very good picture. I don't think the 3200 ISO had much to do with the picture quality in this case.

ISO 400 full optical zoom

(Download)

Chuck_893 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

I just checked the EXIF on this. The zoom was 357mm and the shutter was 1/400 sec. I suspect the smear on this is mostly camera shake, assuming you were hand-holding. The old rule-of-thumb is that the shutter should never be less than the reciprocal of the focal length for a hand-held shot, and that's pushing the envelope in any case. You need a very steady hold to get a sharp picture at that "low" a shutter (relative to the focal length). Your nice crisp shot in your first post was made at 1/800, and that certainly helped if you were hand-holding. You may also have had your elbows in and your breathing and heartbeat were just right (OR maybe it was on a tripod?). Camera shake is pretty likely a challenge with these super-zooms. (That crisp shot is really nice, by the way!) :thumbup:

iyernat

BMarsh

Where and when did you order the p900. I have almost given up hope of even laying my hands on it. I ordered from Amazon on 7/21 and no news from them yet. In fact they have stopped selling in Amazon. I really wanted it before I embark on a cruise during thanksgiving. I am not that optimistic anymore.

Bmarsh Loc: Bellaire, MI

I had ordered one from Amazon back on 6/24 I think, and was in the same boat as you, wondering if I would get it before the trip to the East coast.

Sometime in Aug or late July, I went to:
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/compact-digital-cameras/coolpix-p900.html

And clicked on "where to buy"

That will give you a list of the big box stores and will show you mostly "out of stock" or "preorder". On them.

I am using an iPad right now and it also shows me local stores, one of which is Sam's. At the time I looked, it showed Sam's had it "in stock" locally but when I clicked on it, I was shown that it was available through mail-order. Not sure whether it truly was available locally but I ordered it and had it within a week. Give Sam's a try right now and good luck.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

It looks like the CP is doing the opposite what it's supposed to do.

CathyAnn Loc: Apache Junction, AZ

I just checked at Nikon USA, and according them, the P900 is on backorder. That must be a very popular camera. I'm not at all familiar with it.

Bmarsh Loc: Bellaire, MI

Released somewhere around February I think and has been scarcely available in the States since.