Coolpix P900 in 2020 [closed]

Question

Is it worthy to buy Coolpix P900 in 2020 for $495? If it is not, what are the best options under $500 for nature and wildlife photography?

Answer 1

Is it worthy to buy Coolpix P900 in 2020 for $495?

For what? If for nature and wildlife photography, the answer is most likely no, especially for wildlife. For stationary nature such as flowers not in windy conditions, you can use P900 with tripod (or even handheld if in good light) just fine.

The reasoning being, P900 has a tiny sensor. Tiny-sensored cameras are poor in collecting light. For wildlife photography, you can use only short shutter speeds to avoid motion blur (below 1/1000 second), and you don't want high-ISO noise, so the only option is big aperture which is only feasible with a big sensor.

Tiny-sensored cameras with high megapixel count typically don't have a lens to match that megapixel count.

If it is not, what are the best options under $500 for nature and wildlife photography?

1. Buy a used Canon crop DSLR body. Used, because those are cheaper.
2. Buy a Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS STM lens, either new or used. If used, do make sure it's the STM version and not the micromotor version as the STM version is better.

I can't promise this will be below $500 but it will be way below $1000.

As for what Canon crop DSLR body to buy, I would highly recommend to buy one that has "lens drive when AF impossible" custom function option because the 55-250mm IS STM lens lacks focus limiter. For example, EOS 40D has this option and so does EOS 50D and EOS 60D. If you're lucky, you can find used EOS 60D + 55-250mm IS STM lens for under $500.

This "lens drive when AF impossible" stops the lens from going to extreme defocus if you don't have anything focusable at the focus points.