Pros
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Incredibly expansive focal range accessible at the nudge of a lever -
Flip-out, angle adjustable LCD screen plus eye-level viewfinder enables wide range of creative framing choices -
Large, chunky buttons with full range of user adjustable shooting modes at my fingertips
Cons
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Massive zoom capability results in a large, bulky camera -
Tiny 1/2.3-inch sensor, as found in basic point and shoot cameras -
Costs as much as mid-range interchangeable lens mirrorless camera, or DSLR
Key Features
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Review Price: £1049 -
Sensor
16 effective megapixels from 16.79MP, 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor -
Video
Up to 4K, 30fps resolution video clips offered -
Lens
Sophisticated lens constructed from 17 elements in 12 groups
Introduction
Super zoom cameras were the photography enthusiast’s favourite 15 to 20 years ago. But, with the rise in smartphone use, they, like the humble snapshot camera, gradually diminished in number and largely died out.
That was a shame, as bridge cameras / super zooms offered something that smartphones didn’t. Namely, a stonking great lens on the front boasting a focal range that, if we were to find the equivalent for a DSLR or mirrorless camera, would be either prohibitively bulky or prohibitively expensive.
But now Nikon has returned to the super zoom camera fold with a real statement. Frankly, it’s one some may critique as ridiculous.
Not only is there a gargantuan 125x optical zoom providing a focal range equivalent to 3000mm, but the resultant price tag is a match for an interchangeable lens mirrorless model or mid-range DSLR. It’s also as bulky and weighty as the latter at just over 1.4Kg, despite the small, snapshot camera style sensor at its heart.
However, in its favour, the P1000-succeeding Nikon Coolpix P1100 still ticks the boxes for being more affordable and easier to handle than either of those families of cameras might be with anything near the lens reach offered here.
So, does what on paper appears to be a crazy move by the photo stalwart make more sense in practice?
Design and Handling
- Chunky, DSLR-like 146.3×118.8×181.3mm body dimensions
- 410g in weight including battery and memory card
- 3.2-inch, vari-angle 921K dot resolution LCD screen
I had to laugh when I hefted this absolute beast of a digital camera out of its box and then glanced at Nikon’s press release. It describes the Coolpix P1100 as a ‘compact digital camera’. It is anything but compact.
As noted, it may be smaller than the lens architecture required to come up with anything like its 3000mm super telephoto reach for a DSLR or mirrorless camera, but it’s still physically the biggest bridge camera / super zoom I’ve handled in the past 20 years.
It looks and feels almost comically ‘maxed out’. Like a cross between a digital camera and a Nerf Super Soaker water gun.
That said, bulk should not be mistaken for possible sloth. The lens here takes a reasonably speedy four seconds to travel from an extreme wide-angle 24mm equivalent setting to a maximum 3000mm telephoto setting. It’s accompanied by a mechanical buzz as it glides through this range.
In terms of operating the zoom, there are a couple of choices: either using the lever that ergonomically encircles the P1100’s shutter release button, or a switch embedded into the side of the lens barrel itself.
Yes, it is possible to use this camera handheld for shorter periods, as I did for a photographic trip into Central London. But the ability to attach a tripod via the provided screw thread quickly becomes very inviting. Even if packing a tripod along with the camera means even more to carry.
I do feel blessed in getting the enthusiasts’ favourite of a clear and sharp 0.39-inch, 2359K-dot resolution eye level electronic viewfinder with built-in sensor, plus a lower resolution angle adjustable 3.2-inch LCD below. Unlike most DSLRs and mirrorless cameras these days, this isn’t a touch screen; presumably a cost consideration.
Most cameras make a boast these days of an angled screen being a boon for content creators, but this camera is a bit too unwieldly for the LCD to be comfortably used for selfies. But it is theoretically possible, as the screen can be flipped to face whatever is in front of the Nikon’s lens.
Features
- 24-3000mm core zoom range in 35mm terms digitally expandable to 6000mm equivalent or 250x
- Optical lens-shift Vibration Reduction provides a 4-stop equivalent
- AF area selectable in Bird Watching mode
Any camera or lens offering a massive focal range benefits from image stabilisation and the Nikon Coolpix P1100 is no exception. While possessing a system providing a 4-stop equivalent is modest, the thing that amazed me here is how well the body integral anti shake – which Nikon has always termed ‘Vibration Reduction’ – works when used handheld, albeit with plenty of daylight.
On prior occasions, I’ve experienced a distinctly juddery image through the camera’s viewfinder at anything approaching maximum zoom and always advise taking two or three shots of the same subject to have one more-or-less sharp.
But what impresses here is the almost wobble-free image handheld at 3000mm, in 35mm film terms, plus the relative lack of blur and degree of detail in the results.
That’s if holding the camera most naturally and comfortably: namely, with one hand curled around the lens barrel and the other curled around the deep, moulded DSLR-like handgrip. Unusually for a snapshot camera, this happily provides ample space for the fingers and thumb of the right hand.
While the backplate buttons remind me of a point and shoot camera because of their small size and the simplicity of the layout, the vacant hotshoe with forward-mounted pop-up flash, top plate command wheel and chunky mode dial recall a consumer-level DSLR.
Though at its core and from wading through its menu screen options the P1100 feels more closely allied to a compact digital camera than an actual DSLR, as noted Nikon has not stinted on the lens quality. Physically it’s much larger than we’d get on a bog-standard snapshot camera. In fact, its size is closer to ‘proper’ lens for a mirrorless model or DSLR.
Then there’s the fact that, like the lenses for such more sophisticated cameras, the lens construction for the P1100 also involves Super ED and ED glass elements to help avoid any visual distortion, or appearance of unwanted artefacts across its zoom range. I did notice occasional very minor instances of purple pixel fringing in strong sunlight when shooting contrast-y subjects, such as the dark leaves of a tree against a bright sky. But only if enlarging portions of a shot to actively look for it. Generally, performance in such circumstances goes beyond my modest expectations of a camera that is basically a beefed-up point-and-shoot.
Bear in mind though that a light sensitivity range of a core ISO100 to ISO1600, extendable to ISO6400 equivalent in one of the Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Manual modes, is no great shakes for the price. So this isn’t an option for more demanding low light work, unless it’s very bright subjects like the moon I’m shooting.
Image Quality
- 16MP still photography
- Ability to shoot in JPEG file format, Nikon Raw or both combined
- Up to 4K resolution video at 30fps, or Full HD clips at 120fps
The core specification and simplistic menu selections of the Nikon Coolpix P1100 mirror that of a compact snapshot. Albeit one with a stonking great lens at the front.
This meant that initially, I wasn’t expecting much from even its top-quality ‘Fine’ compression setting, 16-megapixel JPEGs. To me, its relatively modest resolution indicated that its manufacturer doesn’t want to overburden the tiny surface area of its sensor. The alternative is shooting in Nikon Raw format.
Naturally, the camera can record video too, and here it’s the now standard 4K resolution at up to 30 frames per second, with the red record button sitting top right of the back plate where it intuitively falls beneath my thumb.
Unless you’re an amateur paparazzi, a fitting use for a huge zoom is not only in bringing the faraway closer for landscape and travel photographers but also for getting up close and personal, photographically speaking, with skittish wildlife and birds.
Nikon suggests the P1100 may also be a good fit for astro photographers looking to shoot the moon, and to prove its point there are dedicated settings for shooting both the moon and birds squeezed next to more familiar P,A,S,M settings on its mode dial.
In truth, a wide angle 24mm to 3000mm equivalent focal range is huge and means I was able to photograph just about anything that my eye spotted as a potential subject, or composition. Distance is obviously far less of a limit too. Essentially, I was able to pull subjects nearer and clearer into frame from practically as far as my eye could see.
Photographing the London Eye from several hundred metres away, I was able to zoom in close enough to people in the pods to be able to distinguish faces. S
imilarly, when shooting St Paul’s Cathedral from a vantage point on Hungerford Bridge several miles away, I was not just able to fill my frame with its famous dome, but get a close up of the golden sceptre atop it into the bargain. The fact that these images were sharp too, makes this camera a viable option rather than just a mere statement of its maker’s capability.
Should you buy it?
If zoom is a key selling point
buy the Nikon Coolpix P1100 if you really do need a ridiculously far-reaching lens without paying thousands for anywhere near the equivalent for your mirrorless digital camera or older DSLR. Or you are very lazy and not simply prepared to walk, cycle or drive closer to your subject.
If you’re after something light
Don’t buy the Nikon Coolpix P1100 if a bulky and weighty camera is a turn off, or you are weighing up the fact that the asking price here would alternatively allow you to invest in a very capable mirrorless camera or DSLR. And one that wouldn’t give you possible shoulder or back ache over prolonged periods of use.
Final Thoughts
The Nikon Coolpix P1100 is far from a camera for all. Most of us won’t need its 3000mm equivalent maximum optical lens reach, even if it did allow me to quickly frame and capture practically any subject without needing to move an inch.
The downsides are a chunky and hefty camera to go with it. And let’s not forget the tiny sensor at its heart and the fact that, if I don’t need a whopping zoom then for the same money I could invest in a one of the best cameras with a larger, higher resolution chip, on which I could endlessly swap lenses to my heart’s content. Just not, admittedly, lenses with as far a focal reach as this one.
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Full Specs
| Nikon Coolpix P1100 Review | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Nikon |
| Video Recording | Yes |
| IP rating | Not Disclosed |
| Size (Dimensions) | x x INCHES |
| Weight | 1410 G |
| Release Date | 2025 |
| First Reviewed Date | 16/09/2025 |
| Zoom | Yes |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Burst shooting (electronic shutter) | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Yes |
| Screen | Yes |
| Image stabilisation | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Number of Memory card slots | 1 |
| USB charging | Yes |
| Microphone port | Yes |
| Lens mount | Yes |
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