Spotting Scope vs. Nikon P900

[Mr. Monday]

I just purchased a Leica Televid APO 62 for target spotting and digiscoping and I'm now wondering whether the Nikon P900 would have been a better choice for my usage. The P900 has 83x zoom and is much lighter than the Leica Televid. The tilt/swivel display could be more convenient than an eyepiece for quickly spotting holes on a target, and based on what I've read on birdforum it will take better photos 90% of the time.

There's no doubt that a spotting scope is better for scanning the land when hunting but binoculars are arguably better than a spotting scope for scanning.

Is there still a place for spotting scopes when you can get an 83x zoom camera for $400 and use binoculars for scanning?

 

[dotman]

At $400 I have a hard time believing it's usable also probably digital and not optical. Spotter was best choice imo.

 

[Mr. Monday]

At $400 I have a hard time believing it's usable also probably digital and not optical. Spotter was best choice imo.

It's 100% optical. Retails for $600 but I see new ones going for $400 on eBay. Images look very good considering the sensor size and it also has image stabilization making it useable without a tripod.
Shooting .22lr @ 200yds - Nikon P900 - YouTube
NIKON Coolpix P900 Optical Zoom Test - Moon, Planes, Bird, Church - Super Zoom - YouTube
Nikon P900 Captures ISS Lunar Transit - YouTube

Edit: Here's a couple threads discussing the pros & cons.
P900 vs digiscoping: Nikon Coolpix Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review
Nikon P900 Zoom VS Spotting Scope: Nikon Coolpix Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

I don't think spotting scopes will die out until the viewfinders on these cameras get to the same level as spotting scopes. That said, many birders that like to take photos are switching over to high zoom bridge cameras.

 

[Camera Land]

Not to take anything away from the Nikon, BUT it uses the smallest sensor that is used in must $99 point and shoots and the lens quality, when compared with a spotter in that class is not even close.
The Nikon is a nice multi purpose camera but they will NEVER replace spotting scopes. The only way to get that much power in a camera is to make the sensor smaller.
When you watch Football and see the photographers with the lenses the size of your leg, those lenses are at most a 10x power. Why? Because the sensor in the camera is so big.
Feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions

 

[Mr. Monday]

Not to take anything away from the Nikon, BUT it uses the smallest sensor that is used in must $99 point and shoots and the lens quality, when compared with a spotter in that class is not even close.
The Nikon is a nice multi purpose camera but they will NEVER replace spotting scopes. The only way to get that much power in a camera is to make the sensor smaller.
When you watch Football and see the photographers with the lenses the size of your leg, those lenses are at most a 10x power. Why? Because the sensor in the camera is so big.
Feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions

Despite having a small sensor it still manages to take better pictures than even the most expensive digiscoping setups. If you check out the digiscoping section over on birdforum you will see that the community there recommends putting a phone behind your spotting scope rather than a DSLR because the larger sensors pickup more vignetting and edge blur than a smaller PAS or phone camera sensor. Yes, you could crop that out of the image but in general spotting scopes are built to be viewed by the human eye which has a curved sensor (retina), while camera lenses are built to project the best possible image onto a flat sensor. Smaller sensors are getting better every year, many professional photographers are ditching their heavy DSLR equipment and switching to Fujifilm because it's lighter and offers the same image quality under most circumstances. Having a larger sensor with a massive telephoto lens will get you better photos but most people can't afford it and definitely don't want to carry it around all day.

If your primary goal is to take videos and photos of wildlife then a high zoom bridge camera will suit your needs best. If your primary goal is to observe wildlife then a spotting scope will suit your needs best.

 

[dotman]

Despite having a small sensor it still manages to take better pictures than even the most expensive digiscoping setups. If you check out the digiscoping section over on birdforum you will see that the community there recommends putting a phone behind your spotting scope rather than a DSLR because the larger sensors pickup more vignetting and edge blur than a smaller PAS or phone camera sensor. Yes, you could crop that out of the image but in general spotting scopes are built to be viewed by the human eye which has a curved sensor (retina), while camera lenses are built to project the best possible image onto a flat sensor. Smaller sensors are getting better every year, many professional photographers are ditching their heavy DSLR equipment and switching to Fujifilm because it's lighter and offers the same image quality under most circumstances. Having a larger sensor with a massive telephoto lens will get you better photos but most people can't afford it and definitely don't want to carry it around all day.

If your primary goal is to take videos and photos of wildlife then a high zoom bridge camera will suit your needs best. If your primary goal is to observe wildlife then a spotting scope will suit your needs best.

You do realize that he sells the Nikon right, he could have just tried to sell one to you but gave an honest explanation. I have a hard time believing this will take over the birding or photography world. It may produce web only quality picture but I bet the overall quality of the picture is pretty poor. It is easy to get rid of the dreaded black circle, get the correct power prime lens or use your zoom.

That video is pretty neat and I guess if you want to use it and don’t care about a good quality image it would work but I don’t see it changing no much in the digiscoping world. The Olympus TG series camera takes great web only pictures but they can’t be used for much else.

 

[Mr. Monday]

You do realize that he sells the Nikon right, he could have just tried to sell one to you but gave an honest explanation. I have a hard time believing this will take over the birding or photography world. It may produce web only quality picture but I bet the overall quality of the picture is pretty poor. It is easy to get rid of the dreaded black circle, get the correct power prime lens or use your zoom.

That video is pretty neat and I guess if you want to use it and don’t care about a good quality image it would work but I don’t see it changing no much in the digiscoping world. The Olympus TG series camera takes great web only pictures but they can’t be used for much else.

Digiscoping worth it? - BirdForum

P900 vs digiscoping: Nikon Coolpix Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

 

[SHTF]

Well you both are kind of right. if your just interested in some great photos for the scrapbook or to share online then yes. I see the nikon as a valuable tool for that. Thats an amazing reach camera for 500$ To bad it doesn't shoot in raw.
Want to thank you Mr Monday for this post as Im very interested in taking long range shots. I had no idea a camera was even made with that kind of reach. The videos of the guys taking pictures and video of the surface of the moon from an all in 1 camera is pretty crazy.
Id say Dotman you are correct in your assumption that the scope plus decent camera that can shoot in raw is definitely going to give you higher quality photos though.
I am definitely no expert and purely looking at this from a common sense view. =-)

 

[SHTF]

I spoke to soon looks like raw is coming soon and 3000mm Lens and 4k video

Nikon P900 Update w 3000mm LENS & RAW!!!! - YouTube

 

[SHTF]

yeah I dont care what you say. That little camera has some pretty decent video quality Nikon P900 creepy ZOOM just got cool, people have spoken!!!!! - YouTube That is crazy.

Think you just made me spend more money Mr Monday =)

 

[SHTF]

Well I took the dive and found a P900 in like new condition locally with lots of accessories for 350$ here. Man is this a fun camera. Wife and I are already taking moon shots. Cant wait to get out with this to give it a good go.

 

[SHTF]

I found this post super informative on the P900 this breaks it down beautifully. Nikon P900 Zoom VS Spotting Scope: Nikon Coolpix Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

Guess that is one that is already posted above. Figured Id found another post about it whoops =)