I forgot to mention... In the 1980's I got to handle a Canon prototype digital camera at a Photo trade show. It was the size of a small VW, took an awful pixelated picture, very slow, cost thousands of dollars, but it was the first digital camera I ever saw.

An Oregon Scientific 1.3 MP camera in the dawning of digital. It was fun, but not a serious camera. The first digital camera that I used professionally was an Olympus EN20 which produced 5MP images, had a pc connection and a decent lens so I used it for catalog work and took it all over Europe. It saved me a lot of money in film and processing. I have upgraded many times since then and now i use a Nikon D610 and D7000.

Thank you JPL...At 16 megapixels you can make a pretty large print with no problem. I make 16x20 prints that look as good as what you see on the website (which are posted at 72dpi). They are rich, plenty sharp and have good detail. Considering the challenging lighting of the stage the P900 does a great job even at 3200 ISO with very contrasty subjects. It is even better at lower ISOs in daylight. It takes a while to get the long zoom under control handheld, but 2000mm on any camera would be hard to manage. With practice and a steady hand it can be done. Again, the first four photographs of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga on my website are shot with the P900 handheld at 3200 ISO at about 1200mm, but I did some that cropped to just Tony's head and they were sharp also. Folks can see examples at: www.finelinelenox.com under Photography/Performance/ Slideshow.

No one seems to be evaluating the Nikon P900. I purchased one several months ago (after having great results from previous models in the P series). I was attracted to the 83x zoom which is equivalent to an unbelievable 24-2000mm. I don't often shoot wildlife, but do a lot of performance photography. There have been times when my lenses on my SLRs (80-200 2.8 on a D610 and D7000) weren't sufficiently long and I have captured great shots in tricky stage lighting with my P900 at 3200 ISO. Please look at the first four photographs of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga taken very recently shown on my website at: www.finelinelenox.com in the Performance Photography Slideshow. They were done with the P900 handheld at 3200 ISO.

...But I am not!!Do take a look at the Tony Bennett images I just put on my website and tell me if you think the camera isn't a part of the equation!? I don't have any other camera and lens that can perform as well as that at 1000mm to 2000mm. And they are plenty sharp which is a credit to the lens. Knowing how to use equipment is a factor, but you need the quality in the gear also.

Thanks Shutter Bugger... but I use my big rig all the time for my real work... and the 24-70 is my favorite lens. And not only have I made friends with my P900... It's a love affair. Did you look at the shots of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga on my wsebsite (www.finelinelenox.com under performance photography-slide show)? They were taken a couple of days ago with my P900 and are unaltered.

Thank you Wahawk... I have used a number of the Nikon P line (starting with the P80) and thought they all performed well for what they were. The P900 is not quite as sharp as my D610, but at a fraction of the price (with lenses) it does a great job and does things none of my pro cameras can't do (ie: 2000mm).

Very nice Shelty... I agree with you the P900 is a very versatile camera. See my shots of Tony Bennett on my website at www.finelinelenox.com under performance photography slide show.

I disagree with the notion that the P900 is not sharp and not a good versatile bridge camera. I have had one for several months and I love it. I bring it with me everywhere and don't carry my heavy slrs with big lenses (D610 and D7000 with 80-200 2.8 and 24-70 2.8). I have shot in all kinds of situations, low light (at 3200 ISO) and bright sun light, 24 wide and zoomed all the way to 2000mm.
Once you get the hang of the zoom it is quite controllable. I have captured professional performance photographs that i never could have gotten with my longest lens. See my website at: www.finelinelenox.com (under photography-performance photography-slide show) the very first Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga photographs are shot with the P900. They were zoomed in to about 1200mm, but I have some shots at 2000mm that are just as sharp. Some of the others were shot with my P510.

Lighthouse... I know we don't need to shoot everything we see. However, those occasions have arisen when I am very thankful to have my trusty bridge camera and capture a spectacular sunset or beautiful eagle that i would otherwise have missed. I don't lug my big rig around, but I am never without some camera.
Each to his own!!

SS...Like i said it won't replace a good DSLR... but just weight and size alone are huge factors. It;s the camera I grab going out the door, when I don't want to be caught without a camera. I never have one of those "Oh, I wish I had my camera" days, when that unexpected shot appears.

Again... It is what it is!! The P series cameras don't replace full sensor D series cameras (I love my D610). However, for a relatively light all-in-one super zoom camera it has a place in the arena. It can do some things my pro cameras can't.

The shot of Tony Bennett I just posted was shot with my P510 at 3200 ISO, at F5.6 at 100th of a second zoomed in all the way (42x=1000mm), hand held. Then dumbed down from 300dpi to 72dpi for easier posting. The newer P series have VR, this one doesn't.

I have had a number of P series Nikons as my point-and-shoot option to supplement my D610 and D7000. I have shot with my latest P510 under numerous conditions, including 42x contrasty stage lighting and it performed very well most of the time. It has gotten shots I never could have captured with my bigger cameras. I will check out the P900.

Tony Bennett @ Tanglewood with 42x P510 at 72dpi by Lee Everett

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