Nikon Coolpix 300

Most cameras are full of compromises and the CoolPix 300 is no exception.

Although the color rendering is very good (especially compared to my other digital camera - Sony F1), 640x480 won't allow you print large photos.

But the compact size, ability to add notes with the stylus, and record sound makes this the perfect camera for the business man (or woman) who need to take pictures in the field. Insurance adjusters take note.

And, although the serial connection is slow (which camera isn't?) the SCSI connection is extremely fast. A full camera of 60+ photos are downloaded in about a minute.

I would like to sell the CoolPix and move up to a mega pixel camera, I find it hard to part with this camera.

Decent optics with good color. Optical view finder saves the batteries. Extremely fast downloads with the optional SCSI adaptor. (why don't other cameras have this)

No removable media or mega pixal resolution on a three year old digital camera.

Sony DSC-F1

could be the perfect camera to communicate certain concepts in fabrication or parts analysis. Very good user interface-easy to use and add notes on top of images along w/ sound. Not gimmicky works very well with very good image quality. Fixed internal memory is a problem.

nifty write on touch screen to add handwritten notes to your images works well audio clips can attach to images emailable w/photo sound and notes open together simple good macro great form factor can keep in pocket integral cover

640x480 can't use flash w/ ac power no tripod socket no removable memory-too bad

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a little hard to contact but very responsive then

As a user of a conventional Nikon, I expected Nikon quality in my digital camera also. After using this camera now for almost two years, I can say the quality of the Coolpix 300 is worthy of the Nikon name. The quality of the photos, because of the relatively low pixel count, can seem wonderful on some photos and disappointing on others. I have found that in most instances, the lighting is the key factor that makes the difference. While the camera will take a photo is very low light, it is impossible to turn such a photo into a normal looking high quality print. On the other hand, a photo taken in bright light can produce outstanding effect. Early on, I felt that a print of 4x6 inches was as good as a nice point and shoot conventional camera. Larger prints seemed to not work if the subject had small detail. The camera seemed to do best on large masses of same color. For example: The facial skin on a portrait would look great but the teeth might look strange at the edges. Just recently I was astounded by an 8 x10 inch print that was remarkable. The adequate light once again seemed to be the key. I like the non-interchangeable memory. Sixty six photos between downloads is enough for my needs - especially with the ability to review and delete the less desireable images in the field. The software for downloading is slow and not real intuitive. I have seldom used the sound recording feature, but I still feel that could be a useful function for many applications for the camera. I think it might be a useful way to record the facts of a given photo in order to help critique my own use of the camera.

Menu driven clearly enough to use most features without consulting written manual. The dual modes of conventional viewfinder and view screen allow advantageous shooting in variety of circumstances. For relatively low pixel count, the quality can be excellent.

Viewscreen is difficult to see in bright sunlight. This can be avoided by using the see-through viewfinder when taking a photo, but when reviewing a photo, the screen can not be seen in bright light. The screen can be adjusted to offer some improvement in any given condition.

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not needed so far.

This camera is perfect for listing items for sale on the internet. Large LCD screen is great for veiwing your image before downloading to your computer. The macro lets you in close for detail. Yes it is hard on batteries but I just have two sets and one set is always in the charger, ready to go.

large LCD screen Built in flash Macro lens

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I had the camera for one week and loved it. I then got careless and lost it on a golf course. It apparently fell off the cart I was using. I'm posting this as a heads up. The camera is so small its easy to forget it. It fits in your pocket. Since I only had the camera for one week I was still learning all of its functions but it was easy to use.negatives-eats batteries, download thru serial port was slow--It took about 1 minute per picture. There seemed to be a white smudge in the upper right corner on some of the pictures. The LCD is washed out in the sun, good thing it has a viewfinder.Still, I wish I had it back.