Nikon P900 :- Is it the solution for bird & butterfly photography?

The Nikon P900 is my third bridge camera after previously owning two Panasonic Lumix models. What I have learnt is that camera's are not bullet proof. Years ago, I owned a Nikon SLR for sports photography and you could literaly play rugby with it and it would still work as good as ever. My first bridge camera had some sand blown down edge of lens whilst the second took a tumble (my fault !)

                                                       Grasshopper Warbler

                                                                 Cuckoo

Goldcrest

I already carry a Swarovski ATX 85mm scope & binoculars so it's important the camera I carry is light and offers flexability in terms of lens. I only take photos for my own puposes, if someone wants an image of two I tend to send the originals off straight away and then delete all the others. The main purpose of my photography is I find it an enoyable challange and gives me some good content for the blog.

So what does the Nikon P900 offer ? The big headline attraction is x83 optical zoom (eqivilent to 2000mm) , high defination view finder, point and shoot HD video, built in wifi compatibility and 3" 921,000 dot LCD (display screen).

                                                                     Marsh Fritillary

                                                    Wheatear
Before taking any photos I decided to read the manual fully so I could understand the camera and it's capabilities. This I found was really helpful and there were YouTube videos I also watched online. I also accept this camera is not an SLR so getting sharp flight shots in poor light was never going to happen.

The first thing I did was pre-programme the settings in the U mode (user defined settings). You do this by turning to A Moder (apeature priority) enter settings and saving. You can then switch to U and shoot. You need to experiment to what suits you but metering on spot, auto ISO & AF area mode to manual spot has certainly helped me. You can also programme the zoom to set lengths, this needs to be based on your own needs.

                                                      Mute Swan flight shot testing
Flight shots I've found difficult, I'm not saying I haven't taken a few good ones but I've taken many more bad ones. 1/500 doesn't seem quick enough for me so I tried 1/1000 to give me an increased chance. I'm sure skilled photographers would be able to get more out of this function. It's something I will keep working on.

                                             Common Whitethroat

                                                                  Little Ringed Plover
If you just want to shoot and go then the camera supports this too. You can select SCENE and there is a wide range of options including Birdwatching and close up. I've used both of these options as it gives me a back up in case I've selected the wrong settings and I've had some incredible results. This camera is easy to use. A number of my better butterfly shots were taken in close up mode.

This camera looks to be a perfect companion for my days exploring nature. The quality of the images are crisp and sharp, better than I've taken. The zoom capabilites are just an added bonus. When using the extended zoom I do switch the camera to the tripod to give it some added stability.

Whilst the camera is no beauty in it's looks, it only weighs 900g and I don't find that an inconveience at all. The camera is very easy to charge and the battery life appears to be outstanding. I certainly have no need to charge the camera after every trip out.

                                                                     Glanville Fritillary

                                                Common Redstart

My only negative is the time the camera takes to process the image, whilst only milli seconds, I have noticed this is slower than with my Lumix.
 
I purchased the camera online for £449.00 and I'd certainly recommend this camera.