Customer Reviews

Nikon Coolpix P7000 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 7.1x Wide Zoom-Nikkor ED Lens and 3-Inch LCD

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(57)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

Let's get the facts out first. I've been a Nikon shooter for several decades, currently with a D300 (haven't made the leap yet to full frame, but that's next). I'm an amateur, but shoot at a pro level. My focus is on music and sports photography, and I like to have a good camera with me when I travel (my last ride-along P&S has been a Lumix DMC-TZ5). I shoot in a variety of conditions, but what I need must a) provides high quality images, b) be really portable (fits in my purse, can get into concerts that ban DSLRs unless you're shooting on assignment) c) have a longer lens option (200mm is 'table stakes') and d) provide the flexibility to twiddle the dials to find the best combo of ISO-aperture-shutter speed for a particular situation. Having HD capability is a nice-to-have.

I've been shopping for a new P&S easily for a year. Got interested and then uninterested in the Canon G11/G12/S95 because the lens is too short (even the extenders don't push it out far enough). Similar higher-end P&S cameras don't have the length I was looking for, or didn't fit the size criteria (ruled out the 'super zooms' largely because of this).

Nikon got my attention first with the P100 - but I read about image quality issues. When I learned about the P7000, I was intrigued. Could Nikon overcome its perceived issues and produce a P&S that makes picky photo people happy?

I made the plunge and bought the P7000. After reading a few more reviews and having a burst of post-purchase cognitive dissonance, the best plan was to just take the new acquisition out and A:B it against my D300 and the Lumix in a variety of conditions.

I'm glad I did. First impression: lots of dials to set and menus to learn, so to make it easy I just left it on the 'green' setting and let the camera make the decisions. Immediately it was clear that the Lumix's photo quality wasn't even in the same class as the P7000 (it looked good until you held it up against the others). The P7000's quality should be compared against the DSLR class.

After carrying a DSLR rig around, the P7000 seemed like a featherweight around the neck. Great build quality - solid metal feel. I don't like the AE-L and AF-L button being next to where you thumb is, but my fingers will learn. (Wish there was a wriststrap option that shipped with the camera too.) LOVE the display, and the ability to see the histogram data. Feels like my D300 in many ways.

Now to the images. Shot with the D300 and the P7000 looking up a tree trunk. Depth of field, image clarity and WB were surprisingly similar. Wow. Tried it again in both indoor and outdoor conditions, and saw little to no difference. In fact I preferred the P7000 images several times to the D300 - they looked better (Note 1 below). After several hours of shooting both cameras, my post-purchase cognitive dissonance was gone and I am eager to learn more about my new traveling 'friend'.

I do agree with the reviewers who note that the dials and settings aren't particularly intuitive. The instruction manual is about on the scale of a DSLR. It also - for now - lacks the really long lens capability I'm looking for (I believe that Nikon will be introducing accessories soon, including a telephoto extender). I wish that the lens were faster in the lower end, and I wish that Nikon did a better job of removing high ISO noise (this is a criticism for non-full frame Nikon bodies in general; I'm hoping that RAW and post-processing will clean this up). But the advantages of the camera - DSLR-like photo quality, Nikon fit/finish and build, and a longer lens than comparable high-end P&S - make me believe that Nikon is going in the right direction and that this is a break from its previous P&S cameras.

If you don't have size constraints (as I do), buy a DSLR - you will get more in the long run. If you want DSLR-like performance in a P&S, definitely take a look at the P7000.

(Note 1: A good DSLR rig with good glass will take better photos than a point-and-shoot in virtually all situations - that's simple physics. I've not given up my DSLRs, but am recognizing the fact that the P7000 has the ability to shoot photos at the same level of quality in the outdoor/daylight conditions - low ISO - in which I ran my comparison. Higher ISOs for low light conditions do introduce more noise, and this is an expected function of the sensor in this class of camera. When I'm shooting 'serious', I still take the DSLRs. Use this camera on the path to a DSLR, since it has many of the same control features, or as a supplement for times when you don't want to carry the 'big rig' or can't because of constraints where you will be shooting.)
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UPDATE: I've put about 1,000 shots into the camera over the past week, including one day of a music festival where I shot all but maybe 3 shots with the P7000 (see the photos here -[...]data is on). Net: though I still have not figured out the nuances, you can get really good photos out of the camera, but it does require learning how to use its capabilities. It is slower than the DSLR, but not so bad that it gets in the way of getting the shot. The P7000 has developed an issue where the lens cover will not retract completely, which causes the corners of the frame to be shaded. So, this must be sorted out. This is unfortunately not what I expected from Nikon, even in the first release. I'll report back in based upon what I find out, but for now I'm keeping the 5 star rating.

UPDATE (NOV 2010): The camera returned from Nikon in time to take to SFO. Nikon adjusted the shutter (works fine now) and the white balance. Interestingly the shot count was advanced about another thousand, so I trust they took the time to really check it out. I've finally figured out how to do quick aperture/shutter speed adjustments in manual mode, and am finding as I learn its controls and tricks, it's easier and easier to get great shots. I'm amazed at the 'night' setting - never fails to render something really interesting and usable. White balance in this mode has been most impressive - even in darkened rooms and in street shots at night, the photos come out rendered in the right colors, in focus and with plenty of light. I'm keeping the 5-star rating.

UPDATE (Feb 2011): The shutter has not hung up again but the service guy who looked at it last noted that he thought some of the parts were 'worn'. I still really enjoy the camera, but did purchase a 3 year extended warranty. I would recommend that anyone else do the same if they buy it in the near future, up until the time that the reports of the shutter issue die off. I'm attributing it to the initial release of a very new camera design, and there are often things they will improve upon over time. But in contrast, my new D7000 is working like a champ right out of the box, leading me to surmise that their design and manufacturing standards may be higher for their DSLRs than their P&S cameras. Just an observation - does anyone else have a similar experience?

UPDATE (Mar 2011): Spoke with a Nikon person during SXSW who advised me to make sure I had the firmware updates loaded into the camera. Another reviewer commented that it's still in beta - I would tend to believe that. Still enjoying the camera. I did tell him that I am wishing for them to take a great low-light sensor and put it into a P&S footprint, and he noted that pretty much everyone wants that too. Nikon - where is this on your product roadmap? I'll camp out to buy one of these!

This is a great camera if you're looking for an extremely customizable compact camera.

Size and Handling -- This really just depends on what you are looking for. If you want a pocket camera that can fit into shirt pockets, jean pockets, etc then this is not the camera for you and you really should look elsewhere. For me, it's the perfect size, not too big and not too small. The camera is solid but not too heavy.

Picture quality -- I shoot mainly in RAW and the quality so far is excellent. Little noise up to ISO400 and usable to ISO800. Can go to 1600 in a pinch.

Autofocus -- Focus is fast and accurate. There are options for Autofocus, Macro Focus, Infinity, and Manual Focus. Be sure to read the manual and spend time understanding the focus options. Some people are reporting focus issues and I believe many are related to users not learning enough about the focus system.

Write speed -- This is where I would have given a 4 1/2 instead of a 5 if I could. JPG write speeds are good but RAW is fairly slow and doesn't appear to buffer. It doesn't affect me much based on the way I take pictures but there are times that it would be nice if it were faster. Of course if you shoot JPG then this is a non-issue.

Pros
Customization
Battery life
Viewfinder (I don't use it too often but nice when you need it)
Image quality
Zoom range
Menus (intuitive, easy to use. Even better if you're familiar with Nikon DSLR menus.)
Works with Nikon remote and Nikon flash
Preset zoom

Cons
Have to select Playback button to scroll through images (I like the ability to scroll after taking a photo like the D90)
No articulating screen (If I have to choose, I'll take the higher res LCD but every once in a while the articulating screen would come in handy).
RAW write speed (will be a bigger con for some than it is for me)

In summary this is a great camera and I highly recommend it as long as you aren't confusing it for something it's not like a pocket P&S with limited controls or a full sized DSLR!!

I purchased this camera for my wife for Christmas. In March while out on a photo shoot of wildflowers the Lens Cover stopped opening fully. Since it was past Amazon's 30 day return window I went to Nikon's Website and set up a return to repair facility. At this point I was somewhat disappointed but understanding of the fact sometimes things don't go completely correctly and had high expectations of Nikon making things right. I sent off to Nikon(on my dime) and after a few weeks they replied the camera would be repaired under warranty. So far so good. After about a month and a half the camera was returned. The first time we took it out it immediate exhibited the same Lens Cover not retracting issue.

Now I will have to look forward to sending it back to Nikon (on my dime) and waiting a couple of months for Nikon to "repair". Not what I expected from Nikon. We have vacation planned for next month and the whole idea of purchasing this camera was to have one which took quality photos but was easier to carry around than our D40x. Now it looks like I will have to purchase an equivalent size camera from Canon or another company if we don't want to carry the D40x.....

I should have read others reviews before purchasing as I see this issue is not unique to us.

Update:
I contacted Nikon Customer Support and they sent me a pre-paid shipping label since the problem was back less than six months from their "repair". I can't complain that I had to ship back "on my dime". Still unhappy the camera has been at repair facility for about 1/3 of the time I have owned it.

Update:
After a few weeks my wife called and checked on repair. Nikon stated it was shipping out the next day. After a couple of weeks it hadn't showed up and she checked back. Nikon then stated the repair had not started yet. Since it was less than a week until our big trip my wife was upset and let Nikon know it. They agreed to send a NEW camera to replace our original one. It arrived in time for trip and so far it works OK. Hope the lens cover issue does not reappear. I will update if anything else goes wrong or if everything goes right (fingers crossed)

Update:
Camera performed flawlessly during vacation. Took ~ 1500 photos. However, the week after our return the *NEW* camera started exhibiting the same lens cover problem. So far we have had to send to Nikon twice, once for repair and once for replacement.
We plan on contacting Nikon and asking for a refund.

I've been waiting for a camera like this from Nikon for years and was about to go for the Canon G11 when the P7000 (and G12) came out. The specs were exactly what I'd wanted - a lower pixel count with higher ISO, larger, higher res screen than the P6000 with faster RAW processing and a greater range in the lens. I looked at the G12 but decided on the Nikon and I'm glad I did.

I shoot a D700, but wanted something I can take everywhere and I've just been blown away with the P7000. The controls take a little getting used to if you are familiar with the Nikon DSLR range, but ISO, QUAL, WB setup are almost the same and you get three custom settings U1, U2 and U3 where you can save common configurations such as low light (as the auto ISO ranges from 100-200, 100-400 and 100-1600 so it is a good idea ifyou use low light and want 3200 or Hi1 to set this up as a U setting rather than changing the ISO - I setup mine as U3). You can also reprogram 3 of the standard buttons to shortcuts and there is a MyMenu which is really hand for commonly used settings.

Manual is a bit fiddly as the +/- sensor is a bit slow and too small to use dynamically as the light meter setting shows up yellow on white (not much contrast) whereas the Aperture and Shutter priority are as fast as they are on a DSLR and are really clear. One really nice feature is the real time histogram, if you use histograms this will save you a lot of time and missed shots as you can see your shot will be over or under range before you shoot - but then the matrix sensor is pretty hard to fool. I'm not a fan of bracketing, why not get the shot right first time around, but if you are a bracketing fan this too works well on the P7000 and can be setup on another U for when you want to make doubly sure you get the shot.

Image quality is amazing for a point and shoot like this, even at full optical zoom it will really make me think twice when travelling as to whether to lug your DSLR.

There is plenty of distortion in the lens, but not complex and easily corrected in Photoshop (not sure if NX2 does this automatically as with the D700).

I've no idea why Nikon bothered with the flash hot shoe, if you stick a flash on it you may as well use your DSLR and with the low light handling and VR of the P7000 as well as a steady hand you can take superb low light shots, and the little inbuilt flash more than suffices when high ISO's are not enough.

One thing I love is the view finder. I'm happy to use the screen to take a shot but in daylight you are often guessing at what you are shooting and the viewfinder provides an pretty good alternative. An accurate DSLR viewfinder it isn't, but it zooms as the lens zooms and it is accurate enough to get the shot. Apparently it is an 80% viewfinder, I think that is an average as it seemed to vary over the range but you do get used to it pretty quickly, especially with the P7000's zoom stops.

All in all the P7000 is just superb. I'm glad I waited and at 85% of the weight of the G12, longer zoom (the lens is rated slower at 5.6 vs 4.5 with the G12, but then the P700 runs to 200mm whereas the G12 is 140mm - they are probably similar at around 140mm).

I'm sure Nikon will have a better model in 2 years, but at this stage I can't even imagine what would entice me to buy it as the P7000 has it all.

Thank you Nikon and well done.

I really get tired of people who write reviews and have no idea of what they are talking about. I have been a photographer since 1958 and haave used/experimented with everything from (A) Alpa to (z) Zephyr. A Nikon devotee I will say right up front that the Coolpix P 7000 is not a camera for those who are given to setting cameras in the (P) mode and white light balance to Auto. With the D3x, D700 and D90 in my camera cabinet I can tell you that the P7000 deserves to be in that company. Yes there is a bit of a lag if you are shooting in the Fine mode with both RAW and JPEG files being recorded, but that would be true of any camera in this "Bridge Class" of cameras.

I put this camera through its paces at the Newseum here in Washington DC and in areas where flash was forbidden, historic documents and front pages with White Light balanced to incandescent the aging document colors remained accurate and at ISO 1600 I was able to hand hold without difficulty and without loosing a shot, producing 300 DPI 11 (x) 14 and 16 (x) 20 print files. In fact the only time I used the flash, set a fill-flash was to photograph a brass Lion outside of the Capital Grill. Bare burning sunlight lit up the right side and the fill flash balanced the left side shadow area to absolute perfection. That photo is a flawless 16 (x) 20 file that reveals every bit of weather damage and Pigeon droppings.

Spot metering the interior of a hanging Helicopter interior, conveniently approximately 50% Grey value the sensor recorded every color, hue and tonality faithfully.

Exterior photos from the observation deck produced picture perfect postcard renditions of the Capital and surrounding buildings.

The camera uses all of my external Nikon Flash cords and set up on a Stroboframe Pro "T" bracket makes for a very appropriate compact carry unit Compared with a good number of cameras in this class, all competent, the controls of the P7000 suit me to a, excuse me, a "T". The Stroboframe 300 QRC plate is a wonderful fit for tripod mounting. I have left it mounted to the camera as I habitually carry the small Bogen Manfrotto 3422 Table Top tripod around with me and use when needed bracing it against anything handy.

I used that setup in the nearby St. Mary's Cemetery doing some test scouting in anticipation of Fall Fog and Winter Snow. The rendering of the head stones was simply amazing; no other word, and the detail of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in the back ground was superior to anything my Canon G cameras have produced.

Every camera has its strengths and weakness. If you want a swing out display buy something else and don't Complain. I don't like them and too many of my friends have had to send their equipment out for repair after minor knocks. I'm old school I guess and I carry a 4 ft. square of Black denim in my camera Bag and play Matthew Brady when I need to see the LED display in overwhelming light. It works just fine.

After over 250 photos with this camera I have dumped two. They were my errors.

If you read/study the manual, practice and utilize the white light balance control, change ISO appropriate to the Challenge, change meter pattern as dictated you will love this little gem.

As for any 1,2,3 ratings; I have to assume that those folks are either novices or Canon detractors. I have used them all and don't slant my appraisals. The Canon G series has much to offer but the Nikon P7000 does everything I want it to. Also you might want to looks up some of the reviews from the recent Photokina Trade show in Cologne where the P7000 was the hands down winner over the G12.

Can't wait for the accessory attachment tube to available. Heavens knows what I'll be able to mount on it...maybe Precision Optics +7 diopter close up lens.

Purchased a Nikon P7000 for a family vacation to the Grand Canyon. The lens cover that automatically folds out of the way when the camera is turned on did not retract fully when turned on. Very frustrating since the unique photos of this family vacation have angled lens covers on many shots. After one of my children reviewed the photos on the third night of our trip, he noticed an angled black area top and bottom of the photos. I said WTF! I bought this fairly expensive point and shoot from what I thought was a top flight manufacturer and am very disappointed. Even if they fix the camera the photos are ridiculous and lost forever. They remind me of someone putting their finger over the lens! I can't share these amateurish photos on flicker or Facebook but I can share my disappointment with the results with any one of my hundreds of family and friends. Unhappy former Nikon buyer.

I really wanted to like the P7000 as I own Nikon DSLR's, but I just can't recommend it over the Canon G11 (or G12). First, the P7000 is slower than the G11 in most every way. The G11 zooms faster, scrolls through menus faster, magnifies photos you've already taken faster, and just feels snappier overall than the P7000. Shooting in RAW format is agonizingly slow on the P7000 and really only useful for landscapes as it takes 4 to 5 seconds to save each file, during which time the camera is locked up. Second, while I like the menu system and access to functions on the P7000 overall, it's still a bit more of a disjointed experience than on the G11. For example, to change the white balance on the P7000 you turn the Quick dial on the left side to WB, push the button, and then scroll over to the desired setting with the Multi-Selector wheel on the right side; it requires that you use both hands to accomplish this task. On the G11 you simply press the function button with your right thumb and then use the control wheel to scroll to the desired setting; all major setting changes can be made with just your right thumb. Finally, the P7000 exhibits more noise at ISO 1600 than the G11 which is kind of the required threshold for shooting in low light in doors without flash or having to worry about camera shake.

Don't get me wrong, the P7000 is a very good camera. If you want to use an external flash and you already own Nikon speedlights then it's not a bad choice. But it just doesn't quite measure up to the Canon G11 (or now G12).

Got mine about a week ago from Amazon.com. I've been playing with it ever since. Here are a few notes, first of all, the photos are good and I'm surprised at the relatively low noise up to 1600 ISO. It does have some limits in terms of exposure range though, with more blown out hightlights than the larger sensor in the D70 and D200, my other cameras.

Potential owners should realize that this camera is a serious tool and definitely not recommended for beginners. I have a feeling there may be some disappointed owners if they buy this thinking it's a basic digicam. It is packed with buttons and dials, so much so that it's hard to pick it up there's not much room to hold it and when taking a photo, there is very little room for the left hand to hold the camera. Even the pinch doesn't work if the flash is popped up on the upper left hand corner.

I use my cameras almost exclusively for professional work, taking product photos at trade shows for a large website. The P7000 has many features that can be tweaked and customized -- probably more than any of my DSLR's, which is good for pros but not for basic snapshooters.

I've been reading the P7000 owner's manual over and over, page by page, working through the camera to try and learn every feature. It's a bit daunting, as the manual is not the most user friendly thing you'll ever read and it takes several read-throughs to figure out what they're trying to tell you.

Another issue is that there are sometimes 3-4 different ways of doing the same thing (changing the settings), which can be confusing.

The first thing I noticed is what other people have commented on, this is a slow camera. Everything about it, changing menus, even switching from photo mode to playback mode, takes time. It's like it's using an old, slow CPU or something. I hope they fix that in a firmware upgrade.

The RAW issue doesn't bother me, because I almost never use RAW. But I tried it and it isn't as bad as people say -- so it takes a couple of seconds to save the file -- big deal. The way some people are talking, you could make a cup of tea in the time it takes to save a RAW file. Don't believe it.

The other thing that does bother me and that I hadn't realized is that it apparently only stops down to f8.0. I was surprised when I discovered this just today. So taking a macro shot at f8.0 of small products means some areas are out of focus, I usually stop down to f14 or so for this work.

Another quirk is that apparently (so far anyway) you can't adjust the amount of time the image stays on the screen after the shot was taken? I don't see a way to change that. Also, it's too easy to turn the camera on by pressing the flush on/off button when you're picking up the camera. The button should be recessed. And I've picked it up a couple of times and accidentally touched the playback button on the back, and surprise, this turns the camera on also. So be careful when you put the camera back in your bag, if you hold it wrong, you'll be turning it back on without realizing it.

But overall, as a pro I'm glad it has so much adjustability. The video isn't bad either, at 720p and .mov file format it's just enough for me to take some quick video of products for a quick edit in Premiere Elements and an upload.

Don't get me wrong, I like the camera a lot and it's perfectly suited for what I do, but it's not as easy to use as I thought it would be. And by the way, I've tried my SB-400 flash on it also and it works fine, I haven't tried my SB-600 or SB-800 yet, which would be overkill, but I'm going to give them a try just for kicks.

By the way, I agree also with the other commenter who said the display doesn't show the image as it should with the focus and exposure and depth of field -- it shows you the "live" TV-like view, then you take the photo, then have to go into the playback mode to see how the photo looks, then back to shoot mode. Not fun. Also, as I mentioned above, the photo only displays for a few seconds, not really enough to see it after it's been taken and I don't see a way of controlling how long the photo remains on the LCD. Hopefully, this will be fixed in a firmware update. I hope...

UPDATE: I tried my SB-800, the P7000 knows it's on there because the little external flash icon lights up, but the flash doesn't fire. No error messages or anything; push the shutter release and nothing happens, no photo, no flash. I put the SB-400 back on and it works fine. I plan on emailing Nikon to see what the official word is on this. Not sure how many people would want to use an SB-600 or SB-800 on the camera, but you never know.

UPDATE 2: Here's another curious feature of the P7000. If it's in A (aperture priority) or S (shutter priority) and the ISO is set to auto or auto high, when the camera is switched to M (manual), the ISO reverts back to 100. So if you use Aperture priority to get a sense of what the camera likes for exposure settings, then switch to Manual to tweak it a bit (something I often do), you have to remember to go in and reset the ISO also. Kind of strange I think and not like my DSLRs where the ISO stays constant.

The U (User settings) can help here; the Mode Dial has 3 available user settings (U1, U2, U3) that allow you to save a configuration set where the camera settings are configured to your preferences.

Again, my feeling is that this would not be a good camera for beginners -- it's highly customizable, almost to a fault, even for experienced users. Of course, you can always leave it on Auto and shoot away, but then you'd probably be better off with a S6000 or something.

I'm a little disappointed, I just think other competing cameras are easier to use than the P7000. The last thing I want to be doing when I'm taking photos at one of my trade shows is messing with a bunch of camera settings. I guess I'll just leave it on Auto and plug in my SB-400 and hope for the best, but then I feel like I'm not taking full advantage of the camera's capabilities and my photo skills.

The camera is good, but the lens cover will not fully open when turned on. Need to use finger to open. This is a major issue for Nikon P7000.

I have been using Nikon cameras since 1975 and currently using a D200 and D300, but never been able to convince myself to buy a Nikon Point and Shoot before the P7000.

You will find a couple of hand full of photos at the start of the shared photos intentionally made under less than desirable conditions. MOST of the shots posted were made with some obstacle - low light - overcast and drizzle - silly distances to test the digital zoom etc.. Most of the shots include camera data so you can see what the speed, aperture, and the focal length of the zoom lens in a 35mm format.

If you know your D300 the function controls are familiar as are what the settings will do for you. The camera handled the challenges thrown at it surprisingly well. This is the most flexible camera in a point and shoot I have seen to date, and definitely the best value overall. It is larger than your typical P&S, similar to the Cannon G Series but the functions are more like like a Nikon DSLR than not.

The P7000 is the ideal camera for three groups of people:
1. DSLR users that want a better back up camera with a long zoom, a more portable camera for everyday picture opportunites, and dislike the lens speed and quality and/or the lack of flexibility in most *not all* P&S offerings.
2. P&S shooters that are not interested in a DSLR but want better shots and the ability to be more creative, that may also want good shots were most P&S products fail them.
3. P&S shooters that aspire to owning a DSLR that want an easy transition to Nikon's DSLR family of products. A P&S P7000 owner will have a very small learning curve when they make the transition to Nikon's semi-pro and professional line. The PS7000 for this group will shorten the learning curve dramatically and the camera will still have value when they transition to the DSLR lineup. Moreover, the P7000 will still be useful as an everyday camera for the unexpected shot opportunities normally missed for not having a good enough camera, or getting a DSLR into action quickly enough.

I think Nikon made some very wise decisions on this camera. One of them was limiting the optical zoom range to 28-200mm. The quality of zooms that drop below 28mm is generally poor if they zoom lower than 28mm and still go up to 200mm. The same is true of zooms that go from 28mm to over 200/250mm on the high end of the zoom. Adding to the zoom range on either side impacts the cost for good quality. Check out the price of Nikon's 28-300mm consumer lens and you will see the price sky rockets. The lowest aperture also goes up faster than most of us want on the high end of zoom. 28-200mm is the sweet spot for quality and cost effective. Nikon's digital zoom takes you to 300mm with a small amount of digital magnification that is acceptable and significantly reduces camera shake since you are really shooting at 200mm. I do not encourage it but have 800mm shot uploaded for you. Pushing this camera to 300mm with the Digital Zoom is a walk in the park and may save you time in cropping later in post processing.

Anyone that has shot at extreme distances with a Nikkor 800mm f/5.6s IF-ED knows what I am talking about. Try carrying it all day and then setting up this 5kg plus lens, without the camera attached, fast and then manually focusing it for a shot that is time critical to capture the subject. Yes, the quality of the lens is awesome but last time I checked it was still well over 20 - 40 times as expensive as the P7000.

Hand holding lenses in the 600-800mm is not that different from shooting ground hogs at 300-400 yards. It requires a steady hand and good breathing techniques. Nikon takes the pain out this by optically magnifying the 200mm lens which reduces the problem of camera shake dramatically. The picture angle of an 800mm lens is only 3 degrees so what Nikon has done with the P7000 makes sense.

I like the Cannon G11 and G12. They are both good cameras and very similar. They take good pictures but they have no where near the flexibility of the P7000 for someone that that is or will take the time to learn how to use the functions built into the P7000. Some of the comments and comparisons about the two cameras are irrelevant to me in terms of taking real life pictures, especially the ones that require a long lens as is desirable for birding. Most menu settings are done prior to taking pictures based on the anticipated light, weather conditions, and activity or movement of the subject being captured. The adjustments needed to take pictures when shooting are readily available. The P7000 is made for catching candid shots when it is set up right for the task at hand.

**** Note Insert ******
I seriously ticked off one of our readers when i mentioned the G11/G12. He thought it was confusing and not objective. While reviewing the P7000 here I felt the need to mention that the P7000 does have credible competition. Not only the Canon G12 but also the Panasonic Lumix LX5 which has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. When writing the above paragraph it also occurred to me that not everyone will want the learning curve to even notice some of the P7000 features that are important to me. They may not even want or need the additional features and the longer zoom lens on the P7000. Because of this I went through what I think about the two cameras in detail highlighting more than a few things about each of these cameras, and what each does best which is highly subjective. There is no one best fixed lens camera for every shooting situation. I like the extra sharp pictures the P7000 produces and think it is a great camera but it is not number one in every single category.
****** END *********

One of the cons I read here before buying the camera was that the zoom is not fast enough. The P7000 zoom and auto-focus are very quick in the optical zoom range. It is only when you get to the digital zoom range when it clicks incrementally that it slows down. Nikon is intentionally alerting you that you have left the optical zoom range because each click going forward will lessen the quality because lpm will decrease and the errors will be magnified by the digital zoom. Take a look at my hand held digital zoom shots using the Digital Zoom and judge for yourself but remember they were enhanced in post processing which will take a couple of minutes are more depending on your experience.

Another con I read was the taking flash shots indoors. The P7000 wants a Nikon smart flash like the SB600 or SB900. Superior results on flash with the right flash attachment with this camera is very simple.

The first thing I typically do with a point and shoot is turn the digital zoom off because my experience with zooms is that the overwhelming desire to get closer is more than most of us can resist. Nikon's digital zoom works fine if you are willing to take the time with post processing which the image will need if the subject is a small portion of the screen like the ones I took for testing the camera. The shot I posted is at 800mm is hand held and acceptable considering it was shot wide open at f/5.6 at about 1/100 second and ISO 400 intentionally to stress the camera along with others.

Night shots are incredible with the P7000. Seriously good with no fiddling with settings. Anyone can take an excellent low available light picture with the P7000. The light has to be really low to even need a flash on the P7000 except for back lighted subjects. I took shots at up to 12800 by forcing the shutter speed up and or forcing the aperture to higher number and they look great.

The lens and focus are plenty fast enough with VR to be pleasant but having the manual focus available for small objects is an option if or when you need it. The VR in the P7000 is excellent. Hand holding shot at f/2.5-3 stops works fine. Take at look at the night shot which taken at 1/6 second instead of 1/30th second which exceeds 3 stops hand held. The manual focus magnifies the center of the picture so when you see it in focus there you are good to go.

The P7000 is a seriously remarkable camera in many respects at a very fair price. I would recommend it to anyone. Take time to read the manual. This camera has a lot of the same functions used by Nikon on their Digital SLRs. If you understand the functions and their settings you will have hours of fun with this camera and discover there are many ways to take a picture which is where the real fun is for me.

This is like any other piece of equipment. You have to use it in a variety of situations to get the feel for how it performs when shooting. I found this camera is easier and faster to adjust than most. It does not take too long to get comfortable with the menus. Getting to the scene menu is not really hard but honestly not as fast and not really needed if you know what you are doing with the function settings available externally on the camera. You will not miss many shots with the P7000. The P7000 rocks in terms of picture quality for being a zoom lens!

The zoom lens is not up to an 85mm f/1.4 fixed lens in resolving power, but that lens without the camera body is twice the price of this camera and lens. The reality is no one makes a zoom lens can Nikon's best 85mm f/1.4 ED manual focus lens. The P7000 lens produces better than necessary quality for most users. It produces shots that are definitely on a par with DSLR Lenses in the same price range as the P7000. This is one of the side benefits of the Nikon using the 1/1.7 sensor; we get affordable optics.

I do not understand the obsession with shooting raw files as it is not really necessary for the bulk of most people's shooting. Yes raw files can be useful but not that often. The reality is that most people do not even need fine jpegs. When you are shooting with extreme situations or a once in a life time shot and you know it turn it on, but otherwise raw files just eat disk space and are not that necessary with today's processing software. Raw files do give us the ability to recover missing data from a miserable shot where something was wrong with the setup. The scene exceeds the camera's ability to handle the dynamic range leaving shadow detail out, or over exposing burns out the highlights of the jpeg. This is not an every day occurrence for most shots. This camera takes good pictures so why bother with raw unless you have situation where you need it. Nikon's 1.2 firmware update cuts write time roughly in half for raw file formats and improves save time for jpegs too so this is resolved now for those that feel they have to have raw files.

The P7000 also offers accessories that are worth considering depending on how you will use the camera. One combination will give you a 21mm camera with no zoom which is exciting news for the wide range enthusiasts. The other is a wireless remote that is very inexpensive and worth every dime. Wireless remotes are very useful devices. Nikon's is fairly priced but others like Opteka's work as well.

If you do not have any knowledge and do not care to know anything the P7000 will still give you great pictures, but knowing the options offers an assortment of creative options. When you receive your camera be sure to charge it - at longest an hour and half. While the battery charges register yourself and your camera at Nikon.

Download the new 1.2 firmware for the P7000 with the instructions and the P7000 manual in a PDF format. Read the manual and play with the camera settings and you will discover a whole new world of fun in taking pictures if you are not a Nikon DSLR owner already.

Nikon's new 1.2 firmware makes a major difference to the P7000 and also resolves the mechanical problem of the lens cover not closing 100 percent of the time. Do not be afraid to update the firmware in the P7000; read the instructions and follow then. It is easy for both Mac and PC users.

Then have fun with this excellent camera!