Nikon Coolpix 4300

dragon300zx

I currently have a Kodak DC265 with all the features available at the time. My Dad had a Nikon 990 and I thought it was a great camera. I am selling my DC265 but planning on holding onto my CF Memory. I was looking at camera's and I know the 990 is no longer available and the 4500 is hard to find. I can get a CoolPix 4300 for $300.00 new. I just want a simple point and click camera. I do photography for websites and for phone so I don't need anything amazing. I find the dc265 to bulky with all the different lenses and everything I have for it and it eats batteries. I am looking for a high quality point and shoot digital that will be good for night shots of things like the Mackinac Bridge as well as great for day shots. Something with some advanced features when I need them for shoots for the websites. Has anyone used the CoolPix 4300? Everything I read says it will do everything I want but I was hoping to find some real life user reviews.

wxwax

Dragon, welcome to the site!

I don't know the camera. My experience in playing with Nikon Coolpix cams is that they have a hard time focusing in low light (no assist beam.)

Reviews also say this model's battery has a rather low life - about 90 minutes. If you get the cam, definitely get a spare battery.

Below are links to a few sites that have user reviews. Lots of 'em.

BTW, it might be worth your while checking out the Canon S45 - same price, better low light autofocus, more manual controls when you want them, excellent image quality, same 4mp, and an all-around highly regarded camera.

Good luck, let us know what you buy. And post some pics!



http://reviews.cnet.com/4852-6501_7-20353533.html

http://www.bizrate.com/marketplace/product_info/reviews__cat_id--402,prod_id--7023932,start--0.html

http://www.pcphotoreview.com/PRD_136714_4337crx.aspx

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opinions.asp?prodkey=nikon_cp4300

dragon300zx

Nikon Coolpix 4300
Thank you for the welcome. I have heard of the low light problem but have seen some great night shots taken with coolpix camera's. Is this just because the user got lucky or because they were advanced enough to know how to setup the camera and focus it themselves? The S45 looks great, metal body design, easy carry for vacationing, long battery life, compact flash so I don't have to buy all new media, etc. However it doesnt have any add on lenses. Is the S45 capable of wide angle shots, etc? I don't use these features much but having the add on lenses for the DC265 is great especially when I am doing work for websites. Which the dc265 has been great for because high res pictures don't go well with fast loading websites. But I could use any lense I wanted. Which was great for Wide angle shots of the skyline and what not. Any Ideas? I guess what I should do is see how cheap I can get a rebel for.

wxwax wrote:

Dragon, welcome to the site!

I don't know the camera. My experience in playing with Nikon Coolpix cams is that they have a hard time focusing in low light (no assist beam.)

Reviews also say this model's battery has a rather low life - about 90 minutes. If you get the cam, definitely get a spare battery.

Below are links to a few sites that have user reviews. Lots of 'em.

BTW, it might be worth your while checking out the Canon S45 - same price, better low light autofocus, more manual controls when you want them, excellent image quality, same 4mp, and an all-around highly regarded camera.

Good luck, let us know what you buy. And post some pics!



http://reviews.cnet.com/4852-6501_7-20353533.html

http://www.bizrate.com/marketplace/product_info/reviews__cat_id--402,prod_id--7023932,start--0.html

http://www.pcphotoreview.com/PRD_136714_4337crx.aspx

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opinions.asp?prodkey=nikon_cp4300

dragon300zx

Changed My Mind Buying Canon A80 possibly.
I think I want the Canon A80. It seems to have everything I want. But I do have two questions that I haven't been able to find answers too yet. How is this camera in low light? I really want a great shot of the Mackinac Bridge all lit up at night. And what is the body made out of? Is this a Durable Metal body like the s45/50?

wxwax

Lemme see if I can find some folks who have one, who can answer that for you.

while we're waiting... have you checked-out www.dpreview.com and www.stevesdigicams.com ? Those are a couple of good sites for reviews.

In total darkness my G3 has a tendency to struggle a bit. You have to be very careful about the autofocus... you might have to half-depress the trigger a few times before it gets it right.

But if the bridge has a lot of lights on it, you should be OK. My mistake is in shooting things late at night, that are not well lit. I think that says more about me than it does the camera!

Here's a nice pic from Zamboni.com, a travel site.

dragon300zx

Gonna get the A80..
Well I'm gonna get the A80 it looks like. Low light shots are horrid normally anyways and I find that those who practice at it can get great shots with any camera. I am really looking forward to the jump in resolution from 1.35 to 4MP. It has the lense adapter and lenses so I can do the telephoto and wide angle when I want to. Seems to have everything I want. Minus an external flash but that can be delt with. I'd love to get a rebel but that will have to wait a little while I think.

doyle

I originally wanted and EOS 1D, then the EOS 3. Finances made me consider the EOS 10D. But reality dictated the A80. I love this little camera. I have not had any real problems in low light. In fact I got my brother in law the S400 and even though they are roughly identical (faetures wise), he seems to have a harder time focusing in low light when we are taking similar shots.

I use a lot of the manual settings without flash and have been pleased with the results. Even though it's slighlty bigger, the hand grip end of the A80 makes it much more comfortable and secure in my hand than the S400. Good luck with the decision, the A80 is tough to beat. Here is a low light shot out my front window. Resized for attachment, but the full size image is pretty sharply focused.

dragon300zx

Thanks DOyle. I think I'm donna be really happy with it when i get it.

wxwax

Hi Doyle Thanks for posting the feedback. Excellent shot.

wxwax

Hey Dragon, there are a couple more responses in this link.

Photog

I"ve owned an A-80 since December. My first choice (or so I thought) was the G5...then decided on the G3...and ended up with the A80. I needed a camera that was simple enough for point-and-shoot stuff with the family, but gave me some flexibility for creative work. At first I had my doubts that such a small camera would do what I need it to do, but now I can't say enough good things about the little A80. I think you will be quite happy with the camera. It is intelligently designed, and to be honest, I've left it in "Automatic" mode for 75% of my shooting with great results.

Although it's decent on power, I would suggest (as you already know) to buy some rechargeable AA batteries. Since I travel on a motorcycle a lot, I bought a small recharger that works off 12v as well as AC power. To its credit the AA battery size instead of a proprietary battery makes it easy to get juice when you need it from any convenience store.

Add in a mini-tripod, and you're set to go.

The flash is fine for most snapshot and fill-flash needs, though it's been a bit too powerful for some closeup situations (a bit of softspun will solve that to some degree).

If you are just doing medium-quality images for web work or snapshots or are used to managing your files sizes, you'll find the little 32mb CF card is fine, at least for starters. I'd put the money into an aftermarket wide angle adapter if you tend to shoot w/a a lot (I keep a 17mm or 24mm on my 35mm camera). Canon makes a kit but it's pricey. Later on, if you need the memory (long trips, lots of hi res pics, etc), buy another CF. That's just my .02.

The reviews on at the sites listed in this thread have also given it solid reviews.

wxwax

Yay Photog! Great to see you here! Folks, Photog has a great deal of knowledge she can contribute, despite her tender years.

Photog

wxwax wrote:

Yay Photog! Great to see you here! Folks, Photog has a great deal of knowledge she can contribute, despite her tender years.

Hi Waxy!

Tender years? Egad, you're gonna meet an old fart at Hot Springs! Perhaps I should send a stunt-double 20-something babe.

This is a wonderful site. Happy to help in any way and I'm sure I'll learn a lot from folks here.

wxwax

I know. Thanks for the idea on how to shoot battleship guns. I was stymied in Norfolk. I couldn't have made your shot, I couldn't get onboard... but I was getting frustrated.