Nikon P1000 gets you up close with 125x optical zoom

Greg S

Posts: 1,607   +442
The big picture: Due to the laws of physics, taking quality images of far away subjects is a difficult task. Nikon's Coolpix P1000 boasts incredibly high zoom in a simple compact digital camera that can be used by anyone.

Smartphone cameras are good enough for most everyday shots, but sometimes you just need more. Nikon has just unveiled its Coolpix P1000 compact digital camera that has the highest optical zoom you can find in a relatively small form factor.

At 125x optical zoom, capturing animals, people, and objects at a distance will be easier than ever. The lens assembly ranges from a 24mm equivalent wide-angle up to the super-telephoto 3000mm equivalent. With the help of digital zoom, up to 250x total zoom is possible, albeit at far lesser image quality than strictly optical.

Nikon's P1000 has a 16 megapixel 1/2.3-inch sensor identical to its predecessor, the P900. There is RAW support over an ISO range of 100 to 6400. Burst shots of up to seven images can be captured in one second, although this feature cannot be used continuously without breaks between each burst. A 2359k-dot OLED viewfinder is present for getting shots into focus.

Even though the P1000's main appeal is the superzoom capability, it also can shoot 4K UHD/30p video. Shooting 4K with optical zoom from a great distance could potentially be used in place of shooting in higher resolutions and then cropping in post production.

To eliminate shaky hands when capturing long range shots, Nikon's ML-L7 Bluetooth remote or MC-DC2 wired shutter release can be purchased separately.

Despite being a compact digital camera, the P1000 weighs in at 3.1 pounds and is heavier than a significant number of the traditionally bulky DSLR cameras. When the lens is fully extended, the camera measures 14 inches long.

Should you be interested in taking pictures from great distances, the Coolpix P1000 starts right at the $1,000 mark and is available for pre-order now.

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To eliminate shaky hands when capturing long range shots, Nikon's ML-L7 Bluetooth remote or MC-DC2 wired shutter release can be purchased separately.
So, in order to use the full extent of the zoom, you have to have a tripod. I was expecting that they might have built-in some image stabilization, however, I seriously doubt that that would be enough.

This reminds me of the amateur telescopes that are often marketed as having a magnification that is far more than the maximum recommended 60x per inch of aperture. In other words, marketing spiel aimed at the ignorant user. I am surprised that Nikon is stooping to this level, or is this a belated April Fools joke?
 
I take pretty good photos of the moon, hand held, ISO 400, 1/500th shutter, f8 with a 100-400mm zoom at 400mm on an APS-C sensor. Usually I'll shoot 3-4 shots and one or two will be clear, and that's with optical stabilization. With the crop APS-C sensor, that's around 800mm effective zoom.
I don't know how you would hold 3,000mm anywhere close to stable.
 
I take pretty good photos of the moon, hand held, ISO 400, 1/500th shutter, f8 with a 100-400mm zoom at 400mm on an APS-C sensor. Usually I'll shoot 3-4 shots and one or two will be clear, and that's with optical stabilization. With the crop APS-C sensor, that's around 800mm effective zoom.
I don't know how you would hold 3,000mm anywhere close to stable.
For long lenses, the good picture guideline that I am familiar with is to set the shutter speed at a maximum of 1/(focal length). So your 1/500th is close to what would be needed. If you were to use 1/800th or faster, your results might be better.

Likewise, I have little trouble hand-holding my 400mm (640mm effective, but not stabilized) lens and shooting as long as the exposure time is fast enough.

With a 3000mm focal length, the field of view will be so narrow that I cannot imagine anyone hand-holding this and keeping it on target long enough to get a picture even if they did set the shutter speed to 1/3000th.

3000mm is a bit shorter of a focal length than a Meade 14" f/10 telescope (~3550mm), and that is a scope that is designed to produce excellent images. So Nikon is trying to put a 3000mm focal length on optics that are only a fraction of the size. Thus, my doubts and my comments that this sounds like marketing aimed at the ignorant user.
 
3000mm is a bit shorter of a focal length than a Meade 14" f/10 telescope (~3550mm), and that is a scope that is designed to produce excellent images. So Nikon is trying to put a 3000mm focal length on optics that are only a fraction of the size. Thus, my doubts and my comments that this sounds like marketing aimed at the ignorant user.

Yeah, say you want to take a photo of the moon, with that small of a lens body, you'd have to take 3-4-5 photos of say a full moon, to get the entire photo, stitch them together. If I wanted to get in that close with detail, the better option would be a telescope with a camera mount.
 
Hmmmmm ..... for that kind of money you can buy a decent Canon or Nikon body and one of those 600-1200 telescopes that act like a long lens. Oh yeah, that $50 tripod will be required for sharpness. I bought one on a lark expecting it to be trash, but surprisingly or I should say shockingly it turned out to be much better than I expected. In fact, with pictures of the moon it matched my Tamron 150-600 version 2 that I bought a month back. Of course I had a similar realization when I compared my Hassiblad to a Yashicamat G (last version that had a glass lens) and found the optics were a complete match .... with only a minor difference of $1,200 between the two! LOL
 
In fact, with pictures of the moon it matched my Tamron 150-600 version 2 that I bought a month back.

I bought the 100-400mm Tamron this past spring to replace my OLD (and slow) 70-300mm Tamron and was amazed how clear the images are. I looked at the 150-600, but I do a lot of walking around and didn't want to lug that one around. I don't use a neck strap, but have one of those wrist strap thingies. I didn't even have to get the tap in console, the focus is pretty much spot on and close enough for my poor eyesight ;)
 
No one is mentioning the fact that it's using the same "16 megapixel 1/2.3-inch sensor identical to its predecessor, the P900."

So, a three (or more) year-old imaging chip.

I was excited until I read that... there is no excuse for that. If it had been Sony, then they would've properly upgraded it.
 
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