Nikon Coolpix 4300 4MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom
By: Nikon Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 88
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 On: 2008-05-09
This camera is designed for photographers of all levels, from a simple point and shoot to a complicated moving object and with just one button upload to the internet you will be on your way to greatness.
 On: 2008-04-17
Ive had this camera for almost six years now and I have to say its pretty durable. BUT the image display screen is painfully small (especially compared to some of the newer cameras) and everything this camera does takes FOREVER! It takes about 10-20 seconds between each shot to "think" and dont even ATTEMPT to delete pictures because that will take you up to a full minute for each picture! Plus, the batteries die very easily and its kind of a hassle to charge the camera because the batteries must be taken out of the camera and plugged into a specific charger. This is much more inconvenient than the newer cameras, which tend to simply take AA batteries or else plug straight into the computer or wall. Also...this thing is very clunky and awkward. Not sleek at all.
That being said, the quality of the images taken on this camera tend to be very good! The close-up function can produce some very nice, finely detailed photos, and the coloring and light always seems good. I enjoy the end product of using this camera, but it really is a hassle most of the time, so for the easily-frustrated...this is not for you!
Also, I found in the instruction manual, hidden deep somewhere there, that it says you should take the batteries out of the camera when it is not in use and that that will help them last longer between chargings (which Ive never done so perhaps that wouldve helped them not die so quickly).
On: 2007-12-13
Just wanted to share that Ive had this camera for 5 years now and it is still working great. Its got some scratches from being dropped a few times. Weve used the camera for indoor and outdoors. Night use. Day use. Parties, schools, picnics, hikes, travelling abroad, halloween, christmas, family, business. This camera has been almost everywhere with us (except for underwater, ha!) Practical features too: Zoom in, sports shots, quick video clips, special effects shots, reduce back lighting and glare, timer, auto, manual, portrait, sunsets, and so many more.
Incidentally, over 20 years ago, I had my first Nikon camera, an FE. I didnt think that the lens of the simple coolpix could compare with the professional quality lenses I could place on my FE, but the ease of digital photography with the coolpix has more than compensated for its "amateur" level service. I have even been able to take some professional looking chiaroscuro images that hearkened back to my photography buff days. I was surprised and happy with the results.
Weve even sent this camera in once for repair under warranty in its first year. It came back working better than ever(if not as it should have all along). Even my kids have gotten their turns with the coolpix. Yes, the battery has a short life, we have found that depending on use, we can get one day to 3 days of use on the battery life. We just charge it often and in between uses. So it still comes through for us despite the battery charging.
We have had an easy experience with the coolpix 4300. its filled up our photo albums and library both digital and printed. We have all enjoyed this camera for family and fun use.
We have just gotten a smaller, newer, more sophisticated and expensive Sony digital camera---Im still on a wait and see mode on it. But, from durability alone, 5 years of use, I recommend the coolpix. And again, on ease of use and the immense and wide applications our whole family has and is still getting out of this camera, I highly recommend this and the coolpix family of nikon digital cameras.
On: 2007-11-09
This is the first digital camera I have ever purchased, and I have learned a lot since then.
1) Avoid cameras where the lens extends outward from the body! These are prone to many problems, ranging from impact to debris effecting its performance.
2) Make sure the camera suits your purpose, test it in the store if you can. If you want a camera to capture action, this IS NOT the camera for you.
For simple snap shots, this is not a bad camera, for action it is virtually useless.
I now have a Nikon D50, which is infinitely superior, and worth the extra $$$.
On: 2007-10-12
Love it.
Compact, great pictures, good for those that dont like to figure out settings, lighting, pixels, exposure, etc.
I especially like the "macro" setting that allows very close-up photography.
Software included lets you download to your computer so images can be saved, emailed, or kept on hosting sites.
 On: 2007-07-10
This camera is light weight and fairly smart with the auto-flash. I recommend using the highest photo quality (Fine) to approach film-like quality of moderate enlargements. Do buy a 256MB or larger CF card as the included card fills up rapidly. At the highest quality level (Fine), a 256MB card will hold about 300 photographs at 1600x1200. The actual picture, which is represented on the LCD, is larger than what is shown through the viewfinder at all optical zoom levels.
It is fairly easy to change between photographic modes in SCENE and take several shots of the same scene in fairly quick succession to compare how they treat the same light conditions. The digital zoom works well on horizontally/vertically linear objects such as text or buildings, but not so well on non-linear objects such as mountains.
The low battery warning icon comes on when the battery is about 1/3 depleted, but carrying a spare battery which is fully charged will get you nearly 3 hours of continuous photographing. My replacement/spare battery depletes at a slightly slower rate than the battery included with the camera.
My one problem/complaint is with the hyperactive auto-focus. In all of the modes I use, except Landscape, I have to semi-depress the shutter button for it to stop focusing back and forth through the object I am trying to photograph. The camera tends to focus through close objects, even in Close-up mode, and bring the background into focus instead of the flower/butterfly/bird/etc. that is the center and dominating portion of the image I am composing.
On: 2007-05-09
I have this camera for 3 years. The image quality is OK, optics are good. Battery life is good. Now 3 years later cameras have bigger displays, but thats not a negative point for this camera as it came out in a time this size was usual.
The big bad thing with this camera is its respond time, and this really makes the good things pretty useless. It needs about 1-2 seconds from the moment I hit the shoot button until it actually takes the picture, and I have had so much occasion with peoples, where this ruined the take. Specially with kids, you have a good moment and shoot, but the picture is taken long after the good moment passed away. Also the time the camera needs to save the image after the take is extremely slow, there go other 10 good moments until the cam is ready again. Maybe the save file time can be shortened with a better highspeed flash card, the one I use is a standard card. But it will still be too much time to save the image. I am going now purchasing a Canon Powershot A710.
On: 2007-05-08
I have this camera for 3 years. The image quality is OK, optics are good. Battery life is good. Now 3 years later cameras have bigger displays, but thats not a negative point for this camera as it came out in a time this size was usual.
The big bad thing with this camera is its respond time, and this really makes the good things pretty useless. It needs about 1-2 seconds from the moment I hit the shoot button until it actually takes the picture, and I have had so much occasion with peoples, where this ruined the take. Specially with kids, you have a good moment and shoot, but the picture is taken long after the good moment passed away. Also the time the camera needs to save the image after the take is extremely slow, there go other 10 good moments until the cam is ready again. Maybe the save file time can be shortened with a better highspeed flash card, the one I use is a standard card. But it will still be too much time to save the image. I am going now purchasing a Canon Powershot A710.
On: 2006-08-13
I loved my Coolpix, but being a gaget geek, I kept looking for bigger and better-more zoom, more pixels. I gave my beat up and battered baby to my teenage son, and "upgraded" to a camera I had researched as better. A year later, I am scrambling to get myself another Coolpix. My son uses it like crazy, and wont give it back. My mother, who is in her 60s and cant figure out how that mouse thing on the computer works, can operate it with no problems. My son wont give it to her, either. It will be a sad day when this model is no longer available.
One con: watch the battery door, this model has a bad habit of loosening at the battery door latch, which weakens the contact and causes battery life to decline drastically. Extra batteries on hand and duct tape pretty much will solve that, but that tape does make the camera a little less pretty!
On: 2006-08-12
I loved my Coolpix, but being a gaget geek, I kept looking for bigger and better-more zoom, more pixels. I gave my beat up and battered baby to my teenage son, and "upgraded" to a camera I had researched as better. A year later, I am scrambling to get myself another Coolpix. My son uses it like crazy, and wont give it back. My mother, who is in her 60s and cant figure out how that mouse thing on the computer works, can operate it with no problems. My son wont give it to her, either. It will be a sad day when this model is no longer available.
One con: watch the battery door, this model has a bad habit of loosening at the battery door latch, which weakens the contact and causes battery life to decline drastically. Extra batteries on hand and duct tape pretty much will solve that, but that tape does make the camera a little less pretty!
On: 2005-11-13
Pluss:Very good camera...easy to grip, good pictures at night.
Minuss:red-eye, longer time from one picture to another.
On: 2005-11-12
Pluss:Very good camera...easy to grip, good pictures at night.
Minuss:red-eye, longer time from one picture to another.
On: 2005-07-30
This camera was my "step up" from a 2 megapixel camera. My first camera was also a CoolPix. Yes, this camera does have deficits (i.e., shutter lag time which is not great for kid shots). But at this current price, you will be very pleased with the quality of the end product. Although I do use manual controls, I have had fabulous results with Auto. I have taken pictures of my laughing, flailing grandson in the bathtub and the vividness and accuracy of water droplets and moving water is stupendous. I would rate this camera as "beginner." I have learned to select a camera which is beyond my capabilites. With rapid, advancing technology, the 4300 is in this category for the novice shootist who is interested in quality photos and quality product which can be edited in Photoshop Elements.
On: 2005-07-29
This camera was my "step up" from a 2 megapixel camera. My first camera was also a CoolPix. Yes, this camera does have deficits (i.e., shutter lag time which is not great for kid shots). But at this current price, you will be very pleased with the quality of the end product. Although I do use manual controls, I have had fabulous results with Auto. I have taken pictures of my laughing, flailing grandson in the bathtub and the vividness and accuracy of water droplets and moving water is stupendous. I would rate this camera as "beginner." I have learned to select a camera which is beyond my capabilites. With rapid, advancing technology, the 4300 is in this category for the novice shootist who is interested in quality photos and quality product which can be edited in Photoshop Elements.
 On: 2005-06-30
Purchased the coolpix 4300 in March of 2004 and loved it. Great photos and loved the features. In mid June, just 15 months later, the zoom and focus died. Nikon wants a check for $249.00 mailed with the camera to even look at it. A local camera repair shop wants over $200.00. Cannot believe it when the camera was only 3 months post warranty. Have replaced it with a Canon A95 from Amazon for about the same price as the repair would have been but I lost some $260.00. To say the least I bought an extended warranty. Will never buy another dig camera without one. Is that not a shame???
On: 2005-06-24
My family had a Nikon 4300 for a few years and we enjoyed it because of its small size and its photos werent bad. However, we did come across some problems.
1. The shutter lag was utterly annoying and I missed a lot of photo oppurtunities.
2. It takes a long time to delete the photos.
3. Our lens got stuck or something and the camera gave us a "SYSTEM ERROR" in which the lens would not get pushed in our out.
4. Poor photos with low lighting (Very blurry), which includes indoors.
5. Battery life pretty short. Half of its energy was gone when I had the thing on for 20 minutes and I didnt have it on the whole 20 minutes.
I DID get some good photos from the camera. Its not as manual as Id like it to be, but I recommend to get a lens protector to avoid the System Error. I tried the Canon S1 IS in Best Buy and it turned on really fast and took photos really fast indoors. Also it wasnt blurry!
 On: 2005-05-29
After spending over $450 on this camera, I expected it to last more than two years. It did give me great pictures while it lasted, but all of a sudden it died on me at the Grand Canyon. When I got home and called Nikon they told me that it sounded like a problem with the chip, and would probably cost around $200 to fix. I was shocked and disgusted. I read other on line reviews from people who had a similar problem. I think it is a flaw in this model, and if so, I think Nikon should be a little more flexible at helping us get it fixed. I will not buy another Nikon product again!
On: 2005-01-20
My sister told me, right before my daughter was born, "you will want to take that camera and smash it into a wall!" She was right! Several times I have wanted to do just that. The lag time between each shot is just too long to capture those instant events. I have to take 20 to 40 shots to get my daughter smiling (I am not kidding). Little children and babies wont hold a smile or a pose for long. I have missed so many shots...it is depressing. Also there is a pre flash or a flash indicator which alerts my daughter to close her eyes...I am not a professional...so I really dont know what this accomplishes.
The quality of the shots you do get is very good as far as detail and crispness go but they definately lack something in the color arena. If you use auto setting the flash captures the action very well but the color suffers. My photos look too grey and harsh. If you use the "scene" setting the flash and the colors are very true and natural but the picture comes out fuzzy no matter what you do...either you move a little or the subject does (one mode is "party" and I would like to see the blurry fuzzy pictures of people dancing). If you dont use the flash in auto...you will also get slightly fuzzy pictures. I have spent hours color correcting my pictures and it is a lot of work. I would put up with it though if it would snap the darn pictures more quickly.
Also the photo cap is just completely "gimicky" and unnecessary. My daughter continuously wants to grab at it when I am trying to take a picture. It dangles within her reach. It also has ruined several shots I took of her laying down and I was standing over her and I did not see it hanging in the view...but in the image pic you see baby and right over her head a dark blob.
Battery life is very good. I can snap oodles of pics before charging. You can take clear detailed pictures up close if you use auto setting with the flash on.
On: 2004-12-24
This is an excellent camera, especially for those not too into the very expensive SLRs but still want good quality pictures. What i love the most is that it gives you the ability to store to CF cards. Its a big plus for me becuase i can interchange the card between the camera and my Clie PDA.
On: 2004-12-15
I bought this camera with very high expectations and for the most part it has done a good job. It takes wonderful pictures even in extremely dark areas with or without a flash. It captures beautiful color and detail has a great zoom and tons of options. The problem is unless you have a tripod with you at all times it is nearly impossible to get a good picture without any blur. This is not only from my experience, but also from friends and family who have used it as well. I even set it on a level rail and set the timer to take the picture and it came out blurred. So unless you want to carry a tripod all the time I would suggest buying one of the new Kodak cameras.
On: 2004-12-14
I bought this camera with very high expectations and for the most part it has done a good job. It takes wonderful pictures even in extremely dark areas with or without a flash. It captures beautiful color and detail has a great zoom and tons of options. The problem is unless you have a tripod with you at all times it is nearly impossible to get a good picture without any blur. This is not only from my experience, but also from friends and family who have used it as well. I even set it on a level rail and set the timer to take the picture and it came out blurred. So unless you want to carry a tripod all the time I would suggest buying one of the new Kodak cameras.
On: 2004-11-15
When you power on the Nikon 4300, it takes forever to be ready to take a picture (over 5 seconds). After you have taken one picture, you will have to wait another 5 second you can take another picture. So disappointed. -JP
On: 2004-11-14
When you power on the Nikon 4300, it takes forever to be ready to take a picture (over 5 seconds). After you have taken one picture, you will have to wait another 5 second you can take another picture. So disappointed. -JP
On: 2004-10-26
I bought a Nikon Coolpix 4300 when it first came out, and from the very first day I found it not only gives me excellent photos but also is incredibly easy to use. We have a Canon Elph at work, and I can never remember how to view and trash the photos, but with the Nikon its so intuitive that I was able to do everything without reading the manual. One of these days I will read the manual - I know there must be some features Im not yet using - but I use this camera frequently and to date havent been at a loss to do anything. It is also small and light, so I just leave it in my knapsack so its available always. Downloading to the computer is also a snap. This is an excellent camera.
On: 2004-10-25
I bought a Nikon Coolpix 4300 when it first came out, and from the very first day I found it not only gives me excellent photos but also is incredibly easy to use. We have a Canon Elph at work, and I can never remember how to view and trash the photos, but with the Nikon its so intuitive that I was able to do everything without reading the manual. One of these days I will read the manual - I know there must be some features Im not yet using - but I use this camera frequently and to date havent been at a loss to do anything. It is also small and light, so I just leave it in my knapsack so its available always. Downloading to the computer is also a snap. This is an excellent camera.
On: 2004-09-11
We had a Nikon FM 35mm for mega-years which was a dependable work horse that always got the picture despite sea air, sand, etc. we subjected it to. When we decided to "go digital" we turned to Nikon and picked the Coolpix 4300, knowing little about digital cameras and depending on Nikons reputation of making excellent cameras.
We have not been disappointed. I dont use the LCD screen to frame a shot, preferring to do it the old fashioned way and the dangling lens cap isnt a problem since I was used to that too. We do a lot of travel and I keep the camera in SCENE mode so I can point and shoot, often at 70+mph from the passenger window. My thumb naturally rests on the zoom, making it fast and easy to use. The coolpix 4300 has NEVER failed to get the picture for me. We carry a charged battery with us but have never had to use it before days end. My only complaint is buying a 128 mb card when half that size would have been more than adequate, if we had only known.
The Coolpix 4300 is just heavy enough to steady your shot and fits your hand perfectly. Very user friendly and very simple to use with a wide range of options for artistic experimentation. I have cropped photos then printed to 8" X 10" and they were not grainy and the colors and saturation were very true.
I cant say enough good things about the Nikon Coolpix 4300 and I highly reccomend it to anyone wanting an excellent digital camera for the money.
by: dalmatianboy On: 2004-08-16
I own an HP digital camera that I am very displeased with and decided to get a Nikon. I have owned several Nikon cameras and currently own a Nikon SLR.
This camera is FAR superior to the HP digital camera. To be fair, this Nikon has a higher megapixel rating, but I get pictures that are consistenly brilliant in color and that are crisp and focused.
The only complaint: it is difficult to see a picture on the lcd screen outdoors in any kind of sunlight. The solution: take several shots, experimenting with framing, exposure, etc., and youll get your picture.
Simply incredible.
On: 2004-08-16
After 3 months of use I am a huge fan of this Nikon camera. The battery has only drained once and it gave me ample warning before shutting down. Its ease of operation and small size, with a well designed handle, allows one to hold it with one hand securly. The VERY best feature is the quality of the photos it takes, especially in "auto mode". Ive printed high quality photos on my very basic printer using glossy paper. It goes everywhere with ease. Personally, its better than any camera Ive seen.
On: 2004-08-16
I love my Coolpix 4300! This is the camera that finally convinced me to give digital a try after 25+ years with my trusty Pentax SLR, without making a huge investment. The 4300 was easy to use right out of the box, and after a few sessions with the owners manual, easier still. Its so user friendly that even my nine-year-old son is now a confirmed shutterbug, taking macro photos of the bugs and amphibians he finds out in the woods!
Weve had the camera for about six months now, and have used it for landscapes, portraits and sports shots - all of which have excellent detail, except for those in the maximum digital zoom mode, where theres quite a bit of loss in clarity. All the scene modes work well, although I believe the landscape mode blurs the details just a bit. Indoors, night time, and fireworks modes do a great job of making the correct settings for us. Included Nikonview software is very basic and nothing to write home about. The camera itself is small, very portable and easy to pack along for hiking trips.
Gotta-have accessories: We use a USB card reader to download images directly from the card, and speed is not an issue at all. I dont think its unreasonable to wait 1-2 seconds per photo. You will definitely need to supplement the included 16mb memory card which only holds about 8 pix. I have a 128mb which I clear out frequently, so I have no complaints about photo storage. Youll also need a back-up battery, but theyre very reasonably priced and reliable, too.
Bottom line - dont be afraid to take the plunge. This is a nice, affordably priced camera.
On: 2004-08-07
Im a Nikon nut. Period. The colors that this camera yields is terrific. The macro ability of the camera out of the box is awesome.
But, it takes a long time to save each picture. In low light, it struggles to focus.
Be sure to go to Nikon.com and upgrade your cameras firmware and get the latest version of the NikonView 6 software.
Overall great!
On: 2004-07-07
Coming up to 1000 pics with this camera now and this Coolpix does the job. A slightly older design, but now down in price to compete with the newer kids on the block, so look out for the deals. Feeling feels solid in the hand with a pleasingly positive shutter button, it is slightly heavier than the competition which helps to steady your shot when you capture the moment.In the green all auto mode it produces pretty good results with a low button count. Switch to the scene mode (fireworks, sunset etc) and you dont have to worry about f-stops and apertures, your pictures will also benefit. There is also enough scope for the developing photographer to explore in the manual mode. Manual white balance, shutter speed and focussing are all here although there are only 2 true apertures from which to choose. So sit down, get a tripod and read the manual - the menus at times can be a little esoteric. Take some time to play at home and become familiar with the camera, its well worth it. Essential accessories:
- Battery - this camera does not take AAs so buy one or two 3 rd party batteries
- Compactflash cards - again 1 or 2 128MB (or larger) cards dont go crazy and get a huge 4GB CF - buy a couple of smaller cards rather than one large one - you will sit on one, drop one in a cup of tea one day, transfer regularly and you wont lose you precious pics
-Card reader - less than $10 for a PC card for your laptop or not much more for a USB reader - save your batteries and faster transfers
A day shooting about 120 pics will use up approximately one 128MB card and 1 battery (using LCD, shooting 4mp JPEGs etc) so dont get caught out, stock up!
Pros: -Clean, sharp images that print nicely at 6x4" 5x7" size (4mp is more than enough for this and gives you a little leeway for cropping)
-Superb macro out of the box - very easy to get great results
-Not too button heavy - auto modes yield good pictures without delving in the manual
-Uses cheap, readily available Compactflash media
-Feels solid and comfortable in the hand, heavier and less plasticky than Canon A70/80 Cons: -Proprietory battery - not AA so youre stuck when you cant recharge you Li-ions, but 3rd party battery so far is cheap and running well
-Lens cap - it will get on your nerves
-Huge shutter lag (5-6 secs) when LCD is turned off good for saving battery, bad for catching the action But go to a shop, pick it up, play with it then buy it on Amazon!
On: 2004-07-05
Overall: Good for the price, and the quality Nikon optics.But it is slower than I imagined - comparing it to other camers that use a different metering system with the "red light laser" thingy. That plastic cap - I got use to it - dont worry about that.
The battery - I NEED ONE THAT LASTS LONGER!
The pictures - great 4mp quality with plenty of handy scene modes
The extras - I wnat to get a wide angle lens soon.
On: 2004-05-23
and this camera is everything I wanted! Even more. Extremely easy to use right out of the box. Very durable......so far. Pictures are perfectly clear and easy to send to my wife via e-mail. Two drawbacks: Camera is a bit loud. Maybe because its always focusing on objects. 16 mb card is a joke. Luckily, I have a thumb drive and I can download them to it. Anyway, if youre looking for a great camera at a reasonable price, go with the Nikon 4300.
On: 2004-05-05
I bought this camera one year ago and paid mid $300 for it. It did produce several nice pictures. But Im disappointed with two facts. First of all, its hard to get a good picture of moving subjects. Many pictures of my baby girl, when she is waving her hands or rolling over on the floor, are blurry. Second, I havent gotten any good prints yet. All pictures look vivid on the computer but dull on the print. Maybe its because I developed them at Sams club. But it sucks if the only way to get good pix is to develop them at somewhere else at higher price.I have read several good reviews of this product on this website and many others. I feel either those guys are smarter than me, or they just have relatively low expectation of digital cameras. I really hope that in the future when someone writes his enthusiastic reviews of this product, he can tell us whether he has experienced my problems, and if yes, how he solves them.
On: 2004-05-04
I bought this camera one year ago and paid mid $300 for it. It did produce several nice pictures. But Im disappointed with two facts. First of all, its hard to get a good picture of moving subjects. Many pictures of my baby girl, when she is waving her hands or rolling over on the floor, are blurry. Second, I havent gotten any good prints yet. All pictures look vivid on the computer but dull on the print. Maybe its because I developed them at Sams club. But it sucks if the only way to get good pix is to develop them at somewhere else at higher price.I have read several good reviews of this product on this website and many others. I feel either those guys are smarter than me, or they just have relatively low expectation of digital cameras. I really hope that in the future when someone writes his enthusiastic reviews of this product, he can tell us whether he has experienced my problems, and if yes, how he solves them.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-04-05
Camera takes great pictures. The complaint by others about cap design must be better understood. It does take an easy manual removal to take off the cap. But this is only so that the camera is allowed an additional feature not found in most other small cameras. Using a special attachment you can attach regular Nikon large lenses to the camera. Buy a backup battery for this or any digital camera. The case made for this camera is a gret deal.
On: 2004-03-27
I purchased the Coolpix 4300 back around Xmas. After using in heavily during the past 3 months, I can say that I am pleased and pleasantly surprised with it.The Coolpix is very easy to use. The instructions are clear, the controls make sense - even my technophobe wife has figured it out and takes good pictures. Picture quality is OUTSTANDING. I love the depth of color I get, especially outdoors. Once I figured out that pushing the "shutter release" button halfway down before taking the picture almost completely eliminates the shutter lag, my pictures have been great. It seems to take better pictures on the Automatic setting, as opposed to the various scenes or manual settings, but that may very well be operator error. And, of course, the real appeal of digital photography - with a couple of 256MB Lexar cards (for less money than I could believe), I can take 20 shots of the same thing with the certainty that 5 of them are going to be exactly what I want. Some other raves: The camera fits into your hand very well. Its small enough to put in your coat pocket. Its lightweight, but feels well-made. Ive had good luck with battery life, although Im glad I bought an extra battery for peace of mind. The software that comes with the camera isnt anything to write home about (not much here that isnt already included in Windows XP and Office 2003), but Nikon.Net is a VERY cool bonus. Overall, I couldnt be more pleased with the Coolpix 4300. I take many more pictures of many more subjects since I bought it, which is the whole point of buying a good camera. I enthusiasticly recommend this product!
On: 2004-03-26
I purchased the Coolpix 4300 back around Xmas. After using in heavily during the past 3 months, I can say that I am pleased and pleasantly surprised with it.The Coolpix is very easy to use. The instructions are clear, the controls make sense - even my technophobe wife has figured it out and takes good pictures. Picture quality is OUTSTANDING. I love the depth of color I get, especially outdoors. Once I figured out that pushing the "shutter release" button halfway down before taking the picture almost completely eliminates the shutter lag, my pictures have been great. It seems to take better pictures on the Automatic setting, as opposed to the various scenes or manual settings, but that may very well be operator error. And, of course, the real appeal of digital photography - with a couple of 256MB Lexar cards (for less money than I could believe), I can take 20 shots of the same thing with the certainty that 5 of them are going to be exactly what I want. Some other raves: The camera fits into your hand very well. Its small enough to put in your coat pocket. Its lightweight, but feels well-made. Ive had good luck with battery life, although Im glad I bought an extra battery for peace of mind. The software that comes with the camera isnt anything to write home about (not much here that isnt already included in Windows XP and Office 2003), but Nikon.Net is a VERY cool bonus. Overall, I couldnt be more pleased with the Coolpix 4300. I take many more pictures of many more subjects since I bought it, which is the whole point of buying a good camera. I enthusiasticly recommend this product!
On: 2004-03-22
This camera stopped working after six days of use without any apparent damage (no droppage, water, etc.). Tech support tried to be helpful, but they couldnt even diagnose the problem. Hopefully the vendor will take it back and let me switch to a different manufacturer.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-03-19
I bought this camera a couple of weeks ago and love it! The outdoor pictures are sharp and crisp, and Ive taken a couple of close-ups and blown them up to poster size with no loss of clarity. My favorite feature is the "small pic" button that allows you to reduce the resolution of your photos for internet and/or email use. I used to have to get my software to do this and it was a bit time consuming. I love the idea that the camera will do it for me. I agree that the battery life is short, but I carry an extra charged battery with me, and it isnt a problem. You can also buy disposable batteries at the drugstore or grocery store, so you should never be left in the lurch unless you fail to plan. My biggest problem so far has been my indoor pictures. The photos I took recently at a couple of indoor parties were horrible and blurry. I used one of the pre-set scenes to shoot them. I will need to play around with the settings a bit, and Im sure I will be able to figure out a good way to shoot these situations to improve the quality. It was pretty dark in the rooms where I was trying to take the pictures, but Im sure Ill get it figured out.
Excellent value for the money!
On: 2004-03-14
This is a very good camera. Bought it 6 months back. Took really great shots with this camera. From my point of view, you can buy any 4MP digital camera for this price, but what you have to watch out is that you get the best lenses. Nikon is the world leader in lenses - that is a fact ! Of course cannon can compare close. The features on the camera allow you to take excellent pictures.
One of the cons for this camera compared to the Nikon 4500 is that this camera does not have Aperature and Shutter priority modes. It has a manual mode in which you can choose your own aperture and shutter speeds. One other thing that this camera has a little problem with is a little sound in its automatic mode, I think the lens adusts itself to the light or something, this is a little annoying in the begining, this sound is not audible in the programmed modes.
On: 2004-03-13
This is a very good camera. Bought it 6 months back. Took really great shots with this camera. From my point of view, you can buy any 4MP digital camera for this price, but what you have to watch out is that you get the best lenses. Nikon is the world leader in lenses - that is a fact ! Of course cannon can compare close. The features on the camera allow you to take excellent pictures.
One of the cons for this camera compared to the Nikon 4500 is that this camera does not have Aperature and Shutter priority modes. It has a manual mode in which you can choose your own aperture and shutter speeds. One other thing that this camera has a little problem with is a little sound in its automatic mode, I think the lens adusts itself to the light or something, this is a little annoying in the begining, this sound is not audible in the programmed modes.
On: 2004-03-12
I just got my Nikon Coolpix 4300 in the mail yesterday, and Ive been going crazy taking picture after picture! It comes with a battery, a battery charger, and a card to store pictures. I was hesitant to spend so much money on a camera, and although I do believe it is quite overpriced, its a very reliable camera. Nikon is, in my opinion, the best brand of digital cameras. I like how it has clear pictures and tells you if the lenscap is on or off. If anyone is unsure whether or not to buy this digicam, I would definitely recommend it.
On: 2004-03-11
I just got my Nikon Coolpix 4300 in the mail yesterday, and Ive been going crazy taking picture after picture! It comes with a battery, a battery charger, and a card to store pictures. I was hesitant to spend so much money on a camera, and although I do believe it is quite overpriced, its a very reliable camera. Nikon is, in my opinion, the best brand of digital cameras. I like how it has clear pictures and tells you if the lenscap is on or off. If anyone is unsure whether or not to buy this digicam, I would definitely recommend it.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-02-06
Having been a professional photographer now for some 28 years and always seen Nikon as the Pinnacle of Camera Manufacturers, you can imagine my extreme disappointment when I recommended one Nikon Coolpix to my son. He and his girlfriend was on his way to Latin America for a once in a lifetime extended vacation and wanted a really good camera to catch them memories of that trip. I then had my son calling me on the phone to be advised that the Nikon Coolpix had packed up halfway through his trip, and worse still also finding out that the camera did not have any international warranty, despite that Nikon is a large and international company. I phoned Nikon to confirm the problems and decided to purchase him another Nikon Coolpix and send it to him and sort out the malfunctioning camera upon return. So upon his return to the Nikon camera was sent to Nikon Service Centre under warranty, only to be told that the camera had APPARENTLY suffered with humidity or water damage and was now uneconomic to repair. Quoting extracts from Nikon here they said: "Advised customer that repair has liquid damage." The water has caused the components to corrode, evident by the white fungus/mould. Called customer and offered exchange of a 4300 at £328 inc VAT" Being offered a replacement Nikon camera, but at a cost that turned out to be no kind favour at all, since it was far in excess of buying a new camera from a regular camera shop who sell the same item at a lot less, like £79 difference, no warranty cover for water or humidity damage according to Nikon, so not really much help there then! Quote Brand NIKON
Product Name COOLPIX 4300
Jessops Code NIKC4300
Jessops Price £249.90 The battery life on the Nikon Coolpix cameras that I have experienced, in some cases only giving 20 to 30 pictures, does not seem good and does not get better, it gets worse if anything as the batteries seem to fade away! I have now returned 3 Nikon Coolpix cameras to my local dealer and now intend to return two more soon also for credit against other more reliable cameras from another camera company that has not forgotten how to look after its customers? I my family and friends, on my recommendations, have now all switched to Canon Cameras. We have already purchased so far Three PowerShot Cameras a G2 and G3 both 4 Million Pixel cameras at very good prices (since both are now obsolete models), also a lovely newer current model the Canon Powershot G5 which is now increased to a very useful 5 Million Pixels. The design facilities, the quality and ease of use of all of these Canon PowerShot cameras seems to be much excellent, especially the newer CanonPowershot G5. The battery life is on CanonPowershot G5 is on another planet, by excellent by comparison to Nikon Coolpix camera that I have experienced! CanonPowerShot cameras are now on a regular basis taking over 500 pictures, some with the flash and that includes looking at them lots also on the screen often in disbelief at the high quality! The quality of photographs under all conditions has proven to be excellent. The movie sequences are also an amazing feature. The CanonPowershot cameras are slightly larger, than the but that makes it easier not to drop from my experience, which is what I would do with Nikon Coolpix cameras after my bad experiences! My next purchases of expensive professional digital camera kits will likely also be Canon EOS range cameras also, perhaps not surprisingly!
by: Anonymous On: 2004-01-31
I needed a new camera. I wanted something in the "prosumer" area. So, I ended up buying this camera. I see people complained about the speed of writing to the compact flash media. This is also dependent on the actual CF card. Ive used Lexar "high-speed" CF media, SanDisk CF media, etc... The write times are fine from my experience. This camera will also let you take pictures in the TIFF file format, now these files are big because they are uncompressed, so yes, if you are shooting in TIFF you will wait a while for the images to be written to disk. The preset scene modes are great, because you can simply choose one such as "landscape" without knowing any of the technical details for that setting. For those you want more control, you can have more control. I tried printing images taken with this camera on 13x19 paper, and the result is breathtaking. The cameras form-factor is interesting. It is very small, but the user interface in my opinion is flawless. The batteries seem to last about one hour on a full charge, so I would get a couple more batteries to be on the safe side while shooting for long periods of time. So, if you want a digital camera that provides a lot of features for a decent price, check this out out.
On: 2004-01-30
I needed a new camera. I wanted something in the "prosumer" area. So, I ended up buying this camera. I see people complained about the speed of writing to the compact flash media. This is also dependent on the actual CF card. Ive used Lexar "high-speed" CF media, SanDisk CF media, etc... The write times are fine from my experience. This camera will also let you take pictures in the TIFF file format, now these files are big because they are uncompressed, so yes, if you are shooting in TIFF you will wait a while for the images to be written to disk. The preset scene modes are great, because you can simply choose one such as "landscape" without knowing any of the technical details for that setting. For those you want more control, you can have more control. I tried printing images taken with this camera on 13x19 paper, and the result is breathtaking. The cameras form-factor is interesting. It is very small, but the user interface in my opinion is flawless. The batteries seem to last about one hour on a full charge, so I would get a couple more batteries to be on the safe side while shooting for long periods of time. So, if you want a digital camera that provides a lot of features for a decent price, check this out out.
On: 2004-01-23
Ive had the 4300 for just a little over a year and have taken about 3000 photos since. I have 2 CF cards that I use, and I prefer the 64Mb card over the 256Mb one. This is the only complain that I have; that the 256Mb card takes forever to write the images. But when I used the 64Mb card, it works great. What I do is that I use the 256Mb for movies and the other for still photos. All the features of this camera is outstanding. I love the 12 preset features.
On: 2004-01-22
Ive had the 4300 for just a little over a year and have taken about 3000 photos since. I have 2 CF cards that I use, and I prefer the 64Mb card over the 256Mb one. This is the only complain that I have; that the 256Mb card takes forever to write the images. But when I used the 64Mb card, it works great. What I do is that I use the 256Mb for movies and the other for still photos. All the features of this camera is outstanding. I love the 12 preset features.
On: 2004-01-17
I "traded up" my Nikon 885 of two years for this one recently and I have not been disappointed. I particularly like the Best Shot Selector feature, which has rescued a great shot for me on many occasions. I do a lot of enlargements, cropping, etc., and the resolution is amazing even at 11x17. Ive experienced the same problems with the 4300 (as well as the 885) that others have noted - lag time, lens cap, power consumption, redeye, etc. - but most are petty inconveniences rather than major problems. My advice to prospective buyers for this or any other upper midrange digital camera is: prepare to *study the manual* because it will only improve your comfort-level with the camera, not to mention the quality of your photos. The "point-and-shoot" label is misleading - its very user-friendly, but its also a complex piece of electronics that performs even better if you know how you use it properly. Ive taken thousands of photos around New York City over the past year with this camera, and Ive gotten a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction out of it. Invest in an extra battery pack, a high-end memory card, and go have some fun!
by: Anonymous On: 2004-01-01
I have held off from buying a digital camera for the longest time, since I was a hard-core SLR manual photography kind of person having had two conventional Nikons (FE and FE2) and three lenses which I use to this day.The wife needed a point-and-click camera and I decided that digital would be the best alternative (since I wouldnt have to go to the trouble of sending out rolls of film for developing) and she could handle most of the stuff herself. After quite a bit of researching (cost, review of specs, users comments on quality) I decided to pick up the Coolpix 4300. Got it for $359 at buydig.com in the summer of 2003. While the comments of some folks on speed of saves is valid (wasnt an issue for me), this is easily overcome by using faster memory cards. I have found focusing to be precise and sharp, colours very vibrant (true to Nikon tradition). As some people mention, yes using the flash indoors at distances greater than 8 feet does cause some agony, but I am currently looking for a slave flash unit to overcome that. Also, since I figured out how to set exposures manually, I have been drawn towards using the machine more frequently. Of course, do not assume that higher aperture numbers automatically produce greater depth-of-field. This digital camera applies a filter (as opposed to an actual aperture) to achieve the value of the aperture setting, and hence the lack of change in depth-of-field. Deletes have been reasonably fast at under 20 seconds for a high quality JPEG image at the highest resolution available (which is 2272 or so). That is fine by me as well, since I do my deletes later (and not while actually taking pictures). I have two 256 MB and one 512MB CF cards and the smaller of those cards stores about 120 images at the resolution I talked of. The autoexposure modes are good for what they are designed to do, but all the scenes they have predefined dont always work for me. Hence the need to turn to the manual mode. Having said that, the wife gets very good pictures in the kids school auditorium, in the school playground and in the classrooms using the predefined scenes. So I really see no reason to complain. As for the editing software, it is reasonable, but I couldnt care less. I dont edit my pictures. In the odd chance that I do want to, I use GIMP (free Photoshop workalike available at http://www.gimp.org). While GIMP may not have all features of the most recent versions of Photoshop, it still does a reasonably good job for its price of zero.
On: 2003-12-31
I have held off from buying a digital camera for the longest time, since I was a hard-core SLR manual photography kind of person having had two conventional Nikons (FE and FE2) and three lenses which I use to this day.The wife needed a point-and-click camera and I decided that digital would be the best alternative (since I wouldnt have to go to the trouble of sending out rolls of film for developing) and she could handle most of the stuff herself. After quite a bit of researching (cost, review of specs, users comments on quality) I decided to pick up the Coolpix 4300. Got it for $359 at buydig.com in the summer of 2003. While the comments of some folks on speed of saves is valid (wasnt an issue for me), this is easily overcome by using faster memory cards. I have found focusing to be precise and sharp, colours very vibrant (true to Nikon tradition). As some people mention, yes using the flash indoors at distances greater than 8 feet does cause some agony, but I am currently looking for a slave flash unit to overcome that. Also, since I figured out how to set exposures manually, I have been drawn towards using the machine more frequently. Of course, do not assume that higher aperture numbers automatically produce greater depth-of-field. This digital camera applies a filter (as opposed to an actual aperture) to achieve the value of the aperture setting, and hence the lack of change in depth-of-field. Deletes have been reasonably fast at under 20 seconds for a high quality JPEG image at the highest resolution available (which is 2272 or so). That is fine by me as well, since I do my deletes later (and not while actually taking pictures). I have two 256 MB and one 512MB CF cards and the smaller of those cards stores about 120 images at the resolution I talked of. The autoexposure modes are good for what they are designed to do, but all the scenes they have predefined dont always work for me. Hence the need to turn to the manual mode. Having said that, the wife gets very good pictures in the kids school auditorium, in the school playground and in the classrooms using the predefined scenes. So I really see no reason to complain. As for the editing software, it is reasonable, but I couldnt care less. I dont edit my pictures. In the odd chance that I do want to, I use GIMP (free Photoshop workalike available at http://www.gimp.org). While GIMP may not have all features of the most recent versions of Photoshop, it still does a reasonably good job for its price of zero.
On: 2003-12-29
Everthing is great but when u turn off the flash the photos become very blurry. With flash their great, without the flash the photos are crap!! DONT BUY THIS CAMERA. I bought it and thinking about returning it.Justin
On: 2003-12-26
I got a chance to play with this camera today. The picture quality seems up to Nikons typical quality. The only thing that really lept out at me, however, was how slow the camera was. Browsing through pictures can take up to 8 seconds a pop. Deleting a picture takes, literally, minutes. Ive never used such an outrageously slow digital camera in my life. It seems others have also had this problem. In addition, the lens cap is a pain, and the lens smashes into it if you forget to remove it--not good. Nikons mid-range seems to be lacking in the digital world, but their high-end stuff cannot be beat. There are better cameras than this one in the point-and-shoot segment.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-20
I purchased my Nikon 4300 about 2 weeks ago. I really like the camera alot. I have a Nikon 2500 which I love love love! But wanted something new. Any how...I was reading some of the online reviews before I made my purchase. Most of the people that gave the camera a bad review had complaints about removing the lens cap before turning the camera on and how it took a long time to delete a picture. Well it seems obivous that you would have to remove the lens cap before turning on the camera or the lens cant zoom out. The pictures taking awhile to delete would be because you need to make your image files smaller. The bigger the image is the longer it is going to take to delete.
Over all this is a great camera. You just have to be smarter than the camera. Oh and know how to read owners manual. Enjoy!
On: 2003-12-14
The Coolpix functioned well until about 10 months into ownership, when the lens mechanism failed and the display shows only a "System Error" message. I suspect that because the unit designs to force the lens against the lens cap, some damage occurs through frequent use if you fail to remove the lens cap before turning the camera on. This is a definite design defect. Although I loved the camera for 10 months, and frequently used it instead of my Canon EOS 10D, this design defect basically sinks this unit as defective from the get-go. Avoid.However, in this edit of my review, I was able to fix the problem later by continuing to cycle the camera through a lens opening and closing and by forcing the retraction of the lense. (I know it is hard to explain.) Finally, the software matched the machinery and the system error vanished. What a hassle, but it saved sending the camera back.
On: 2003-12-12
I bought this camera and took it on a trip to British Columbia the next day. We took pictures for a week, and when we returned, were blown away by how good the pictures turned out. Fantastic color, easy to use, even good night shots.Later Ive used the camera more indoors and there I do see some weaknesses -- I have not been able to get flash shots that measure up to the outdoor shots.
On: 2003-12-11
This is a very nice camera in terms of the photos it takes, but I have had technical problems. The problem is that the camera displays a message "please remove lens cap" even though the lens cap has been removed. This is an intermittent problem which sometimes prevents me from taking pictures. Annoying.I have no idea how common this problem is and am prepared to give Nikon the benefit of the doubt that this is unusual and should not be taken as indicative of the quality of their digital cameras as a whole, however I do have a problem with the quality of service offered, which is certainly more broadly applicable. The product is under warranty so I sent this back to be repaired. Nikon would not cover the cost of shipping, although I asked them to do so. The camera was serviced and returned (2 weeks later), however the problem persisted. I requested that Nikon send me a new unit since they had failed to fix the problem and I did not have time to send it to them for another two weeks before I visited family for Christmas. Their service policy prevented them from doing this, but since it was a return service they would pay for shipping this time around. No good to me. The implication is that they take ownership of the problem if they fail to fix it with the first visit, however I would suggest that they ought to take full ownership of the faulty product from the start. They tell me that their policy is that they will consider replacing the product if I have to send it in for repair for the same problem a THIRD time. (I think I will be shopping for Canon camera by that stage) They are one step behind where a company of their standing should be. Sloppy.
On: 2003-12-11
I bought this camera and took it on a trip to British Columbia the next day. We took pictures for a week, and when we returned, were blown away by how good the pictures turned out. Fantastic color, easy to use, even good night shots.Later Ive used the camera more indoors and there I do see some weaknesses -- I have not been able to get flash shots that measure up to the outdoor shots.
On: 2003-12-10
This is a very nice camera in terms of the photos it takes, but I have had technical problems. The problem is that the camera displays a message "please remove lens cap" even though the lens cap has been removed. This is an intermittent problem which sometimes prevents me from taking pictures. Annoying.I have no idea how common this problem is and am prepared to give Nikon the benefit of the doubt that this is unusual and should not be taken as indicative of the quality of their digital cameras as a whole, however I do have a problem with the quality of service offered, which is certainly more broadly applicable. The product is under warranty so I sent this back to be repaired. Nikon would not cover the cost of shipping, although I asked them to do so. The camera was serviced and returned (2 weeks later), however the problem persisted. I requested that Nikon send me a new unit since they had failed to fix the problem and I did not have time to send it to them for another two weeks before I visited family for Christmas. Their service policy prevented them from doing this, but since it was a return service they would pay for shipping this time around. No good to me. The implication is that they take ownership of the problem if they fail to fix it with the first visit, however I would suggest that they ought to take full ownership of the faulty product from the start. They tell me that their policy is that they will consider replacing the product if I have to send it in for repair for the same problem a THIRD time. (I think I will be shopping for Canon camera by that stage) They are one step behind where a company of their standing should be. Sloppy.
On: 2003-12-09
Ive had this camera for just over a year now and I still love it. Yes, if you leave the lens cap on, it wont work until you recycle the camera. If you are smart enough to take the lens cap off first, this problem wont *BE* a problem (which I hate to admit has happened far more than once). In all fairness to some negative feedback that Ive read, the camera works as well (I would say much better) than its 4 MegaPixel counterparts. Deleting a file takes a few seconds, not minutes. Delays in taking pictures has to do with utilizing the autofocus function, which you have the power to override with a manual option. My biggest complaint is that when you use the video function it does not record sound. So video is just video, unfortunately. I find this an irritant, but one I can live with. For its robustness, it is surprisingly small and, using maximum resolution, the only flaws Ive found in pictures has been due to the cameraman, not the camera. A solid "Thumbs Up" for me!
On: 2003-12-08
Ive had this camera for just over a year now and I still love it. Yes, if you leave the lens cap on, it wont work until you recycle the camera. If you are smart enough to take the lens cap off first, this problem wont *BE* a problem (which I hate to admit has happened far more than once). In all fairness to some negative feedback that Ive read, the camera works as well (I would say much better) than its 4 MegaPixel counterparts. Deleting a file takes a few seconds, not minutes. Delays in taking pictures has to do with utilizing the autofocus function, which you have the power to override with a manual option. My biggest complaint is that when you use the video function it does not record sound. So video is just video, unfortunately. I find this an irritant, but one I can live with. For its robustness, it is surprisingly small and, using maximum resolution, the only flaws Ive found in pictures has been due to the cameraman, not the camera. A solid "Thumbs Up" for me!
by: Anonymous On: 2003-11-24
The images are great, but this camera is very slow. To be more specific, if you hold down the button to activate the autofocus, and then press the button to capture the image, it could be a good 1 one thousand count before the picture is actually taken. Its a very frustrating problem that has made me miss my old film based camera.Ive missed more than a few great images with my 1 year old daughter as a result, and Im looking for a new digital camera this year. As slow as the shutter is on the Nikon, the battery is extremely speedy to discharge. I would not recommend this camera unless youre taking still lifes.
On: 2003-11-24
Really I just want to write a short review. This camera is great, I purchased it with some fear due to some reviews here but I love It since I opened it. The only concern battery life, but that is fixed with a spare battery. So customers go ahead and ask santa this one.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-11-16
I bought this camera based on online reviews. For 6 months of use, the camera performed adequately, although I tired of:
1. Waiting for the camera to turn itself on (about a 10 second wait)
2. Waiting for the camera to delete individual pictures ( a 3-4 minute wait)
While on vacation, the camera simply quit turning on. After talking to Nikon, I had to send the camera to California for service at my expense. So, I had three weeks of vacation with no digital camera. Their service convinced me that they do not stand behind their products. I would not purchase another product from Nikon.
On: 2003-11-15
I bought this camera based on online reviews. For 6 months of use, the camera performed adequately, although I tired of:
1. Waiting for the camera to turn itself on (about a 10 second wait)
2. Waiting for the camera to delete individual pictures ( a 3-4 minute wait)
While on vacation, the camera simply quit turning on. After talking to Nikon, I had to send the camera to California for service at my expense. So, I had three weeks of vacation with no digital camera. Their service convinced me that they do not stand behind their products. I would not purchase another product from Nikon.
On: 2003-11-12
I bought this camera about 7 months ago, so I would have something to capture the moment of my first childbirth, and Im still amazed at how well this camera performs. I keep finding new aspects about this camera that put it over the top. But instead of naming all the good qualities, let me just hit on a few. The clarity of the photos Ive taken is just simply astounding! Features, features, features! I still havent gotten it all figured out. The only knock on this camera that I can think of would have to be when I take a picture in the Hi res setting. It seems to take forever. But that could also be the memory card as well. This is probably the best point and shoot short of a professional camera.
On: 2003-11-09
Im not a professional shutterbug .. I use this for personal pictures af family, friends, sports and the like. It is consistently reliable in taking quality pictures under a variety of conditions. Ive owned it several months already, and havent come across the issues mentioned in other reviews (mind you, I dont load it up to 100 photos before downloading to the computer). Its light, small, reliable and a great high-end unit for a variety of users, in my opinion.Is the lens cap a pain in the neck? Yes, it is. But the lens that it protects is a great, high quality lens, and so its worth the pain in the neck to protect it. I have used all of the zooms and the digital zooms and have gotten really fine pics as a result. Great lens and zooming features on this camera! Using this camera is like peeling an onion. The first layer is vey easy and satisfying, and many folks dont want or need to go beyond that. But there are many other layers underneath that can be discovered over time .. many things can be adjusted and customized as the user gets more into digital photography. Its very scalable, in that way. For me, it has gotten me more interested in taking pictures of a variety of subjects than I ever have been previously. It may do that for you as well. This is a great camera. Check it out, you wont be disappointed. Amnd, for the record, this is no marketing ploy.
On: 2003-11-08
Im not a professional shutterbug .. I use this for personal pictures af family, friends, sports and the like. It is consistently reliable in taking quality pictures under a variety of conditions. Ive owned it several months already, and havent come across the issues mentioned in other reviews (mind you, I dont load it up to 100 photos before downloading to the computer). Its light, small, reliable and a great high-end unit for a variety of users, in my opinion.Is the lens cap a pain in the neck? Yes, it is. But the lens that it protects is a great, high quality lens, and so its worth the pain in the neck to protect it. I have used all of the zooms and the digital zooms and have gotten really fine pics as a result. Great lens and zooming features on this camera! Using this camera is like peeling an onion. The first layer is vey easy and satisfying, and many folks dont want or need to go beyond that. But there are many other layers underneath that can be discovered over time .. many things can be adjusted and customized as the user gets more into digital photography. Its very scalable, in that way. For me, it has gotten me more interested in taking pictures of a variety of subjects than I ever have been previously. It may do that for you as well. This is a great camera. Check it out, you wont be disappointed. Amnd, for the record, this is no marketing ploy.
On: 2003-11-06
I have owned this camera for about 1 week and felt disappointed at first. I took well over 150 pictures, many that are very good BUT about 20 were blurry. All of the blurry ones were taken with the Scene - Party/Indoor setting on. If pictures are taken indoors with normal auto mode, the colors are not nearly as good as other cameras. It is very slow at taking and storing pictures, and as I read in another review, it does take 10 seconds to delete a picture when there is about 100 shots stored.Since my first set of pictures, I read the manual again and followed the directions. If I press halfway, wait for the focus light to appear and then take the picture, I do not have any focus problems.
On: 2003-11-05
I have owned this camera for about 1 week and felt disappointed at first. I took well over 150 pictures, many that are very good BUT about 20 were blurry. All of the blurry ones were taken with the Scene - Party/Indoor setting on. If pictures are taken indoors with normal auto mode, the colors are not nearly as good as other cameras. It is very slow at taking and storing pictures, and as I read in another review, it does take 10 seconds to delete a picture when there is about 100 shots stored.Since my first set of pictures, I read the manual again and followed the directions. If I press halfway, wait for the focus light to appear and then take the picture, I do not have any focus problems.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-10-31
Buyers be aware. I purchased this Nikon 4300 based on online reviews. This is the worst purchase I ever made. The camera is poorly designed. Besides minor irritations like the lens cap and battery recharge, the cameras other major operating functins are not even up to the standard of normal use. I used a 256MB Compact flash card. After taking dozens of pictures, it became painfully slow (longer than 5 sec) to write the data into memory card. You will for sure miss many great photo opportunities. The worst is when you need to delete any pictures. After many shots, each deletion will take over 10 minutes to complete (no typo here). Are you kidding me, Nikon people? I cant believe Nikon is even selling this product. You may wonder maybe this is a rare case of defect, but no, this is already the second replacement from factory. Both cameras are having the same problems. The camera must have used a very outdated processor and is extremely slow. When you need to review the photos in the camera, you can feel how slow the pictures are displayed. The irritations are just too much to bear. Now I am really skeptical at what I read online. Most are marketing ploy, not to be trusted.
On: 2003-10-16
I always buy Nikon brand cameras for their good quality. The Nikon Coolpix 4300 does not disappoint me either. The images are very sharp. I test the Black-and-White mode, the photo came out very impressive as well. There are some minor issues,1. Battery Life is short. But if I do not keep reviewing the pctures, the battery will last longer. I bought an extra battery just in case. 2. If the monitor is on, the camera will keep doing auto-focus. This can be stopped by shut-down monitor view. Overall, I am very satisfy with this purchase and still a Nikon brand believer.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-10-11
I love photography. I had an older camera that was simply a point and shoot camera. I needed something with more power, so I bought a Nikon Coolpix 4300. I fell in love with this camera, it combines ease of use, with an immense amount of options and power. You can use the scene modes, or fine tune the options, i.e. you can change the ISO level, shutter speed, etc... This camera is ideal for people who want more power, but dont want to spend 1000s dollars on a camera.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-10-04
I bought Coolpix 4300 two months after I had bought Canon Powershot S400. Reason for two? It was not easy sharing one with my teen age kid.The two cameras are very similar in functionality and pricing.
Ive had no problem with Canon whatsoever. With Nikon, although
picture qualities are as good as any other 4 MP cameras, Ive had the following headaches; 1. Pictures wont transfer to PC directly from the camera using the included transfer cable. I did everything I could, and it took many days of frustration before concluding that the only way to transfer to PC is with the card reader. Card reader is included. 2. The speed is noticeably slower than Canon, especially so with flashes on. 3. With low battery, it twice wiped out the entire pictures in the memory chip. I used Lexar 256 MB and I still use it which means nothing is wrong with Lexar. Be very careful when the battery is low and make sure to carry extra batteries.
On: 2003-10-03
I bought Coolpix 4300 two months after I had bought Canon Powershot S400. Reason for two? It was not easy sharing one with my teen age kid.The two cameras are very similar in functionality and pricing.
Ive had no problem with Canon whatsoever. With Nikon, although
picture qualities are as good as any other 4 MP cameras, Ive had the following headaches; 1. Pictures wont transfer to PC directly from the camera using the included transfer cable. I did everything I could, and it took many days of frustration before concluding that the only way to transfer to PC is with the card reader. Card reader is included. 2. The speed is noticeably slower than Canon, especially so with flashes on. 3. With low battery, it twice wiped out the entire pictures in the memory chip. I used Lexar 256 MB and I still use it which means nothing is wrong with Lexar. Be very careful when the battery is low and make sure to carry extra batteries.
On: 2003-09-30
The other reviewers have clearly pointed all the good things about this camera, which i do agree. But there are certain issues ( might be they are to me ) here - All of them are minor & not major ones though,. this camera keeps on autofocussing ( in auto mode ) with a buzzing sound which cant be stopped. Would be really good if they have given an option to stop this autofocussing. . if you want to have the date & time on the image, its only through their software "Nikon view" ( which reads the images date & time from the images meta-data ). So if you use your card reader & copy images - you got to onceagain open them through their software to put the date & time. In that too, there isnt a direct way to add date & time - you got to say Print images to a different directory in which there is an option to specify the date & time. . even the slightest of the shakes totally distorts your image . images taken indoor werent so clear. you got to have flash on to get it ( eventhough your room is well lit ) . Lens cap is a really annoying . Go & get a high speed ( like Lexar 12x or higher ) CF card. Else with simpler ( viking ) CF cards, it takes couple of seconds to write a picture ( with approximately "Fine**" picture quality & "Image size** : 1600 ). . The movie clips taken will always have some noise in it - you cant avoid that. But overall this is a good camera with a really good picture clarity & an exceptional close-up shooting capability. I would rate this is 4.5 stars ** -- Picture Quality & Image size defined above are specific to nikon coolpix.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-09-25
Within a year, there are problems with my menu dial knob. It became stucked which makes it almost impossible to switch between modes. I send my camera to Nikon for servicing, took them a whole 6 weeks to diagnose the problem. Worse of all, they claim that its some kind of internal damage and refuse to cover the cost via warranty! They wouldnt repair my camera unless if I pay $100 for parts(?) and labor! It is a good camera in terms of the function and quality, but take your chance with it because Nikon absolutely sucks when it comes to customer service.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-07-25
Got a "system error" problem 30 days after purchase. Made the camera totally inoperable. Also, the lens cap design is flawed. You have to manually take the cap off in order to use it. Audio on video also lacking. Otherwise, it takes very good pictures; shutter delay isnt so bad either. Still, had to send it back to Nikon for repair.
On: 2003-06-29
I am an amateur photographer and here is a piece of advise to all the folks who are thinking about making a move the digital world. Nikon 4300, I feel, is THE BEST camera out there for the features and price. Here were my requirements in a Digital Camera:
1. I had initially thought of buying a 2 or 3 Megapixel camera but these are good for 4x6" or 5x7" prints and I wanted some really great 8x10" photos once in a while.
2. I did not want a very small camera as it seems to get lost in my hands and I wasnt comfortable with that...I wanted a decent sized camera with a contour for my fingers to hold it steadily.
3. I wanted a camera that had a lot of built-in settings for different types of suroundings while giving me an option to use my photography skills (although, I am an amateur with an interest in photography) by turning on the manual settings.
4. And, of course, I wanted a respected brand and had to stay within my budget because I had bought an expensive Camcorder before but hadnt used it much. Depending on all the above requirements, I had narrowed down my search to Nikon 4300 and Canon Powershot S400 models. Nikon got the final nod for its settings (auto and manual along with movie modes), medium & compact size, price, brand name, good software that is included and previous reviews. I should say I have been very happy with my decision ever since. The pictures are absolutely amazing - the camera captures the minutest of details. A few things that might make it even better:
1. Pictures taken in an indoor setting are a little dull and rarely hazy if you tend to take photographs from a distance.
2. It takes a while for the camera to actually capture the photograph from the time you click the button and I have seen people becoming a little impatient waiting for the flash to glow...
3. The pictures come out hazy if your hands shake even for a moment during the entire process of taking a picture. All the above, I think, are problems with all the Digital Cameras out there and so I have no major complaints. Try to buy a tripod and that should solve some of those problems. Whichever camera you buy, add upto about 200 dollars for an additional memory card (I bought a 256 MB card), USB card reader, camera bag and the warranty. And finally, get your pictures developed at a Kodak Picture Maker machine even though it costs you a little extra - no one can beat Kodak processing in terms of clarity and brightness... Hope this review has helped you in making up your mind. I have taken about 150 photographs so far and have absolutely loved the experience. I am looking forward to my Vegas trip for some great photographs now.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-05-28
What a great camera! I am having so much fun with it. It takes great pictures to print or to view on the web/email. I would recamend going to the Nikon web site and checking out the one on one use of the camera, real cool, I learned alot there.
I bought a larger memory card also another battery.I love this camera. I have windows xp home on my computer the set up was very fast/easy. Buy this camera!
On: 2003-05-26
With our compact 35mm broken, and a vacation in Europe at hand, I finally decided to enter the digital age. I first intended to buy the 3100, but am really happy to invest the extra [money] for the 4300. The lense is a lot better, and the 4MB produce fantastic pictures.
The possibilities with auto, manual, and the very helpful "scene" mode, which offers 11 optimized situational settings like portrait, landscape, beach/snow, sunset etc., are endless. The movie mode is also working great.
The 4300 comes with excellent easy to install software (I use it on XP and Win98 without problem), battery charger, USB and video cable. A 64MB flash card (camera comes with a 16MB) holds 52 pictures on "normal" resolution. I experimented with online print ordering with the two major US brick and mortar retailers, and they both delivered great results. Even at the "normal" setting, a 8x10 print (!) shows not a single sign of visible rendering or pixels - you could never tell that the picture has been taken by a "digital".
The battery life is ok, but can be somewhat short when working a lot with the monitor on. I therefore bought a second battery as a backup, and due to the lightingfast charging with the included charger, which by the way works on 110V as well as 220V in Europe, we ran never out of "juice".
I highly recommend the accessory kit, which provides you with everything else you need: A nice camera bag, which holds camera plus all the cables and the charger. Furher it contains a card reader, a flash card folder for up to 8 cards, a lense cleaning rag, and an AC adapter, which is very helpful when working in an "outlet environment".
Over all a fantastic very compact camera, which made us experience photography on a totally new level!
by: Anonymous On: 2003-05-18
After reading all the glowing review on this camera, I went to my local camera shop to try one. I currently own an Olympus D-550 which takes wonderful outdoor pictures. However, indoor pictures of subjects more than a few feet away can be blurry or grainy. Anyway, in the store, I tried coolpix 4300 along with two other 4MP models (Minolta Dimage S414, and Panasonic Lumix). Focusing on a display rack about 20 feet away in a brightly lit room during day time, pictures produced by this camera were blurry and in a shade of orange. Pictures produced by the Minolta were orange but not blurry. Pictures produced by the Panasonic were excellent. The store clerk concluded that the blurriness may be caused by shaking the camera slightly when I press the button, which is understandable since this camera is lighter than the other two models. Anyway, I ended up purchasing the Lumix. Im sure that this camera has all the wonderful features that others talk about. However, as an average person with unsteady hands, I doubt itll perform well in lower light settings.
On: 2003-04-30
I purchased the Nikon 4300 after several weeks of searching. The value, name, and resolution signed the lease. After nearly 800 pictures I have found that this nikon takes incredible pictures. The digital zoom takes as good of pictures, as the optical zoom does! The inside pics, can be a bit challenging, but when you can instantly delete pics you dont like, that are not focused perfectly, or need lighting adjustments, make this camera very simple and effective. I love all of the features, and presets as well. Sunset feature takes incredible pics in the morning, and the evening!! The software you get with this camera is perfect. Touchups, redeye, and so on are very easy to alter, and correct. I definately recommend a large memory card. I use a 128mb card, and usually get around 70 to 100 pics (1024-1280 res.), with good resolution. Very large pics take 8mb each! Battery life is good, although I recommend two rechargebles, or a alkaline backup, for those (emergency) pics you have to have. All and all, I am extremely pleased with this camera. Making the step from film to digital has been a great move. I find myself emailing pics to everyone I know. Great camera, great investment!
On: 2003-04-29
This is my second digital camera, though I also use one at work and have some experience with several Nikon and Canon models. The Nikon Coolpix 4300 is wonderful--easy to use, high quality, and compact in size. With an extra battery and a couple of good sized memory cards you are all set for a day of picture taking while on vacation. The auto setting does a great job most of the time but there are manual settings for those who want them. If something were to happen to my Nikon Coolpix 4300, I would order another just like it.
On: 2003-04-28
After much research I decided on the Nikon Coolpix 4300. It has many great features and very few bad ones. It takes excellent pics and is very easy to use, if you READ THE MANUAL. If you cant get great pics from this camera its because you havent read the manual. The only things I have found that I havent liked is that the LCD is hard to read in daylight but everyone elses is too. Downloads are a snap and quick. Controls easy yo use and easy to get to. Im extremely glad I bought this camera.
On: 2003-04-28
This is my second digital camera, though I also use one at work and have some experience with several Nikon and Canon models. The Nikon Coolpix 4300 is wonderful--easy to use, high quality, and compact in size. With an extra battery and a couple of good sized memory cards you are all set for a day of picture taking while on vacation. The auto setting does a great job most of the time but there are manual settings for those who want them. If something were to happen to my Nikon Coolpix 4300, I would order another just like it.
On: 2003-04-27
After much research I decided on the Nikon Coolpix 4300. It has many great features and very few bad ones. It takes excellent pics and is very easy to use, if you READ THE MANUAL. If you cant get great pics from this camera its because you havent read the manual. The only things I have found that I havent liked is that the LCD is hard to read in daylight but everyone elses is too. Downloads are a snap and quick. Controls easy yo use and easy to get to. Im extremely glad I bought this camera.
On: 2003-04-01
Really happy with this little camera. It isnt big and offensive, though you wouldnt know it by looking at the pics it takes. Got it for Christmas, still learning a few of the settings, but I dont take pictures every single day. Settings for just about everything, beautiful pics and beautiful prints. I expected the 12X digital zoom to be grainy, but onfull size high to fine quality, the zoomed images are quite impessive. Did buy a 256Mb compact flash, it holds a lot of pics at any resolution. I only wish you could get high quality Tiff images at all resolutions, but doesnt seem any of the buget cameras do.
Still, at least from my perspective, a great camera for the money, and Im a happy camper!!
by: Anonymous On: 2003-03-26
This is a wonderful camera. My wife and I read and read and read reviews on different cameras for months. In the end this is the one that we decided upon and since have never had buyers remorse. 4 MP gives you room for the future (gaining experience & cost offsets over time from wanting more in a camera), 3X optical and the fact that it carries Nikons quality reputation behind it make the whole package prove itself worthwile at the price. One neat thing - I have taken some pictures in what I thought would be impossible lighting conditions (pitch black rooms) - no problem for the camera - rooms looked like they had ample lighting.
On: 2003-03-25
This is a wonderful camera. My wife and I read and read and read reviews on different cameras for months. In the end this is the one that we decided upon and since have never had buyers remorse. 4 MP gives you room for the future (gaining experience & cost offsets over time from wanting more in a camera), 3X optical and the fact that it carries Nikons quality reputation behind it make the whole package prove itself worthwile at the price. One neat thing - I have taken some pictures in what I thought would be impossible lighting conditions (pitch black rooms) - no problem for the camera - rooms looked like they had ample lighting.
On: 2003-03-19
This little camera has created a marriage between myself and Nikon.. never knew I could love a digital camera so much.
The software that comes with it is amazing and the online service that comes free is really very neat.... clean clear and well focused on over 95% of all photos taken by a beginner... 100% perfect if you put some thought and time into reading the manual before you take the photos.I took the camera and just gave it to someone.. no instructions .. just point and shoot and the photos were great. Just imagine if you place a bit of knowledge when you take your photos... . The memory card fit nicely since i also have a Pocket PC and it automatically installed a picture software on my PDA (wolla.... my PDA becames a digital album). I have a 128MB card in it and can shoot over 150 hi res photos. If you have to buy a camera ona buget ... this has got to be the one... GO GET IT... before they are sold out !
On: 2003-03-18
I bought my Nikon coolpix4300 about a week ago. This is my first digital camera and I can say that I am quite impressed with the features that it has. It is easy enough to use for a beginner like me but it has plenty of features for me to grow into. I particularly like the way it aids me in taking my macro shots. My friends were impressed with the quality of the pictures I took!One downside though is that autofocus does not work well when battery is low. I assume this is the case for most cameras since it does not have enough power to do autofocus. Battery life is OK. I plan on buying a second battery and a larger cf for it.
On: 2003-03-18
Great Camera, I have been using this for several months and got excelent results, simple friendly usage, in many scenes ( indoor, outdoor, snow, close up macro etc...
On: 2003-03-06
Great camera, and for the price you cant beat it. Ive been using it for about 3 months now.I found the controls very intuitive and learned how to manuver through the menus quickly. The quality is superb. The small size is perfect for my little hands, but may perhaps be uncomfortable or awkward for a bigger person.
On: 2003-02-21
We use older versions (880, 885) of this model in the office and I find them to produce excellent quality photos.
I personally own a 4300. The 4300 is a very durable, compact package, and I find Nikon to be a brand that I can trust.
It comes with a 16MB flash card that you will need to upgrade! We got a 256MB card, and have been hard-pressed to fill it over a weekend.The only drawbacks that I have noticed:
It comes with a rechargable battery that does not seem to last all that long, especially if you use the flash a lot. So, its a good idea to purchase an extra battery to insure that you are not left hanging...
It does not have an auto-focus assist light which is nice for taking shots in low-light situations (it allows the camera to focus in low light). I would say that this is not a major issue, but it can be slightly annoying if you care about these things.
It has a 3X optical zoom, which is average for these cameras. For more, you sacrifice weight and size: more optical zoom requires more glass and focal length. It does have a digital zoom on top of the optical zoom, but you sacrifice quality.
I set the camera to the "manual" mode for one main reason: In any other mode it autofocuses continuously and burns batteries. In manual, you can set it to "single AF" where it will focus by depressing the shudder button prior to taking the pic; this is not really a hinderance, you just have to be familiar with its menus and features. In reality, these are the only drawbacks this camera has, much less than many other models! It is easy to "focus" in on the drawbacks, so dont think I hate this camera. It really is an awesome camera that is hard to beat for general-to moderate snapping. For work, we use them in the field often, and they hold up really well. They take excellent macro shots as well. The menus and features are easy to manipulate and access, and it takes silent movies.
On: 2003-02-20
We use older versions (880, 885) of this model in the office and I find them to produce excellent quality photos.
I personally own a 4300. The 4300 is a very durable, compact package, and I find Nikon to be a brand that I can trust.
It comes with a 16MB flash card that you will need to upgrade! We got a 256MB card, and have been hard-pressed to fill it over a weekend.The only drawbacks that I have noticed:
It comes with a rechargable battery that does not seem to last all that long, especially if you use the flash a lot. So, its a good idea to purchase an extra battery to insure that you are not left hanging...
It does not have an auto-focus assist light which is nice for taking shots in low-light situations (it allows the camera to focus in low light). I would say that this is not a major issue, but it can be slightly annoying if you care about these things.
It has a 3X optical zoom, which is average for these cameras. For more, you sacrifice weight and size: more optical zoom requires more glass and focal length. It does have a digital zoom on top of the optical zoom, but you sacrifice quality.
I set the camera to the "manual" mode for one main reason: In any other mode it autofocuses continuously and burns batteries. In manual, you can set it to "single AF" where it will focus by depressing the shudder button prior to taking the pic; this is not really a hinderance, you just have to be familiar with its menus and features. In reality, these are the only drawbacks this camera has, much less than many other models! It is easy to "focus" in on the drawbacks, so dont think I hate this camera. It really is an awesome camera that is hard to beat for general-to moderate snapping. For work, we use them in the field often, and they hold up really well. They take excellent macro shots as well. The menus and features are easy to manipulate and access, and it takes silent movies.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-02-17
I compared this to a lot of other cameras, believe me, its value for money. The picturers are amazing. Dont waste time looking at anything else, just buy this one. It dont get any better then the Nikon 4300.
On: 2003-02-12
I am a Nikon fan, and owned and used SLR Nikon FE, N50 and N90s for many many years. Recently bought this Coolpix 4300 along with a 256MB ULTRA flash card ... As expected, I happily found that qualities of the picture are excellent with 3M-4M Pixel/FINE combos and many of the user-friendly functions are very similar to SLR models, and with added convenience of a digital camera that you can see pictures immediately. I particularly like the "TXT" file which records all the Control information for all the pictures you take...The compact digital camera is especially useful if you have little children around and you can always take the camera with you and take many pictures of them. Try to buy a high capacity Ultra card, as its 2X as faster as the regular CF card. Consider the time you save during picture taking (especially not missing a good moment) and during download, its well worth the little extra money. An extra rechargeable EN-EL1 battery.. is also handy, so you will seldom run into "out of battery" situation. Use the rechargeable because that saves you money and helps the environment in a long run. One thing puzzles me is that for "FINE and 2200+" quality pictures, one Ultra 256MB CF card can only hold 130-140 pics, but the size of the pictures are only around 1.2MB, the math does not add up. I would expecct the card to hold over 200 pictures for size of 1.2 MB/per. Anybody can explain that? A Nikon will make you happier and leave you lots of good memories, as always.
On: 2003-01-25
I HIGHLY recommend this camera to anyone looking for a good digital camera that takes great pictures yet doesnt take weeks to figure out how to operate. We take this camera with us everywhere and are constantly amazed at the quality of the pictures that we get and the number of different ways the camera allows for pictures to be taken. I am a picture fanatic so I consider myself picky and if your the same way this camera will not let you down.....now buy it!
On: 2003-01-24
I HIGHLY recommend this camera to anyone looking for a good digital camera that takes great pictures yet doesnt take weeks to figure out how to operate. We take this camera with us everywhere and are constantly amazed at the quality of the pictures that we get and the number of different ways the camera allows for pictures to be taken. I am a picture fanatic so I consider myself picky and if your the same way this camera will not let you down.....now buy it!
On: 2003-01-20
First of all, lets start with my needs: (1) $500 budget (2)4mp resolution, (3) optical clarity and color, (4)fast - very little shutter lag and quick sep-up for next picture, (5)compact size, and (6) good camera grip to minimize camera shake. For three months, Ive researched the internet and magazines, queried various sales personnel, and took hands-on in-store test drives. And I finally settled on the Nikon Coolpix 4300. I have it for a week now, and this camera has exceeded my expectations. The daylight pictures are brilliant and the indoor shots are very good provided that your subject is no more than about 8 feet away. The shutter lag is on par with what Ive experienced with point and shoot 35mm and APS film cameras and the next frame advance is about a couple seconds using a high speed 12x 128MB compact flash card (a salesperson recommended the high speed card since next frame advance speed was important to me - and it was only [a few dollars] more). Uploading the images to my Windows-based PC is very fast and simple. The only drawbacks Ive encountered are: (1)indoor shots from a distance (>8ft) lack contrast and color, but Ive found this to be a problem with all cameras with built-in flashes that Ive used (even on a Nikon SLR). Right now, Im researching for an inexpensive ... slave flash unit thats designed for digital cameras. (2) The battery life seems to be on the short side but adequate for most situations. I got 45 outdoor and 15 indoor shots with the monitor on (turning the camera off and on over a 4 hour period) before the battery died. An extra [$$$] for a back-up battery would be a good investment. (3)The picture editing software it came with is adequate, but not very robust. Ill still use my PhotoSuite for editing. One more thing about indoor shots - many of the reviews knocked this camera for low light focusing. Just for the heck of it, I took it into my dark kitchen with only indirect light coming in though the door, and the focusing was just fine. In summary, I love this camera and would whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone wanting a high quality point and shoot camera in the [medium] price range. (June 2003 - Since I wrote the review above in January 2003, I still love this camera. Ive picked up a few accessories that I found to be useful. I bought a Digi-Slave DSF-1s flash unit. I dont use a bracket, I just hold it above my head and aim the flash with my left hand. I also got a UR-E4 Step Down Ring Adapter, LC-E900 lens cap, and the Nikon 28mm filter set. This provides added protection for the camera lens and allows the use of filters. I leave the adapter and UV filter on all the time. This also allows you to turn on the camera on without having to remove the lens cap. The downside is that you might accidentally take pictures with the lens cap on, the camera wont fit in the small cases, and 28mm filters are expensive and hard to find.)
On: 2003-01-18
Great camera. I am impressed with how easy this camera is to use. It takes great pictures. The manual is easy to understand, and it is mostly idiot proof. It is small, unlike my Canon SLR, so it easily fits in my pocket. I have not yet figured out how to make it snap quick pictures for action shots. Now where did I put that manual?
On: 2003-01-11
Dont let my five star rating fool you. The Nikon Coolpix 4300 deserves six. I got this camera about a month ago and I cant put it down. I was considering buying the Minolta F-100 and the Sony DSC-P9, but at the camera shop, realized this one went above and beyond. I selected the 4300 right away and have gotten high quality pictures every time. Autofocus feels exactly like my film camera while scene and manual mode add a little fun challenge to it all. I would also recommend buying an extra battery and at least a 128 mb Compact Flash Type I memory card. Buy this camera and savour it.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-01-10
I reviewed several digital cameras before settling on this one. This one was rated very high by several people (check out this site and epinions.com). I have not been disappointed with my purchase. Picture quality in outdoor settings is indistinguishable from 35mm. On average, indoor shots with a flash are not quite as good as 35mm. However, the convenience of using digital far outweighs the slightly less accurate indoor pictures. I am extremely satisfied with this camera. I purchased it ... from Amazon on a since discontinued promotion. Buy an extra battery - life is good but still somewhat short. Dont buy this camera if you are not going to purchase a 128 megabyte card. You need the storage to hold a decent amount of shots at 4 megapixel resolution. I have one thing to say to the numbskulls who complain that this cameras controls are confusing and hard to remember: READ THE DIRECTIONS! The regular mode in this camera works for 80% of settings. The "scene" mode works well for the remainder of shots that are not going to be in a "regular" setting. I wish the camera had a higher optical zoom so that I could take better wildlife photos. However, its 3x optical setting is acceptable for 70% of the shots that I take. Buy this camera, you wont regret it.
On: 2003-01-09
If youre looking for a small, compact, super resolution digital camera, you can end your search with the Nikon 4300! After a lengthy and extensive journey for a feature-loaded, high performance, travel size camera, I initially gravitated to this little gem because of the superior picture quality (4 Mega Pixel). After using it for about a month, I can state unequivocably that this Nikon definitely delivers a huge bang for the buck. Its easy to use and the sheer fun of being able to use an array of Nikon accessories like the telephoto and wide-angle lenses is the proverbial icing on the cake. Yes, the picture quality and features (which are too numerous to mention) are unmatched for any camera in this price range. The design and construction are excellent-- as is the legendary quality of the Nikon optics. I own a 35mm SLR camera and this is my second digital. If youre seeking that elusive state of photographic euphoria that is free of buyers remorse and filled with cool, then travel to the world of the Coolpix 4300!
On: 2003-01-04
Had it for a week. There are so many functions in this little, yet powerful camera!
On: 2003-01-03
Had it for a week. There are so many functions in this little, yet powerful camera!
On: 2002-12-27
seriously! I love it! My room is so dark and when I tried taking pics of it with my old camera, they came out black, but with this, they look the same in the picture as in real life. Better actually cause my carpet looks clean, lol. But this camera is great! The Picture quality is amazing and you cna connect it to your TV and could make silent movies that way if you wanted to. I cant connect it to my computer though, but thats a problem with Windows ME, not the camera. If you have Windows ME you should upgrade to XP anyway, lol. But it works perfectly fine on my parents computer. It does have a lense cap, but it wont let you take pics with it on which is real good. The battery recharges ral fast and the recharger thingy that comes with is real nice. Ooh, and I dropped it and it still works fine :) This little camera has so many features I havent even gotten to all of them yet. Its way spiffy :D
On: 2002-12-26
seriously! I love it! My room is so dark and when I tried taking pics of it with my old camera, they came out black, but with this, they look the same in the picture as in real life. Better actually cause my carpet looks clean, lol. But this camera is great! The Picture quality is amazing and you cna connect it to your TV and could make silent movies that way if you wanted to. I cant connect it to my computer though, but thats a problem with Windows ME, not the camera. If you have Windows ME you should upgrade to XP anyway, lol. But it works perfectly fine on my parents computer. It does have a lense cap, but it wont let you take pics with it on which is real good. The battery recharges ral fast and the recharger thingy that comes with is real nice. Ooh, and I dropped it and it still works fine :) This little camera has so many features I havent even gotten to all of them yet. Its way spiffy :D
On: 2002-12-07
This camera is perfect for an enthusiastic amateur photographer. The pictures are razor-sharp, even in macro. It is small enough to fit easily in a coat pocket or purse. It is light enough to carry around all day without bother. Operating its many features is easy and often obvious - Im no Annie Lebovitz, but I was able to figure out most of its abilities just messing around with it at a camera store. The manual does a fine job filling in any blanks that remain. The auto-focus performs well, but I love having the 12 optional scene modes - they are dummy-proof, and correspond to many situations in which I would actually seek to use the camera. Comes with a 16 mb compact flash and one rechargable battery (the charging unit, included, is fast and small). I bought a 256 mb cf and a second battery, so its good to go on a long vacation. I enthusiastically recommend this camera.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-12-07
I did quite a bit of research before buying this camera, and this one had everything I was looking for. Its easy for beginners to use, but has features that more serious photographers will love, so its an excellent camera to grow into. Its lightweight enough to take with you everywhere, but powerful enough to get outstanding pix.I love the continuous shot mode, which allows you to take up to 16 pix in rapid succession-- great for action shots. Im amazed at the photo quality-- prints are indistinguishable from 35mm prints. I only have one complaint, and that is the 8MB card included. 8MB for a camera like this is a joke. A card with more memory is a must. A minor quibble, since most cameras on the market still only include the 8MB cards.
On: 2002-12-06
This camera is perfect for an enthusiastic amateur photographer. The pictures are razor-sharp, even in macro. It is small enough to fit easily in a coat pocket or purse. It is light enough to carry around all day without bother. Operating its many features is easy and often obvious - Im no Annie Lebovitz, but I was able to figure out most of its abilities just messing around with it at a camera store. The manual does a fine job filling in any blanks that remain. The auto-focus performs well, but I love having the 12 optional scene modes - they are dummy-proof, and correspond to many situations in which I would actually seek to use the camera. Comes with a 16 mb compact flash and one rechargable battery (the charging unit, included, is fast and small). I bought a 256 mb cf and a second battery, so its good to go on a long vacation. I enthusiastically recommend this camera.
On: 2002-12-06
I did quite a bit of research before buying this camera, and this one had everything I was looking for. Its easy for beginners to use, but has features that more serious photographers will love, so its an excellent camera to grow into. Its lightweight enough to take with you everywhere, but powerful enough to get outstanding pix.I love the continuous shot mode, which allows you to take up to 16 pix in rapid succession-- great for action shots. Im amazed at the photo quality-- prints are indistinguishable from 35mm prints. I only have one complaint, and that is the 8MB card included. 8MB for a camera like this is a joke. A card with more memory is a must. A minor quibble, since most cameras on the market still only include the 8MB cards.
On: 2002-12-03
I am new to the whole digital camera thing; well, new to the whole camera thing period, really. This camera was affordable, very easy to learn, and produces spectacular images. The auto-mode is good enough for most shots but the 4300 also boasts 12 versatile Scene Mo |
