Nikon Coolpix P300 Summary

12 Megapixels12 MegapixelsStabilization: Compensates for tiny involuntary movements of the camera.Stabilization: Compensates for tiny involuntary movements of the camera.Continuous DriveContinuous DriveFull 1080p HD Video: 1920 x 1080 resolution or more but less than 4K.Full 1080p HD Video: 1920 x 1080 resolution or more but less than 4K.Manual Controls: Both fully-manual (M) and semi-automatic modes (T and V).Manual Controls: Both fully-manual (M) and semi-automatic modes (T and V).Custom White-Balance: Specifies exactly what should be white to the camera.Custom White-Balance: Specifies exactly what should be white to the camera.Action Photography: Shutter speeds of 1/1500 or more.Action Photography: Shutter speeds of 1/1500 or more.Night Photography: Reaches shutter-speeds longer than 4 seconds.Night Photography: Reaches shutter-speeds longer than 4 seconds.Accepts Secure Digital Extended Capacity (SDXC), SDHC and SD memory.Accepts Secure Digital Extended Capacity (SDXC), SDHC and SD memory.Neocamera detailed reviewNeocamera detailed reviewDiscontinued: No longer produced by the manufacturer. May still be in stock or found used.Discontinued: No longer produced by the manufacturer. May still be in stock or found used.

Nikon Coolpix P300 Assessment

The Nikon Coopix P300 is a small compact digital camera with dual control-dials to efficiently access its full manual controls. It is equipped with a unique ultra-bright F/1.8 ultra-wide angle 4.2X optical zoom lens. This lens lets it capture the same scene using a lower ISO than most digital cameras. This advantage lets it keep up with top compact cameras in terms of image quality even with a small BSI-CMOS sensor. Outside of some corner softness at wider apertures, the P300 does well in all aspects of image quality: metering, color, white-balance, vignetting and distortion.

While image quality is there and controls are very responsive, certain important aspects of the P300 are slow: shot-to-shot speed, autofocus and video-recording start. Battery-life is below average as well. The more serious downsides of this digital camera are the impossibility of setting framing for video-recording and the lack of an accurate live-histogram or exposure-priority preview. While the Nikon Coolpix P300 is an excellent choice for social and creative photography without bulk, it would have a tough time with action shots.

Competition for the P300 is thin. A few compacts exist with dual-control dials but this is currently the only one with a lens that is both ultra-bright and ultra-wide. The Nikon Coolpix P300 is also the only one among these to use a CMOS sensor and therefore the only one to shoot full 1080p HD video. The CMOS sensor also enables Sweep Panorama, Multi-Frame Noise-Reduction modes, High-Speed video and fast continuous shooting.

Neocamera detailed reviewNeocamera detailed review Read the full Nikon P300 review.

PROS CONS
Ultra-Bright F/1.8 lens, lowers required ISO Visible noise at all ISO sensitivities
Excellent automatic white-balance Slow shot-to-shot speed
Good image colors Slow startup
Reliable metering Strong corner softness
Uniform brightness Blank display during continuous drive
No noticeable distortion Video-recording delay
Very responsive controls Impossible to set up video framing
Short shutter-lag Not exposure-priority
Dual-control dials in compact body No histogram in Manual mode
Excellent LCD visibility EC awkward to change
Easy user interface Short battery life
ExcellentExcellent Excellent

Nikon Coolpix P300 Related Information

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Neocamera
Nikon Coolpix P300
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By Neocamera on 2011-03-12

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Nikon P300 Highlights

Nikon Coolpix P300
Compact digital camera

Sensor-Size: 6 x 5mm

1/2.3" Sensor

Actual size when viewed at 100 DPI

12 Megapixels Fixed LensISO 160-3200
4.2X Ultra-Wide Optical ZoomShutter 1/2000-8s
Built-in StabilizationFull manual controls
8 FPS Drive, 7 ImagesCustom white-balance
1920x1080 @ 30 FPS Video RecordingLithium-Ion Battery
3" LCD 920K PixelsSecure Digital Extended Capacity, Internal Memory
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