Nikon Coolpix P300 Samples

The crops below show the performance of the Nikon Coolpix P300 next to the same ISO for the Nikon Coolpix P7000
Nikon Coolpix P7000. These cameras have a large sensitivity range, starting at ISO 100 and going up to ISO 3200. The P7000 also has an ISO 6400 setting. They are both advanced fixed-lens cameras with dual-control-dials to operate manual controls. They differ in their sensor-and-lens combinations, with the P7000 using a larger CCD rather than a CMOS sensor.

All images below are 100% crops from their respective camera taken at the highest image quality JPEG setting available. ISO, aperture and white-balance were set on camera. Other settings were left at their default values. These crops help determine which ISO settings is acceptable on these cameras. As noise increases, most cameras compensate with noise reduction which introduces softness. The point at which a print become unacceptably noisy is a matter of personal taste.

Nikon Coolpix P300	Nikon Coolpix P7000
ISO 100	ISO 100
ISO 200	ISO 200
ISO 400	ISO 400
ISO 800	ISO 800
ISO 1600	ISO 1600
ISO 3200	ISO 3200
	ISO 6400

This set of crops shows the noticeable advantage of the P7000's larger sensor. At each ISO setting, the P7000 shows between 1 and 1½ stops less noise. Luckily, the smaller P300 has an ace up its sleeve in the form of its bright F/1.8 lens. At almost any focal-length, the P300 can actually shoot at one or more stops wider, effectively annihilating the difference in image noise.