Nikon COOLPIX P300 12.2 CMOS Digital Camera with 4.2x f/1.8 NIKKOR Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Lens and Full HD 1080p Video (Black)

by Nikon

• 12.2 -megapixel CMOS sensor for high speed operation and exceptional low-light performance.
• 4.2x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom-NIKKOR Glass Lens
• 4-way VR Image Stabilization System
• EXPEED C2 with enhanced image quality and processing speed
• 3-inch Ultra-High Resolution (921,000-dot) Clear Color Display

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 1.3 x 4.1 x 2.3 inches ; 6.7 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B004M8SVGG
• Item model number: P300 Black
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (157 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,903 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 7, 2011

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Create in any light.

The fastest lens ever in a Nikon COOLPIX.

The COOLPIX P300 camera does justice to your photographic talents with a 4.2x wide angle, f/1.8 maximum aperture NIKKOR glass lens. This is the fastest lens Nikon has ever designed into a COOLPIX camera—it offers a 24-100mm optical zoom range and impressive telephoto performance for razor-sharp images. Plus, its maximum aperture of f/1.8 assures exceptional low-light results and minimum depth of field. This outstanding lens will showcase your skills whether you're shooting portraits, panoramas, weddings, real estate, products, publicity stills or any other challenging compositions—and will do so with still images or Full HD (1080p) movies. Simply put, this high-performance lens catches detailed images while displaying Nikon's proud tradition of producing precision camera optics.

Advanced features for challenging conditions.

Its 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor provides superb image quality, high speed operation and exceptional low-light performance. The back-illuminated CMOS lets you shoot true-to-life pictures with remarkable detail and color clarity. The COOLPIX P300's four-way VR Image Stabilization is also a boon for handheld shooting. Custom optimized for this COOLPIX P300 model, Nikon's exclusive EXPEED C2 processing engine enhances professional quality images.

You'll also love Motion Detection's ability to identify moving objects in frame, adjust shutter speed and ISO, and freeze the subject to create stunningly sharp photos. When activated, Best Shot Selector automatically records up to ten shots with a single press of the shutter and then selects and saves only the best image. The camera's high ISO speed of up to 3200 with advanced noise reduction assures brilliant still images of dimly lit and fast moving photo subjects.

Manual control for the serious photographer.

The COOLPIX P300 allows photographers to stretch their creative limits with an impressive range of manual control. There's a Mode Dial for quick and convenient control over select settings, including shutter/aperture/programmed and manual exposure. Exposure Bracketing automatically brackets exposure for three shots. And the ISO can be set as high as 3200 at full resolution to control image quality in low-light conditions or when shooting fast moving subjects.

High-Contrast Monochrome

The COOLPIX P300 also features several new in-camera special effects, including High-Contrast Monochrome for sophisticated black and white shots. Nostalgic Sepia adds character and mood or creates shots with an antiqued look. In-camera editing functions such as active D-Lighting restore details and contrast. This camera comes with several filter effects like Painting, Fisheye, Miniature, and Cross Screen. You can also control images with a creative slider that adjusts brightness, intensity and hue.

Full HD movie recording at 1080p

HD movies have become the standard for web posting, website design enhancement, publicity clips and real estate property tours—or simply for capturing action that delivers so much more impact in high quality video. With the COOLPIX P300, you can shoot Full HD (1080p) movies while recording full stereo sound. The One-Touch recording button allows instant moviemaking, while the optical zoom control creates a variety of cinematic effects. Slow and fast motion HD movie options for 15, 60 and 120 fps*. Viewing and sharing your movies is simple too, with an HDMI-CEC output that allows in-camera playback or convenient hookup to an HDTV or computer.

* reduced resolution

The COOLPIX P300 takes the guesswork out.

Advanced Night Landscape mode

Every shooting environment comes with its own unique characteristics, and the COOLPIX P300 has intuitive features to help you master each one. It optimizes settings for up to 20 common scenes so you simply point and shoot. Turn on the Scene Auto Selector and the camera automatically recognizes the scene you're in and selects the best one from among seven choices. With Nikon's ingenious Easy Panorama Scene Mode, just pan in any direction and it will automatically detect the movement, then combine and assemble the various shots into one seamless 180-or 360-degree panoramic image.

Nikon knows that night and low-light shooting present tricky challenges. Advanced Night Landscape and the related Advanced Night Portrait are invaluable tools that eliminate the guesswork by shooting consecutive shots at fast shutter speed and composing them into sharp depictions of night scenes.

Convenient features

Photo ops often arrive without warning, but your COOLPIX P300 is always ready with invaluable features like ultra fast start-up and autofocus—plus automatic High Speed Shooting that can capture up to seven shots in a second at full resolution. You can compose your shot using the large, three-inch LCD Clear Color Display. This precision, 921,000-dot, ultra-high resolution screen produces rich detail and excellent contrast, and includes anti-glare coating for easy viewing of photos and HD movies.

921,000-dot, ultra-high resolution screen

Nikon's Smart Portrait System offers useful tools that refine every shot. Smile Timer automatically releases the shutter when your subject smiles, while Face-Priority AF detects and focuses up to 12 faces at once. When activated, Blink Warning alerts you when a subject may have blinked and suggests a retake. The innovative in-camera Red-Eye Fix‡ addresses the problem by correcting for red-eye while the camera is shooting. Uneven or ruddy complexions can also be corrected with Skin Softening, which smoothes skin tones at three different levels and can be applied while shooting or during playback. Your close up shots will also be enhanced by the COOLPIX P300's Macro Shooting capabilities, taking clear, sharp pictures as close as 1.2 inches. And feel free to click away, as this COOLPIX has a 240-still shot capacity and comes with an EN-EL12 Li-ion rechargeable battery.

Nikon knows that night and low-light shooting present tricky challenges. Advanced Night Landscape and the related Advanced Night Portrait are invaluable tools that eliminate the guesswork by shooting consecutive shots at fast shutter speed and composing them into sharp depictions of night scenes.

What's in the box

• COOLPIX P300 Digital Camera
• AN-CP19 Strap
• UC-E6 USB Cable
• EG-CP16 Audio/Video Cable
• EN-EL12 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
• EH-69P AC Adapter/Charger
• Nikon View NX 2 CD-Rom

Product Description

Shed new light on your creativity with the fastest lens in a Nikon Coolpix camera with its new, wide angle, f/1.8 maximum aperture Zoom-NIKKOR glass lens.

The fastest lens ever in a Nikon Coolpix.

The Coolpix P300 digital camera does justice to your photographic talents with a 4.2x wide angle, F1.8 maximum aperture NIKKOR glass lens. This is the fastest lens Nikon has ever designed into a Coolpix camera—it offers a 24-100mm optical zoom range and impressive telephoto performance for razor-sharp images. Plus, its maximum aperture of F1.8 assures exceptional low-light results and minimum depth of field. This outstanding lens will showcase your skills whether you’re shooting portraits, panoramas, weddings, real estate, products, publicity stills, or any other challenging compositions—and will do so with still images or Full HD (1080p) movies. Simply put, this high-performance lens catches detailed images while displaying Nikon’s proud tradition of producing precision camera optics.

Manual control for the serious photographer.

The Coolpix P300 allows photographers to stretch their creative limits with an impressive range of manual control. There’s a Mode Dial for quick and convenient control over select settings, including shutter/aperture/programmed and manual exposure. Exposure Bracketing automatically brackets exposure for three shots. And the ISO can be set as high as 3200 at full resolution to control image quality in low-light conditions or when shooting fast moving subjects. The Coolpix P300 also features several new in-camera special effects, including High-Contrast Monochrome for sophisticated black and white shots. Nostalgic Sepia adds character and mood or creates shots with an antiqued look. In-camera editing functions such as Quick Retouch, and active D-Lighting restore detail and contrast. This camera comes with several filter effects like Painting, Fisheye, Miniature, and Cross Screen. You can also control

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

508 of 513 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Returned the LX5 & S95...kept the P300 March 29, 2011

By Patswamp

Amazon Verified Purchase

Over the last couple of weeks I've bought all three, returned the Canon
and Panasonic. Here's my opinion (again this is mostly opinion, not
fact):

- P300 and S95 are almost the exact same size, LX5 was too big (i.e., too
thick for a pocket)
- P300 and LX5 both have direct video record buttons
- LX5 and S95 both shoot RAW (wasn't a factor for me, but may be for
you)
- All three have great picture quality (1. P300, 2. S95, 3. LX5)
- Two have great video quality, S95 is just OK (1. LX5, 2. P300, 3. S95)

Because I have an SLR for high-quality pictures, I just want a portable
p&s for when I don't feel like carrying an SLR. That factor hurt the
LX5, which I thought was the best camera, just not pocketable.

The LX5 had great video, really fast focusing (for pics and vid), and
strong build quality. It's JPEGs were the worst of the three, but third
best in this class is generally better than 1st place in a lesser class
of cameras. It felt solid. I liked the direct video record button. I
disliked the lens cap.

The S95 never did much for me, it's pics were good but not better than
the P300. It's video was definetly the worst of the three, but again,
solid for a point and shoot. The ring around the lens was cute, but felt
loose to me. The lack of a direct video record button was limiting and I
found the auto pop-up flash annoying (it pushes your finger out of the
way, both other cameras have mechanical flash pop-ups).

The P300 is great. Love the picture quality and video quality. Warning,
the video is jumpy on pans, this camera won't take the place of an HD
video camera, but it's great for a point and shoot. The direct video
button is great too. The lcd screen is beautiful. The camera turns on
and snaps very quickly. Shot to shot is excellent too. Picture quality
is great (again, I'm a JPEG user, if you're all about
RAW-post-processing-for-point-and-shoot-quality-pics you may have a
different experience).

You can slice this opinion a million different ways, all three are
awesome cameras. Pick what the most important factor or two is for you
and decide based on that. For me, the discriminators were size and video
quality (as they all took great pictures).

Update 1:
After using this camera extensively for a week or two I've come to appreciate it more. Some of my recent findings which may or may not be helpful to you the reader:
- Indoor video can take on a soft appearance and the colors can be off under certain lighting conditions in auto mode, however, it appears that manual tweaks in the program/manual modes carry over from photo to video. So you can set the AWB to a better lighting mode in one of the manual modes and simply switch modes as the lighting situation dictates. Outdoor video continues to be outstanding in auto mode.
- The creative modes (black and white, soft, etc.) can also be used for video, again you will need to be in a program/manual mode (P, A, S, M). Of these I do find the black and white to make interesting video depending on what you're shooting.
- The fast motion and slow motion modes for video are quite fun to use (they may not be all that useful, but they're fun).
- The panning motion panorama (easy mode?) combined with the Nikon software if pretty impressive. The stitched assist mode panorama works well too. It's particulary impressive in multiple monitor set ups, I can spread the picture across 3 screens and see an impressive panorama.
- Having no "welcome screen" is the way to go if you want a quick start up.
- The camera does not weigh much, it's a little off-putting at first, but light is good.
- I love being able to decide if the flash should be used by flipping the switch because I usually do not want a flash (fill flash is all I use pretty much) and it's apparent by looking at the camera if the flash is on or off, there's no digging into menus to find out.
- If you're reviewing your work (via HDMI for instance) on the camera or a tv you can press (and hold) the play button instead of power to avoid opening up the lens.
- The battery has provided a long life per charge, I haven't tested it but it may be better than advertised. Two drawbacks: it goes from fully charged to empty without much warning (icon is full, and then it's down a bar for a few minutes, then empty) and you plug the camera in to charge vs putting the battery into a charger (that's a draw back because you can't swap a fresh battery in and charge at the same time, if you buy the separate charger you can do this. I bought both an extra battery and charger to avoid any power outages).
- Applying after effects in the camera works well and the camera automatically copies the original.
- This is a piece of advice that will be obvious to some (ok, it's really for my mom): set the date and time accurately and don't have the date imprinted on your pictures. This info is part of the "meta data" that you can see on any computer. You want an accurate date so you can sort photos later if required and you don't want the date imprinted on the photo because it ruins the picture and is already in the meta data.

Update 2:
- I have been using this for over 6 months now. It's seen a couple of vacations, kid's events, hiking expeditions, holidays/birthday parties, etc. My satisfaction with this camera has grown over the months not diminished.
- The price is a lot better now than when I bought it, it's particularly attractive at under $250.
- It's light and compact, I have no problem putting it in pockets or holding on to it with the attached lanyard.
- It starts up and fires a good picture wicked fast. This is key for a point and shoot as most of the scenarios you want a camera for don't necessarily involve composition, it's more about capturing moments as they happen, often without warning.
- I still am not completely satisfied with the video, this is where Nikon can definitely improve the camera for the next iteration. It's good video, just not as good as the LX5 and nowhere near as good as a stand-alone HD camcorder (a future dinosaur?). The video is about on par with the iphone 4s, perhaps a tad better.
- Speaking of the iphone 4s, I was worried/hopeful it would make the Nikon P300 obsolete in my house. It didn't. The P300 just takes way better pictures. Full sunlight with no tricky shadows and no popping colors--they're probably equal. All other shooting scenarios especially low-light--P300 is a lot better.
- I still hardly ever need the flash, it excels in low-light.
- I was intrigued by the new Canon S100, I haven't used it yet so I can't give you a comparison, however, preliminary reviews make it look like an incremental update to the S95. With the switch from CCD to CMOS it actually seems closer to the P300 than the S95 was. It still has the silly ring and auto pop up flash that I didn't care for from the S95. I'm not a Canon hater by the way, I love their products and own several.
- One regret: I never actually needed a second battery. I probably shouldn't have bought it. It has sufficient battery life for most people.

125 of 125 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent low-light pictures and HD video! April 13, 2011

By robbieY

Amazon Verified Purchase

Note: this review is for the layman--who wants to eventually learn to use manual features--but ends up using only auto-mod, so all you pros please don't make too much fun of me.

I'm a father of a 2-year-old and I take lots of indoor shots and tons of video clips. My almost 3-year-old camera was a Canon SD790IS: 10 MP, 640p video (Yes, very low resolution but it never lost focus!), mono microphone.

Question: Is it too much to ask for a camera with great low-light abilities, Full HD video, a stereo microphone, and no removable lens cover? Apparently the answer was YES!

I bought a Canon SD4000IS but returned it because it couldn't hold a focus in HD video mode. Not even on stationary objects using a tripod! Ridiculous!

My online search continued with finding cameras that had good video but too many megapixels (above 12 MP is bad) for a point-and-shoot, which made the pictures worse!

I eagerly awaited the reviews for the Canon SX230 but was devastated when I noticed blurring in some posted videos by infosyncworld.

I was even ready to shell out the big bucks for the Panasonic LX5 but it has a removable lens cover! Are you kidding me? I don't have time to remove the cover before powering up.

So finally, this Nikon P300 comes along and it does everything I wanted! Finally! My 2-year search has ended!

The HD video is amazing! The focus stays sharp throughout. I don't think I'll be using the 1080p mode too often (I have a Canon VIXIA camcorder that records 1080p that I use for birthdays), 720p has made me very happy. Even the slow-motion mode can record in HD! Check out YouTube for cool slow-motion videos. A lot of new Canon models recently released can record in slow-motion but only very low quality, less than 640p.

Video mode records in 30-minute chunks, that's enough for me. When recording in 720p, the camera's LCD displays a countdown from 30 minutes going down instead of a counter going up. I find this useful, you'll know how much time you have left. I need to read up more on this though, maybe different SD cards can record for longer.

Many professional reviewers scoffed that this camera did not have RAW Tiff capabilities. I don't care that it doesn't have RAW tiff. If I want RAW tiff, I'll buy a DSLR in the future.

I like how the flash only pops up when you physically pop it up with a switch on the side. So far I don't need it. The flash design is great, it allows you to place your left index finger right behind it when it's raised. I didn't like how some new Canons have a flash that automatically pops up each time you power it up. For shots where you don't want a flash, you'd have to always fold the flash back down. Try imagine telling that a hundred times to friends: "yeah, turn it on, but push the flash back down, yeah, no, like this..." Annoying. Also, too many moving parts just seem more cumbersome and more likely to break.

Some minor complaints:
1. When importing pictures onto my Mac, I have to manually rotate the portrait shots. Canon did this automatically.
2. I have to charge the battery in the camera. I can purchase an external charger but that's another $30. Plus I hear the charger has a long cord instead of a flip-out 2-prong design like the Canon chargers.

I love the design, the dials are sturdy, the record video button is very helpful. Buy it! you'll love it!

146 of 151 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars If video as well as stills are important to you April 5, 2011

By sharoninmass

Amazon Verified Purchase

"Should I buy this camera?" is like asking "Should I buy this car?" The answer to both questions is: It depends on what's most important to you. For me, I was looking for a point-and-shoot that takes good HD video as well as good still photos, and is reasonably small, light and affordable. I already have a DSLR, and wanted a camera to complement that -- one I could slip in a pocket and take to the beach or an evening out without having to worry about it.

I believe other commenters that there are P&S cameras out there that take better photos than the P300, but those models are either considerably larger and heavier, a good deal more expensive (one comment here compared a camera costing $500 with this one at slightly over $300), or the video quality is unacceptable. After a lot of research, the P300 turned out to be the camera that best met my needs.

I've only had this for a couple of days, but here's what I like so far:

* Nice ergonomics. I enjoy holding and using the camera, which isn't something I can say about my previous P&S.
* Large, bright, sharp LCD
* A good mix of manual controls for when I want them and auto settings for when I don't.
* Macro closeups are excellent
* Low-light performance is generally good for a P&S, especially with the fast 1.8 lens.
* I've been pleased so far with my outdoor shots, although I haven't really had a chance to do much with this outside yet because weather's been bad
* The flash only fires when you first pop it up, so it doesn't inadvertently ruin a shot

What I don't like so far:

* White balance in mixed indoor lighting seems worse than average
* As I read in another review, video can be jerky while panning
* Detail in distant objects doesn't look as crisp as in photos I've seen from competitors in its class
* (updated) You will hear motor noise when zooming in and out on video (at least I do)
* (updated) Focus in auto mode is limited to frame center
* (updated) Photos taken in portrait mode don't auto rotate

There are some interesting features such as in-camera HDR and one-shot panoramas I've yet to try. All in all, I'm looking forward to taking this with me when I'm going places where I don't want to take my considerably heavier and bulkier DSLR.

UPDATE: After reading the manual, now I know why I've been less than happy with some of my shots in Auto mode: Auto mode focuses on the center of your frame. If you don't always stick your subject dead center -- and most experienced photographers don't much of the time -- don't use Auto mode. If you have a P300 and are unhappy with its focus and metering, try using the program mode or auto scene selector instead, when you want to "point and shoot" instead of using the manual controls.

UPDATE 2: A few more tests and I'm a bit less happy with the camera. If I could drop this down to 3.5 stars, I would. I really like the ergonomics, the menus, the LCD. Using it is still fun. I've shot a number of comparisons with my old 8 MP Canon SD 850 and the results are mixed. Macros are way better, but that's not what I bought the camera for. I didn't bother comparing video since the P300 HD I'm sure will blow away the SD 850's SD. In other situations it was mixed, with the P300 not always better.

Like all point-and-shoots, this is a compromise and there is going to be a sacrifice in return for weight, size and affordability.

FINAL UPDATE: I took the P300 out for some serious shooting last weekend, including several hours with my friend and her new Canon S95. We tried shooting several of the same scenes (although P300 zooms out a bit wider and S95 has a bit more of a telephoto, so it often wasn't exact). I was happy with the vast majority of the P300 photos. There were some where the S95 versions were better, especially when it came to detail in the photos. But without comparing, I was pleased with the majority of photos I shot with the P300. The difference didn't seem all that massive except for a couple, and that might have been because I didn't select the best mode.

On the other hand, the P300 video was quite a bit better than the S95 video, if that matters to you. It does to me. I shot a video at an indoor party last night and was very happy with the way it came out. I didn't hear any motor noise when zooming in and out in what was a pretty loud room.

Ergonomics: I enjoyed using (and carrying) the P300 more than the S95. It's slightly lighter. I like the Nikon dials and menu setup more than Canon's -- that's just personal preference, but I've never particularly cared for the menu setup on my old Canon P&S either. I also found the mode selector dial somewhat hard to turn on the S95 compared with the P300.

Bottom line: I'm using this to post photos on the Web and occasionally make 4x6 prints, and also to shoot video from time to time. If I was looking for a primary camera to shoot serious still photos -- that is, if I didn't also have my DSLR -- I'd likely pay more and go with the S95. But as a casual supplement to a DSLR, I recommend the P300.