• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

83x anyone? The new Nikon P900 (4 Viewers)

Well, I can wait a few weeks because I'm going to the Canary Islands at the end of september. At Dpreview I see some people getting theirs although they ordered later then I did. But then again, I don't live in Australia or USA. It's like taking a gamble when to go for the SX60 or P900.

@Neil, do you have anymore comparison photos of Birds? I just checked your flickr but it was mostly Nikon :)
 
KCFoggin said:
You might want to try Nikon's P600 w/ a 60x optical zoom. Here is a link to one of our members who has the P600. The most recent shots posted by him were all taken with this camera.

http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/search.php?searchid=268657
Click to expand...

Nikon has had a P600 successor model, the P610, on the market since earlier this year. It is optically the same, but has system improvements. Review here:
https://www.ephotozine.com/article/nikon-coolpix-p610-review-27168
 
You're not making it easier for me to choose :) I did look into the P610 and it's a great camera but I'm not convinced about giving up on the zoom. However, I read on dpreview the zoom of the SX60 is not actually 65 but 58 because Canon also counts the 21 mm as extra zoom. I don't know if there is a zoom comparison between the P610 and P900.

I like this video of the P610:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKhpZI7wCvc
 
FlyingDutchman said:
You're not making it easier for me to choose :) I did look into the P610 and it's a great camera but I'm not convinced about giving up on the zoom. However, I read on dpreview the zoom of the SX60 is not actually 65 but 58 because Canon also counts the 21 mm as extra zoom. I don't know if there is a zoom comparison between the P610 and P900.

I like this video of the P610:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKhpZI7wCvc
Click to expand...

The apples to apples 35mm zoom equivalents are 1440mm for the P610 and 2000mm for the P900. The SX60s is 1365mm. You pay a premium for the extra zoom of the P900 both in size and in cost. Full specs for cameras can be found here:
http://www.dpreview.com/products/ca..._source=mainmenu&utm_medium=text&ref=mainmenu
 
At last, i ordered a sx60hs, mainly because my main goal is observation and identification.
i'll keep you up with my birds findings of the next weeks.

Matthieu
 
FlyingDutchman said:
Hello Matthieu,

Why didn't you choose the Nikon P610 instead of the Canon?

I'm still in the process of making a decision between the P900, SX60 and P610.
Click to expand...

Hello,

Even if you spoke about the P610 in previous posts, i didn't noticed, so i didn't try to compare it to the sx60hs.

I'm a canon guy for 3 years and i choose the sx60hs because i'm looking for the better magnification/sharpness ratio to see details on distant birds for identification.

I did'nt find reviews of the "Dynamic fine zoom" feature on the P610.
It gives the ability to reach x120 magnification.
The "zoom plus" feature on the sx60hs (130x magnification, working probably in the same way than nikon's "dynamic fine zoom") seems to give good results on differents videos i watched on youtube.

That's mainly why i choose the canon (at last, due to the lack of zoom tests on the nikon)

sx60hs is also lighter and cheaper than the P900.

The only question i'm still thinking about is : P900 vs sx60hs @ (around) 2200mm...
 
MattK said:
Hello,
The only question i'm still thinking about is : P900 vs sx60hs @ (around) 2200mm...
Click to expand...

You don't need to make that decision now.
The Canon will give you a huge step up in capability and a lot of experience in managing these small sensor/huge zoom configurations.
The P900 is not the end of the line. Canon got patents two years ago on a 100x zoom.
Given competition, Canon will certainly have a hyper zoom to outdo the P900 by next year, if not later this year.
 
MattK said:
Hello,

Even if you spoke about the P610 in previous posts, i didn't noticed, so i didn't try to compare it to the sx60hs.

I'm a canon guy for 3 years and i choose the sx60hs because i'm looking for the better magnification/sharpness ratio to see details on distant birds for identification.

I did'nt find reviews of the "Dynamic fine zoom" feature on the P610.
It gives the ability to reach x120 magnification.
The "zoom plus" feature on the sx60hs (130x magnification, working probably in the same way than nikon's "dynamic fine zoom") seems to give good results on differents videos i watched on youtube.

That's mainly why i choose the canon (at last, due to the lack of zoom tests on the nikon)

sx60hs is also lighter and cheaper than the P900.

The only question i'm still thinking about is : P900 vs sx60hs @ (around) 2200mm...
Click to expand...

That's also why I am leaning towards the SX60. I miss good convincing reviews of the P610 especially with the zoom (well compared to the P900 or SX60).

My main use for the camera would also be identification because I suck at that when using the binoculars, (and they're Swarovski). I need time to study the bird, so the bigger the zoom, the better.

Like to see some of your photos here. I myself am taking another month to decide.
 
i don't think there would be much difference in the Nikon and the canon if you are looking for a camera for distant id purposes,I own a canon sx 60 and am one of those people who start looking at another camera because it has a bigger zoom,i have decided to stick with the sx 60 because I am really happy with it,one of its strong points is the video,even at full zoom it picks up good detail and excellent sound,below are 2 vids,the first is a pipit with the sound of waves crashing behind,you can still hear the birds calls,the second is a distant buzzard,the camera zooms out to show the distance,again the sound is clear and you cans see at full zoom lots of detail (the buzzard is missing 2 talons)the pic is a frame grab from the video

https://vimeo.com/128207733

https://vimeo.com/133400779
 

Attachments

  • buzzardgrabb.jpg
    buzzardgrabb.jpg
    154.3 KB · Views: 388
Plane spotting

I set the camera birds.....continuous....AF infinity. Works well enough, and also got me this speck in the sky.........VERY high up.


Den
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    145.6 KB · Views: 585
FlyingDutchman said:
Hello Matthieu,

Why didn't you choose the Nikon P610 instead of the Canon?

I'm still in the process of making a decision between the P900, SX60 and P610.
Click to expand...

Hi Dutchman, one other option you might want to consider is to buy a refurbished Canon SX50 to use for now, then wait and see who provides the most "zoom, performance and IQ for the buck" over the next year or so.

I was a devoted SX50 user who bought two SX60s and returned them, because the new camera didn't perform as well as well as the older model. I then got lucky and purchased a P900 before the "shortage" appeared and have to say, I like the lens and zoom range of this camera very much. However, IMO it's speed and functionality leave a lot to be desired, at least as a birding camera.

I used 100x digital zoom (2440mm eq) on the SX50 a lot, with very little degradation over optical zoom quality. My main complaint with the camera was the poor EVF, which I now realize was an issue that could have been addressed with a Hoodman Loupe (which I'm using on the P900.)

When my first P900 malfunctioned and had to be sent off and serviced, I bought a refurbished SX50 (Canon USA, $197.00) just to be sure I'd always have a backup camera. I now have my P900 back and it's performing well, but I'm not sure it's 2000mm optical zoom is superior enough to the SX50's digital zoom to warrant the cost differential, considering it's performance deficiencies.

Just a thought.....
 
Hey MZ I was wondering how you were getting along. Just curious, how much of your birding do you guess is with the P900 vs the SX50? Is the SX50 for long walks and the p900 for around the house or something like that?
 
crazyfingers said:
Hey MZ I was wondering how you were getting along. Just curious, how much of your birding do you guess is with the P900 vs the SX50? Is the SX50 for long walks and the p900 for around the house or something like that?
Click to expand...

Hi CF, family issues have kept me from birding much since I got the P900 back from the shop. We did go to Galapagos and Tandayapa Ecuador for two weeks and I took the P900 (weight restrictions on the flight from Quito to Baltra kept me from bringing both cameras.)

The Nikon performed well, but the critters on the islands are so approachable, I really didn't need 2000mm eq......sometimes found myself wishing I had a larger sensor camera that could have handled the high dynamic range of the light there a little better.
That was especially true when we got to the Tandayapa cloud forest, where the mostly low/dappled light conditions kept the P900 from auto-focusing accurately. I know the SX50 would have struggled in those conditions too, and would really like to know how a camera like the Panasonic FZ1000 would have performed there. It's auto-focus speed and EVF are said to be superb, but it's optical zoom range only goes to 400mm eq., which is why I've never seriously considered buying it.
Canon recently released a 1 inch sensor camera (G3X) but it's optical range is still only 600mm, so I guess I'll be waiting a while longer to "have my cake and eat it too."

In the meantime, the P900's lens is super, and I've had no more freezing or other issues. If this camera was just faster, I'd be a happy camper. Maybe the SX70 will lure me away, but for now the Nikon's become my primary birding camera. Whether or not it will remain so when fall warblers start showing up is another question......

I've started a P900 Galapagos folder, will take me a while to get everything in there, but here's a link if you want to see a few;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127980272@N06/albums/72157655165823583/with/20074383624/
 
mzettie said:
...
I've started a P900 Galapagos folder, will take me a while to get everything in there, but here's a link if you want to see a few;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127980272@N06/albums/72157655165823583/with/20074383624/
Click to expand...

WOW! Your Galapagos images are excellent.... Looks like the P900 performed quite well. I, for one, haven't used mine in quite some time, and have been doing most of my shooting with my larger Canon DSLRs and lenses.

But you brought up the G3X which I've been very interested in. Yes, it's "only" 600mm but it's a 1" sensor which is mammoth compared to the Nikon and will surely deliver much higher IQ images. Reviews I've read on it are stellar but it really annoys me that Canon did not build in an EVF. Granted you can buy one but it's a pricey accessory, which to me, diminishes the attraction...

Chris
 
Hello!

I'm back with first impressions on the sx60hs :

1) Pic quality : great in the 1 to 20m range. In good light conditions.

2) Bird ID : great when the weather is not too hot and the light not too high (watching a screen under a bright sun is difficult). I didn't compare with a good scope already

3) transportation : very nice : i always use a manfrotto befree tripod with it, on my shoulder, with my bins around my neck. When i'm not able to identify a distant bird, i watch it through the sx60hs.

4) video : the best thing with the sx60hs. I made a short edit of an evening spent around a pond : https://vimeo.com/136767782

Have a nice weekend

Matthieu
 
Warning! This thread is more than 6 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

H
Nikon P900, Nikon P950 or Nikon P1000
2
Replies
39
Views
4K
Veralinde
V
P
Magnificaton equivalent of P900 Nikon
Replies
9
Views
1K
Richard D
Richard D
KeriBirder
Selling my Nikon P950 - almost brand new
Replies
1
Views
634
J10on4ds
J
S
P900 not as sharp as it was
Replies
6
Views
1K
AveryBartels
A
A
Nikon P900/950 - Is there anything comparable worth considering?
Replies
4
Views
1K
AveryBartels
A

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 5 (members: 0, guests: 5)
Back
Top