Beginners and Beyond!
Written: Apr 23 '04 (Updated Jul 14 '04)
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Pros: So many features, easy to use, easy to learn, great automatic mode
Cons: no sound when the shutter is released
The Bottom Line: This camera has many options and accesories common to expensive cameras. A must for anyone who wants to take great pictures easily, with the possibility of advancing their skills.
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| islandalex's Full Review: Nikon COOLPIX 4300 Digital Camera |
I decided to buy the CoolPix 4300 for myself as a birthday gift after reading many of the reviews on this site. The Nikon appeared to have all the features I wanted, and a great price. This review focuses on my view of the camera, rather than a more technical aspect. I love photography, and in addition to my CoolPix I have a Nikon point and shoot, and a Nikon SLR.
No, I'm not a Nikon fanatic, but, so far, their cameras have always given me exactly what I want.
I was looking for a camera that had basic functions, but also more advanced manual settings so I could grow in the digital world.
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9 months down the line I am still very impressed with the camera. I have taken over 5,000 pictures with it. My poor point and shoot and SLR have been used only once each!The camera usually lives in its Nikon case, but it has had its fair share of abuse: Toddlers, my purse, beaches, boats, ect. Basically, it has been shoved into my purse, fought over by kids, dropped in the sand, sprayed with salt water, and treated like a “take anywhere” camera. At the end of a rough day thou it always gets a careful cleaning and some TLC. Even with all this abuse it is still working perfectly, and there is no damage to the lens, buttons, or display. (But please treat your camera a little bit better than I do!)
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The 4300 has a few key features that I would like to highlight. (and the scenarios that they work well in)
Close-Up
The 4300 takes amazing close-up images. The day after I bought the camera I took it to the local butterfly farm. I played around with different modes, but was unable to come up with successful pictures. I had not learnt to adjust to the shutter lag or focus.
After I had had the camera for about 2 months I took it on a tour of my garden to see what I could find. By this time, I had learnt how to use most of its functions. On still images (flowers, ect) the quality is amazing. I produces larger-than-life images that had great detail, and true to life color. After my great flower experiences I searched for something for a little harder to shoot. Funny how every living creature seemed to disappear. I found a small lizard and moved in for the kill. I took about 5 pictures, all with different focus areas.
About half of these pictures were successful, the other half were focused on areas I did not want. (The camera keeps all the information of each shot, including the focus area, and after review, these were all true to life. It was my mistake focusing on the tree branch instead of the lizards’ foot!)
Lightning
I managed to take some great pictures of lightning. You can open the shutter up to 1 minute. However, times above 12 seconds gave too much white noise. (There was very little light pollution)
The camera cannot jump back fast enough to capture all the shows of light. It takes as long to write the data as it takes to make the shot.
Still, I was most impressed.
Parties
I have shot a few memory cards worth at children’s parties. The shutter lag is a bit too slow for fast action shots of children, but if you take a little extra time to compose your picture you will be successful. The battery lasts about as long as one child’s birthday party... but keep a spare if it is a nighttime party... the flash drains the battery.
Accessories
Lenses:
The Nikon Coolpix can be used with a 2x, and a 3x zoom lens. It can also be used with a wide-angle lens. I purchased the 2x lens in December and it is a robust piece of work. While the pictures you can catch with it are amazing, there are a few cons.
Pros:
The lens allows you to get closer to your subject, and it is relatively inexpensive. (Under $100) It is built a lot sturdier than the sony and canon lenses, which makes me feel a lot more secure. In manual mode the camera has a setting for each of the different lenses. This allows the focus and exposures to automatically adjust.
Cons:
The first few photo sessions I made with my 2x lens were overexposed. A few of them were also very blurry, and the ones taken in situations with lots of reflected light were grainy. It took awhile to get used to, and took quite a bit of adjusting the settings. My second photo session was a lot more successful as I had a much steadier hand.
About 2 months after I purchased the lens I decided to take a look at filters. A UV filter is a must-have, as it protects the lens and cuts out most of the grain. I also got a polarizing filter for shots over water. The camera handled both perfectly. I actually leave the polarizer on to act as a neutral density filter to control the exposure of the pictures. With is they are not so washed out.
Housings:
I also spent $180 on an underwater housing from Fantaseas. It is amazing what the camera can do underwater in close-up mode. There is so much detail and color. The distance pictures are not too impressive, again the camera has a problem with all the reflected light.
The camera went on its first diving weekend last month. The pictures were comparable to the ones taken with an underwater digital SLR with spider strobes. I don't have a strobe yet for mine. The camera needs a strobe with a fancy enough slave function to ignore the flash-focus. Unfortunatly, theese cost quite a bit! Once I get one, I will update! I will also need to get the spider arms, as theese reduce the amound of backscatter from the sediment in the water.
The LCD is bright enough, clear enough, and large enough that you can see enough detail to compose your picture.
Filters:
They are available for the additional lenses. A 62mm CPL (circular polarizer) from Crystal-Optics will set you back a tidy sum, but the UV filter is only $10 and a must!
Batteries:
I bought a spare one from Nikon, and I also use disposable ones in a pinch, The new one is not noticeably better than the 9-month-old one. One battery lasts for one 128mb card on average.
Un-rechargable (disposable) batteries seem to last longer. I haven't figured out why! Still, I save quite a bit of mney using the Nikon rechargable.
Charging is quick. It normally takes about 2 hours, and there is an indicator on the charger to let you know when it is done. The charger does not discharge the batteries before charging them.
CF cards:
For some reason I splurged and bought an I-pro 256 mb card. It is slower than my 128 while saving pictures (about a second). However, the standard 256 one was 3 seconds slower. It holds about 150 pics, sometimes more. I really don't understand its moods!
It is nice not having to run out of card space!
The carrying case:
It looked nice and robust. However, the case takes about one month to stretch to fit the camera, and 2 months down the line the clip breaks. I am on my 3rd case now, and keeping an eye out for a metal clip to replace the plastic one.
Still, after 9 months, I LOVE this camera!
For my other favorite Nikon camera please see my review on the Nuvis S Advantix Point and Shoot.
Great Easy to Use Travel Camera
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 400
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
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Epinions.com ID:
islandalex
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Location: Neth. Antilles
Reviews written: 39
Trusted by: 14 members
About Me:
I'm an island girl. I love traveling, gadgets,and splurging on beauty products!
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