Nikon Coolpix 4300 4MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

The Nikon Coolpix 4300 packs a lot into its tiny frame: a 4-megapixel CCD, a 3x optical zoom (4x digital), and an excellent list of high-end features. It's also easy to grip and can be used entirely with one hand--for right-handers at least (as usual, southpaws will just have to get used to the design).

We were able to adjust the saturation, white balance, and noise reduction of our images even before taking a shot. The 1.5-inch LCD is smaller than average, but the bright and crisp panel was clearly visible in anything but direct sunlight.

The 4300's image quality duly impressed us--crisp, bright colors that stood up to 11-by-17-inch enlargements. You can also capture 40-second video clips, although they're silent movies. We appreciated the Best Shot Selector feature, which let us snap up to 10 quick pictures and then have the Nikon cull out the best one for us.

We were able to get over 90 minutes of use out of the rechargeable lithium-ion battery, although we had to remove it for recharging. This design works well for an optional backup battery; however, you'll need a fully-charged battery ready to go. Nikon includes a 16 MB CompactFlash card, but you'll want to upgrade early on--high-resolution images and video clips fill 16 MB rapidly.

One minor caveat: if we turned the camera on with the lens cap in place, the 4300 would flash a message telling us about it. Removing the lens cap didn't work, and we had to turn the camera off and back on to clear the message and get started.

For the price, the Coolpix 4300 delivers a lot of megapixels and excellent image quality. If you're planning on upgrading to a high-end digital camera, plan a stop right here. --J. Curtis

Pros:

Bright, crisp images
High-end features
Easy-to-hold design

Cons:

Have to remove battery to recharge
Lens cap irritation

Don't be fooled by the small size of the powerful Nikon Coolpix 4300 digital camera. With a 4-megapixel CCD, the Coolpix 4300 brings home high-definition photos of all your adventures and special moments. It features a 3x optical zoom, a built-in flash, a bright, full-color LCD monitor, and 12 versatile scene modes. The Coolpix 4300 even records movies, and is fully compatible with optional Nikon Coolpix converter lenses and accessories.

Optics and Resolution
The Coolpix 4300 is essentially a 4-megapixel update to Nikon's popular Coolpix 885, which was nicely effective in both point-and-shoot and manual control modes. It can capture images up to 2,272 x 1,704 pixels, providing enough pixels for easy cropping and producing quality prints to 11 by 14 inches and beyond. It boasts a Nikkor lens with 3x optical zoom, plus a 4x digital zoom (for a 12x total).

Storage and Transfer
With the Coolpix 4300, images are stored on Type I CompactFlash memory cards--a 16 MB starter card is provided and we recommend purchasing a higher-capacity memory card. Connect the Coolpix 4300 to your computer and press the transfer button on the back for a fast, easy, one-touch upload for editing or for uploading to a photo-sharing Web site. Images are downloaded to either a Mac or PC via a USB connection.

Movie Mode
In movie mode, the Coolpix 4300 captures video clips (with no audio) at 15 frames per second at a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. You can record a movie of up to 40 seconds in length. The QuickTime Motion JPEG format offers a limited resolution, which is great for capturing a short movie that can be e-mailed to friends and family, but is no replacement for a true camcorder.

More Features
The Coolpix 4300 comes with an auto mode as well as 12 scene modes, which can help you capture great photos in virtually any shooting situation. They include portrait, night portrait, landscape, sunset, fireworks show, and backlight. In full manual mode, you can choose shutter speed and aperture (f2.8-f13.4). Shutter-speed choices range from 8 seconds to 1/1,000 second. There is also a bulb mode with a maximum shutter speed of 60 seconds (tripod and remote shutter release cable strongly recommended).

Other features include:

Exclusive 256-segment matrix metering helps you get great exposures in the most difficult lighting situations.
Fully compatible with optional Nikon Coolpix converter lenses, adapters, and accessories (requires UR-E4 converter adapter).
Built-in flash with red-eye reduction and slow sync.
1.5-inch LCD monitor with up to a 6x zoom, which is useful for checking focus.

Power, Size, and Contents
The Coolpix 4300 is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (included). The camera measures 3.7 by 2.7 by 2.0 inches and weighs 8 ounces without batteries. This package includes the Coolpix 4300 digital camera, 16 MB XD card, EN-EL1 rechargeable lithium-ion battery and charger, AV and USB cables, wrist strap, lens cap and strap, printed instruction manual, and a CD-ROM with NikonView 5 image-editing software for Mac (OS 9 and OS X) and PC (Windows 98, Me, 2000, and XP).

1 Don't buy this camera to photograph very young children.
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 won't 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 don't 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 don't 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.

2 Great Camera
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.

3 The perfect Camera.....if you are a rock.
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.

4 Forever to power on and too long between pics taken
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

5 Excellent!
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 it's 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 I'm not yet using - but I use this camera frequently and to date haven't been at a loss to do anything. It is also small and light, so I just leave it in my knapsack so it's available always. Downloading to the computer is also a snap. This is an excellent camera.

6 More applause for Nikon
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 Nikon's reputation of making excellent cameras.
We have not been disappointed. I don't use the LCD screen to frame a shot, preferring to do it the old fashioned way and the dangling lens cap isn't 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 day's 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 can't say enough good things about the Nikon Coolpix 4300 and I highly reccomend it to anyone wanting an excellent digital camera for the money.

7 A great little camera!
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 owner's manual, easier still. It's 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!

We've 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 there's 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 don't think it's 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. You'll also need a back-up battery, but they're very reasonably priced and reliable, too.

Bottom line - don't be afraid to take the plunge. This is a nice, affordably priced camera.

8 Look no further than the Coolpix 4300
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. It's 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". I've printed high quality photos on my very basic printer using glossy paper. It goes everywhere with ease. Personally, it's better than any camera I've seen.

9 This camera completely rocks!
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 you'll get your picture.

Simply incredible.

10 Great color. Great macro. Needs help w/low light and saves
I'm 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 camera's firmware and get the latest version of the NikonView 6 software.

Overall great!

11 Pretty cool pics
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 don't 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, it's well worth it.

Essential accessories:
- Battery - this camera does not take AA's so buy one or two 3 rd party batteries
- Compactflash cards - again 1 or 2 128MB (or larger) cards don't 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 won't 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 don't 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 you're stuck when you can't 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!

12 Good pictures, loud, slow, and a bit big.
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 - don't 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.

13 Stationed in Iraq......
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 it's 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 you're looking for a great camera at a reasonable price, go with the Nikon 4300.

14 good camera, but not terrific
I bought this camera one year ago and paid mid $300 for it. It did produce several nice pictures. But I'm disappointed with two facts. First of all, it's 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 haven't gotten any good prints yet. All pictures look vivid on the computer but dull on the print. Maybe it's because I developed them at Sam's 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.

15 Picture Qualtiy Great
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.

16 REALLY pleased with this camera!
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. It's small enough to put in your coat pocket. It's lightweight, but feels well-made. I've had good luck with battery life, although I'm glad I bought an extra battery for peace of mind. The software that comes with the camera isn't anything to write home about (not much here that isn't already included in Windows XP and Office 2003), but Nikon.Net is a VERY cool bonus.

Overall, I couldn't 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!

17 Skip this four hundred dollar paperweight
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 couldn't even diagnose the problem. Hopefully the vendor will take it back and let me switch to a different manufacturer.

18 Great camera!
I bought this camera a couple of weeks ago and love it! The outdoor pictures are sharp and crisp, and I've 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 isn't 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 I'm 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 I'm sure I'll get it figured out.
Excellent value for the money!

19 One of the Best Camera in it;s League
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 it's 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.

20 A Great First for a DigiCam
I just got my Nikon Coolpix 4300 in the mail yesterday, and I've 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, it's 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.

21 Nikon Camera Unreliable After Apparent Humidity/Water Damage
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 camera's 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 camera's to my local dealer and now intend to return two more soon also for credit against other more reliable camera's 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 Camera's. We have already purchased so far Three PowerShot Camera's a G2 and G3 both 4 Million Pixel camera's 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 camera's 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 camera's 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 camera's after my bad experiences!

My next purchases of expensive professional digital camera kits will likely also be Canon EOS range camera's also, perhaps not surprisingly!

22 Can't go wrong.
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. I've 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 camera's 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.

23 It's a great little camera - just don't use 256Mb cards
I've 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.

24 Great little camera
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. I've 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 - it's very user-friendly, but it's also a complex piece of electronics that performs even better if you know how you use it properly. I've taken thousands of photos around New York City over the past year with this camera, and I've 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!

25 Good value for money
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 wouldn't 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 (wasn't 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 don't 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 couldn't care less. I don't 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.

26 Blurry Photos
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!! DON'T BUY THIS CAMERA. I bought it and thinking about returning it.

Justin

27 Initial impressions
I got a chance to play with this camera today. The picture quality seems up to Nikon's 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. I've 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. Nikon's 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.

28 You have to be smarter than the camera : )
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 can't 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!

29 System Error Crashes Unit Unless You Know What You are Doing
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.

30 Great point-and-shoot camera, best for outdoors
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 I've 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.

31 Nice Camera - Sloppy Service
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.

32 Damn Good Little Camera
I've had this camera for just over a year now and I still love it. Yes, if you leave the lens cap on, it won't work until you recycle the camera. If you are smart enough to take the lens cap off first, this problem won't *BE* a problem (which I hate to admit has happened far more than once). In all fairness to some negative feedback that I've 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 it's robustness, it is surprisingly small and, using maximum resolution, the only flaws I've found in pictures has been due to the cameraman, not the camera. A solid "Thumbs Up" for me!

33 Sloooooow
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.

I've missed more than a few great images with my 1 year old daughter as a result, and I'm 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 you're taking still lifes.

34 Great!
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.

35 Unimpressed with camera/service
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.

36 Brilliant camera!
I bought this camera about 7 months ago, so I would have something to capture the moment of my first childbirth, and I'm 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 I've taken is just simply astounding! Features, features, features! I still haven't 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.

37 Easy to use and loaded with features
I'm 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. I've owned it several months already, and haven't come across the issues mentioned in other reviews (mind you, I don't load it up to 100 photos before downloading to the computer). It's 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 it's 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 don't 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. It's 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 won't be disappointed. Amnd, for the record, this is no marketing ploy.

38 Disappointed at first, now focus problem solved
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.

39 worst experience with Nikon 4300
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 camera's 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 can't 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.

40 Good Quality Camera
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.

41 Near Perfection
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 don't want to spend 1000s dollars on a camera.

42 Not too excited!
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.
I've had no problem with Canon whatsoever. With Nikon, although
picture qualities are as good as any other 4 MP cameras, I've had the following headaches;

1. Pictures won't 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.

43 only "cons" here -
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 can't 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 isn't 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 weren't 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 can't 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.

44 bad service
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 it's some kind of internal damage and refuse to cover the cost via warranty! They wouldn't 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.

45 System error, annoying cap design
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 isn't so bad either. Still, had to send it back to Nikon for repair.

46 Amazing Camera
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 wasn't 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 hadn't 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.

47 very pleased
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!

48 Super Camera!
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!

49 camera shake
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. I'm sure that this camera has all the wonderful features that others talk about. However, as an average person with unsteady hands, I doubt it'll perform well in lower light settings.

50 Great Camera
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!

51 Excellent camera
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.

52 The Ricksters Review
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. I'm extremely glad I bought this camera.

53 Super little camera
Really happy with this little camera. It isn't big and offensive, though you wouldn't know it by looking at the pics it takes. Got it for Christmas, still learning a few of the settings, but I don't 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 doesn't seem any of the buget cameras do.
Still, at least from my perspective, a great camera for the money, and I'm a happy camper!!

54 Beginner looks experienced with Coolpix
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 buyer's 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 Nikon's 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.

55 Can I have a few more STARS please....... 5 is not enough
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 !

56 great camera
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...

57 Great camera for a great price
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.

58 Not disappointed
Great camera, and for the price you can't beat it. I've 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.

59 Field Tested, Biologist Approved
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, it's 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 don't 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.

60 It don't get better
I compared this to a lot of other cameras, believe me, it's value for money. The picturers are amazing. Don't waste time looking at anything else, just buy this one. It don't get any better then the Nikon 4300.

61 Excellent Compact Digital Camera
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 it's 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, it's 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.

62 You will not be sorry!
I HIGHLY recommend this camera to anyone looking for a good digital camera that takes great pictures yet doesn't 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!

63 Absolutely great point and shoot camera
First of all, let's 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, I've 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 I've 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 I've encountered are: (1)indoor shots from a distance (>8ft) lack contrast and color, but I've found this to be a problem with all cameras with built-in flashes that I've used (even on a Nikon SLR). Right now, I'm researching for an inexpensive ... slave flash unit that's 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. I'll 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. I've picked up a few accessories that I found to be useful. I bought a Digi-Slave DSF-1s flash unit. I don't 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 won't fit in the small cases, and 28mm filters are expensive and hard to find.)

64 Great Camera
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?

65 Best 4-mp camera of its size and price range.
Don't let my five star rating fool you. The Nikon Coolpix 4300 deserves six. I got this camera about a month ago and I can't 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.

66 Great Camera
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. Don't 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 camera's 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 won't regret it.

67 Digital Nirvana!
If you're 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 you're seeking that elusive state of photographic euphoria that is free of buyer's remorse and filled with cool, then travel to the world of the Coolpix 4300!

68 I love this baby!
Had it for a week. There are so many functions in this little, yet powerful camera!

69 It's so cool! lol
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 can't connect it to my computer though, but that's 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 parent's computer. It does have a lense cap, but it won't 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 haven't even gotten to all of them yet. It's way spiffy :D

70 Excellent little camera!
I did quite a bit of research before buying this camera, and this one had everything I was looking for. It's easy for beginners to use, but has features that more serious photographers will love, so it's an excellent camera to grow into. It's 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. I'm 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.

71 The best 4mp compact digital available
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 - I'm 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 it's good to go on a long vacation. I enthusiastically recommend this camera.

72 Perfect consumer digital camera
If you do any research into digital cameras, you'll quickly find that this camera is just about the best value out there.

These are the reasons I think it's great:

1) It has all the features an amatuer photo-enthusiast would want.
2) It is easy enough for my grandmother to use.
3) It is very compact but the controls are so well designed that they're still easy to use.
4) It has optional lenses like wide angles and extra zooms.
5) For "digital film" it uses Compact Flash cards, which are easy to find, cheap, reliable and supported by many other devices you may have at hoome.
6) The Nikon Coolpix line is a well-established line so you know support and parts are going to be available even when Nikon releases a newer model.
7) Picture quality is excellent.
8) Battery life is excellent.
9) 3x built-in optical zoom is a lot for this price range.
10) Great price for all the features.

Here's what you may miss or be annoyed by with this camera:

1) No direct firewire to the camera. There is USB, though.
2) The camera is so small that when you attach some lenses (I have the 19mm wide-angle--WC-E68), the optical viewfinder is partially obscured. This doesn't affect the picture, of course. You just have to use the LCD viewfinder to see the whole picture. It's no problem for me personally.
3) Battery has to be removed to recharge.
4) An AC adapter for powering the camera while the battery's out is not included, although one can be purchased separately.
5) Two different adapters--UR-E4 and UR-E7--are required for some attachment lenses....

Most of these "annoyances", though, are comparable to what you'll find on other cameras in this price range.

73 Small Camera, Big Results
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 Modes as well as a Manual mode (though I admit I haven't played with it too much on manual). It's size also makes it ideal for travel. Overall the Nikon 4300 is a very dependable, robust, and useful little camera.

74 Nikon does it again
Awesome camera with huge print quality in a tiny package. The same 4MP chip from the 4500 camera, plus a 3x zoom (with the ability to expand upon that with extenders), great closeup mode, long lasting rechargable battery, etc etc. In my opinion it's the best camera for the money if you're looking for something that's easy to use, small (good for travel), and provides excellent, sharp images.

75 Perfect to grow into
I got my camera three days back, and although I had some experience with digital cameras prior to purchasing this one, I still rate myself as a beginner. I bought this camera because it fit my budget and the pre-production and production model reviews were positive.

It's easy to use, and yet very feature rich. In the auto mode it functions basically as a point and click, the Scene modes are very easy to use and produce good results. The manual mode is feature rich and I can't wait to get the hang of it. The macro mode is exceptional, the pictures are very clear and you can take the pictures with the lens unbelievably close the subject. The battery life is very good, I got about 90 minutes with the LCD turned on all the time, the first time around, and I have been using it with the LCD off every now and then, and have yet needed to recharge it. The camera comes with a Lexar 16MB starter card, which stores about 10 images in Fine mode at the highest resolution, I intend to buy a bigger card soon.