Nikon Coolpix P1000 Review

Nikon Coolpix P1000 Road Test
October Birding 2018
Various Locations/Lower Mainland

BC

What better place to try out the Nikon Coolpix P1000 24mm-3000mm super zoom than Piper Spit. There is nowhere else in Metro Vancouver except perhaps Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary where birds can be approached so closely. 

The day of my visit the weather was perfect, there were birds galore and the afternoon sun provided plenty of shutter speed to really test out the capabilities of the P1000. At this point I hadn't read the online guide so I was using the Birding Mode. Normally I use my iPhone for scenics but this time I used the wide angle end of the zoom of the camera. Unlike the P900 the P1000 comes with a lens hood which shields the sun. I strongly suggest adding a UV filter so the precious front element is protected at all times.

I began shooting an overall scene at 24mm.

 All shots are handheld although when I shoot video I plan to use a hefty tripod 

 In the foreground were a small flock of Long-billed Dowitchers, they are often found at Piper Spit. Other species can include grebes, ducks, herons and hawks. Depending on the time of year the trails around the lake can turn up almost anything including an elusive Bobcat or two. During the summer I photographed a Cassin's Vireo and recently American Dippers have returned to feast on salmon eggs in the Brunette River. A few years ago during the Christmas bird count a flock of White-winged Crossbills drew birders and photographers from far and wide. 

Long-billed Dowitchers
P1000

 I quite like the painterly feel of this image.
It works for me aesthetically and that's all I can really ask.

Long-billed Dowitcher
P1000

Recently a pair of Rusty Blackbirds put on a show at the spit, a 

 treat for everyone who went down to see them. Someone had the bright idea of putting out bird seed and bread crumbs, the birds loved it.

Rusty Blackbird
P1000

More on the plight of the Rusty Blackbird at the bottom of the page.

Back to the P1000. I really bought it to shoot 4k video but I am having so much fun shooting stills I have decided to post a few more images. Strangely on both the P900 and P1000 the video files are much better and cleaner at all focal lengths, all the more reason I am stoked about getting the P1000 on a big solid tripod and seeing what it can produce at the 2000mm-3000mm range.

Next up were some of the ducks (some would say sitting ducks) many of which are now coming into their winter splendour. These images show how well the P1000 reproduces when little or no cropping is applied. Even with the stated 128x zoom it's still best to approach as close as possible.

Note: Some pictures have been cropped for better composition with either levels or curves applied. Also some sharpening has been applied in ©Lightroom. Colour rendition is very clean.

All files are shot in jpeg mode as I can't open Raw files with my outdated software. 

Wood Duck
P1000

Northern Pintail
P1000

****

Blackie Spit, Crescent Beach 

Surrey

Greater Yellowlegs
P1000

This is a perfect example of a decent enough photograph of a Greater Yellowlegs. I was on a bird count with no intention of photographing when from perhaps one hundred plus feet away I zoomed in on the unsuspecting sandpiper. Note the reflection, the bird's eye is repeated four times. This is the exact situation where a bridge camera is so useful, catching those unexpected moments. 

Cecil Green and Museum of Anthropology

American Tree Sparrow
P1000

The above image was taken at close range at about 20 feet with minimal cropping. The image is quite acceptable for blogging (120 DPI at 4x6) or even a larger print. Peter Candido found the bird in a pathway outside the museum and a few of us went down and re-found it.

My original introduction to a 'Bridge Camera' was the excellent Canon SX50. The first time I used it I was hooked. The light weight and long zoom options allowed me when appropriate to shed the tripod, heavy lens and DSLR. My daily walks tripled in distance and I never felt I might miss a shot. My second bridge camera was the Nikon P900 which I have blogged about extensively. See links on main page,

Also see video link for some P900 footage.

Brydon Lagoon Nature Park Langley City

White Rock Pier

Next up were a couple of trips to White Rock to scope the bay for grebes, loons and ducks. At the marina a Belted Kingfisher was perched on a sailboat mast and a small flock Black Turnstones flew in. Further out here a raft Western Grebes, I stop counting at 150 birds.

Black Turnstone
 P1000

Harlequin Duck

This shot was taken from the White Rock promenade over the railway tracks, beach and about a further fifty feet out.

Red-necked Grebe
P1000

Below are a few images I shot under early morning filtered sunlight. Shooting downwards at an angle can often make for an unnatural view, however with the lens set at 2500mm-3000mm at F8 there is plenty of depth of field as can be seen by the water droplets on both these grebes above and below.

Horned Grebe
P1000 (300DPI)

 I originally thought this was a Western Grebe. Later I persuaded myself it was a Clark's Grebe. After posting on eBird the experts were quick to point out that is was neither, rather a Western x Clark's hybrid. It would have been a very good year bird for my Metro Vancouver list.

Western x Clark's Grebe
P1000 300 DPI

All I can say about these amorous pigeons is they have beautiful plumage.

Rock Pigeon
P1000

A Belted Kingfisher perches on a sailboat rigging
P1000

Belted Kingfisher
 P1000.

Common Loon reflection
P1000

Harbour Seal
P1000

Some miscellaneous images from my ramblings around Brydon Lagoon/Latimer Lake

A few days later I decided to walk Latimer Lake. This Townsend's Chipmunk sat still enough just long enough to capture it backlit. I wasn't able to move in case I spooked it, I opened up to get the correct exposure for the critters face. 

 Townsend's Chipmunk
P1000

A Mallard at Brydon Lagoon
P1000

Often when rambling/walking /hiking/biking I always take the point and shoot like the P1000 with the idea of taking scenics. I now have an extensive collection throughout the seasons from most of my favourite haunts. If I see a good bird even better. Recently I was at the woodlot on 112th and the cloud patterns was simply awesome, too good to pass up. Because bridge cameras are so light I find I can easily cycle with a small Hummingbird scope, tripod (mostly for scope use) bins around my neck and the P1000 on my shoulder. The wide angle of the P1000 is excellent while the panorama mode is also easy to use for more those expansive scenes.

Stratocumulus clouds I think. Let me know if I am wrong .
Boundary Bay at the Woodlot
P1000

A typical P1000 grab shot

Northern Flicker approx. 2000mm
P1000

Black-bellied Plovers at Boundary Bay at 104
P1000

There is no doubt that the advent of digital photography had changed the face of birding. More birds are being photographed, more birders are photographing and more rarities are being unearthed, often long after the photos were taken. Recently several rarities were discovered only when the photo was posted on a digital platform. 

A good example was the Vermillion flycatcher in White Rock, who would have believed it had it not been for a digital photograph. It also helped greatly that the finder was an excellent birder and was alert to his find.  

 In the past decade a large range of bridge cameras have hit the market, Sony, Canon and Lumix offer similar options, the Nikon P1000 is just the latest iteration. 

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper/Long-billed Dowitcher in foreground.
Reifel Oct 31st

Endangered-Species/Rusty-Blackbird

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/ Cloverdale 

BC Canada

Hakai Magazine/Wrens in the Forest

It can take special effort, even strutting and shouting, for humans to get attention and assert themselves in a populous urban setting. Turns out the same applies to Pacific wrens in the dense coastal temperate rainforests of British Columbia. 

Story by Larry Pynn

Photo John Gordon

       

https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/for-birds-life-is-different-in-a-metropolis

*****

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley /Cloverdale

BC Canada

Nikon P1000 Coolpix UK Test

Robin
Nikon Coolpix P1000

Sept 2018 Lincolnshire UK

Anyone familiar with my travel blogs know that most of my UK visits have concentrated on the west of the country with birding trips in Gwent (Wales) and Gloucestershire. I also visited the Farne Islands for the Artic Terns, Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills and Guillemots.
This time I am in Lincolnshire one of the least populated counties in the UK. The land is flat like the Canadian prairies. Most of the county is only four feet above sea level and there are windmills scattered across the county. Many windmills are tourist attractions, still grind grain or house tearooms where local produce can be bought. There is even an overnight ferry to Holland and Norway at nearby Hull for those who want to extend their adventures. Historically Lincolnshire would have been primarily wetlands, unfortunately most of which all long gone, diked, drained and turned over to large tracts of arable land.
 The Lincolnshire Wolds rise from the flats and overlook the North Sea and the Wash. The highest point is the village of Normanby le Wold, at approximately 551 feet (168 metres) above sea level. The birding up there is better in the springtime when the woodlands are full of birdsong. At this time of the year the best birding is on the coastline.

Frampton RSPB is just south of Boston Lincolnshire where one group of the Pilgrim Fathers set out.
For more

The Pilgrim Fathers

This poster show just a small portion of the county. Note the windmills. At Chapel Point we sea-watched ticking Great Skua, Sandwich Tern, Gannet and Whinchat.

***
 I'm here at the optimum time for migration albeit the much needed easterly winds have all deserted the region, resulting in a distinct lack of vagrants. Easterly winds blow birds from the continent toward the UK's east coast. As it turned out there were south-westerly winds throughout my stay. Even a trip to noted migrant trap Spurn Point with top birders John Clarkson and Phil Hyde failed to produce anything of note. They were two of three Lincolnshire Bird Club members I had arranged to meet before leaving Vancouver. A flock of twenty Tree Sparrows was a highlight for me. Both John and Phil have seen a formidable 500 plus UK birds and the stories about twitches in Shetlands and Scilly Isles were riveting. They went to great lengths to take me to as many locations as time permitted. If indeed there had been anything unusual they would have heard about it. Oh well, there's always next time.

I brought my usual travel kit, a Nikon D500 and 200mm-500mm as well as the just released Nikon Coolpix P1000. 

Below are a few images from the Nikon P1000 taken during my stay. I won't get into technical details as there are many others who do a better job, rather in its place are some in the my real time field examples.
Let me say from the beginning the P1000 does not replace a DSLR in any way. I did have a lot of fun with it and photographed some birds I wouldn't have been able to get with my 200mm-500mm lens.

 I had made arrangements to meet up with a BirdingPal Steve Keithtley who agreed  to show me his patch

Birding Pal Steve Keightley. Nikon P1000
In the distance you can see a breakwater covered in birds. See below for a closer view.

Oystercatchers search for higher ground on the flood tide.
Nikon P1000

There were several hundred Oystercatchers as well as good numbers of Redshank, Ringed Plover and Turnstones.
Nikon P1000 at 3000mm hand-held.

Knot, Curlew and Little Egret at the mouth of the River Withham.
About 2000mm on the P1000.

One such stop was Frampton Marshes RSPB in Lincolnshire situated just south of Boston. The area is as good as any of the more fabled locations in nearby Cley and Minsmere. Neither were showing any birds that couldn't found in Lincolnshire. That was fine with me as it meant less driving down narrow country lanes and more time birding. Steve had formally been county recorder and was very well connected with everyone we met in the field and through his Bird Guide Ap.

The weather could have been better, strong south-westerly winds kept the much sought after  continental vagrants offshore, add to that torrential rain for the first two days put a damper on my attempts to fully test out the P1000 from the get go. Keeping the camera dry took precedence, only whipping it out when an opportunity arose.

Handling the P1000

 The 24mm-3000mm 128x zoom is a handful. The superzoom is big as any pro DSLR although much lighter. It can be carried all day without any discomfort. At 3000mm the lens is a sluggish F8 and with overcast skies the shutter speed plummeted making shooting handheld difficult. I had to bump the ISO to 400 which is my usual default for birding. Many frames were lost due to the low light especially at maximum zoom or just put it down to operator error.

At 3000mm handheld.

Handheld at 3000mm the Black-tailed Godwits come into view. The results are not very sharp but good enough for an ID.
 There were close to two-thousand five-hundred godwits in the flock.
Nikon P1000

Black-tailed Godwit at close range.

Goldfinch handheld with the Nikon P1000. A little sharper and shot from closer range. There was buffeting rain and wind making it very hard to hold the camera still. I leant against a fence post for stability.

Then the sun came out at Gibraltar Point. 

Steve asked to get a picture of the ring on this Black-headed Gull. The Nikon P1000 quickly trapped the focus and the ring number.

Meadow Pipit at 3000mm

Zoom back to approx 2000mm to capture the flock.

      The marshes at Gibraltar Point provide valuable breeding habitat for Black-headed Gulls, rails and other wetland birds. Marsh Harriers hunt over the adjacent fields and in the Fall Pink-footed Geese begin to arrive. Skylarks and Meadow Pipits can often be seen overhead. I couldn't capture the skylarks on the P1000 resorting the my D500 and 200mm-5000mm.
Later on I did manage to pan a flock of Knot (Red Knot) and the P1000 worked very well but for smaller birds like the skylark it's asking a little much.

Gibraltar Point

Nikon P1000 at 24mm

The Nikon P1000 was much easier to use when the sun came out. I used the Birdwatching program that Nikon have now put on the camera dial. Previously it was via the menu button.

Pink-footed Geese.

Pink-footed Geese can be told apart from the very similar Graylag Geese by the smaller and more delicate bill as well as the darker pattern on the head. Their call is also 'thinner' and more delicate than other geese species.

The Nikon P1000 did a good job of the flock arriving, every shot was in focus. I cropped out half the flock for a better composition.

It is always good policy to photograph signage so as to add information to presentations.
It's easy to forget where and when some pictures are taken.

Avocets are one of the more common birds at Gibraltar Point
P1000 doesn't handle highlights very well. I haven't use the raw file option in Lightroom yet but that should solve most of those issues.

Apart from the Nikon P1000 which I am testing out (at my own expense) I always carry a REAL camera in case there is a "good bird" turns up. Not that the Nikon P1000 won't capture a decent image at close range, it's just nice to have a fully fledged DSLR as back-up.

Then a really good bird showed.

A few days into my trip Birding Pal Steve texted me about a Spotted Crake at Gibraltar Point about fifteen miles from my base in the market town of Louth. I'm told that even some local birders had never seen one so it was an opportunity I couldn't let pass. Before I could make my way there myself I received a call from Louth birder John Clarkson, he was already on his way over to pick me up. We were soon at Gibraltar Point.

 John found the bird in less than five minutes. Rails are quite shy and it took off as soon as we got our bins out. Undeterred we went walkabout on the reserve looking for anything that might have arrived overnight. Overhead John pointed out the V shaped skiens of Pink-footed Geese arriving from the North. We watching Pied Wagtails, both UK sub-species and the European version. We moved to another hide where John pointed out how differentiate between Common and Spotted Redshank. Both are autumn migrants from Scandinavia and Iceland, the latter having a finer and slightly upturned bill. In the air Common Gulls (Mew Gulls) wheel around as did numerous Herring and Black-headed Gulls. Snipe (Common Snipe) were roosting on the edges of the reeds. Hundreds of Black-tailed Godwits sat motionless, eyes half closed ever ready in the event a predator pounces.

The Predator

While I was scoping the marshes Steve pointed out a Red Fox which I was able to capture in two frames. The P1000 autofocus worked very well. Note the grass in front of the fox, the auto focus wasn't fooled. 

Nikon P1000

*****

A few shots with the D500.

As previously mentioned I decided to use the Nikon D500 and 200mm-500mm for the crake as there were reeds blowing back and forth partially obscuring the view. I doubted the P1000 would have dealt with the erratic movement. Eventually the crake ran across the ditch and for three frames it was in the open. The clarity of the image through the viewfinder and the autofocus response was very noticeable after using the P1000 for most of the trip.

Spotted Crake, similar but not the same species as the Sora. A lifer.
D500 and 200mm-500mm F5.6

Skylark

I tried with the P1000 but had to resort to a DSLR for the Skylarks. This is the type of shot I could have spent the whole day perfecting but alas I only had twenty minutes. 

 Kestrel
D500 and 200mm-500mm F5.6

****
Lincolnshire is one of the less populated counties in England. Housing is relatively inexpensive compared with the rest of the country, ideal for those who like a quieter lifestyle. The whole area was once marshland of which only remnants remain. Hard work by many dedicated organizations, volunteers, government and members of the public have resulted some farmland being returned to its original state. Framptom RSPB is one fine example where birds now return to roost on high tides or while resting during migration.

 I was lucky enough to visit Frampton on three occasions and as previously mentioned is during migration arguably the top wader destination in the UK. During my visits I was lucky enough to observe flocks of two thousand plus Black-tailed Godwits, Ruff, Spotted Redhank and numerous Little Stints. The latter was a bonus especially after dipping on the Boundary Bay stint earlier in the month.

Back to the P1000 Gallery.

A pair of Little Stint feeding at Frampton RSPB. Nikon P1000

The above image was taken at about thirty metres feet at approx 3000mm handheld. The late afternoon light was very poor but from the thirty of so images I fired off I found this file. There was a photographer next to me with a DSLR who didn't even try to photograph the birds, unfortunately for him they were just distant specks. The Nikon P1000 has greater reach than any scope which are normally used at 60x, the Nikon has a 128x optical zoom. The scope view is clearer but then again it costs twice the price and I am looking at it from a photographers point of view not an avid scoper.

When enlarged, the P1000 files at the 2000-3000mm range can look like watercolours, however just the ability to grab shots like above and then go home and closely inspect the finer details of plumage etc is invaluable.
Still I won't be dumping my DSLR anytime soon. As much as I enjoyed the clarity looking through Steve's Swarovski I did enjoy the P1000 as an added tool to my birding experience. The camera is large but lightweight and although it is taking me some time to figure out how to configure it best I  am very exited about shooting it on a more substantial tripod and head. I am eager to explore the 4k video options, time lapse and other functions when I return home. I'll probably use a big Manfrotto 502 head or similar and Gitzo tripod to make sure I can get the most out of the big zoom. Haze is also a problem but that is true of even high end optics. 

Some signage.

This graphic gives an idea of where the birds that pass through Lincolnshire on migration.

Some Migration routes at the North Sea Observatory

Gotta love this artwork.

Here's a Test:

 Nikon D500 200mm-500mm v Nikon Coolpix P1000

Below are two images of an autumn adult Wheatear that Steve and I encountered on the beach at Chapel Point. 

One was shot on the Nikon P1000 and the other the Nikon D500 and 200mm-500mm. One for the images is taken in the afternoon sun the other in the shade of a wall. I know that's not a fair test. Can you tell which is which? 

For the answer see below.

(Fig1)

(Fig 2)

The answer. 

Fig.1 is the P1000 and Fig.2 is the D500/200mm-500mm

***

For travel I carry the Nikon D500/200mm-500mm in a Think Tank Airport Antidote. Once on location I either carry the Nikon P1000 or DSLR on my shoulder and a pair of Vortex bins around my neck.

The Celestron Hummingbird Scope and small Manfrotto BeFree Live video tripod complete the kit. That way I don't have to leave anything in the car or in a hotel room for thieves to pilfer.

                              (Below) Some more D500/200mm-500mm images.

This Meadow Pipit was feeding alongside Covenham Reservoir. A heavy crop but it allowed me to give some context as the birds would often use the barbed wire fence as a staging point to catch flies being blown off the reservoir. 

Ringed Plover/Covenham

Although I would have rather seen this bird in Campbell River I was more than happy to add this plover to my ever growing UK list. The target bird was a Purple Sandpiper but unfortunately it had moved on overnight.

More P1000 images from Covenham Reservoir.

Goldfinch.
Nikon P1000

Pied Wagtail searching for insects alongside Covenham.
Nikon P1000.

A chance encounter at Cleethorpes.

Knot

I hadn't planned going birding but when Dad and I arrived at the Cleethorpes Promenade I notice a pair of dog walkers allowing their dogs to run amok, flushing a large flock of several thousand waders. They were so far away that at first I thought they were Sanderlings. Without the proper footwear I decide to head off the dog walkers and get closer to the birds. The birds appeared too large for Sanderlings to my surprise the flock comprised about two thousand plus Knot (Red Knot) and a  few Oystercatchers. I hauled out my P1000 and approached slowly, all the time trying to cut off the rampaging dogs. I managed a few shots at between 2000mm-3000mm before the birds were flushed. 

I panned the shot below in the Birding Watching mode which I have used for 90% of the images in the blog.

Knot

After a hard days birding the only thing remaining is a proper cup of tea.

How civilized is this, Reifel are you listening!

Conclusion

The P1000 is not a substitute for a DSLR. The files at the 2000mm range and above will not please some while others will have a ton of fun with this camera/scope combination. At the long end the images when enlarged take on a watercolour look, something that some might want to explore as an art form. I think some images printed on canvas will have a painterly look, something I will be exploring at a later date. 

When the light is good and a  bird is within 30 feet or so as in the Wheatear the P1000 can produce a very decent image. Some of the other P1000 images work well in the blog form as a method of communicating one's travel etc. Some of the images I would have never captured had it not been massive range. One minute I am photographing five-hundred geese and then zooming into just one bird in the flock. Having shot the Nikon P900 since it first came out I will say that at times the P1000 will drive you crazy and other times you be very happy that it's in your camera bag.

Note
I have no connection with any of these commercial links. 

Nikon Canada

Lincolnshire Birding Links

Lincolnshire Bird Club

The Lincolnshire Wolds

Thinktankphoto.com

http://www.birdingpal.org

johngordonphotography.com


With great thanks to Steve Keightley, John Clarkson and Phil Hyde.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon
Langley/Cloverdale
BC Canada