Nikon COOLPIX P300 Pro Reviews

The Nikon Coolpix P300 might not quite match the image quality and fine detail resolution of the Canon S95 it was made to challenge but has its own merits and is a valid and competitive alternative to most expert compacts in the market. With a street price of around £250, the Coolpix P300 is much cheaper than the Canon and other competitors like the Olympus XZ-1 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. If you can go without RAW capture and would appreciate the benefits of its fast performance and Full HD video recording, then Nikon's Coolpix P300 seems a bit of a bargain.

The Nikon Coolpix P300 is a success for what it offers, but although it may look a lot like a Canon S95 on the outside, the differences on the inside see it as quite a different model. For a true high-end premium compact you'd be better to look elsewhere, as the P300 is more an advanced model for enthusiasts that want good but not absolute control. At £300 the P300 is a more affordable high-end compact compared to the competition but, as such, there are a few bits and pieces lacking - the sensor isn't the large size of its peers, there's no Raw capture or manual focus, plus no hotshoe (as per the Olympus XZ-1 or Panasonic LX5) means no additional viewfinder or external flash options. Considered in its own right, however, and the Coolpix P300 works well, focuses quickly and the pictures are, on the whole, good (though not of the ultra-high standard that may be expected). The dual thumbwheel control and quick mode-selection offered by the mode dial on top of the camera target it towards a higher-end market. For the considered £300 investment it's among the best Coolpix cameras that Nikon has brought to market.

Looking at the specifications for the P300 it becomes fairly obvious why the camera earned a "P" (for performance) designation from Nikon. The inclusion of the backside illuminated sensor is a promising technology in the field of noise reduction; manual shooting controls are generally found on cameras catering to more serious shooters; full 1080 HD video is still relatively rare on compact digital point and shoots and the f/1.8 maximum aperture at the wide end of the 4.2x zoom lens makes this the fastest lens to appear on any Coolpix camera to date. Initial shooting in the field revealed what seemed to be quick focus acquisition times and a shutter with minimal lag. Still image quality seemed good; video quality fairly good. After shooting the camera a while longer, a bit of the bloom has come off the rose. Shutter lag and focus acquisition times that initially seemed quick have measured out to be average. There is no RAW capability and the design of the camera controls require users to resort to internal menus to change shooting settings such as ISO, white balance and continuous versus single shooting modes. There are no provisions for changing sharpness or contrast settings in the camera. Battery charging is accomplished in camera and a fully depleted battery takes four hours to recharge. Combine this with a 240 shot battery life and one could wonder why Nikon didn't include an external battery charger as standard equipment. Still image quality remains good, video is fairly good and no matter what the stopwatch says, the camera feels pretty quick when shooting in good conditions. ISO noise performance appears to be a bit better than cameras with similar size and resolution conventional sensors. Overall, despite its flaws, the P300 is worth a serious look by anyone contemplating the purchase of a normal zoom compact digital.

Snapshooters wanting a little more creative control than the average point-and-shoot offers should check out the Nikon Coolpix P300.

Offering an F1.8 lens that excels in low light, plus manual controls and tack-sharp photos, the Nikon Coolpix P300 rivals higher-priced cameras without sacrificing many features.

The Nikon Coolpix P300 is an excellent camera for its price. Its ultimate appeal boils down to how you answer two questions: How valuable are RAW mode and manual focus to you? Next to the Canon PowerShot S95, the Nikon Coolpix P300 holds its own and compares favourably in notable areas: It offers better low-light image quality, a much faster burst mode (8 shots per second versus 1.9 shots per second at full resolution), a brighter lens, a little more optical zoom, better battery life, a great range of in-camera effects, and better image sharpness at a significantly lower price. The S95 asks around £70 more for RAW mode, a sturdier build, great in-camera controls via its control ring, and better Auto exposure. In these economically challenging times, the Coolpix P300 is a true deal.

The P300 is a likeable and highly stylish premium compact that’s easy to use and capable of producing good results. While the 4.2x zoom range is a bit limited we do like the f/1.8 lens, even if it can’t produce the kind of defocused ‘bokeh’ to rival DSLR lenses. In addition, the P300’s low-light, high-speed and multiple-exposure shooting modes all have their uses and are capable of good results when used with due care. That said, it does lose points for not being able to record lossless Raw images. Ideally, we’d liked to have seen smoother and more precise zoom controls too, along with a wider choice of aspect ratios. Overall though, if you’re on the lookout for a stylish compact with DSLR-like control and some interesting shooting features, the P300 deserves to be on your shortlist.

The Nikon COOLPIX P300 manages to outperform its rivals in the 'prosumer' class when it comes to providing Full HD movies, longer zoom and faster continuous shooting, but its lack of RAW format capability and use of a smaller sensor might hold some semi-pros back.

Overall then, the P300 is a satisfying compact camera, but contrary to appearance, it is not the direct competitor for the S95 that we'd hoped (and initially assumed) it might be. However, what it does, it does very well. If you want full manual control in a lightweight, well-constructed (and relatively inexpensive) body, and you like the idea of twin control dials but don't care about being limited to JPEG capture, you will probably love the P300.

It can’t match the best compacts on the market, but top video and a quality lens make this camera an attractive proposition.

If you buy the Nikon Coolpix P300 thinking that it can’t get any better then you may be disappointed. Good though the camera is, it’s not quite up there with the larger-sensor (and better image quality) competitors such as the Canon PowerShot S95. However the P300 gets a lot right: good autofocus and control, a great layout that’s optimum for manual controls and a decent point-and-shoot movie mode. There may be no manual focusing, no RAW capture, no hotshoe for expanding into a wider system and image quality that’s only fair (and that’s being rather generous in description), but that all epitomises the sort of level the P300 sits at. If you’ve got £250-300 to spend on a compact (rather than the £400 asking prices of the bigger boys) and want one with a wide aperture and full manual controls for greater overall control then the P300 would certainly make a decent choice.

The Nikon Coolpix P300 certainly isn't a bad camera, particularly if you value full HD movies above RAW support, higher-resolution images over out-and-out quality, and you trust the camera to make the right settings for you. We can't think of too many photographers who subscribe to that viewpoint, though, making the P300 better suited to life as an affordable semi-advanced compact, rather than a serious snapper's pocketable DSLR backup.

Sporting an enviable catalogue of features, the Nikon Coolpix P300 would be well-suited to a DSLR user seeking an easier camera to transport for everyday use, or even a holiday alternative that shares the ability for manual command and a heightened performance in low light.

The Nikon Coolpix P300 with smaller sensor produces good results, better than some expected thanks to the backlit CMOS sensor, and extremely rapid performance in the form of 8fps shooting, high speed video and full HD video recording, and is therefore Highly Recommended (and a close second).

The P300 also betters the S95 in the area of ergonomics, by providing a rubber front and back grip while the S95 provides none, and is particularly slippery. And above everything else, the Nikon Coolpix P300 comes in as the newest camera, with the lowest price of the competitors, and is therefore Highly Recommended!