Nikon P900/950 - Is there anything comparable worth considering? (1 Viewer)

[AveryBartels]

Hi All,

My Nikon P900 kicked the bucket on my recent Colombia trip and I now find myself in the market for a new camera for bird photography. Essentially, I am looking for something similar, and after reading several reviews and a useful thread in the "Nikon" forum on here comparing the P900, P950 and P1000 it seems like the P950 is enough of a step up on the 900 to be worth the investment. For me, size is important as I carry my camera in my fanny pack, thus the P1000 is definitely ruled out due to the size increase.

So, my question really is this - is there anything from the various different brands within the general superzoom digital camera realm that is comparable/better than the P900/950? I am particularly interested in the experiences/suggestions of those who are familiar with the p900 and can thus make direct comparisons.

I am not, first and foremost, a bird photographer but I do enjoy having the option to get decent record shorts, and when the opportunity presents itself, to take a nice bird photo or two. The disadvantages of the P900 of course are the poor low light/bird in flight capabilities so upgrades on those departments would be nice. I like the fact that the p950 has the focus wheel on the side of the lens (though of course would be more useful if it was a focus ring - still, an upgrade on the P900 I presume) and the improved resolution of the view finder also holds appeal.

Many thanks,

 

[Winterdune]

The absolute best birding superzoom is widely regarded to be the Sony RX10 iv, but it's not cheap! And probably too big for you too.

 

[njlarsen]

Avery, I am not a superzoom user anymore, but I wanted to give my two cents. Reading most of the threads in the camera section, the advantage of the Sony mentioned just above is the larger sensor (among other things allowing more crop), and probably a better performance with birds in flight than your p900. The disadvantage is the less reach than for example a p900.

The reason I am no longer in the superzoom section is that I wanted better performance in low light. I therefore stepped up to the m4/3 segment. Your mileage may vary.
Niels

 

[nartreb]

I shopped around about three years ago and settled on the P900. It's an excellent choice when traveling light -- the stabilized super-zoom is hard to beat for reach and convenience -- , but it has its drawbacks. (Note I'm comparing to SLRs with huge, expensive zoom lenses; I haven't used other superzooms in the field.) For one thing, it produces photos that are rather grey; even in the best light the colors aren't as bright as I'm used to from SLRs. For another, the autofocus is just about useless for shooting through trees. (I didn't have any issue with view resolution.) I'd consider upgrading for a bigger sensor and manual focus (while keeping similarly light and compact superzoom glass). The 950 gives you the manual focus option, which should be a real benefit even with its identical sensor and glass, and considering you'll have trouble finding a P900 for sale these days (even used), the 950 is your logical choice in the under-$1000 price range.

 

[AveryBartels]

Thanks for the comments all, the Sony RX10 iv certainly looks great but likely out of my price range! Will probably end up going for the P950 unless I hear of any other, better options in a similar price range.