Best Nikon P900 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020:

The Nikon P900 is not the best “mega-zoom” camera, but with its 83x coefficient, it is among those which offer the greatest focal latitude in such a small volume.

The Nikon Coolpix P900’s 83x optical zoom is impressive. It ranges from 24mm wide angle to 2000mm telephoto. With its digital magnification, the user can even go up to almost 4000 mm. Although our personal practice of photography does not lend itself to the use of such a tool, it must be recognized that the fact of being able to make a close-up on a bird that one hardly sees or to capture sportsmen of very far is really very appreciable. 

If this is what you are looking for, then the P900 will let you do it. For the moment, it is the only one to offer such a focal length in a compact format and at this price level. At less than 600 euros (average price found on the Internet), we can not say that the Coolpix P900 is cheap. Its dimensions do not make it a pocket device either (14 x 10, 3 x 13.7 cm for 900 grams). But finding a bridge equipped with such a zoom is new and equipping a DSLR with an equivalent lens costs a fortune.

Best Nikon P900 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020

1. Nikon COOLPIX P900 Digital Camera (Black)

2. Nikon Coolpix P900 Wi-Fi 83x Zoom Digital Camera with 64GB Card + Battery & Charger + Case + Tripod + 3 Filters + Hood + Kit

3. Nikon Coolpix P900 Wi-Fi 83x Zoom Digital Camera + 64GB Card + Battery & Charger + 3 Filters + Case + Tripod Kit (Renewed)

4. Nikon COOLPIX P900 16MP Zoom Digital Camera with 83x Optical Zoom, Built-in Wi-Fi and NFC (Black) (Renewed)

5. Nikon Coolpix P900 Wi-Fi 83x Zoom Digital Camera – (Renewed)

Image quality

The power of a zoom does not imply that the image quality is consistent. In general, it is even the opposite. The Nikon P900 is equipped with a CMOS sensor backlit with a definition of 16 megapixels in 1 / 2.3 inch format , significantly smaller than what can be found on high-end compacts or DSLRs. A large sensor produces better image quality, so do not expect the P900 to be as powerful as a DSLR, even if it looks like it.

That said, he still takes good photos. Being able to play on color, sharpness and contrast in post-editing has a lot to do with it. This is all the more useful since we can only work in JPEG and it is necessary to intervene to correct the noise reduction which plays heavily on high ISO sensitivities.

The most demanding users who track pixels will certainly not like what they will see when looking at photos at 100%. Things remain correct up to ISO 200 with enough detail to be able to enlarge and crop, especially on close-ups. Beyond that, artifacts begin to appear and the level of detail decreases. We can still still work up to ISO 1600, provided to refrain on cropping. Better to avoid ISO 3200 and 6400 sensitivity. Combined with the slowness of the lens, this implies that the Nikon Coolpix P900 is not suitable for indoor shooting.

Either way, photos taken with maximum zoom lack detail regardless of ISO sensitivity. If the subjects seem well reproduced on images viewed on screens of small size, a lot of details disappear as soon as one starts to look in larger. 

Performances

During our lab tests, the Coolpix P900 took 1.8 seconds to turn on and be ready to work. It takes an average of 1.2 seconds between two successive shots. With the flash, which by the way is not automatic, it takes 1.3 seconds. The latency (the interval between the moment when the shutter button is pressed and the actual photo taken) is 0.1 seconds with good lighting and 0.2 seconds in slightly worse conditions. This result was obtained with the focal length set to 35 mm.

The maximum definition burst mode reaches a frame rate of 7 images / second, but it then takes 6 seconds for the camera to record them before we can resume. Note that the focus and exposure are calibrated on the first shot. So if you’re shooting a moving subject, chances are that only the first image will be clear.

Design and functions

Despite its appearance, the design and options of the Nikon Coolpix P900 tend more towards those of a compact than those of a DSLR or a bridge. If you like having lots of settings, you will be disappointed. There is only one programmable “Function” button located just behind the trigger. By default, it allows you to change the options of the burst mode, but it is possible to assign the ISO setting, the white balance, the autofocus area, the image size or even the color mode. There’s also a thumbwheel to change shutter speed and aperture, but that’s about all there is to it as direct controls apart from the usual buttons for flash, exposure compensation, the macro and the self-timer.

The P900 is equipped with a 3-inch diagonal orientable screen and an electronic viewfinder. A proximity sensor automatically switches from the screen to the viewfinder when you approach the eye. However, there is no hot shoe for an external flash or microphone jack for video. A button on the lens barrel controls the zoom or manual focus. The lens itself is not very fast, which can be frustrating.

The closest distance the camera can focus when the zoom is at wide angle, excluding macro mode, is 50 centimeters. In telephoto, you must stand at least 5 meters from the subject. In macro mode, the camera can focus at 1 cm at a wide angle.

The shooting modes cover all options from automatic to manual mode. But be aware that the manual and semi-automatic modes have a shutter speed that varies depending on the ISO sensitivity and the aperture chosen. There are a total of 19 scene modes, including specific options for photographing the moon and birds; filters, effects and night modes for portraits and landscapes.

Related

1. Best Nikon D850 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020
2. Best Nikon D7500 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020
3. Best Nikon D750 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020