In this article, I'll describe the differences between the Nikon COOLPIX P1100 super zoom camera and its predecessor, the P1000. I've used the P1000 extensively since 2019 and I've taken the P1100 out on lots of photo shoots since I received it in March 2025. I'm a detail oriented person, so I'll explain the differences between the cameras in some detail for folks who want more than just a high level listing of P1100 changes.

This is the second article I've written since I switched from the Nikon COOLPIX P1000 to the recently released Nikon COOLPIX P1100. In my first article, I wrote about my experience buying the P1100 and unboxing it when it arrived, including an unboxing video. In this article, I'll talk about the differences - and similarities - between the P1100 and the P1000. I'll describe my personal experience with both cameras where I can. The Nikon P1000 was my primary camera since February 2019 and I've been shooting with the P1100 since March 2025.

THE TOP QUESTIONS

Before we get to the differences between the cameras, let's cover the most popular questions that I'm asked about the P1100. But I should warn you that you're probably not going to like the answers.

Question #1 - Can the P1100 zoom in closer than the P1000?

No. The P1100 has the same lens and therefore the same zoom range as the P1000 which is 24mm to 3000mm (35mm equivalent). The good news is that this zoom range is unmatched by any other camera and lens system that costs less than a house :)   And that means that you will have as much fun zooming with the P1100 as you would with the P1000!

Question #2 - Is the resolution better?

Um... no. The P1100 and the P1000 have the same 1/2.3 inch sensor with a resolution of 16MP. Technically, the sensor contains 16.79 million total pixels and 16 million effective pixels. Image size and video resolution has not changed. 16MP resolution is fairly low by today's standards, but increasing the resolution would present some significant technical challenges for a camera with a 3000mm focal length.

Packing more photosites onto the 1/2.3 inch sensor would likely further reduce light sensitivity at higher focal lengths because the photosites would be smaller. And because of the relationship between sensor size and focal length (the physics of optics), putting a larger sensor in the P1100 and keeping its maximum optical focal length of 3000mm would make the camera even larger!

Question #3 - Does the camera perform better - is it faster?

Uh... no. The time it takes for the camera to do things like autofocus, continuous shooting, saving images to the SD card and zooming in and out is the same. There is no mention in Nikon's announcement of the P1100 that the camera's electronic circuitry or programming has been upgraded in any way that would make the camera operate faster. I've been shooting with the P1100 for three months now and the camera seems to perform the same as my P1000.

If you're like me and you read camera specs then you might have noticed that the P1100 ratings for image stabilization and the camera's flash are lower than those of the P1000. But the reason for the lower ratings is NOT because the P1100 has lower performance than the P1000. The ratings are lower because the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) rating criteria for these functions have changed since the Nikon COOLPIX P1000 was released way back in September 2018.

Question #4 - Is the P1100 smaller?

Um... well... no. The camera bodies of the P1100 and the P1000 are the same size and shape. The only difference I've noticed is that the P1100 doesn't have the decal that the P1000 has on the side of the lens barrel. Other than that, I have to read the model number on top of the viewfinder to make sure I grab the right camera!

Although, something inside the P1100 is different from the P1000. I don't know what that is, but Nikon reports that the Nikon P1100 weighs 5 grams less than the P1000. Not that you'll notice that when shooting with the camera. For reference, here are three things that weigh about 5 grams: (1) the amount of sugar that fits on a teaspoon, (2) five shelled almonds, (3) a standard sheet of paper.

Question #5 - OK, so what changed?

What's the difference between the Nikon COOLPIX P1100 and the P1000? Well... not much actually! It seems that Nikon had to upgrade the P1000 to comply with the European Union (EU) rule that all devices for sale must have a USB-C charging port. The P1000 has a type B Micro USB charging port, so Nikon had to change it so they could keep selling the camera in the EU.

The good news about so many things remaining the same is that if you upgrade from a P1000, then you can use most of your P1000 accessories with the P1100 (except for anything that connects to the camera with a USB port).

But Nikon did change some things that can help you to take better pictures, so let's talk about those now!

BIRDING AUTOFOCUS

Nikon changed one thing in particular with the P1100 that could make a huge difference in your photography. You can now select the size of the autofocus area when the camera's mode is set to "Bird Watching" mode. I have found this to be very helpful, so let's dig into the details.

The autofocus area is the portion of the viewfinder screen where the camera's autofocus system tries to focus. While in bird watching mode, the P1000's autofocus area was set to "Center (spot)" and you could not change it. The center spot autofocus area is locked in the center of the viewfinder and is very, very, very, very, very small. On the P1100, the autofocus area is still fixed in the center of the image, but now you can choose how large that area is. The choices are "Center (spot)", "Center (normal)" and "Center (wide)".

Center (Spot) Autofocus Area

In the picture above, the Center Spot autofocus area is within the two white square brackets in the center of the image. A small autofocus area is a great idea for birding because an amazing picture of a bird usually requires the bird's eye(s) to be in sharp focus. A small autofocus area allows you to frame the image so that the camera can only focus on the bird's eye and not get distracted by anything else.

With the shallow depth of focus that you get with super long focal lengths (for example, 2000mm and up), it's possible to take a picture where the bird's beak is in sharp focus but its eye is not in focus. So having pinpoint accuracy of what's in focus can make the difference between a great image of a bird and a throw-away image.

But here's the thing about birds, or at least my experience with taking pictures of them. They are almost always moving their little heads. And they know when you are about to press the shutter button to take a picture. As soon as you try to take a picture - they move their head! I'm positive that birds get together at night and tell funny stories about how they played with photographers trying to take their picture :)   The fast and constant movement of birds makes it difficult or impossible to get the bird's little eye in the little Center Spot autofocus area.

Center (Normal) Autofocus Area

And that's why I have found the ability to change the size of the focus box to be so helpful. Changing to "Center (Normal)" significantly improves my chances of getting the bird's eye - or even its head - inside the autofocus area so I miss less shots. But this larger autofocus area is still small enough that I can isolate the bird's eye without tree branches and leaves getting in the way.

Center (Wide) Autofocus Area

Autofocus area selection is only available in "Bird Watching" mode so it's obviously great for photographing birds. But you can you can also point the P1100 at other things while in bird watching mode so this improvement can be helpful in lots of situations. Having three different sized focus boxes to choose from on the P1100 is a real game changer for my bird photography. I am super happy with this upgrade!

I should mention that The P1000 and the P1100 also have autofocus area size choices called "Manual (spot)", "Manual (normal)" and "Manual (wide)", but they are only available in Program (P), Shutter Priority (S), Aperture Priority (A), Manual (M) and User Settings (U) modes. Those modes require setting some of the camera parameters manually. With the P1100 in Bird Watching mode, I can select the autofocus area with the camera in fully automatic mode.

FIREWORKS SHOW

Both the P1100 and the P1000 have a "Fireworks Show" mode where the camera takes a single long exposure (4 seconds) picture. You access this mode by turning the camera's mode dial to "Scene" and choosing "Fireworks Show" from the menu.

Fireworks mode on the P1100 and the P1000.

The P1100 has an additional Fireworks option that works quite differently. You can access the new option by turning the camera's Mode Dial to "Scene", selecting "Multiple Exposure Lighten" from the Scene menu and then selecting "Fireworks" from the Multiple Exposure Lighten menu.

According to Nikon, the new fireworks option "reduces instances of blown-out highlights that often occur when shooting long exposures, making it easier to capture impressively clear scenes of fireworks displays in which the brightness of the foreground or the background differs".

What's in the new P1100 box.

While shooting with the new Fireworks option, the camera takes multiple pictures at one second intervals and then composites them into one image. The camera will automatically take up to 30 pictures or you can stop the process at any time by pressing the "OK" button.

In my tests (of subjects other than fireworks), the camera saved multiple images, each a composite of the current picture plus all of the pictures that were taken before it. You can change the interval / shutter speed of the pictures by rotating the camera's command dial. You can also rotate the multi-selector on the back of the camera to set the aperture.

The Nikon COOLPIX P1100 with the lens extended.

Unfortunately, there haven't been any fireworks displays since I bought the camera in March, so I've not yet had a chance to try the new Fireworks shooting mode. But the next time I see fireworks, I will definitely try it out!

THE OTHER CHANGES

Here are the remaining differences between the Nikon COOLPIX P1100 and the P1000.

Long Exposure Noise Reduction Control:

Both the P1100 and the P1000 have a noise reduction filter that can be set in Program (P), Shutter Priority (S), Aperture Priority (A), Manual (M) and User Settings (U) modes. You can choose from Low, Normal and High noise reduction. This function is set to Normal by default.

Nikon added Long Exposure Noise Reduction Control (LENRC) to the new P1100. This function reduces image noise (pixels in an image that do not represent the true color or brightness) in photos taken at slow shutter speeds. Using the default setting, LENRC is active for any picture taken with a shutter speed at or below 1/4 of a second in P, S, A, M or U modes. You can turn LENRC off in the menu system.

Most image editing software, like Photoshop, has noise reduction functions, but now you can the P1100 do it in-camera if you'd like.

Remote Function Buttons:

The  Fn1  and  Fn2  buttons on the ML-L7 Remote Control don't do anything when used with the Nikon P1000. But they can be used to control the Nikon P1100. Any function that can be assigned to the camera's Fn button can be assigned to the function buttons on the remote. Note that the remote is an optional accessory which is not included when you buy the P1100.

The Nikon ML-L7 remote control.

Connectivity:

The P1100 has upgraded to Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi WPA3-SAE which offers faster and more secure connections to things like your phone and the camera's remote control.

Well, there you have it - those are all the differences between the Nikon COOLPIX P1100 and the P1000. Or at least those are the changes that Nikon told us about. It's not a lot of changes, but I'm really happy that Nikon is still in the point-and-shoot super zoom camera business!