Andre's Camera Reviews: Nikon Coolpix 4300 Digital Camera

                  Today I'd like to present a new semi regular segment here on Through The Camera's Eyes. Since I first started as a photographer 22 years ago,there have been at least a dozen cameras that have come into my orbit. Since that time camera formats have evolved from 35mm through 110,Kodak's DISC system and eventually onto Advantix-the last major format before the digital revolution really caught on. That's quite a lot of different camera formats for a photographer to live through. And I've embraced all these formats and each have their charms. But the way this particular camera entered my life has a story behind it.

                  Starting out in digital photography with an Aiptek camcorder with a built in 4 megapixel camera that took fair to middling photos? My most recent camera is a 16 megapixel Nikon Coolpix model. One day early this year I was browsing a local Goodwill and found an older Nikon Coolpix,the 4300 here,laying in a camera bag with a clean battery and charger. Have had bad luck with used digital cameras from these second hand places. Such cameras have only just began to be available second hand. And are often defective in some way in that regard. Yet I bought it for $4,charged the batter and it all worked like a charm. Yet what kind of camera is it with my current level of experience with digital cameras?

          First released in October of 2002? The basic contours of this camera are that of the 35mm bridge cameras-SLR's with a design built to fit the human hand. The features of the camera include both a digital screen as well as a zoom linked optical viewfinder that changes focal length as the user manipulates the 3X optical/4X digital zoom. The camera settings are changed on a spin wheel at the top of the camera between manual,automatic,photo preview and automated scenes. There is also a setting for the setup for features such as ISO,image sharpness as well as time and date settings.

               Each of these settings also have an on screen menu selected from buttons placed below the digital screen. Color temperature options range from cloudy, fluorescent,flash and a sunlight setting-which is actually listed as "fine" in the on screen menu. The camera also contains focusing features including auto focus,spot as well as macro and landscape settings. Exposure compensations is set by a combination of one of these buttons below the screen and a multi arrow dial on the back of the camera.

                      The first advantage of this camera right off the bat is that it takes excellent photos. Especially considering that it's now twelve year old 4 megapixel technology. The video feature is even able to record full HD silent clips as well. Sharpness on the still photos is amazing,with a top quality Nikkor zoom lens and an apparently strong digital sensor.  The photo quality in the rawer JPEG stated has very muted colors,but the vibrancy of the human eye can be achieved by minute saturation increases with on-computer editing later. In those cases the color becomes a clear,sharp and very vibrant aura of color very fast.

                       Other advantages of the camera include it's use of Compact Flash media,which is still pretty readily available and still part of many contemporary multi media card readers. Considering it was released when 35 mm and Advantix cameras were still in fairly common use,it contains both an digital screen and an optical viewfinder for those on both end of the photographic generation gap. The quality of still photos taken with the digital zoom is also excellent-often on par with those using the standard optical one-especially if the camera is held as still as possible.

                       The disadvantages of the camera would likely begin with the battery. It uses a camera specific rechargeable EN-EL 1 type lithium ion battery that charges particularly fast. However the battery life while the camera is in operating position is very low-only operating for about  an hour before running out. I personally recommend purchasing an off market portable car charger,available online through different outlets,for heavy travelers. On the upside of this the battery and media card holders are completely separate. The issue of the two combined is a personal beef with me and more contemporary digital cameras.

                          Also of note are the fact that unlike more recent Coolpix cameras,the zoom and on/off button are not combined. So best to keep this in mind for contemporary Nikon camera users. Also the small digital screen has horrendous image resolution,which doesn't remotely reflect the fantastic true image quality of the actual photos. One thing I enjoy about being able to use more than one digital camera is that each one seems to have their own imagistic flavors. In the case of this one,high sharpness and tonal vibrancy. This camera actually works very well in concert with my modern 16 megapixel Coolpix camera. So this is an older digital camera I would actually highly recommend to even some pro photographers.