83x anyone? The new Nikon P900 (1 Viewer)

[poledark]

I use my p900 as a scope quite a lot,sold my 80mm scope to fund the purchase. Very occasionally I miss the brightness of the scope, but I don't miss the weight and inconvenience.

During the last few days I have spent a lot of time hiding in my garden, snapping at baby robins and dunnocks which were skulking in the shrubs and briefly coming out in to the open.
Then spent half a day stalking butterflies on the edge of woodland with great success,a couple of shots of aeroplanes 3 miles up, a slightly blurred shot or two of a Buzzard, and a fly past of pigeons.
Sat down by a patch of wild flowers and got a lot of bees and wasplike creatures down to 5mm away.

Yesterday I acted as the unnoticeable photographer at my local garden show zooming in and out all afternoon.
Battery life is good, I purchased a couple of spares with charger for less tha £15, a UV filter for another few quid (lens protection)
I am also using the wifi with my iPad...........the possibilities for this are very exciting, a scrap of cheese and a tripod and I hope to snap a rodent or two, if the dogs don't get there first.
Pics are not always the sharpest, but when I keep within 20mtr they are as good as any others I see posted, and there are very few other cameras which will give you reckoniseable shots of people over a mile away.

Den

 

[Intercooler]

The P900 makes a good job - even when you look to the range and the possibilities you have with it. For sure - when you will shoot with continuously AF it is not comparable with DSLR's - I mostly use the one shot AF with for me good results.


regards,
Mario

Amazing!

I'm a newbie here and just got my 900 a week ago. Would you mind sharing your camera settings? Actually anyone that has taken some outstanding pictures! I still can't figure out what is the best AF area mode setting to use for bird picture taking. I will probably be on here a good bit until I can start getting some decent results.

 

[Intercooler]

My best shots so far have been of the Moon:

This is where Appolo 15 landed and somehow my pictures turned out better than the online one!

http://www.pa.msu.edu/people/frenchj/moon/apollo15site.jpg

 

[Mark Newsome]

Does anyone know of any stockist in the UK where the P900 is available for immediate delivery? I've checked a few websites and they've said 'awaiting stock'. I'm away to Spain at the end of August and would like to have purchased one by then, but it's not looking too hopeful.

Mark

 

[MattK]

Thanks for your answers!

Mark, P900 is also unavailable in France at the moment :'(

Again, about simple birdwatching with P900 vs Telescope, i've read that battery can't be removed and P900 battery has to be reloaded with usb and P900 CANT be used during battery charging.

So for a trip during two or three days without power supply or an empty battery during a long birdwatching day, i think battery management could be a problem.

For seawatching, do you think that P900 is a good option to identify very distant birds by their shape, compared to a telescope?

 

[chigman]

Does anyone know of any stockist in the UK where the P900 is available for immediate delivery? I've checked a few websites and they've said 'awaiting stock'. I'm away to Spain at the end of August and would like to have purchased one by then, but it's not looking too hopeful.

Mark

I'm in the same boat as you. We go to Scotland on Sat for a few weeks and was really hoping to get my hands on one. Don't look like it's going to happen now even though I do have my name down for one in a few places. I have also rang load of different outlets, all to no avail.|[email protected]|

 

[Stonefaction]

To get round the charging issue I bought an MH-67P mains charger. I always have a second battery fully charged as if I'm out all day I tend to use up the battery life after 5 or 6 hours.

I also have been using the P900 as a scope substitute and while the detail via digital zoom isn't brilliant on a distant bird it has been enough to clinch particular details to resolve ID (leg colour etc) even at quite a considerable distance.

My main use is as a video camera, then the scope subsitute and even at times a lightweight D-SLR substitute for those days when I want to travel light or don't expect to see anything too unusual. Even managed a spot of close-up macro shots of dragonflies last week and the quality is sufficient to be happy enough to upload shots to my flickr page. All in all despite the obvious limitations I like it (even if I did manage to scratch the lens which limits my mid-range shots somewhat).

 

[poledark]

Mattk, can't quite understand about not being able to remove the battery! As with almost any camera, there is a compartment that holds the battery and so you push a catch and retaining clip and out pops the battery! Just as easy to pop a newly charged one in

Very cheap to buy a spare (or two) and charger which can be used to charge from mains or in car.



Den

 

[MattK]

The information i read about the battery was wrong, it was on an early review... so that's a good news! (Li-ion EN-EL23 with EH-67A charger)

Other question, do you know if the "x83" announced can be compared for example to the "20-60x" of an eyepiece, in terms of magnification amount?

Stonefaction, so you prefer to use your telescope than your P900 for birdwatching? even without digital zoom we are at x83 with P900 it's a much bigger magnification than with the biggest eyepiece on a telescope! and it's stabilized!

i've discussed of that today with an experienced birder, he told me that for him, looking through a digital screen transforms "real image" (sorry for my poor vocabulary...)

if a 2000€ telescope blows the P900 for watching distant birds, i prefer to save money for the scope. I have to do field tests!

 

[Intercooler]

What settings for video and pictures are everyone using?

 

[etudiant]

The information i read about the battery was wrong, it was on an early review... so that's a good news! (Li-ion EN-EL23 with EH-67A charger)

Other question, do you know if the "x83" announced can be compared for example to the "20-60x" of an eyepiece, in terms of magnification amount?

Stonefaction, so you prefer to use your telescope than your P900 for birdwatching? even without digital zoom we are at x83 with P900 it's a much bigger magnification than with the biggest eyepiece on a telescope! and it's stabilized!

i've discussed of that today with an experienced birder, he told me that for him, looking through a digital screen transforms "real image" (sorry for my poor vocabulary...)

if a 2000€ telescope blows the P900 for watching distant birds, i prefer to save money for the scope. I have to do field tests!

The 83x in the Nikon refers purely to the zoom range, from a wide angle 24mm equivalent to the full 2000mm equivalent max zoom.
A reasonable rule of thumb is that 50mm equivalent is about 1 power, so the P900 zooms up to about 40 power magnification optically. The scopes still have the magnification edge on the P900, but in real life, increased magnification usually also increases the flaws in the seeing, from heat waves and air turbulence.
Preferences differ, but the tradeoff is better image with the scope or easier use and permanent record with the camera. If you really want to see the bird, the scope is still best, but increasingly, the ease of use and ability to record for more detailed study tip the balance towards the cameras, imho.
For instance, on a seawatch, you'll rarely see more than a very distant bird. A video can help capture the instants when some specific ID feature is visible.

 

[Stonefaction]

Mattk, I use the P900 instead of a scope, though as others have pointed out a scope probably has the edge for quality, but the convenience and size/weight of the P900 makes more sense for me as I already carry quite a bit of weight (DSLR/binos/food etc) when birding. If you bird from fixed locations then a scope/tripod is best, but if you are on the move then the P900 is a good substitute of sorts.

An example of what I use the P900 for.....a video of a drake Surf Scoter today in a flock of Velvet Scoters a few hundred metres offshore. Not going to win any awards but great for clinching a 'record'.
https://www.facebook.com/stonefaction/videos/10152964800768021/?pnref=story

 

[etudiant]

Mattk, I use the P900 instead of a scope, though as others have pointed out a scope probably has the edge for quality, but the convenience and size/weight of the P900 makes more sense for me as I already carry quite a bit of weight (DSLR/binos/food etc) when birding. If you bird from fixed locations then a scope/tripod is best, but if you are on the move then the P900 is a good substitute of sorts.

An example of what I use the P900 for.....a video of a drake Surf Scoter today in a flock of Velvet Scoters a few hundred metres offshore. Not going to win any awards but great for clinching a 'record'.
https://www.facebook.com/stonefaction/videos/10152964800768021/?pnref=story

Wonderful example of exactly the strength of the P900. You got the record as well as the memories. :t:

 

[GrahameNZ]

Hi folks,
A bit OT but has anyone tried the P900 with one of the Raynox close up lenses ??
I'd be interested in your thoughts.
Cheers

 

[poledark]

P900 got me this shot today, waited until they got close together

https://flic.kr/p/wDGmD5

Den

 

[Intercooler]

Cooper's in the back yard today.

https://video-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/h...=0a0207a6a73eadc0894a8da000236ef9&oe=55BA66D7

 

[FlyingDutchman]

The wait for this camera is killing me. I'm already waiting a month for this camera to arrive and Nikon seems to play a game of hide and seek with their customers. I really look forward to this camera because I would not have to carry around my telescope anymore. Anyone here with some inside information about the production status of the P900?

 

[Neil]

The wait for this camera is killing me. I'm already waiting a month for this camera to arrive and Nikon seems to play a game of hide and seek with their customers. I really look forward to this camera because I would not have to carry around my telescope anymore. Anyone here with some inside information about the production status of the P900?

I notice that it is still not available at B and H either. Strange.
This has gone on too long and I would recommend that no consumer camera is worth putting up with these shipping delays. There is too much choice out there and you may find it an anticlimax when you finally get one.
As I mentioned earlier in the thread the Canon SX60hs gives equivalent reach with it's in-built teleconverter and gives you Raw as well ( not in the P900) and it's IS is slightly better too. It's also lighter and cheaper. And you won't have to wait.
I have both cameras but I'm taking the SX60hs to Hawaii with me next week as it's lighter and I can use a very small tripod with it for shooting video. The extended lens on the P900 is too heavy for little tripods and tends to tip them over.
Neil.
Disclaimer - I'm mainly a Nikon guy but use Canon, Panasonic and Sony when they do a better job than the equivalent Nikon.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

I notice that it is still not available at B and H either. Strange.
As I mentioned earlier in the thread the Canon SX60hs gives equivalent reach with it's in-built teleconverter and gives you Raw as well ( not in the P900) and it's IS is slightly better too. It's also lighter and cheaper. And you won't have to wait.

Having read the whole thread yesterday and today, I think the SX60 is a good alternative. I want to use the camera to identify birds as far away as possible, swamps, moors, mountains, and for backyard planespotting also. On what occasions do you use the P900 instead of the Canon?

 

[Neil]

Having read the whole thread yesterday and today, I think the SX60 is a good alternative. I want to use the camera to identify birds as far away as possible, swamps, moors, mountains, and for backyard planespotting also. On what occasions do you use the P900 instead of the Canon?

If I'm only taking one camera on a walk-around or shooting from the car, or in a garden. But this is rarely as I usually have a scope and/or bins and two other cameras - a D810 and 300/4 for flight and fast action and the RX100M4 in a hip pouch. The Canon's are much lighter so easy to carry around your neck all day. The P900 not so much.
Neil.