I’d buy this monster $1000 camera if I were a wildlife enthusiast first and a photographer second

Mike Harris holding Nikon P1100 side-on next to black and white image of a swan .

I think the Nikon Coolpix P1100 is the perfect camera for the wildlife enthusiast who wants to complement their hobby with a little photography. It’s a budget-friendly and practical solution for those who simply don’t need enthusiast- or pro-level capabilities. It’s not just limited to wildlife enthusiasts; it’s a fine camera for photographing almost anything at a distance, be it the moon, fireworks, sports, and aviation.

Just be mindful that it doesn’t boast the processing grunt of Nikon’s higher-end cameras and can feel a little sluggish by comparison. The autofocus isn’t the best, either, but if you’re intent on capturing tack-sharp images of birds in flight, you’ll likely be looking for a higher-end setup anyway.

The Nikon Coolpix P1100 is a comically large camera, but it’s rather compact when you consider its 3000mm optical focal length (Image credit: Future)

Ultimately, the Nikon Coolpix P1100 is a one-trick pony: it boasts a monster optical zoom range of 24-3000mm (35mm equivalent). That’s a frankly ridiculous 125x zoom! Sure, its 16.79-MP, 1/2.3-in CMOS sensor isn’t going to deliver jaw-dropping image quality, but image quality is superfluous if you can’t get anywhere near your subject. The Nikon P1100, then, is designed to get you as close as possible for as little as possible.

This all-in-one bridge camera retails for just $1,099.95 / £1,049 and its monster zoom range does it all. For starters, the closest you’ll get to 3000mm is an 800mm lens and a 2x teleconverter. 

Even with an extremely versatile zoom like the Canon RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM (which retails for £2,299.99 / $2,099.), you’ll still need more lenses to cover the wider focal lengths, and a Canon RF 2x teleconverter doubles the aperture, so unless you’re using a fast prime, things can get real tricky if you’re not shooting in ample light.

Things get mighty shaky when handholding the P1100 at 3000mm, but Nikon’s Vibration Reduction does help to steady the ship (Image credit: Future / Mike Harris )

It might be comically large when using the wide-angle end, but it’s positively small and light when compared to a kitbag full of lenses. Spend a day scanning the Serengeti with a supertelephoto lens and you might wish you had a little ol’ P1100, too. This bridge camera oddity might be a one-trick pony, but that 3000mm optic is one heck of a trick!

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Nikon Coolpix P1000 vs. P1100: what exactly has changed, and why – hint, not a lot. If you want to see one of these monster cameras in action, I photographed the moon with a monster Nikon P1000 bridge camera – here’s what I learned. And if you're not sold on the Nikon P1000, here are the best telephoto lenses.