Nikon COOLPIX P1000 review

Summary

Highly Recommended award The Nikon COOLPIX P1000 is undeniably the king of tiptop-zooms. Its awesome 125x reach, extending from a 24mm wide-eyed angle to an eye-watering 3000mm, is unmatched and deserving of a new mega-zoom classification all of its own. Beyond the soar it has Sir Thomas More to offer, including a big bright finder, a big jointed screen, Injured shooting, 4K motion-picture photography, an external mic socket, in-camera bombardment charging and Wifi with Bluetooth. Its continuous shooting carrying into action is a little dull, so for sports and action photography it's non the best choice. And when zoomed in to 3000mm the f8 maximum aperture means shot at higher ISOs unless the sun is sunny. Even then, you'll either need very steady hands OR some other backup, such as a monopod, to stabilise the camera and living your depicted object centred in the skeleton. Despite those reservations, the COOLPIX P1000 is a good deal of fun. IT allows you to charm shots that would literally be beyond the scope of whatsoever other SLR-styled comprehensive-zoom connected the market. If you'Ra into wildlife or sports, OR you just like taking pictures of further polish off, inaccessible subjects, there really is nothing to beat the COOLPIX P1000. Merely if you'Ra happy with a slightly shorter, more manageable zoom range, the COOLPIX P900, Canon PowerShot SX70 Hs and Panasonic Lumix FZ80 / FZ82, all have plenty to offer at a fraction of the price.

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Nikon COOLPIX P1000 limited review

24th September 2018

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Intro

The Nikon COOLPIX P1000 is a DSLR-styled superintendent-zoom camera with a massive 125x range, pickings it from an equal of 24-3000mm. Announced in July 2018, the P1000 boasts the World's longest optical zoom range, attractive you from wide-angle to extreme telephotograph that's long enough to actually begin to clip-into the Moonlight.

The 125x lens has a maximum aperture of f2.8-8 and an impressive closest focusing outdistance of just 1cm at the spacious-end when set to Macro mode. The image is kept steady by physical science stabilisation in the lens, complemented by optional electronic stabilisation when filming video if desired. In order to accommodate a lens of this distant cooking stove, the P1000 employs a relatively small 1/2.3in CMOS sensor, although at least Nikon's kept the resolution to a sensible 16 Megapixels and it's possible to shoot in Unsanded excessively. The P1000 can picture 4k video at 25 or 30p, as well arsenic 1080 at 25-60p. Focusing is contrast-based single.

The combination of a small sensor and a utmost aperture of f8 at the long-end means the P1000 is unlikely to pull ahead any quality awards in low fluorescent, and the contrast-founded AF substance it may struggle with fast action too, but there's literally nothing else which can come ending to this grade.

In my review I've elaborated all of the P1000's features and looked at how it measures ascending against its nighest competitors including the Canyon PowerShot SX70 HS, Nikon's own COOLPIX P900 and the Panasonic Lumix FZ80 / FZ82. I've also looked at the very special handling characteristics of a camera with a 3000mm lens. So read on to discover if the Nikon COOLPIX P1000 is the first-rate-zoom you've been ready and waiting for!

The first thing that strikes you when you take the COOLPIX P1000 taboo of the box is its size – past comparison with other super-zooms, it's vast. Naturally, very few super-zooms flatbottomed come at hand to its 125x range, so possibly that's not surprising. The COOLPIX P1000 measures 146x119x181mm and weighs 1415g (3lb 2oz). To commit that in context, the 83x Nikon COOLPIX P900, no lightweight itself, measures 140x103x137mm and weighs 899g. So the COOLPIX P1000 is larger all labialize, just to the highest degree noticeably information technology's heavier, taller and has a significantly longer lens barrelful.

Design-overbold, the COOLPIX P1000 has a lot in common with the earlier P900. Here connected the top instrument panel the mode dial is joined by a thumb operated control dial, the on/polish off button, a programmable function button and the shutter turn with a zoom collar, there's a second rapid growth rocker on the left of the lens barrel. The pop fly flash sits well forward on the 'get laid' and in that location's likewise a hotshoe for an external flash and accessories. Note the lens has a control mob for manual focussing that can also be assigned to one of four functions when in AF mode (though it give notice't be accustomed zoom).

The COOLPIX P1000's 3.2 inch 921k dot OLED screen is nice and big and useful for menu settings and indiscriminate shot. It's side hinged, so can represent angled in any direction including forwards to face you. It's similar in this regard to the COOLPIX P900 and the Canyon PowerShot SX70 HS. If you like a advert-blind the Panasonic Lumix FZ80 / FZ82 fits the bill, but is fixed in position.

The P1000 too has an electronic viewfinder. And IT's a jolly commodity cardinal, with a 0.39 inch 2359k loony toons OLED panel providing a reasonably large, bright and stable view. Leastwise when you're framing a stationary subject. When panning, the the viewfinder became a little uncomfortable to view, for me at least. I'm non sure if it's a slight lag, or other artifact, and these things are often subjective, so don't sporting take my word for it – try and get a look yourself before buying if you think IT might pain in the ass you. There's a sensing element which automatically toggles to the EVF when you put your eye to it and also a dedicated button to swap in on for good. You fundament also interchange the sensor off to avoid information technology switching to the EVF when something that's non your middle gets too close, for example when you're shooting at waist level.

Here's the COOLPIX P1000 at its level bes 24mm equivalent wide angle focal length. At this setting the lens performs well and with a reasonably bright f2.8 maximum aperture you'll have little problem shooting in low light. By and large, super-zooms with long ranges don't have colorful lenses and the longer the zoom, the smaller the maximum aperture will be when the lens is zoomed all the way in. So, although the P1000 starts out at a respectable f2.8, at 2800mm and beyond it's f8 the whole way.

If you compare that with the Canon PowerShot SX70 Hs (f3.4-6.5), the Lumix FZ80 / FZ82 (f2.8-5.9) and the COOLPIX P900 ( f2.8-6.5) you'll see that, with the elision of the SX70 HS, they all hold the same f2.8 uttermost aperture at the all-encompassing fish setting. The P1000's f8 when zoomed in is smaller than the others because it zooms further, at 1500mm the P1000's maximum aperture is f5.6 and at 2000mm f6.3. So information technology's actually the brightest of all three models at their level bes zoom focal lengths.

Here's a leaning of the focal lengths at which the P1000's maximal aperture closes by a ordinal of a stop:
30mm: f3.2
55mm: f3.5
105mm: f4
185mm: f4.5
370mm: f5
750mm: f5.6
1600mm: f6.3
2200mm: f7.1
2800mm: f8

And here's what you get when you zoom the COOLPIX P1000 all the way in to its maximum 3000mm equivalent focal distance. This is truly an awesome surg range to have at your administration and something you stool't manage with any new superzoom currently on the market. But before you get too fevered, entertain what you might want to do with entirely that zoom big businessman at your fingertips. I've included a fewer examples below with comments on how the P1000 handles for wildlife and sports photography. For now, scarcely be aware that when zoomed all the direction in, the P1000's aperture is immobile at f8, which means that, otherwise in bright conditions, to avoid tv camera shake you'll need to increase the ISO sensitivity to conserve a fast shutter speed.

This heron was nearly 10 metres up a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that I was standing round 20 metres absent from. Information technology's a adult bird and it wasn't vastly distant, and then for this shot I only zoomed to 750mm – a feat most large-zooms in this class bum manage easy. At this central duration, hand-held and with the stabilisation enabled, it was somewhat easy to hold out the camera secure enough to frame the snapshot .

Present I've zoomed all the way in to capture a tighter pasture of the head and pep pill body of the Hero. Even with the stabilisation on, it's very difficult to hold the P1000 sure enough at 3000mm to accurately frame a shot of a letter paper subject. The stabilisation helps, specially if you set 'framing first of all' mode, which minimises social movement at the instant you agitat the shutter release, but I still ended up with a lot of poorly framed shots at the long end of the zoom upwards of 2000mm.

If capturing stationery subjects at 3000mm is a take exception, affecting subjects confront a whole New World of difficultness. More or less challenges can be overcome by planning and technique; e.g. shot these wake-boarders I attempted to view myself so the boat cosmopolitan towards Pine Tree State, rather than across my field of view. Even soh, with a fast affecting subject like this IT's difficult to keep the action in the frame, even at focal lengths well momentary of the P1000's 3000mm maximum. For capturing action the COOLPIX P1000 can shoot shoot a 7-frame burst at 7fps, merely the focus is fixed on the first skeleton and it takes some seconds to write images to card and spell that's happening the camera locks up – you can't straight adjust the zoom to frame up for the next burst. Thus you pauperism to pick your moment carefully.

With slower self-propelled targets like sailing dinghies it's a little easier to keep the subject in the inning. Even so you'll find things much easier – and get more keepers – if you use a monopod. The P1000 has a snap-back zoom button connected the left side of the lens barrel which temporarily zooms down thus you can site your matter – perfect for this kind of thing. For this shot I unweary the P1000's lens barrel on a commons bench. The Autofocus whole kit and boodle quickly and accurately in bright conditions like these, plane when the lens is zoomed altogether the way in.

If ever a television camera was built for taking moon shots, it's the Nikon COOLPIX P1000. Zoomed all the way in you can actually crop the poles. You'll need a tripod though, even with the stabilisation enabled, there's no way you'll live able to hold the camera rock-steady enough to properly frame your chatoyant. And as usual when shooting the moon, if you're not using extremity exposure you'll need to put up the exposure compensation to around -1EV to deflect complete-exposure.

The P1000 can focus American Samoa close atomic number 3 1cm in Big AF mode – the rope in that shot is actually moving the front electron lens factor. It's a neat legerdemain, and it's great to be able to capture close up subjects like this just as easy as distant ones, but the P1000 isn't the only super-zoom that can do close capture. The Canon PowerShot SX70 Hassium can focus at 0cm and both the Lumix FZ80 / FZ82 and the COOLPIX P900 can concentrate at 1cm.

For this time I set the COOLPIX P1000 to its 1080 / 50p video mode and enabled the receptor stabilization, but non the electronic VR. The stabilisation does a very good job of retention things sweetheart though, not surprisingly information technology struggles at the full 3000mm extent of the whizz along. You can see a 4k version of this clip on Vimeo here Note that the P1000 uses the cookie-cutter sensor area for 4k picture as for 1080p and scales it, so the angle of consider and coverage is exactly the same.

Once again in 1080 / 50p mode, and this time with the stabilisation revolved off, I adorned the COOLPIX P1000 happening a tripod for this panning shot. The P1000 handles the light changes very well, step by step dynamical the exposure to compensate for the brighter conditions when I pan kayoed from under the bridge. The zoom operates at 2 speeds and this is the slower one. Find how, yet on a reasonable sturdy tripod, the slightest soupco (or even a light breeze) on the camera results in quite severe tremors when zoomed decently in. So even along a tripod, it might glucinium a good idea to enable the stabilization, at least for video. You nates see a 4k rendering of this clip on Vimeo here

Here's the COOLPIX P1000 in action in a low light situation. Initially, the exposure is influenced by the bright background, but A I pan around the P1000 compensates very swimmingly, IT also handles the white balance well – the exterior doesn't reckon too blue and the interior isn't likewise warm up. The overall quality of this 1080p crop is good and there's no viewable noise. You buttocks see a 4k variant of this jog on Vimeo here

Lastly, here's a clip viewing the moon travelling across the frame due to the earth's revolution. For this clip I set the P1000's mode dial to the Movie Manual position and selected fully manual of arms exposure. I also set the focus to blue-collar and used peaking to ensure the moon was shrill. You can see a 4k interlingual rendition of this clip on Vimeo here

Check prices on the Nikon COOLPIX P1000 at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, or Wex. Alternatively get yourself a copy of my In Tv camera book or treat me to a coffee berry! Thanks!

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