Trust us, you really don’t need a camera with a built-in telescope. But in the right hands, the insane 83x optical zoom on the new Nikon P900 is mindblowing.
Let’s take a look at a few examples, shall we?
The Moon
When was the last time you took a trip to space just by looking through a lens—and could record it for posterity?
Neighborhood Watch
Except the entire town is your neighborhood. Yep, we showed you this one last week.
Mountain Climbing
Without ever leaving the ground. (Though to be fair, this South Korean gent seems to be doing a lot of actual climbing, too.)
Birdwatching
What kind of bird do we have here?
Enhance!
Think he’s zoomed in? There’s more zoom where that came from. And more. And more. And even a bit more.
Castles In The Sky
Would you have even noticed it with your naked eye?
Spying on Skyscrapers in Japan
Yes, those are people in those windows.
How Far Is Too Far?
This videographer took the trouble of measuring the distance to these snowy peaks. Or would it be “those” peaks? With this lens, it’s hard to tell the difference.
Again, this probably isn’t the best camera for capturing shots at your kid’s soccer game, or most anywhere else really. Even in some of the best-stabilized videos here, you can see that these pictures aren’t particularly clear and sharp. But if you’d rather have a telescope that records 1080p rather than just a camera for day-to-day use, the Nikon P900 sounds pretty awesome.
Contact the author at sean.hollister@gizmodo.com.