Nikon P1000 Review

Nikon P1000 Critique – First Impressions

by William Brawley
Preview posted: 07/10/2018

Photographers of wildlife, ornithology and sport, who is ready for the super-est of superzooms? Say hello to the Nikon Coolpix P1000!

Do not settle for the impressive zoom performance of the popular P900, Nikon has now raised the bar with its successor P1000. While the P900 offered a record optical zoom range of 83x (24-2000mm eq.), The Nikon P1000 goes well beyond that with an amazing 125x optical zoom. Yes, you read correctly, 125x! In 35mm equivalent, the P1000's lens offers a zoom range ranging from a wide 24mm angle to a breathtaking 3000mm! (And wait until we tell you how far the digital zoom gets you!)

The P900 was not a slender compact camera by any means, and the P1000 is even less so. The lens is huge and the camera itself is great, but that means you get functions similar to those of a DSLR, including lots of physical controls and dials, as well as A deep grip and comfortable ergonomics. With excellent in-focus capabilities and incredibly powerful telephoto shots, the Nikon P1000 is a versatile all-in-one camera for those looking to capture close-up and far-away images … far, far far.

Let's dive into the details of this awesome superzoom camera …

The Lens

As mentioned, this camera is anything but compact. Given the increase in the zoom ratio, the P1000 is, as expected, larger than its already important predecessor. The weight alone is quite telling, with the P1000 weighing more than three pounds (1415g) while the P900 was about two pounds (916g). As for the dimensions, the width and height of the P1000 are slightly larger than those of the P900, while the length (depth) of the new model is nearly two inches larger – not including the # 1 Extreme extension of the full telephoto lens. The barrel diameter of the lens has also increased, providing a larger thread of the 77mm filter compared to the 67mm thread on the P900.

As for the optical layout of the lens, the P1000 uses a lot of lens elements, exactly 17, located in 12 groups (only one more item compared to the l '# 39; goal of the P900). The lens also uses a total of five ED (Extra Low Dispersion) elements and a Super ED element to help combat chromatic aberration and color fringes.

The 4.3-539mm lens (24-3000mm eq.) Of the P1000 uses a variable aperture Design a bit like the P900, providing a bright f / 2.8 aperture at wide-angle, before narrowing rapidly when you zoom in on the longer focal lengths. With the P1000, the maximum aperture of the lens falls to a f / 8 rather narrow in maximum telephoto. This maximum aperture may be sufficient for reasonably sharp and well-exposed photos in good lighting, but makes shooting difficult in low light or shading conditions, as the camera will need to be in good light. a very slow shutter speed sensitivity if you find yourself without a flash or additional lighting.

As mentioned, the P1000 offers an impressive 3000mm eq. maximum focal length, but if you somehow need more scope, the camera offers two levels of digital zoom. Thanks to Nikon's dynamic end zoom option, the camera can reach up to 6000mm of eq. while the standard "digital zoom" will offer up to 12,000 mm equivalent! Note that with the fine dynamic zoom and digital zoom, the image quality will be reduced compared to pictures taken in the optical zoom range; less with dynamic zoom than with the standard digital zoom thanks to improved image processing.

Whether you're shooting with an optical zoom or using digital zoom, we're talking about a large telephoto range here. – which is likely with this type of camera – you will be happy that there is a stabilization of the powerful image on board. Like the P900, the P1000 offers up to 5 stops of shake correction with its dual-detection optical vibration detection system. For photos, the VR system is purely optical, while for video shooting, the camera uses a combination of optical VR and electronic stabilization to stabilize the clips

Design

As for the bodywork, the P1000 is, in a sense, a bigger and bigger P900. It sports a shape similar to that of a DSLR with a deep grip and many physical controls and dials, as well as an ISO 518 claw compatible with the Speedlight flash. There are two control dials, as previously on the P900. There is one on the upper deck, just above the thunder zone, and another, a rotating multi-selector, on the back of the body, which rotates and which also serves as a directional control to four directions. There have been some tweaks, including borrowing the AE-L / AF-L button from Nikon's digital SLRs and surrounding it with an AF / MF switch. Most other commands remain unchanged, except for the removal of the dedicated Wi-Fi transfer button on the back of the camera.

Like most superzoom cameras, the P1000 offers a zoom rocker switch around the shutter release. There is also a secondary zoom rocker on the left side of the lens barrel which provides a smoother zoom action during video recording. There is also a control ring around the lens barrel that can be used for manual focus control as well as other programmable functions such as setting white balance presets. .

With the high power zoom on the P1000, it can be hard to keep the camera on your subject, so Nikon has included his snap-back zoom button on the side of the lens (a little like on the P900) will quickly zoom in on the lens so you can see more of the scene and help re-acquire your subject – then just release the back button and the lens will go back to its length previous focal.

Finally, the Nikon P1000 features both an electronic viewfinder and a variable-angle LCD screen, much like on the P900. The rear TFT LCD monitor maintains a resolution similar to 921K points as the P900, but its size has slightly increased from a 3-inch display to a larger 3.2-inch panel. The EVF, however, is undergoing a larger refresh, moving towards a larger and higher resolution OLED panel with 2.3 million dots – a nice change over an LCD screen equivalent to 921 K.

Quality image becomes RAW

Sitting behind this massive lens is the same 16 megapixel 1 / 2.3-inch backlit CMOS as found in the P900. However, despite the same sensor as the previous model, there are nice photo and video upgrades compared to the previous model. For example, the P1000 is now capable of capturing the RAW image while the P900 was a JPEG camera only. For more advanced photographers who want more control over the final look of their photos, the ability to capture and process RAW files is a big plus. For video shooters, the camera now offers 4K UHD video at 30p, while the P900 ends at 1080p60. The camera also allows for a clean HDMI output as well as manual video mode exposure controls for advanced video creators.

In addition to the classic PASM shooting modes, the P1000 offers a wide variety of scene modes, zoom-zone-specific image capture modes, such as Moon mode and Motion observation mode. birds, in which the camera automatically adjusts the settings according to the scenario. The camera also features integrated timelapse and superlapse video capture modes, as well as an interval timer for still images.

In terms of ISO performance, the P1000 offers a range of sensitivities similar to those of the P900. The full ISO range extends from 100 to 6400, but the available ISO range varies depending on the shooting mode. ISO 3200 and 6400 can only be selected by the user in Auto Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Manual mode, as well as manual exposure mode in Movie mode. Otherwise, the ISO range is limited to 100-1600. For video, the basic ISO is ISO 125.

The longest exposure in manual exposure mode (ISO 100) has been increased from 15 to 30 seconds, and the P1000 adds Bulb modes and Timer supporting exposures up to 60 seconds. The top shutter speed remains at 1/4000 seconds (1 / 8000s for movies)

Performance

Performance is similar to that of the P900, with a continuous burst rate of 7 frames / sec. To seven full resolution images. Our lab tests have confirmed this rate of 7 frames per second on the P900, so we expect to see similar performance here with the successor model. However, this burst rate was only for JPEG files because the P900 did not capture RAW files. Nikon has not yet provided the continuous shooting rate with RAW images on this model. Like the P900, the P1000 also offers faster burst rates with lower image resolutions: 1920×1080 at 60fps and 640×480 at 120fps

The autofocus system remains an autofocus system with contrast detection, as on the P900. The unique AF performance of the P900 in our lab was very fast for a superzoom. Our field tester found that the P900's AF performance was generally good, but he noted that he had difficulty in low-contrast areas and smaller subjects. Nikon has not mentioned any specific improvements in AF performance or technical changes to the AF system on the P1000, but we are sure to look for changes or improvements in the performance of the device. 39; AF with this new superzoom model. Battery

Like most modern cameras, the P1000 offers a variety of wireless connectivity options, using Nikon's SnapBridge connectivity system that integrates Bluetooth Low Energy to pair and maintain a permanent connection to a smartphone. The P1000 then uses a faster Wi-Fi connection for transferring images and shooting remotely with the SnapBridge app.

Unlike the P900, the Coolpix P1000 has no NFC connectivity and does not offer a built-in GPS receiver. However, it wins the aforementioned hot shoe shoe, an accessory port (WR-R10 remote compatible) for additional creative control, and an external 3.5mm microphone jack. The camera also includes support for a new Bluetooth ML-L7 connected remote control, which allows easy remote control of the camera, including video start and zoom control . Unsurprisingly, support for the ML-L3 infrared remote has been removed

The P1000 provides a Micro-B USB 2.0 port as well as a Micro HDMI (Type D) connection with own output for external video capture. The camera uses an SD storage medium and supports SD / SDHC / SDXC cards. No word yet to know if UHS types are supported

When it comes to battery life, the P1000 is rated CIPA for less shots per charge than the P900, at just 250 shots per compared to the previous model a battery of 8.0Wh of higher capacity. The P1000 uses an EN-EL20a rechargeable lithium-ion battery – the same battery as the Nikon 1 V3 camera – which is different from the P900's EN-EL23 7.1Wh battery.

Nikon P1000 Pricing and Availability

The Nikon Coolpix P1000 is expected to go on sale later this year in September with an estimated retail price of $ 999.95. The new ML-L7 Bluetooth remote will also be available in September for an estimated retail price of $ 49.95