Not sure if this is the right subforum, please let me know if it isn’t :)
I have been thinking to change camera for a while now and came across the Nikon Coolpix P900 and P1000. Are there any iNaturalists that have these camera’s or have used it that can share some experiences with this camera? Is it any good for making IDable pictures of plants and animals?
Thanks :)
I don’t have any direct experience with either camera but I do have friends that love the Coolpix line as every day cameras for birding and photographing larger insects. The P1000 looks pretty good. The only downside with the whole line is the inability to change lenses but that can also be its strength. You get everything in one package.
Either camera is capable of getting solid ID grade shots.
I have the P1000 and I am happy with it. The zoom range with one lens is astounding (equivalent to 24mm - 3000mm). The only problem I have is focusing on objects that are close, that doesn’t work well. I just got some close-up lenses but haven’t tried them yet. They should work for macro pictures. One thing to remember: The camera focusing, lens zoom, and viewfinder are all electronic. That means it uses a lot of battery power. Make sure you have several spare batteries with you. I once had to used 4 batteries in one day.
These are narrow-purpose cameras that are very good at one specific thing: zooming in on the distant stuff. Might suit you if you’re into birds. Mediocre (at least in my hands) at photographing anything that isn’t on the other side of the planet, here’s what my results look like. If what you want is a hand-held telescope with a camera attached to it, then go for it, otherwise I think there’s cheaper and more versatile stuff out there.
Completely agree. I have one too. Great for far away stuff, not great for close up stuff. Also it’s a chunky piece of kit, quite heavy so not ideal if you’re lugging it a long distance.
I’ve been using a P900 for about 6 years. As I’m not a photographer, I find this camera almost perfect for my birding/iNating. It’s more than enough to ID birds, bugs and plants: huge zoom and very acceptable macro capabilities. One downside: it’s very hard to get decent pictures of flying birds (I think P1000 is better at this).
Also, quite lightweight and easy to carry along with the binoculars, telescope and backpack.
Now, if you are looking for pristine definition photos, you’ll need another type of camera.
I use a P900 myself, as the P1000 lacks GPS (essential to iNatting imo) and requires you to connect to your phone. I find that to be something of a hinderance especially if in a very remote area or if you forgot your phone/it runs out of battery. I’d suggest the P900, it’s perfectly capable and not much different from the P1000.
I love my P900. I’m not a great photographer, have never owned any camera that one could change the lenses, so take my opinion with a pan of salt. But I find it very easy to take picture of birds 500m away, and also of insects that are currently standing on the lens of the camera. It is extremely durable, light enough that I don’t mind carrying it everywhere, good battery life, and has the built in GPS that the P1000 lacks. As @kemper points out, a camera with a GPS has real advantages for iNat.
One of the key things that the P 900 has in its favour is the built in GPS.
It is quite astounding how later versions are dropping features, that are important, from later versions.
I have another similar cammera (coolpix b700) and i´m very happy with it. There is no problem in making IDable pictures of plants and animals. I usually take bird photos with it, sometimes also insects. Some of my photos made with the b700:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/107621290
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/107501302
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/107475878
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/104339531
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/103808637
I think they dropped it because of the closer integration with the mobile app, which can use the phone’s GPS to do the work. Bad idea IMHO, it’s clunky and messes with image size during transfer. I gave up on it. Maybe it has improved since.
Oh, Oh, and that also presupposes that the mobile phone is always going to be in use. You are correct it is a bad idea.
A colleague and friend inaturalist user negi uses the Nikon B600 and gets very good results with it. He does not have a computer and routes all his entries though a camera -->Phone → inaturalist web interface. (and when not feasible he uploads to google photos). But this app does not help with the locations - he still has to that manually
The photos (and videos) he takes - spread across a gamut from zoom to macro are amazing. Esp. considering the prices. However, sadly . this camera is not out of production and may no longer be available.
I have the 900. I am a terrible photographer and this camera randomly hides and exaggerates my terribleness. I have a hard time with digital focusing and long for the days when you twisted a lens to focus. I have had the camera for over a year and have yet to master (understand) the settings. Still I have managed the occasional nice bird picture from long distances. I was hoping to use it to photograph fish in the field but have found it very awkward to use for this. It requires a substantial tripod.
I have taken most of my iNat photos (mostly lichens) using P1000. I have found it very good for even close-up photos, if there is sufficient light. Zoom is very nice because often the targets are high up in a tree or other side of a ditch or other ways non-accessible.
There is even kind of manual focus option in P1000, but I have not much used it, neither the other fancy features that it has; I usually just point and shoot.
Theoretically, P1000 can get GPS information from phone, but in practice it does not work: the location is not updated, or location jumps even kilometres between photos. Therefore I always take a photo with my phone first, just to get the true location recorded.
Thank you all for sharing your experiences with the two camera’s.
I might go for the P900 seeing your responces, also pricewise it looks more appealing
The P900 and P1000 are both amazing for photographing turtles on distant logs without disturbing them. Unless you want a giant lens on a full size camera, they are great field cameras for turtling!