All things to all photographers... (Nikon Coolpix 4300)

Member Name: iain.nicolson

Product:	Nikon Coolpix 4300
Date:	05/10/03 (284 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: high quality lens, many functions, good shape for holding

Disadvantages: although small, it's bulky

The Nikon Coolpix 4300 is my second digital camera, and I have been using it now for 6 months and can thoroughly recommend it. You can choose to be very lazy and literally just point-and-shoot and get excellent results ? but should the mood take you, you can take control of virtually any or all of its functions, which puts you in complete control of a very capable photographic tool.

As an amateur photographer with around 30 years experience, I?ve always had a 35mm SLR with interchangeable lenses for ?serious? work, plus a smaller compact camera for more ?informal? occasions where you just want to stick a small camera in your pocket for quick ?snapshots?. The Nikon Coolpix 4300 is by far the most used of my compacts ? in fact I hardly ever use my SLR now, except for motor sports photography where the delay time of a digital camera is just too big a handicap. The Coolpix just gives excellent quality results in all situations.

It does take a while to get to know (and find!) all it?s capabilities, but it?s worth the effort. The only thing an experienced photographer may miss is the lack of an aperture-priority or shutter-priority option (you can choose to set both manually, but you cannot set one and then leave the camera to set the other automatically). However this minor handicap should be offset against the many other functions that 35mm cameras just don?t normally have (multiple shots, variable ISO speed rating, automatic best shot selector, and lots more). You can spend ages just exploring the camera?s facilities! This camera is equally at home in the hands of a rank beginner on full auto-mode, or being used by a serious photographer who wants to be in control of exposure, focus, metering etc.

Advantages: excellent lens, loads of functions if you wish to use them, good shape for holding.
Disadvantages: although small, it?s relatively bulky shape means that it is not quite so pocketable as some other cameras ? but don?t let this put yo
u off buying one!

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