A Review of the Nikon Coolpix P900

The Nikon Coolpix P900 is a good camera for bird photographers and other photographers who want to get up close to a subject from afar. This camera is known for its 83x zoom and was released in 2015. This means that it is hardware and software from 2015, here’s the scoop on this camera.

Camera Pros:

• Not too heavy and easy to grip.
• Zoom is smooth and is easy to control using one of two provided buttons.
• Flash is okay but not compared to other 2020 cameras.
• Awesome for nature photography, Birds, Bunnies, and other similar creatures.
• Universal tripod mount on the bottom which makes it easy for buying its gear although that is on every camera so…
• An older camera means lower prices. This can be bought from a lot of places and open box deals are available as well as other good deals.
• Compatible with phones via WirelessMobileUtility app. This app is very limited compared to the more modern Nikon Snapbridge.
• Wide-angle.

Camera Cons:

• Auto-focus is not always reliable.
• It is a mirrorless camera and for some this may be a limitation for you.
• Manual focus, although available, is not very easy to use and you have to go into the settings to use it.
• You cannot get macro shots with its built in macro mode. The autofocus won’t focus on small things and also manual focus is almost completely unusable.
• Low light shots will have noise as well as dark shadows in the photos. Best to use this camera for daytime shots.
• Image stabilization is there but nowhere near the quality of 2020 cameras so be aware that this is a 2015 camera with early stabilization.
• Not compatible with Snapbridge app by Nikon. This app connects a lot of newer Nikon cameras but not this one.
• No interchangeable lenses like newer cameras.

Photos:

Currently, in 2020, my photography is primarily done on this camera and below are some photos I have taken with it:

My experience:

I have used this camera for quite a while now and I use it a lot for all photography that I do. Sometimes I can have some difficulties with editing because of the quality of the photos but this is only in difficult lighting situations. I love pushing cameras to their limits and as I use this camera and some difficult lighting situations I still can be surprised with the results that this camera produces.

Overall:

If you are looking to buy this camera I recommend that you do lots of research before committing to buying it. A similar line of cameras is the Canon EOS series which is in a similar price range and is a bit more versatile and newer. If you love Nikon cameras though, the Nikon D series is similar to the Canon EOS series and may provide more versatility in photography and with the most modern features for 2020. Overall, this camera has an exceptional zoom range for mirrorless cameras even in 2020. You would be hard-pressed to find a zoom this big in the mirrorless world.

Why do I continue to use this camera primarily?

Above I mentioned that I love pushing cameras to their limits and this one certainly has limits right out of the box. I have a Google Pixel 4a and this covers areas, such as macro shots, where the Nikon struggles but mobile photography still isn’t at the quality of a good purpose built camera, mirrored or mirrorless. If you bought this camera, it wouldn’t feel super dated because of its truly outstanding zoom and this is why, if you are interested in a mid-range camera with a phenomenal zoom capability, you may still want to look into this camera despite its age.

Thanks for reading and comment below on what your favorite midrange camera is!

Nikon Coolpix P900 from the Nikon store.

-Digital Wonders & Smiles