Nikon Coolpix P900 Review
written by Canadian wildlife photographer, David Krughoff
This groundbreaking camera was sold-out soon after its release in early 2015. Fortunately, I’d placed a pre-order when the camera was announced. After one-day’s-use, it was clear that we needed another one for Sharie!
Sharie was able to find a discounted P900 in stock on amazon's Canadian website. The listing stated the box was damaged and the price was discounted. The camera had clearly languished in their warehouse; with buyers fearing to order it. Because this was literally the only P900 we could find in stock worldwide—we ordered it. On arrival, it was in perfect condition!
Please keep in mind as you read this review—we turn noise reduction settings in all of our cameras to low or off. Aggressive in-camera noise reduction destroys fine detail. Focal lengths mentioned are 35mm equivalents.
We found the P900 is capable of sharpening images “just the right amount”; better than using Photoshop. Please experiment and try setting the level of in-camera sharpening to your taste.
The P900’s automatic ISO menu setting does not support adequate shutter speeds at focal lengths of 800mm or more. Maybe Nikon engineers were reluctant to introduce additional noise with higher ISO settings. But inadequate shutter speeds caused by low automatic ISO settings; yield image blur.
The solution; we shoot in Program Mode and set ISO ("film speed") manually. We set the (Fn button) for quick access to ISO settings. We increase ISO as needed to support adequate shutter speed. When shooting at 800mm to 2000mm, a shutter speed of 1/1600 of a second yields tack-sharp images.
The camera’s 24 to 2000mm zoom lens is remarkable. Image quality is stunning and consistent with ISO setting of 100 to 400. Images captured at ISO 800 are excellent; occasionally requiring minimal noise reduction during development. When using ISO 1600, all of our images require noise reduction during development. When using Photoshop CC; images shot at 1600 clean up nicely with a noise reduction setting of “1”. We hope the next generation of this camera will include a more gradual range of ISO settings; instead of doubling ISO with each increase.
A monopod or steady rest is helpful when shooting at focal lengths above 1000mm. We obtain the best results when selecting “active” image stabilization in the main menu.
This camera will capture 7 frames per second at full resolution. But tracking of subjects in the electronic viewfinder is impossible while the processor writes images to file. We tried 3 frames per second and smaller image files but there was no improvement in performance.
In contrast: When shooting in Program Mode at one frame per second continuous; our Canon SX50 HS electronic viewfinders can be used to track moving subjects. We'd be happy to pay for a faster processor in the next generation of the P900; or because 1-frame per second continuous is adequate for birds in flight; this option alone would improve the P900 dramatically.
We love the variety of focus point sizes available in the Nikon P900’s menu. We can quickly select the various sizes based on current needs. The smallest focus point makes focusing on birds located behind branches possible. In good to fair lighting, the P900 focuses instantly. In lower light we always confirm focus with the shutter depressed half-way and then follow through.
Extra batteries and a dedicated charger are essential with this camera. We required 3 batteries for each camera when working all day at an osprey nest.
I’ve been using aftermarket dual battery chargers for a decade. Most brands include a 12 volt adapter for use in our Jeep or solar powered canoe. We purchased a Watson™ dual charger for our Nikon P900 batteries.
HD video capabilities of the Nikon P900 are impressive. There’s a useful on-board converter to save individual frames as JPEGs for printing. We’ll most certainly use this method of capturing action shots for venues that require only small images.
The Nikon Coolpix P900 is a harbinger of the future of lightweight compact digital cameras. The image below was shot at 2000mm handheld. I don't know of any other camera that can produce this result.
Sharie was able to find a discounted P900 in stock on amazon's Canadian website. The listing stated the box was damaged and the price was discounted. The camera had clearly languished in their warehouse; with buyers fearing to order it. Because this was literally the only P900 we could find in stock worldwide—we ordered it. On arrival, it was in perfect condition!
Please keep in mind as you read this review—we turn noise reduction settings in all of our cameras to low or off. Aggressive in-camera noise reduction destroys fine detail. Focal lengths mentioned are 35mm equivalents.
We found the P900 is capable of sharpening images “just the right amount”; better than using Photoshop. Please experiment and try setting the level of in-camera sharpening to your taste.
The P900’s automatic ISO menu setting does not support adequate shutter speeds at focal lengths of 800mm or more. Maybe Nikon engineers were reluctant to introduce additional noise with higher ISO settings. But inadequate shutter speeds caused by low automatic ISO settings; yield image blur.
The solution; we shoot in Program Mode and set ISO ("film speed") manually. We set the (Fn button) for quick access to ISO settings. We increase ISO as needed to support adequate shutter speed. When shooting at 800mm to 2000mm, a shutter speed of 1/1600 of a second yields tack-sharp images.
The camera’s 24 to 2000mm zoom lens is remarkable. Image quality is stunning and consistent with ISO setting of 100 to 400. Images captured at ISO 800 are excellent; occasionally requiring minimal noise reduction during development. When using ISO 1600, all of our images require noise reduction during development. When using Photoshop CC; images shot at 1600 clean up nicely with a noise reduction setting of “1”. We hope the next generation of this camera will include a more gradual range of ISO settings; instead of doubling ISO with each increase.
A monopod or steady rest is helpful when shooting at focal lengths above 1000mm. We obtain the best results when selecting “active” image stabilization in the main menu.
This camera will capture 7 frames per second at full resolution. But tracking of subjects in the electronic viewfinder is impossible while the processor writes images to file. We tried 3 frames per second and smaller image files but there was no improvement in performance.
In contrast: When shooting in Program Mode at one frame per second continuous; our Canon SX50 HS electronic viewfinders can be used to track moving subjects. We'd be happy to pay for a faster processor in the next generation of the P900; or because 1-frame per second continuous is adequate for birds in flight; this option alone would improve the P900 dramatically.
We love the variety of focus point sizes available in the Nikon P900’s menu. We can quickly select the various sizes based on current needs. The smallest focus point makes focusing on birds located behind branches possible. In good to fair lighting, the P900 focuses instantly. In lower light we always confirm focus with the shutter depressed half-way and then follow through.
Extra batteries and a dedicated charger are essential with this camera. We required 3 batteries for each camera when working all day at an osprey nest.
I’ve been using aftermarket dual battery chargers for a decade. Most brands include a 12 volt adapter for use in our Jeep or solar powered canoe. We purchased a Watson™ dual charger for our Nikon P900 batteries.
HD video capabilities of the Nikon P900 are impressive. There’s a useful on-board converter to save individual frames as JPEGs for printing. We’ll most certainly use this method of capturing action shots for venues that require only small images.
The Nikon Coolpix P900 is a harbinger of the future of lightweight compact digital cameras. The image below was shot at 2000mm handheld. I don't know of any other camera that can produce this result.
snowy owl