Nikon P900 Review: Some More Thoughts

April 8-10 Various Locations

I picked up the new Nikon P900 24mm-2000mm bridge camera last week. This is my second look at the camera. My first impressions out of the box was the camera was bulky yet lightweight. The front element is quite large and imposing. I felt uncomfortable having it exposed to scuffs so I sprung for a 67mm filter. I am now looking for a hood to give further protection from rain and to control flare from the sun.
I have tried the camera in manual, aperture priority and the bird photography mode. I have used various metering options including the matrix, centre weighted and spot. I also used it out of the box in 'idiot' program mode and it worked fine except for small objects like the Loggerhead Shrike when a small subject against a plain background forced the autofocus to hunt. I have now rectified that by reading the owner's manual and switching to single focus mode
Here are a second series of shots which I am sure with more practice and familiarity with the camera's controls better results can and will be achieved.

 Black-capped Chickadee.

Black-capped Chickadee

Nothing can be more fleeting than a Black-capped Chickadee or the Brown Creeper below. They don't hang around too long so I was happy to get these shots from a burst of four frames a second in Birdwatching mode.

 Brown Creeper Brydon Lagoon.

Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)

The Goldeneye and the Wolf Eel Reflection.

Common Goldeneye

The reflection in this shot reminds me of a Wolf Eel. The camera did a great job of keeping up with the goldeneye as it swam and dove for fish at Brydon Lagoon in Langley

Who needs a view camera anymore.... just joking!

Grant Narrows

The camera can go from shooting scenics to zooming in on birds like the shrike below. Focus is quite fast. Those used to shooting a DSLR will have to adjust to the electronic view finder (EVF). I have tried a number bridge cameras with EVF and the P900 is the best so far.

P900 worked well during the Loggerhead Shrike twitch. 

Loggerhead Shrike.

This bird was about 30 metres (100 feet in English) away from the camera. Handheld at 2000mm or 357mm on 35mm at ISO 400 at F6.7

Normally I wouldn't have used a point and shoot but I knew it would be the perfect test. A number of birders and photographers were frustrated by not being able to get a close shot. The P900 handled the light and exposure perfectly and you might think the shot was taken with a DSLR.

Spot the Northern Shrike.

Just to the right of the telephone pole is a Northern Shrike. Can you see it, the camera did! I have put an arrow on the picture to help you out.

I am not kidding but I took the shot below from across the road from my car seat, how lazy is that but as many of you now the car can make an excellent blind/hide. Can you see the bird in the picture above, look for the arrow? Again I shot at about 2000mm handheld and picked up the two shots below. The shrike moved so I had the chance for different backgrounds which the camera handled both very well.

Northern Shrike with mountainside creating the blueish background.

P900 at 2000mm shot against clouds. The auto exposure underexposed just a little.

From Wide to Telephoto

Can you see a small dark shape in the middle of the frame ?

I stood in the same spot after I saw a turtle in the water. Probably about 20-25 metres aways and obscured by a few branches. The P900 was able to 'see" through the tangle and give me this shot below. The eye isn't quite sharp but to be honest I wasn't expecting anything much so I was pleasantly surprised by the results. I am sure with a tripod and clear view a much better image would be possible. I include it here to show how powerful a reach the P900 has.

Tulips.

Another handheld shot in my garden F2.8 at ISO 400

Macro Mode
Tulip stamens.

Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)
Brydon Lagoon.

In conclusion I believe the bridge camera moniker fits the P900 perfectly. I would love to see a larger chip but that would reduce the 2000mm to 1000mm or so. It would also be nice to have a larger buffer especially after using the birdwatching Mode. However, I must say I haven't had so much fun with a camera since I bought a Nikon D3s the only difference is the P900 is $700, the D3s a lot more.

"It never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale 

BC Canada

Harris's Sparrow Twice

Nov17 2014 Iona Regional Park and Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Richmond BC Sunny 6c

House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)

I include the image of the House Finch for no other reason than I like it. If I didn't like it I wouldn't have taken it in the first place, it's as simple as that. I only photograph what catches my eye. I am drawn to this image because of the muted earth tones, it was one of the first frames I took while waiting for my next subject, the Harris's Sparrow.

Harris's Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula)

This wasn't exactly a hard bird to find, someone had left seed the previous day. When I arrived on Monday morning a flock of sparrows including Golden-crowned, Spotted Towhees, Song and Fox were busily scratching the ground. After a ten minute wait there he was, the much sought after Harris's Sparrow. It wouldn't be a lifer for me as I had photographer adult birds in Churchill, Manitoba. David Tang, myself and another couple were the only ones there.

For those interested in seeing a Harris's in full plumage see June 2012 blog.

Harris's Sparrow Adult/Manitoba

The Harris's Sparrow is not that common in the Lower Mainland so it is a 'good bird' for those wanting it for their BC list, myself I only have a Canada list. Perhaps one day i'll get completely addicted to birding and have all kind of lists!

Next up I had this crazy idea to see whether on my way home I could find the other Harris's that had been spotted at Reifel. On arrival I couldn't find the bird anywhere but didn't matter. I continued my way along to the outer dyke to look for the Swamp Sparrow, a bird that has been quite a nemesis for me. Yet again, a reed stem got in the way of a decent shot. Oh well, there's always tomorrow!

Eventually i'll get a clear shot.

While waiting for the Swamp to re-appear I thought I saw some movement along the dyke, with the sun in my face it was hard to discern whether it was an American Robin or perhaps a Northern Shrike. I slowly inched my way along the dyke until the sun was in a better position. Just as I was going to press the shutter, you guessed, the bird took off. I started my approach again and this time I was able to shoot through some bushes with the aperture wide open (F4 or F6.7 with the 1x4 converter) so that the branches didn't show.

Here is the result. On close inspection some blood can be seen on the bill of the shrike, living up to its nickname 'Butcher Bird'

Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor)
Sibley's notes that the shrike is uncommon to rare and indeed I normally see only a few each year. This is my fourth already this winter.

Both these images look like they are taken in the open but are in fact shoot through a small gap in a maze of thin branches. As mentioned this effect can be had by shooting wide open and a long lens.

I used a D7100 plus a Nikon 500 F4 with a 1x4 extender which is about a 1000mm. The neck and back pain come free with the job!

Anyway, with all these distractions I made my way back to car. On the way I couldn't resist a few shots of a male Wood Duck reflected in the dark water. As I approached a turn in the trail I spotted a flock of Golden-crowned Sparrows feeding on seed someone had thrown around. Within minutes the bird I couldn't find earlier suddenly jumped into view and viola, I had my two Harris's Sparrow something I hadn't really planned on but it was nice way to end the day.

Harris's Sparrow at Reifel

I had so much fun I forgot to mention the Peregrine Falcon flying at hyper speed to chase off another from its territory, there was even a few feathers flying on impact. This type of behaviour seen from a distance is what attracts me to birding. Even the Dark-eyed Junco was fun to watch as it looked for seeds someone had put in the hollow of a tree trunk.

I hope you've enjoyed this ramble, I certainly enjoyed my day out and adding these images to my portfolio.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

Hope Airport/Northern Shrike

Mar 27 2013 Hope Airport. Sunny
I had a few hours to kill before my last presentation for the Fraser Valley Regional Library so I thought I might visit Hope Municipal Airport where some Rosy finches had been seen a few days earlier. I had expected to see more than the one lonesome Spotted towhee and a few Song sparrows so after two hours of scouring the trees and fence posts I was happy to spot a Northern shrike. It landed in a tree about 50 metres from my car, balancing my lens on a bean bag I approached slowly. Branches and a grey sky made for a somewhat lacklustre photo. A few minutes later it took off and landed even further away but with a more pleasing background. From the car I managed this long range shot. Hope Airport has quite a reputation for vagrants and rarities but on this particular day I had no such luck, maybe the Shrike had got there before me!

Boundary Bay (All Kinds of Birds)

                                  Friday Dec 14th 2012 Boundary Bay-Sunny and Cold.

Birding on Boundary Bay is never dull, even in the depths of winter rare and unusual avian visitors make it one of the best birding hotspots in North America. 

In the previous blog I featured some so so images of the Sage thrasher (a lifer) which I had taken under less than ideal conditions. I just had to return with the tripod and all the gear and try for some better compositions. Three long days had passed before some suitable light conditions returned and other commitments were behind me, I was just raring to go!
As usual the weather forecast was vague to useless, despite the promise of sun it spotted with rain all my way to 64th. I thought the day would be lost to the rain but when I arrived the wind suddenly died down, the skies cleared and the sea mist quickly evaporated. Perfect!

I began my search for the Thrasher but I couldn't see it anywhere, so I headed for a white dot on the horizon, a snowy owl was perched in a tree a few hundred feet from the pathway.

Snowy photographed from the Dyke.

A few shots (12) were taken without spooking or approaching the young owl too closely when I noticed a Northern flicker (below) land on a bush about 50 feet away. It took me a few minutes to gain the trust of the woodpecker, the resulting photograph is one of my all-time favourites, the colour of the tail feathers are amazing.

Northern flicker (Red-cross/Yellow shafted intergrade)

Orange-crowned warbler.

Behind me on the ocean side I heard a flock of Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped warblers. They were feeding on yarrow seeds. There were also a flock of White-crowned sparrows, purple finches and in the distance a Northern Shrike perched on a bush.

White-crowned sparrow

Purple Finch 

A Northern shrike looks for rodents or small birds.


AND NOW TO THE ORIGINAL ASSIGNMENT
GET SOME DECENT PICTURES OF THE RARE PACIFIC COAST VISITOR
THE  SAGE THRASHER

Sage thrasher.

Sage thrasher searches for food.

Sage thrasher.
I prefer the clean background long lenses provide but it is as important to show habitat.

Thanks everyone for looking in at the blog. Your comments are really important to gauge how this avian journey is progressing.

Happy Holidays