P5100 vs 8400

[horukuru]

hio digiscopers,

im using fuji f31d for digiscoping and just received my swing-out adapter from srb-griturn and im very pleased with the results.

and today my friend offered me his nikon coolpix 8400 half price as i've been eyeing his camera for few months now hahaha and my questions is;

which one would u choose between P5100 or 8400 as the price is similar for both that was offered here ?

im interested with the VR and 12 megapixels from P5100 so more cropping and my friend says that during windy he'll turn on the VR on the tripod to eliminate shakes and managed to get very nice pics.

but the 8400 has RAW and swivel lcd screen.

as neil pointed on the other threads, the P5100 processed 12 megapixels much faster than the 8 megapixels of 8400.

so given only one choice to choose between P5100 or 8400, what would be yours ?

thanks !

[Neil]

Grab the 8400 quickly. It's a great camera with a wonderful lens. A big advantage is the Electronic Viewfinder. Which means that you can use it like a DSLR and are not so bothered by bright light on the lcd. I still use it as my number one camera. The only one that comes close to it for quality and features is the Canon G6 (which doesn't have ELV ). It also has a remote (you need to upgrade to the latest firmware for fast remote )
With the Fuji and the 8400 you got the best of all worlds.
The 8400 will take a burst of 5 frames (8 megs ) at 2.3 frames/sec before it needs to process, and you can start taking more frames after about 5 secs but you can't change the settings as you process in the background. While this is happening I switch to the P5100.
It's 24-85mm lens makes it a great landscope camera in it's own right.
Go for it.
Neil.

[horukuru]

thank you very much neil !

i'll let u know once i got the camera and one more question how to u eliminate shake during windy ? or does it 501 head much better for digiscoping than the 701 ? weight wouldnt be a problem 4 me at this moment hehehe :)

[Neil]

thank you very much neil !

i'll let u know once i got the camera and one more question how to u eliminate shake during windy ? or does it 501 head much better for digiscoping than the 701 ? weight wouldnt be a problem 4 me at this moment hehehe :)

The 501 head certainly is very stable but if the wind is strong I rest my hand on top of the scope. The advantage of the fast 2.3 frames/sec is that the 3 and 4th frames in the sequence of 5 will be sharper than the 1st and last.
Neil.

[Bob Thompson]

IMO the Nikon 8400 must be the best digiscoping camera, in macro focus mode the focus is spot-on and there are so many other plus's I don't know where to start. If I hadn't started my digiscoping experience with a 8400, I don't think I would still be digiscoping.

I also use the Manfroto 501 head which with the Swarovski balance plate is ideally setup for the Swarovski ATS 80HD scope

www.flickr.com/jingbar

Bob Thompson
Hong Kong

[ray2758]

horukuru,
Seems you are getting close to send us excellent digiscoped pictures. You know after I changed P4 to Coolpix 7900, the picture quality shot by this combo have greatly improved (see pic attached and also see others posted in my gallery). Hope to see beautiful birds from your CP8400 or P5100.


Ray
(Nikon ED82 + Coolpix 7900)

[Feathered one]

Lovely pictures Ray.
And long time since you last posted. Welcome back.

Malc

[horukuru]

very nice images ray hahaha :) and how was sabah ?

[ray2758]

very nice images ray hahaha :) and how was sabah ?

Hello Malcom, I am always here, just a bit silent. Seen your beautiful bird pic scored by your scope and enjoyed very much in your personal website.

Horukuru, Sabah is a good place for relax, particularly the sunset is wonderful. Just the hotel's garden you could find lots of birds never seen in Hong Kong such as Humming Birds, unforunately I didn't bring my scope, you know just with the scope set at the balcony you certainly got lots of close and stable shots, they don't fear of people!! Unlike hunting around, you could have a cup of coffee beside you too !!

In Hong Kong, it is not easy to find a Nikon 8400. So, as Neil said, take it now and then show us the birds of Sabah.