Off Topic Nikon P900/1000

Geez that gold came up nice and clear..

My gold pictures were just done with my iphone..

For my gold photos out in the field I use the compact Olympus Tough camera. It is waterproof to 15 metres and has a very good macro setting and is small enough to fit in my camelback with everything else. One drawback is the battery needs charging regularly. All the photos I post on the forum are taken with my Canon 550D or 650D.

This nugget was taken with the Olympus Tough.


I have tried some experimenting with the Olympus macro and it is difficult to get everything in focus on larger pieces. Internal light is a bit dull and the outdoor light tends to give the nuggets a bright fake look. For around $450.00 it is a good buy if you don't already have a compact camera and are looking to buy one for this type of work

Regards Axtyr.

Axtyr wrote:For my gold photos out in the field I use the compact Olympus Tough camera. It is waterproof to 15 metres and has a very good macro setting and is small enough to fit in my camelback with everything else. One drawback is the battery needs charging regularly. All the photos I post on the forum are taken with my Canon 550D or 650D.

This nugget was taken with the Olympus Tough.


I have tried some experimenting with the Olympus macro and it is difficult to get everything in focus on larger pieces. Internal light is a bit dull and the outdoor light tends to give the nuggets a bright fake look. For around $450.00 it is a good buy if you don't already have a compact camera and are looking to buy one for this type of work

Regards Axtyr.

 G'day Axtyr, I've got one too ,yes there a terrific robust camera ,and they can take terrific photo's ,but I got a couple a couple of quick questions ,you'd probably  know more about cameras than me ,
  *yeah my battery power doesn't seem to last long either ,if I dig it out after say 10-12 weeks , the battery only last for a dozen or so photo's 
   *the back display is now hard to see , took it camera people ,reckon there was nothing they could do
   * if I go into settings ,and set it up say for a landscape ,bright light etc ,or what ever ,then turn it off ,then turn it back on again ,it's gone back to normal settings  

Hi Axtyr.
That's a good pic of a nice nugget.
The point of the thread is that the P900 can take a very acceptable pic of a nugget
and zoom in on the moon. And heaps in between.

Hugh.

I have sent you a PM about your camera. Let me know if you have received it.

regards Axtyr.

This old fella has seen better days.
Dropped in last week with a mob of other cockies and has not been back since.

Adrian.

I suspect he is rotting in a prison cell. That lower beak of his could be classified as an excavator and he has been trundled off for using excavation equipment in a goldfield.

Regards Axtyr.

I suspect he was a not well looked after cadged  bird (might explain the lower beak)  and either escaped or was let go.
There is no justification for cadging these birds and it should be illegal. 

So to summise Adrian, Nero and anyone else whose had a good go with it, and if you really don't want to take pictures of things beyond Earth, would you recommend this camera. Does it excel at nature shots from a fair distance and also macro work on gold nuggets?

It is fine/great for nature shots, star trails and short time laps but I find the resolution to be too low for really high qual macro. or taking pics of the planets on high zoom. The 900  will take good close ups but the pics will not tolerate much enlargement. I will say that all of my shots have been hand held and no doubt things would sharpen up a bit when a tripod and timer is used.
The P 900 cannot shoot in RAW.

If you are not into planet pics and extreme close ups then the camera is hard to beat.
You can maybe make a judgement call from some of my hand held pics earlier in this thread.

I always recommend Try before You Buy.

Thanks Adrian. I already have a Panasonic Lumix which has a Leica lens that handles the macro work very well, now need something excellent for long distance nature shots.

Mate for the money you will not beat the 900 for long distance high zoom nature pics. It is a one lens does it all camera.....Except for Fish Eye.

adrian ss wrote:Mate for the money you will not beat the 900 for long distance high zoom nature pics. It is a one lens does it all camera.....Except for Fish Eye.

There's one on ebay for $696 from Australia with a Sandisk SD 32GB Card Kit. Is 32 GB enough?

I am just a general every day type photographer and 32G is all I have used. I do not always use max mega pix but most of the shots I have posted here are at 16MP
There are plenty of cams/lens combinations  around with better resolution than the P900 but the big zoom, Moon Mode, Star trails and Time-laps is what I wanted.

slimpickens wrote:

adrian ss wrote:Mate for the money you will not beat the 900 for long distance high zoom nature pics. It is a one lens does it all camera.....Except for Fish Eye.

There's one on ebay for $696 from Australia with a Sandisk SD 32GB Card Kit. Is 32 GB  enough?

696 is near on new price if it is a used camera,
I purchased mine from JB Hi FI in Canberra for 635.00 They will often negotiate a bit. 

PS.
The battery compartment door latch on this cam is a bit iffy, although I have not caused the latch on my cam  to unlock yet.....Just something to watch out for.

adrian ss wrote:

slimpickens wrote:

adrian ss wrote:Mate for the money you will not beat the 900 for long distance high zoom nature pics. It is a one lens does it all camera.....Except for Fish Eye.

There's one on ebay for $696 from Australia with a Sandisk SD 32GB Card Kit. Is 32 GB  enough?

696 is near on new price if it is a used camera,
I purchased mine from JB Hi FI in Canberra for 635.00 They will often negotiate a bit. 

PS.
The battery compartment door latch on this cam is a bit iffy, although I have not caused the latch on my cam  to unlock yet.....Just something to watch out for.

No, they're all new, there's plenty on ebay ranging from $650 (refurbished) to $799  Aust. stock.  JB Hifi price $749 and that's with $50 off.


Just bought one Adrian. New- SD 64GB Trip0d Kit / / SD 64GB Trip0d Re@der Kit / Nikon Coolpix P900 BLACK  $709.68. For a few more bucks got the 64GB card. Thanks for your help, cheers, Harry

Had a look in at Jb today and you are correct, they have gone up a bit from when I purchased mine.

I am sure you will like the camera and  I hope it measures up to your expectations 

Cheers.
Adrian

Adrian, I have been very impressed with your P900 photos, but to be honest I have always been a Canon man and was waiting for a reported to be a 100 x, unit as they have had a patent for the unit for several years. But the expected release early this year did not come so today I have swapped camps and purchased the P900.

No photos yet, but I am sure that it will be a great machine. A quick question to current owners, the handbook very strongly says not to use other USB chargers, but says charging via your computer USB is ok. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me, so I was wondering if anyone used other alternatives, such as from battery packs or car USB charge points, etc.

Thanks,

I normally use the supplied charger or a comp usb port.
    I have recharged from one of my other lithium ion chargers with no apparent probs. So long as it is a dedicated lithium ion automatic re charger and is 3.7 to 3.8 volt charger then I see no probs.......Preferably not a Fast re charger.

    I have been using fast chargers with my NIMH batteries and the batteries are not lasting very long at all. They get too hot. 
You do not want Li Ion batteries getting excessively hot. This is my opinion only and is based on experience, not scientific fact.

Thanks Adrian, I will try and stick with the supplied charger, but there are times when a charge is desired and you don't have access to 240V mains. If the charger was providing the charge regulation then that may be understood, but that must not be the case if charge is ok from a computer USB port.

Will give the P900 a bit of a workout over the next few weeks, to help me decide if I should take my Canon DSLR and the raft of lenses with me, when I head off on a trip around Oz in about 4 weeks.

I think what comes out of the comp usb port is 5.3 vac and there must be a regulated charger cct in the camera??

Initial testing has been positive for the P900 for my travelling needs. Eats the 500mm lens on the Canon for telephoto in good light, and closer shots in lower light inside, also seem to be ok. But the main thing that is in its favour at this time apart from the good telephoto shots, is the space and weight of one P900 versus a backpack full of cameras and lenses.

While it may not do everything that I want under all lighting conditions, its looking good at this time. e.g. I have used the Canon to do "light painting" inside caves, etc, and I don't believe that I can do that with the P900, as there is no bulb mode. I also found the manual focus to be a bit clunky and while a bit easier to use when assigned to the side zoom control, it is still slow and use is not "intuitive".

More playing for the next weeks or so.

Amazing zoom on this camera

https://youtu.be/p-0X3xJf-kg

I agree that the manual focus is awful and a B mode would be very handy.

Looking at that clip makes my 900 look a bit sick. The is no way that it will focus that sharp on distant aircraft.

They were using a tripod and likely after already auto focussing at long zoom on something then using the snap back function to re-position to what they wanted to capture. I have found that feature great with such a powerful zoom.

What would be the 5 essential accessories to get for this camera?
Does it come with a UV filter?
Other stuff like......... Tripod, Monopod, Cleaning equipment, camera bag, remote control ect.?

1 - Nikon 67mm screw on filter.   Basically a must to protect the lens from damage. Mister Google says $70>$90  
2 - Camera bag like the filter to protect the camera from dirt, knocks, etc.  Not expensive in JB's $40>$80.
3 - Next a tripod.  I already have several of these, big and small, and am playing with the different ones to see what is best for immediate travel plans, where I am optimizing space & weight.  Likely take small one that fits in camera bag for walking around needs and 1 larger one for shots when near the vehicle (more flexible in use).
4 - If you download the Nikon Wireless Mobile Utility, you can use it for remote control, viewing & downloading pic's on your mobile, free download.
5 - Cleaning gear such as a puffer.

Happy to hear what others are using that I can add to my list.

Thanks for that Pablop.

Is that just a clear glass filter or is it UV?

There are different ones available, but that is for a neutral/clear filter, mainly to act as protection for the lens.

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