Nikon Coolpix P900

The Nikon P900 is the largest camera in the test, and is in fact larger than some CSCs and entry-level DSLRs with a kit lens attached. However this size facilitates the huge zoom range of 83x, which the P900 boasts - the longest zoom length currently available on the market at the time of writing.

A large and chunky grip on the front of the camera, along with the large lens makes the camera sit proudly in your hands just as a DSLR would.

Although there is a viewfinder included in the P900 - along with a sensor for automatically switching it on - it's the smallest in the test (of those with viewfinders) and the view isn't quite as bright and clear as you would want for something you will use for every shot. It's useful to have if the Sun is very bright on the screen, though. The screen is fully articulating, which makes it extremely useful for shooting from awkward angles, but sadly it's not touch-sensitive. Instead, there's a good range of dials and buttons, which allow you to quickly make changes to settings.

In terms of image quality, colours are nice and vibrant, being perhaps a touch cooler than those form the Canon G3 X. The overall impression of detail is very good - even at the incredible far reach of the telephoto zoom - which is equivalent to 2000mm.

For low light though, the camera is less impressive. Noise and image smoothing starts to become problematic from ISO 1600, while ISO 3200 and 6400 shots are only useable at small printing sizes.