Nikon Announces the P1000 Superzoom 3000mm (1 Viewer)

The only problem with your answer Neil is that I heard all the same arguments put forward about the P900. Having had mine for 3 years and been quite satisfied with it I have decided to purchase a P1000 as soon as they are available 3000mm will be fine for observing birds and using 2000 at 20feet is to close for most birds.

Den

Im afraid there is quite a difference between a 2000mm f6.5 and a 3000mm f8.Fair enough if,you are just using the camera to observe birds but as a picture taking tool,a 3000mm f8 is no good to anyone.
I suppose it all depends on what quality you are happy with, but i can tell you now that if someone is hoping to get good quality shots of small birds with that lens at full extension they will be sorely disappointed.
I would never use a lens such as this at full extension under any circumstances.......the more you extend a lens the more quality drops off generally speaking even with high quality designs.This is why i use a hide and get close to my subject,so that i do not have to use the "end" of a lens where there is a drop off in quality.
The p900 lens is about at the limit at 2000mm f6.5 of what is practical,thats why i think nikon should have concentrated on improving the sensor rarther than equiping the camera with what can only be described as a gimmick.I'd rarther have better quality images out of the original camera than an extra 1000mm and a massively slow f8 aperture,as this will only contribute to poorer quality images from a stills photo perspective.

Neil G. said:

Im afraid there is quite a difference between a 2000mm f6.5 and a 3000mm f8. ....thats why i think nikon should have concentrated on improving the sensor....I'd rarther have better quality images out of the original camera than an extra 1000mm and a massively slow f8 aperture,as this will only contribute to poorer quality images from a stills photo perspective.

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As described, the lens seems a pretty serious effort, so I'd give Nikon the benefit of the doubt at least until we have independent test results available.
If it performs reasonably, it will likely replace the spotting scope in my travel kit.

Of course you are right Neil, but the fact remains that I have taken a lot of pretty good pics of birds at close to 50 Mtrs, excellent pics at 10mtrs and excellent pics at 300mm. I have also taken a lot of noisy, grainy and hazy pics at 100+ Mtrs, but at least I got the picture. To be honest, when viewed on a PC, they are pretty good.
Guys like me, and there are probably millions of us, are not concerned about noise, lack of minute feather detail, occasional blown highlights or the other failings that can and do happen with every other cameras and lens ever made (according to all the so called experts)
As far as using a hide is concerned, then I can set my 900 at 500mm and get excellent pics, but if “something” appears in the distance, then I can zoom out to 2000 or more, and get a record shot and quite a good close up view.

Each to their own Neil, I stopped looking for so called perfection a long time ago,which is why I purchased the first digital camera sold by Sony, FD with floppy discs for the “memory card” and 10X zoom. I have a print of a Kingfisher on my wall, 10X8, taken with that camera. A camera that the experts wouldn’t have been seen dead with.
I am really looking forward to going hunting with the P1000 when it arrives.

Den

The fact is that nikon could have easily upgraded the p900 with a better sensor and tweaks here and there.Personally i'd like to see them do away with the motorised zoom and give the lens a good rubber zooming and manual fousing ring,much quicker to operate than what it has now.It would also significantly increase battery life.
Why don't they........because if a camera like the p900 gets too good it will encourage more people away from their more premium products which cost more money, so they keep it the same and stick another 1000mm on the lens because they know it will sell well,nothing to do with an increase in performance for those who are parting with their cash.
Good luck with it......i hope it does well for you.

Neil G. said:

The fact is that nikon could have easily upgraded the p900 with a better sensor and tweaks here and there.Personally i'd like to see them do away with the motorised zoom and give the lens a good rubber zooming and manual fousing ring,much quicker to operate than what it has now.It would also significantly increase battery life.
Why don't they........because if a camera like the p900 gets too good it will encourage more people away from their more premium products which cost more money, so they keep it the same and stick another 1000mm on the lens because they know it will sell well,nothing to do with an increase in performance for those who are parting with their cash.
Good luck with it......i hope it does well for you.

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The P1000 has a manual focusing ring just to be clear. Other notable improvements besides the extra 1000mm equivalent include a much-improved viewfinder, RAW shooting, 4K video, hotshoe, external mic input, an auto/manual focus switch, and a newer processor (Expeed 4 vs the P900's Expeed C2).

There's no easy way to give it a larger sensor without completely changing all of the optics. The larger the sensor, the larger the glass required for the same telephoto range. For a larger sensor such as a 1-inch sensor, it certainly wouldn't be batting near 3000mm equivalent.

I don't remember mentioning a larger sensor......sensor technology is improving all the time.....they should have waited a little longer and give the camera the latest technology.
Lets all be realistic about this,the p900 is a groundbreaking camera that is capable,in the right hands,of some great shots.However,shots at the long end start to loose quality which is an undeniable fact.So to put an extra 1000mm on the reach and reduce the aperture to f8 while using the same sensor isn't exactly going to make bird photography any easier is it.
I'm looking forward to seeing some reviews when the camera becomes available,but i'm fairly certain that i know whats coming and it isn't all going to be great news regarding the far end of the zoom.

The P1000 will be as good or as bad as the person using it, just like the p900 and every other camera.

nikonmike said:

The P1000 will be as good or as bad as the person using it, just like the p900 and every other camera.

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This is true,but it is also true that you can't make a silk purse from a sows ear......no matter how good you are.

Hi Neil,

Neil G. said:

So to put an extra 1000mm on the reach and reduce the aperture to f8 while using the same sensor isn't exactly going to make bird photography any easier is it.

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Thanks for pointing this out ... quite an important consideration!

Regards,

Henning

This camera can be seen as an image stabilized 77mm spotting scope.
If the laws of optics indicate that that can only provide a 1-2 megapixel image at full zoom, they presumably do likewise for a scope. What am I missing?