NIKON COOLPIX P1000, Black 125X Optical Zoom Camera

I am a DSLR photographer. I do a lot of bird photography. I have a nikon 200-500mm ED VR with a Nikon D750, a Canon 6D Mark II with a Sigma 150-650mm, a Pentax K-1 with a Pentax 150-450mm AW, and a Canon 77D with a Canon 400mm L, a Sigma 100-400mm with a Nikon D3400.

I am describing my gear to the reader so he/she will see how my review will be influenced by my current setup. Anytime I carry any of my gear mentioned above, I am looking at a good 4 to 8 lbs of gear strapped on my chest and hiking miles of trail. The Nikon Coolpix P1000 can never beat the image quality of a proper DSLR. The Nikon Coolpix P1000 is NO MATCH against sharpness and clarity of the images that my DSLRs produce. NO MATCH…and that is understandable. BUT…sometimes, I feel like I don’t want to haul heavy gear. Sometimes, I just want to enjoy the scenery and the walk but still having the capability to take photos. Sometimes, I just want to be silly and just take photos of anything…a rock, a bird, a raccoon paw print, the bark of a tree. Enter the Nikon P1000.

The Nikon Coolpix P1000 is an excellent point and shoot camera as long you know its limitations. The camera uses a tiny sensor, a smartphone sensor, so low light is the first challenge already. Now, there is a way to squeeze out light from this sensor by going Manual, or Aperture Priority and adjusting the ISO to 3200 or 6400 (max ISO). The next challenge is the 125X zoom power. You can get great quality images between 24-1500mm handheld as long as you keep your shutter speed around 500-1000, and then push the ISO a bit. Shooting handheld with this camera is doable as long you keep your zoom range within a reasonable range. Once you push pass 1500, you are now faced with hand shaking, wind, your breathing, the twitch of your arm, they start multiplying ten-fold as you push your zoom range closer to 3000mm. The next question is: do you need a tripod to push 3000? This is up to you. Remember though, when you push 3000mm even with a tripod, the quality of the image degrades because of the distance and size of the subject. This is a fact and it must be accepted by the user because it’s just how the technology was built into this system, and the reality that 3000mm will start picking up heat shimmers, wind etc start showing up. It is the nature of super-telephoto lenses- any lens in the market. Do not be upset or disappointed when you see these issues at higher zooms, it is not Coolpix P1000s fault. It’s just the nature of super zooms.

Let’s get the weight issue out of the way. It’s about 2lbs maybe? Not sure because I am so used to carrying heavy camera gear that having this Coolpix P1000, to me, is very light. It might feel heavy for others not used to carrying heavy camera gear. But for me, this camera is light as “feather” so to speak, in relation to my heavy gear. Anyway, the point is..it’s not going to break your hip or back. After you use this camera on several trips and hikes, your body will eventually adjust to the weight.

What about images within ranges of 24-1500? I can say they look good to great. I know this is a point and shoot camera but if you really want to get the best out of this camera, the user needs to learn other forms of shooting styles, particularly using the different shooting modes- M, A, S. Trust me. Learning these other shooting modes will really bring out Nikon Coolpix P1000s capabilities from a point and shoot to a intermediate “DSLR”-like features.

The Nikon Coolpix P1000 also has features like RAW format. Note that if you are using RAW format, the digital zoom is not available. Optical zoom at RAW format only goes up to 3000mm. Note that there are two zooms…Optical and Digital. User needs to read the full manual just in case they notice a function doesn’t work; chances are the functionality isn’t available at that moment because the camera locked you out because of a setting you made. Again, these are all described in full manual. The Quick manual that came with the camera is just a quick reference guide. You will need to download the full manual free from Nikon USA’s website. This full manual will tell you EVERYTHING that you need to know about the camera.

The Coolpix also has other “DSLR” like features like Spot metering, Center-weighted, Matrix. It also has manual AF select, Spot focusing; typical focusing features found in proper DSLRs. You can also set the ISO number. If you want to change ISO without going thru the MENU interface, you can assign the FN button to pull up the ISO numbers. Lots of neat stuff. All of thse are described in the full manual.

What about battery use? You will need an extra battery. Please please use Nikon batteries. Do not use third-party batteries. Since you’ve already invested $1000 on a camera, there’s no reason for you to go cheap on the battery. Bite the bullet and get a Nikon battery. Don’t get those Wasabi or Watson batteries. Spend a bit more on real genuine Nikon batteries. Rated at 250 shots according to Nikon. Some ways to save battery power is to not use the Monitor all the time. Have the auto power off setting at 30 seconds.

The Nikon Coolpix comes with a strap, a Nikon battery, a USB cable, a USB charging adapter, warranty card, manual, lens hood, lens cap.

Accessories you need to start with? I strongly suggest getting a UV lens filter for this camera. The filter size is 77mm. I also suggest using a shoulder strap instead of the neck strap that came with the Nikon Coolpix P1000. Never ever strap a camera around your neck. I really think neck straps should not be used for cameras of this size as this causes neck strain. Please get a good shoulder strap. You might want to get a wired Nikon MC-DC2 remote release cord. It’s no expensive. Do not get the Nikon Bluetooth remote cord- too expensive. Start with the Nikon MC-DC2. This remote cord helps you press the shutter button remotely (it’s wired) to reduce vibration/shaking when you are focusing at a distant object; for example, the moon. You might want to invest on tripod. Just make sure the camera is well-tethered to you when attaching this camera to a tripod.

Overall, I am happy with my Nikon Coolpix P1000. I am still testing all its capabilities. I recommend this camera to those looking for an all in one camera. Again, I can’t stress enough about knowing its limitations. It takes great images as long as you know how to utilize its “powers”.

And finally, practice practice practice. The camera is just a device, majority of the work will have to come from the user for this camera to come up with great images. Highly recommended camera.

Excelente câmera para viagens, com uma só lente te dá desde grande angular a um zoom equivalente a 3.000 (125 X).
Meio pesada – é claro – mas muito prática.
Com novos recursos e ainda filma em 4K.

Nikon P1000 is an amazing camera. No other camera comes even close to its 24-3000mm (equivalent) zoom range with RAW images and the Nikkor lens is very sharp. Love the camera. Its easy to carry with you but has a lens to cover most situations you could run into without having to haul the extra lenses around. Have had real good results with it. I’m impressed with Bird watching mode (even used Nikon D500 in past), and Moon function of camera is awesome. Highly recommend camera for all purposes.

Bought this camera in 2018 and is with me for about 8 months, very DSLR like , lots of features considering a small sensor size , Nikon should try to squeeze in a decent sensor although technologically very challenging , also weather proofing required, all in all very competent camera . I will give 5 star rating to it if Nikon covers the other grounds .

Very good zoom….stability….
Dislikes…lens good not stable…