Heading into Thanksgiving this year, I had been traveling, working and shooting for what felt like a solid 200 days in a row. I was going to spend Thanksgiving week in Brazil with my wife, daughter and my wife’s family. And to be honest, the chance to travel somewhere and not bring 500 pounds of camera equipment—including two Nikon D4‘s, two Nikon D800‘s, a Nikon D610, a large quiver of Nikkor lenses, multiple tripods, camera movement devices, lights, audio equipment, batteries and so on—was just the reprieve from work I was looking for.
In other words, I needed a vacation.
Even though I’m lucky enough to call photography and filmmaking both my passion and my job, I know that it’s good to take breaks from doing what you love. Cameras aren’t the only things that need their batteries recharged; people do, too!
So I boarded my flight to meet up with my family in Brazil with only two pairs of surf trunks, a few T-shirts, flip-flops and the new Nikon Coolpix P7800—because, obviously, I still need to have at least one camera with me at all times.
I think I’ve owned every camera in the Coolpix P7000 line, and upgrading to the recently released P7800 was a no brainer.
I really love these cameras. The ability to have DSLR-style manual controls over exposure, and shoot RAW files, all packed into a camera body that fits into your shirt pocket, has allowed me to capture moments that I would’ve otherwise missed had I only brought my DSLR.
The P7800 is the top of the Coolpix line. Its stand-out features include a 12-megapixel CMOS sensor, a 7.1x optical f/2-4 zoom lens covers 28mm-200mm, 1080p video, and full manual exposure control as well as Aperture- and Shutter-Priority and Program modes. It has also been upgraded with a digital viewfinder that really came in handy when composing shots in bright sunlight on the beach.
I’ve used prior generations of Coolpix cameras for fun. But often times, I’ll find myself in an amazing situation that lends itself to making a legitimately great photograph. And to be able to shoot RAW files allows me to use this camera professionally, too. Indeed, some of my Coolpix photos have been published by magazines and my videos used for TV broadcast. Pairing the P7800 with Nikon’s WU-1b Wireless Mobile Adapter on this trip allowed me to quickly transfer images from my camera to my phone and easily publish and share images online.
That’s the deal: You never know when an amazing situation will unfold right before your eyes. And when it does, if you don’t have a camera on you, you won’t get the shot.
In Brazil, the P7800 was with me everywhere I went. I brought it to a wedding, to the beach, to the bar, and onto the plane while sitting with my daughter. My whole trip to Brazil was captured on the P7800. I’m pleased to share some photos from this recent trip. Hope you enjoy them and that they inspire you to consider carrying a high-end compact pocket-size camera with you, too. There are a ton of great options out there in this category, but I’d highly recommend this new Nikon Coolpix P7800. Shooting with it was so fun that I came back from my “vacation from photography” with my batteries fully charged.
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I dropped my D800 in New Orleans the first day and decided to wait until I got back to get it fixed. I was left with my P7700 for the balance of the week. I took it everywhere, and enjoyed the freedom from a backpack, the weight, and the changing of lenses. It allowed me to get in close and do some street photography that a big DSLR would not. I loved the images, and was able to shoot raw. On a trip to the Smokies, I used it for video (it is so easy to use), and shot one of my favorite images of a trillium after a rain shower, as a quick grab, that I printed 17″ by 22″. Not sure that it is worth the upgrade to the P7800, but a great camera nonetheless.
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