Nikon P300 Hands-On Preview

After years of relative stagnation, Nikon's P-series is back. The Canon PowerShot-inspired Coolpix P7000, released late last year, now has a little brother - the P300. Both in terms of specification and styling, the P7000 was designed to rival Canon's Powershot G-series, but the P300 is pitched a little lower.



Although at first glance it looks a lot like the Canon Powershot S95 and Olympus XZ-1, the P300 is a significantly different camera in a couple of important ways. It offers higher resolution, at 12MP rather than the 10MP common in that class. It also offers Full HD video (1080p as opposed to 720p), but its true colors are betrayed by a lower price-point, a smaller sensor (1/2.3" as opposed to 1/1.6" or 1/1.7"), and the inability to record RAW files. Whether or not you care about the smaller sensor and lack of RAW depends on your priorities as a photographer, but we suspect that a lot of enthusiast photographers will be disappointed that Nikon hasn't taken the opportunity with the P300 to create a true S95/LX5 competitor.

And so, despite obviously being designed to appeal to the same audience as the Panasonic LX5 and Canon S95, the Coolpix P300 is actually a lot closer in specification terms to a camera like the Canon SD 4000 IS/IXUS 300 HS. Like the SD 4000 IS, the P300 offers excellent build quality and manual control in a genuinely compact body, for less cash than the larger sensor, RAW-enabled Powershot S95, or its 'big brother' the Coolpix P7000. The P300's lens is optically stabilized, covers a useful 24-100mm (equivalent) range, and is impressively fast at wideangle, if unspectacular at the long end (f/1.8-4.9). The rear 3in LCD screen is bright and contrasty with 921k dots - the same specifications as the screens in Nikon's mid-range and top-end DSLRs.

The market for high-end compact cameras with a small form factor is booming at the moment, which is evidenced in the rash of new releases in the past few months. We're certain that, purely because of its styling, a lot of consumers will regard it as a cut-price alternative to cameras like the Canon Powershot S95 and Panasonic Lumix LX5. It certainly offers comparable build quality and manual control but its sensor is 35% smaller and that's arguably the most important determinant of image quality, so we'd expect its performance to be more in line with regular compacts. Read our hands-on preview for our impressions of how it works, and how it compares to its peers in terms of usability and specification.

Key features

12 megapixel BSI (back side illuminated) CMOS sensor (1/2.3in)
ISO 100-3200 at full 12MP resolution
1080p High Definition video mode
24-100mm (equivalent) f/1.8-4.9 lens with optical stabilization
PASM modes
Twin control dials - one top, one rear
Built-in stereo microphone

The 'big' new feature introduced in the Coolpix P300 is 1080p, 'Full HD' video. Full HD is still relatively rare in compact cameras, and it is something that none of the P300's 'high-end' peers currently offer. In most other respects, the P300's specification sheet is comparable to our expectations of the latest compact cameras. At the equivalent of 24mm, its lens is wider than either the Canon S95's or Olympus XZ-1's 28mm equivalent, but is slightly shorter than both at the tele end. It is worth noting that although it boasts a very fast maximum aperture of f/1.8, this gets a lot smaller as the lens is zoomed in. In fact, f/1.8 is only available with the lens set to its very widest focal length.
Beside two of its most obvious competitors (in control terms) the similarities between the P300 and Canon S95 are obvious. The two cameras are almost exactly the same size, and offer similar control layouts. The Olympus XZ-1 is slightly larger in all dimensions, mainly as a result of the larger lens required to offer its wider-aperture and larger imaging circle to light its larger sensor.
From behind, the main difference between the P300 and S95 is the direct movie shooting button of the former. As you can see from looking at all three cameras in this view, the rear control layout has become almost 'standard'.

A fast lens usually means greater control over depth of field, but here too, all is not what it seems. Because, all other things being equal, a smaller sensor means less control over depth of field, the P300 doesn't match up to its high-end competitors despite seeming to offer a similar maximum aperture range. Also, for good depth of field control the lens really needs to be fast at the telephoto end, and the P300's isn't. So don't expect to be able to get the same sort of blurred backgrounds with the P300 as you can with the Olympus XZ-1, for example.

 

 

 

 

Coolpix P300 Specifications

Recommended price	• $329.95 • €tbc • £tbc
Sensor	• 1/2.3" Type Back Side Illuminated CMOS • 12.0 million total pixels
Image sizes	• 4000 x 3000 (4:3) • 3968 x 2232 (16:9) • 3264 x 2448 • 2592 x 1944 • 2048 x 1536 • 1024 x 768 • 640 x 480 • 2048 x 1536 • 1600 x 1200 • 1280 x 960 • 1024 x 768 • 640 x 480 • 1024 x 768
Movie clips	• 1920 x 1080p @ 30fps (HD 1080*) • 1920 x 1080 @ 30fps (HD 1080) • 1280 X 720 @ 30fps • 640 X 480 @ 30fps • 640 X 480 @ 120fps (HS 120fps) • 1280 x 720 @ 60fps (HS 60fps) • 1920 X 1080 @ 15fps (HS 15fps
File formats	• Still: JPEG (Exif v2.2) • Movie: MOV [H.264 + Linear PCM (stereo)]
Lens	• 24-100mm (35mm equiv) • f = 4.3 - 17.9 mm • 4.2x optical zoom • F1.8-4.9
Image stabilization	Yes (Lens-Shift)
Digital zoom	up to 2x
Focus	• Auto focus :TTL - Multi-point Auto/Manual selection AF - 1-point AF • Subject tracking • Face tracking priority • Face detection
AF modes	• Single • Full-time
AF lock	Yes (half-press of the shutter button)
AF assist lamp	Yes
Focus distance	Closest focus distance 3 cm (macro mode)
Metering	• Matrix • Center-weighted average
ISO sensitivity	• Auto • ISO 160 • ISO 200 • ISO 400 • ISO 800 • ISO 1600 • ISO 3200
AE lock	Yes (half-press of the shutter button)
Exposure compensation	+/- 2EV in 1/3 stop increments
Shutter speed	• 4 - 1/2000 sec (wider in auto)
Modes	• Auto • Program AE • Shutter Priority AE • Aperture Priority AE • Manual • Backlighting • Night landscape • SCENE • Movie
Scene modes	• Scene Auto Selector • Portrait • Landscape • Sports • Night portrait • Party/indoor • Beach • Snow • Sunset • Dusk/dawn • Night landscape • Close-up • Food • Museum • Fireworks show • Black and white copy • Panorama • Pet Portrait • Special Effects (Soft, Nostalgia Sepia, High-contrast Monochrome, High Key, Low Key) • Image Mode (resolution/quality selection)
White balance	• Auto • Preset Manual • Daylight • Incandescent • Fluorescent • Cloudy • Flash
Self timer	• 2/10 seconds • Smile Self Timer
Continuous shooting	• Maximum approx. 7 shots/sec.
Image parameters	N/A
Flash	• Auto, Auto with red-eye reduction, Flash off, Night portrait flash • Flash exposure compensation +/- 2EV in 1/3 stop increments
LCD monitor	• 3.0 inch LCD • 921,000 dots
Connectivity	• USB 2.0 Hi-Speed • HDMI mini connector • AV out (PAL / NTSC switchable)
Connectivity	• USB 2.0 Hi-Speed • HDMI mini connector • AV out (PAL / NTSC switchable)
Storage	SD, SDHC, SDXC
Power	Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL12
Weight (inc batt)	189g (6.6 oz.) approx
Dimensions	103 x 58 x 32 mm