NIKON P1000, P950, A1000, P900 QUICK WILDLIFE SETTINGS

[@Fumanchuisnotdead]

Debido a tus videos hoy me compre una p1000 nueva para dejar medio aparcada a mi vieja 7d del 2010, gracias por compartir tu sabiduría.

[@ColleenVR]

Thank you SO MUCH for posting these settings. I recently purchased the P950 and managed to take very nice pictures of birds using these guidelines. Surprisingly your settings provide better results than the auto "Bird mode". I really enjoy your channel.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Thanks again for watching !

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Also, glad your photos are improved !

[@mariacohoon8905]

Please don't worry about the duration of your videos! I always find them too short. I am learning so much. Thank you.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Much thanks that advice helps !

[@briansquibb999]

I am so happy to have found your channel. I'm looking to purchase a P950 and your tips have helped confirm my decision. I'm retired so I cannot afford to invest thousands into a camera and lenses. Thank you, again!!

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Brian glad to hear the video helps out!

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

thanks for subscribing as well.

[@ironmanjimmy]

I got a P950, thanks for your detail explanation about settings, those are really helpful, I am getting a better and sharp picture for the birds.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

glad it helps. Also thanks for tuning in....

[@richardtreherne4306]

Thanks Stafford another straight forward video for us enthusiastic but not necessarily clued up photographers, I have just followed to the letter your settings, and immediately makes a difference even in the less than good light we have over here at the moment. These have been saved to my user setting just in case I play around and get lost :-) Big thank you from me.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Thanks hope I did not rush it. Want to make it as useful as possible. Take care.

[@richardtreherne4306]

@@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE Hi again Stafford, I have just managed to get out with the light good and your settings have just made the camera come alive, as you know these cameras do need decent light, but with your settings it has become almost as good as my G9. If anyone is looking at this definitely try out Staffords settings, you won't be disappointed.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

@@richardtreherne4306 Thanks again !

[@brucegraner5901]

Some really good tips to get started photographing wildlife with a super-zoom camera. On my Leica 114/Lumix FZ1000 there's an option that allows you to vary the size of the focusing square option almost down to spot focusing. This focusing mode does seem faster than some of the more sophisticated, "intelligent" focusing modes. Your examples of how to use these cameras prove them far more capable in the wildlife arena that most people would think.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Bruce thanks for the kind words. The fz1000 is a great camera by the way

[@carloscosta253]

Great tips. I just got my p1000 and am trying to learn about it the best I can (that surely includes watching your videos - thank you for them). One tip is the use of a remote, to avoid the shacking. You seem to be forgeting about it in all your videos (or not - maybe there's a reason not to use it?). Some people recommend the remote control, but I've seen the Nikon snapbridge app, and although I haven't tried it, according to what I read, you can use it even as a view finder (that means you can seat on the coach, while the camera is pointing to that backyard spot you put the seeds (but that maybe my laziness is taking control...). I'm getting off the point. What I really wanted to say is: thanks for the tips and videos in general. Was very much divided between the p900 and the p1000, and you helped a lot. Greetings from Portugal.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Great point. I do use the bridge application for remote control good point.

[@carloscosta253]

@@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE Glad I could help. Here's a thought for a new tutorial: the app tutorial. Be aware that there are more than one (it seems that the p900, for example, has different android app)...

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

@@carloscosta253 yea sounds possible !

[@WildLandscape]

Thank you Stafford! 3 years later and your videos are still very helpful :) Question for you- in one of your videos about the 950, you stated to keep the continuous shutter speed on Low, while in another video you said to put it on High to capture small birds that move fast. I do enjoy fast shutter speed since that’s how I’ve gotten decent pictures but feeling a little bit overwhelmed between the menu settings and actual buttons on the camera. Thanks!!

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Ahh yes, so it is a judgment call. So if little sparrows or fast moving birds jump on a stick in and out to get bird seed. I usually do fast continuous shooting for these little guys because it is all within a second or 2. But if the bird is slower moving but stays longer I use a slower shooting mode as to not overfill the buffer and have it lock up. So I try to play to the p950s weakest part and that is the buffer. If I can do slow shooting over say 30 secs and the bird / animal will be there than I use the slower mode. I hope this makes sense as I am trying to get the most clicks on the bird as possible. If the bird only give me 1 second than i use the 7 frames a second but can only do that for like 2 to 3 secs and the buffer locks up rendering the camer useless. Hope this makes sense . It is all about trying to have the camera operation or the fastest speed when the case arises.

[@natashadelaney3010]

Hi. I am a beginner and have a nikon coolpix p1000. When taking bird photos should I be in manual mode with all these guidelines? I have only being using auto so far? Sorry. It is alot to take in but I would love to keep following.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

I usually use aperture priority but manual mode will work. The premise is to get the as low of ISO as possible to get the highest detail for the image. Hope that makes sense.

[@carolemartin6892]

Great info! Thank you for sharing. I have a P950.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

You bet... thanks for watching...

[@arnoldvos100]

Thnx for the clear tips! One question: keeping your shutter speed up, can’t that result in blurry images when the bird is moving really fast?

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Yes, exactly so this is the trade off. I get way less keepers by using these methods than say letting the Auto Exposure bump up the ISO and you get better shutter speeds. So my keeper rate is lower but I feel my photos are higher technical quality because I keep the ISO at like 100 or 200.... It is always a trade off. If you want ultimate image quality there seems to be a trade off vs quantity captured. Even my Sigma FPL does not have a huge buffer so I only get maybe 20 images at 60mp.. Hope this makes sense.

[@arnoldvos100]

@@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE Het makes sense for sure, thx a lot for the explanation. Just bought a P950 and have to start playing with it, and become more experienced with it. Great way to learn how to use the correct settings. Keep up posting like this!

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

@@arnoldvos100 You bet thanks again...

[@KarySchump]

These tips are great!! Thank you!! I’d like to get a Nikon p950 or p1000 at some point, but these settings/tips have helped me!!

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

You bet thanks for watching !

[@RoyDumaw]

Does the P950 have an option to save settings? Like a "loadout" saved settings so i can quickly go from these settings to factory settings easily? I'm getting a P950 and I would like to save your settings as a custom loadout if possible.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

I think it does have a custom settings which I never use?? I do not go too far from the native settings or stick with one setting then minor changes from there on out.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

I guess the reason why I usually set to a specific setting is I always forget to move it back and bam it bites me hard.

[@vi.photod]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

ahh you bet !

[@Junkart1968]

Excellent videos.Amazing that turning features off can get you a better picture......

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

kind of crazy right ??? Thanks for contributing !

[@craigwallace5184]

Where did you get that lens hood? It's longer than the one that came with mine.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VMVGBRC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1&fpw=alm

[@drewizaiah4030]

Dont know if you guys gives a damn but if you're stoned like me during the covid times you can watch all of the latest series on instaflixxer. Have been streaming with my gf for the last few months :)

[@brooksseth1929]

@Drew Izaiah yea, been watching on InstaFlixxer for since december myself :D

[@safaritown]

Thank you for the tutorial! Excited about my new P950 and appreciate your tutorial. I already got a pretty good eagle shot.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Excellent glad things are working out !

[@slingshotversus2448]

You say turn off the continuous focus ? when i half press the button doesnt it stop trying to focus anyway ? or is it still trying to focus on the bird?

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Cont focus still focuses on whatever is in the cross-hairs. This can be an issue if it is dark the focus will be all over the palce. So I plan on doing small focusing like you get it close then have to readjust a small amount compared to Cont Focus where it can keep adjusting all over the place and can be frustraing. Also Cont focus is not as sharp of focus because of it always adjusting to the situation however small that might be. It is really averaging the focus signals versus snapping in place. Just my experiences.

[@NasuMeji]

how is the automatic "bird setting" with regards to these rules of thumb? It seems to do many of these things.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Nasua1917, You know I never really shot the bird mode. The Tips and tricks I give in my 3 videos override the automatic exposure of the camera. So basically, my feeling is that even if the camera will set things up for birding it will probably do well in good lighting. My feeling with the settings I have provided is that we keep image quality the highest no matter what lighting is present and work with the other difficulties. Remember sometimes the camera will try a shutter of 1/200 1/500 shutter speed and the only way to do that is by raising ISO settings which anything over ISO 400 starts to really degrade bird feather details. I hope this helps.

[@Officerbibble]

I have the rear button set on AF lock, so when my bird subject is in focus. I just hold the button down, so it doesn't keep hunting between shots, allowing me to press the shutter button as normal. Until I set up my camera this way, I missed many a good sitting bird. PS. It's no good for flight shots.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

excellent point. I switch off the focus alot of times when the bird lands on a branch and I can get the branch in focus then bam usually everything is in focus. Very similar.

[@WaynesAdventure]

Thank you for the excellent information

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Wayne you bet. Thanks again for watching !

[@majormegapix]

Hi, quick question: in case I missed your saying, should stabilization be turned off for tripod use? Thanks.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Most of the time the cameras will shut off after a bit of non-movement. I would say yes thou, just to make sure. A side note some people need both depending on how good their tripod is. Some test my be in order to see how stable you are on a tripod lens length ect.

[@majormegapix]

@@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE Agreed. I wasn't sure if you had tried with/without. Perhaps it is not necessary because of the optical stabilization on the P950 vs mechanical stabilization in other cameras or lenses.

[@safaritown]

I turned the NR filter to low. There is also a Long Exposure NR button. Should I turn that off as well?

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Sorry for the late reply just seen this pop up. Yes you can turn both of them off for ultimate image quality if you want to process the photos later.

[@donmurphy7262]

Hi, I have the p 950, sky shooting, can you help me with the settings for this….love your site and can’t wait for your new vedios on these cameras. Thanks…….Don👍

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Don interesting. I will try to do a moon shot video if you are refering to sky shooting ???

[@donmurphy7262]

@@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE that would be great, I’ll be looking for it….thanks……..Don👍

[@ajk12806]

Newbie photographer here. Just got my Nikon P1000. I got a set of goodies including a uv lense. What does that do and do you ever use them for birding/wildlife photography?

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

ahh to be honest I never use the UV filters or much of any other filters. Some do help but to me you have to have high quality filters if you use them which in many cases just is not worth the effort.

[@guitarvideosbychadmood1051]

So, what do you have your Nikon P950 or P1000 set to? AF-S or AF-F

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

ahh AF-S

[@guitarvideosbychadmood1051]

@@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE that maybe why my photos aren’t turning out sharp. I had my P950 on AF-F. I’m not used to using a bridge camera. I’m used to a Canon full frame. But, I got the P950 in case I’m driving along and see something I want to take a photo of. So, I’ll give that a try and see what happens.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Yea, i noticed the af-f seem to not be as sharp once I lock focus. You know it is always slightly going in and out of focus. It should not mater as much. As remember you are shooting 2000mm it does take some experience the slightest movement gives you a blurry image thanks again.@@guitarvideosbychadmood1051

[@guitarvideosbychadmood1051]

@@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE well, I try not to shoot at that focal length as it is. I shot some photos of some deer this morning. Would like to send them to you so you can see what it is I’m talking about. As long as you don’t zoom in, the photo looks fine. Ha.

[@wildlifeireland9514]

Really good instructions. Thanks

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Glad it was helpful!

[@gbobagba2958]

Hi, I have a Nikon p950 and I've been trying different settings to try and get sharp pictures but not getting really sharp pictures, I've tried different shutter speed and iso but still no luck, I even tried subject setting and target finding AF but still not great sharp pictures, please help. Thanku.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Ok first remove all the variables. Meaning get a tripod or table and get a super super stable shooting platform to start with. Take photos of something totally static not moving like an open Book with letters. See if you can get a sharp image that way as a method of testing your lens, focus and setup. If your images are sharp, then refine what you are doing and start taking pictures of other things. I am thinking of making a video about the methods to get sharp pictures.... hmmm. I hope this helps

[@gbobagba2958]

@@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE thankyou, this is very helpful, I will try this out and let you know how it goes. 🙂🤞

[@Alex-yg1fm]

Hey man how are you this is Alex I just bought this camera making If you can show us the sitting and video how are used to sitting

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Alex, thanks for contributing. Are you asking how to shoot video with these cameras ??

[@ministerofjoy]

Thank you, so much invaluable work.👏🏽👏🏽💯

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

You bet thanks for watching !

[@PhotoReactionVideos]

Fantastic, thank you 😊 Subscribed!

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

You bet thanks for watching !

[@lesliesangster3841]

Stafford when your using aperture mode does the camera automatically still change shutter spreads and iso itself or do you have to do that yourself

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

I usually keep an eye on ISO and shutter speed. I play with the shutter speed get it as low as possible hand held so I can get the lowest ISO I can. These cameras kill detail at anything higher than say ISO 800. Ideally I want the ISO as low as possible but aperture priority is just what I am use to shooting. If the lenses is sharpest at say 6.3 I shoot at that. If I want the best bokeh possible I shoot at that as well. In all it is a game between, Aperture , ISO and shutter speed. You can do it anyway you want but you have to manage it always for the best control. I hope this helps ??

[@lesliesangster3841]

@@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE thank you very much sir I wasn’t expecting a reply this quick it’s much appreciated, I’m expecting a Nikon P1000 7th Jan so I’m looking forward to putting your tips to good use. My brother is an experienced photographer and he used to talk about aperture mode but the camera I’ve got at the moment doesn’t have it on.

[@lesliesangster3841]

@@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE Hi Stafford I couldn’t get the P1000 they’re like rocking horse shit to get in the UK so I bought a Nikon P950 instead I’m watching your tutorials again about setting it up. Great job

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

@@lesliesangster3841 You bet, the P950 is a great camera. Enjoy take your time and practice.

[@lesliesangster3841]

@@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE Stafford I wonder if you can help me, I zoomed in with the camera and tried to use manual focus but when I pressed the button to take the picture it zoomed out and took it, how do I keep the image zoomed.

[@piku-atravellover3592]

Sir, i am from India. I have recently purchased nikon P950. I would like to do bird photography with this . Kindly assist me in which mode should i do bird photography and tell me the setting also.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

Sorry but the settings above are the settings I use for birds, that and my other videos explain the settings. I hope this helps !

[@piku-atravellover3592]

Sir, kindly advice me how to active back button focus in P950

[@lincolnnunez6378]

Why nobody post anything about how to setup the built-in flash on the Nikon coolpix p1000.

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

I been down that route along with using additional Flash for studio work. Nikon totally messed that up. The only way I can sync the flash with my studio is to buy the additional SB700 to sync with my studio lights. ahhhh horrible.

[@jennelson5712]

Great…thanks!!

[@MAKE_PHOTOGRAPHS_ANYWHERE]

You bet!