Nikon Coolpix P1000 $999
Camera not necessity but it sure is fun

The Nikon Coolpix P1000 has a built-in lens with an insane zoom range of 125x (24 mm-3,000 mm).

Nobody really needs a zoom lens that goes out to 3,000 mm, but it sure is fun to see what it can do.

The first thing you notice is how heavy it is: more than 3 pounds. You definitely won't wear it around your neck all day without some discomfort.

As you extend the zoom lens, the camera's weight shifts forward. Holding the P1000 with the lens fully extended is difficult but not impossible, especially with the camera's built-in image stabilization.

The camera's sensor captures 16-megapixel images with a resolution up to 4,608 by 3,456 pixels. It has an ISO (film speed) range of 100 to 6400, and it can shoot up to 7 frames per second, but in short bursts, not continuously.

The lens and imaging system has a digital zoom of 4x, so if you really want to experiment, the lens will reach out to the equivalent of a 12,000 lens for a 35mm camera. Of course, that's not really a mode I would expect to produce very good images.

The COOLPIX P1000’s smooth operating control ring provides next-level operation, enabling you to intuitively adjust focus in MF mode or exposure, white balance or ISO in AF mode right from the lens barrel without having to look away from the viewfinder. (Nixon/TNS) ORG XMIT: 1244972

The lens focuses from 1 foot to infinity at the wide end and from 23 feet to infinity at the telephoto end. In macro mode, it can focus as close as 0.4 inches.

The viewfinder is not optical. It is a tiny 1 centimeter OLED screen. The main screen is a 3.2-inch TFT-LCD, but it is oddly not a touch screen, which I think is a shame for a $1,000 camera.

The camera's battery is a weak point. The battery is good for up to 250 shots, or 1 hour and 20 minutes of video shooting. For a camera the size of the P1000, that's underwhelming. If you buy the P1000, plan to buy a few extra batteries.

The P1000 also takes beautiful video at resolutions up to 4K UHD (3,840 by 2,160 pixels at 30 frames per second).

The camera can shoot RAW files, which capture more image data than JPG images, but every time you take a RAW photo, be prepared for up to a 5-second delay while the camera processes the shot. During this 5 seconds, the camera is unresponsive, which is a pain.

The built-in flash works out to about 41 feet.

The P1000 really wants to help you take good photos. There is a long list of scene modes that will change the exposure settings for certain situations.

The wheel on top of the camera even includes program settings for shooting birds and the moon.

Dallas Morning News