The Nikon Coolpix P900 is a mid-range Superzoom camera that serves as a bridge before moving to a full DSLR. It features a 1/ 2.3-inch 16.0 MP CMOS sensor of a high-sensitivity range of 100-6400 ISO. It also comes with a video recording of full HD 1080p.
On the front of the camera, there is an 83x optical zoom lens that gives a super versatile focal length range of 24-2000 mm (35 mm equivalent). It also features a 3.0-inch monitor of 921k dots and a built-in electronic viewfinder.
Nikon P900 Digital Camera Specs
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P900 Pros
The first thing about this camera that you notice is a built-in viewfinder which is a great advantage to have on a camera. The fact that it comes with image stabilization is even a greater plus.
Next, this camera has a high max ISO of 12800 (available in specific modes), a 921k dots LCD resolution, high video resolution, and fast shutter speed and fast continuous shooting.
It also comes with face detection focusing, manual focusing, manual exposure and panorama shooting, which makes this camera useful for many occasions.
Connectivity is good, with built-in WiFi and NFC.
Lastly, the 83x optical zoom, 24mm wide-angle lens, and 2000mm Tele lens make this camera very versatile.
P900 Cons
Nothing is perfect, nor is this Nikon’s camera. Even though it has some great advantages, there are also some downsides to it.
The first noticeable disadvantage of this camera is its short battery life of 360 shots when fully charged. Then, there is a lack of an external flash shoe, touch screen, RAW shooting, and environmental sealing.
Lastly, this camera is on the heavy side at 899g and a slow lens at a wide f2.8 and slow lens at Tele f6.0.
Build and Design
Nikon Coolpix P900 is a solid bulky camera which is excellent for handling when shooting long focal lengths. Even though it’s a bit heavy, you’ll get the feeling of stability when you’re holding it.
The mode switch is located on the upper side of the camera, and it’s straightforward to use and change exposure options. P900 also comes with a scene auto selector mode and a movie record control located in the rear of the camera.
In the front of P900, there is an 83X optical zoom which is one of the most significant features of this camera that’s easily accessible through the crank throughout its shutter release.
On the back of the camera, there is a 3.0-inch LCD screen and a built-in electronic viewfinder. The downside of the LCD screen is that it doesn’t come with an eye sensor which can be challenging when you want to switch from the built-in electronic viewfinder to LCD because you’ll have to use a button on the top of the screen.
On the top of the camera, there is also a function button that allows you quick access to the white balance and ISO.
Also on the back, there is a dial that you can use for navigation also. The top button and the left one are for accessing the timer and flash, the down button and the right one are to get you to the exposure and focus modes.
Performance
Nikon Coolpix P900 starts very fast since it’s able to take shot in about two seconds and it has a great control disposition when shooting in manual mode or semi-auto mode.
P900 has a pretty good performance having a 1 /2.3-inch sensor. It gives some great photos with a lot of detail.
Also, a big focal length range allows you to get the images without any visible distortion having a superb sharpness, and a chromatic aberration is pretty much in control mostly unnoticeable.
Thanks to the 16MP camera, your photos turn out with excellent color and a lot of details even when the zoom is up to 100%, you’ll still be able to get some great smooth images. P900 does great in low light, the same as in the proper light condition.
Images are noise-free from 100 to 400 ISO, but from 800 and up it starts showing some noise, but not too much. ISO 1600 is acceptable, but coming to ISO 3200 the noise is very present, and the picture quality becomes poor.
Read more about the Nikon P900 on Amazon.
Are you looking for a step up? Check out the the Nikon Coolpix P1000.
What type of photography is Nikon Coolpix P900 good for?
Portrait Photography
A built-in electronic viewfinder is such an upside since you can keep the camera closer to the body and stabilize it and reduce camera shake. Also, it’s super handy when shooting in bright sunlight since LCDs are so hard to read in those conditions. The presence of image stabilization allows you to reduce the camera shake effects when shooting at long exposures and long focal lengths and it will enable you to have much sharper portraits.
Manual focus mode is very important for this type of photography because it allows you to get a perfect focus of your model, and that’s the number one priority. The same goes for the exposure of the model, and luckily this camera manual exposure mode too.
The sensor of the camera is a critical part of it. The higher the resolution, the more room you have for cropping and printing your photo large form without any significant loss of the detail. This camera, however, doesn’t have that high resolution, but it’s still not that low, so it still leaves with options.
Ergonomics and handling are not outstanding, but not bad for the type of camera it is.
Now, what can be a problem with this camera for this type of photography is a small 1/ 2.3-inch sensor because it makes it very hard for you get the shallow depth of field and a blurry background that is most needed for portrait photos.
Another problem is the lack of RAW shooting capability. Not having it makes it difficult to get the natural skin tone which is very important when you’re shooting portraits. Also, there is a lack of external flash shoe which doesn’t leave you with much room for some creative lighting.
After reviewing the specs of the P900 it’s clear that it’s not perfect for portrait photography, but it still has some great features, and that’s why this camera is an average choice.
| Image Stabilization |
| Electronic Viewfinder |
| Manual Focus |
| Manual Exposure |
| Sensor resolution 16.0 MP |
| Ergonomic & Handling |
| 1/2.3″ Sensor size |
| No RAW shooting |
| No External flash shoe |
Street Photography
Having a live-view as a feature, P900 has a great plus for street photography because this feature allows you to quickly take photos without the viewfinder and fit right in among the people without getting their attention.
Face detection focusing is also something that makes this camera great for this type of photography because it does the focusing for you and allows you to concentrate on framing and some other adjustments.
Excellent wide-angle coverage on this camera also gives it another plus for street photography.
Electronic built-in viewfinder comes handy for stabilizing the camera and of course for shooting out in the open when it’s sunny and bright.
The presence of image stabilization in a camera is also great for street photography because of its stabilizing effect that it has when you shoot on a long exposure and a long focal length.
Body size of P900 is not small, but it’s not that big either, and it’s handling is pretty good.
The main problem with this camera is the lack of the RAW shooting capability, which doesn’t leave you much space for post-processing without the loss of the quality.
Another flaw to this camera is its small sensor that sets limitations to the shallowness of depth of field and the blurriness of the background.
However, having all those great features this camera shows potential in street photography. It won’t disappoint you, and it’s a pretty good choice if this is what’s most important to you.
| Live-view |
| Face-Detection Focusing |
| Tilting LCD Screen |
| Image Stabilization |
| 24 mm wide-angle coverage |
| Manual Focus Mode |
| Medium-sized body |
| No RAW shooting |
| 1/2.3″ sensor size |
Sports Photography
One essential camera feature for sports photography is continuous shooting speed. Luckily, Nikon P900 has a fast on of 7.0 frames per second. Add to that a fast maximum shutter speed of 1/4000s, and this camera shows some serious potential.
Another great thing about it is it has manual exposure and manual focus modes, which make your shooting much easier.
Image stabilization and 2000mm Tele lens is also a serious advantage, and let’s not forget about the built-in electronic viewfinder that is a must for sports photography.
Now for some of the downsides to this camera which may make you reconsider your decision on buying it for sports photography.
Autofocus is pretty fast, which is a plus but slight shutter lag at higher zoom levels offsets the benefit.
Then there is a short battery life which can be a big problem if you’re at a sports event where you can’t recharge your camera.
The lack of RAW shooting capability and the lack of environmental sealings also detract from its ability for sports photography.
Also, a slow lens at Tele means you’ll have a hard time getting a shutter speed that’s fast enough.
Considering both the good and bad features and specs of this camera, we can say that it’s an average choice for this type of photography.
| 7.0 fps continuous shooting |
| 1/4000 Shutter speed |
| Manual Exposure |
| Manual Focus |
| Image Stabilization |
| 2000 mm Zoom Lens |
| Ergonomics and Handling |
| Environmental Sealings |
| Battery Life |
| Slow Tele Lens |
| No External flash shoe |
| No RAW shooting |
Daily Photography
The best feature of this camera of daily photography type is it’s 83x optical zoom that gives you a lot of flexibility since it’s the only camera you’ll use during the day.
Its body size is average, and it’s pretty good for handling, but the problem is its weight and the body thickness. It’s pretty heavy for the camera you’ll have to carry around all day.
Another downside is a small sensor that struggles in the low light, and of course, the lack of the RAW shooting capability that’ll make it challenging for you to recover the shadow and highlight clipping.
All in all, this camera isn’t ideal for daily photography, but because of its large optical zoom, we can say that it’s an average choice.
| Optical Zoom 42x |
| Medium body |
| Weight 899g |
| 1/2.3 sensor |
| No RAW shooting |
Landscape Photography
Proper exposure is critical for landscape photography, so it’s a great thing that P900 has a manual exposure mode that helps you achieve the right exposure. The same goes for the focus, and the presence of the manual focus mode is also an advantage.
A wide-angle coverage is also present in this camera which is of great importance because most photographers take landscape photos with wide-angle lenses.
The sensor resolution of 16.0MP is not bad but it’s not perfect. Still, it’s possible to get larger prints with good framing.
However, the biggest downsides to this camera are a lack of environmental sealings and the lack of RAW shooting capability. A small sensor is also a disadvantage.
Still, it does show some potential, so we have to say that it can be an average choice when it comes to landscape photography.
| 24 mm Wide-angle coverage |
| Manual Focus Mode |
| Manual Exposure Mode |
| Sensor resolution 16.0 MP |
| No RAW shooting capability |
| 1/2.3″ Sensor size |
| No environmental sealing |
Conclusion
Now that we’ve covered all the relevant specs of this camera, what you can see is that Nikon Coolpix P900 is one pretty good camera to own having an 83X optical zoom as one of its crucial features.
Regarding photography types, it shows great potential in most of them, but it’s especially appropriate for street photography. Although not perfect in any of them, this camera has some great features that make it, at least, a candidate to consider buying.
Another important thing to mention is its reasonable price for a camera with some great specs that won’t disappoint you.
Now it’s all up to you and your preferences. I hope this was article would help you make your decision. Happy clicking!
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