The Nikon P1000 is a bit like an exotic supercar. Its design is focused solely on achieving big numbers, yet you’ll rarely take it to the max, but will still have to forgive its everyday inconveniences.
In our testing, we never needed more than 1500mm-equivalent reach to fill the image frame with our subject. While it’s nice to have the bragging rights that extra zoom is on tap, we’d prefer a more balanced camera with a bit less reach, but a smaller body containing a bigger sensor capable of better image quality.
We still love that Nikon has built such an incredible showcase of its optical engineering, even if the P1000 is a compromised beast that’s targeted at a very niche market.
The P1000 is a curious beast. If you absolutely need a camera with a 3000mm-equivalent lens, the fact that the P1000 is alone in offering this makes your decision easy. With a huge body, less-than-reliable autofocus, a sub-standard LCD and operational strifes, however, its appeal for anything else is more limited.
Nikon P1000 Specs
| Pixels | Actual: 16.8 Megapixel Effective: 16 Megapixel |
| Maximum Resolution | 4608 x 3456 |
| Aspect Ratio | 4:3 |
| Sensor Type | CMOS |
| Sensor Size | 1/2.3″ |
| Image File Format | JPEG, RAW |
| Image Stabilization | Optical |
| Focal Length | 4.5 to 539mm (35mm Equivalent Focal Length: 24 to 3000mm) |
| Optical Zoom | 125x |
| Digital Zoom | 4x Maximum (500x Combined Zoom) 2x Optimized (250x Combined Zoom) |
| Maximum Aperture | f/2.8 to 8 |
| Focus Range | 1′ to Infinity / 30.48 cm to Infinity (Wide) 23′ to Infinity / 7.01 m to Infinity (Telephoto) |
| Optical Design | 17 Elements in 12 Groups |
| Filter Size | 77 mm |
| ISO Sensitivity | 100 to 6400 |
| Shutter Speed | 1/4000 to 30 Seconds in Manual Mode 1/4000 to 1 Second in Auto Mode |
| Metering Method | Center-Weighted Average, Matrix, Spot |
| Exposure Modes | Aperture Priority, Auto, Manual, Program, Shutter Priority |
| Exposure Compensation | -2 to +2 EV (1/3 EV Steps) |
| White Balance | Auto, Cloudy, Daylight, Flash, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Preset Manual |
| Continuous Shooting | Up to 7 fps at 16 MP for up to 7 Exposures (JPEG) |
| Interval Recording | Yes |
| Self-Timer | 3/10-Second Delay |
| Special Options | Beach, Fireworks, Food, Landscape, Night Landscape, Night Portrait, Panorama, Party/Indoor, Portrait, Snow, Sports, Sunset |
| Recording Modes | MP4/H.264/MPEG-4 UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 25p/29.97p Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p HD (1280 x 720) at 25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p |
| Recording Limit | Up to 29 Minutes, 59 Seconds |
| Video Encoding | NTSC/PAL |
| Audio Recording | Built-In Microphone (Stereo) External Microphone Input |
| Audio File Format | AAC |
| Viewfinder Type | Electronic |
| Viewfinder Resolution | 2,359,000 Dot |
| Viewfinder Coverage | 100% |
| Diopter Adjustment | -3 to +3 |
| Monitor Size | 3.2″ |
| Monitor Resolution | 921,000 Dot |
| Monitor Type | Articulating LCD |
| Built-In Flash | Yes |
| Flash Modes | Auto |
| Effective Flash Range | ISO Auto 1.0 to 39.37′ / 0.3 to 12 m (Wide) 16.4 to 26.2′ / 5 to 8 m (Telephoto) |
| External Flash Connection | Hot Shoe |
| Memory Card Slot | 1 x SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Connectivity | 3.5mm Microphone, HDMI D (Micro), USB 2.0 Micro-B |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi Bluetooth |
| GPS | None |
| Battery | 1 x EN-EL20a Rechargeable Lithium-Ion (Approx. 250 Shots) |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 5.8 x 4.7 x 7.1″ / 146.3 x 118.8 x 181.3 mm (Excluding Protrusions) |
| Weight | 3.11 lb / 1415 g (Body with Battery and Memory) |
| Package Weight | 4.775 lb |
| Box Dimensions (LxWxH) | 11.85 x 7.45 x 7.15″ |