Rating: 
Summary: Near Perfection
Review: I love photography. I had an older camera that was simply a point and shoot camera. I needed something with more power, so I bought a Nikon Coolpix 4300. I fell in love with this camera, it combines ease of use, with an immense amount of options and power. You can use the scene modes, or fine tune the options, i.e. you can change the ISO level, shutter speed, etc... This camera is ideal for people who want more power, but don't want to spend 1000s dollars on a camera.
Rating: 
Summary: Not too excited!
Review: I bought Coolpix 4300 two months after I had bought Canon Powershot S400. Reason for two? It was not easy sharing one with my teen age kid. The two cameras are very similar in functionality and pricing.
I've had no problem with Canon whatsoever. With Nikon, although
picture qualities are as good as any other 4 MP cameras, I've had the following headaches; 1. Pictures won't transfer to PC directly from the camera using the included transfer cable. I did everything I could, and it took many days of frustration before concluding that the only way to transfer to PC is with the card reader. Card reader is included. 2. The speed is noticeably slower than Canon, especially so with flashes on. 3. With low battery, it twice wiped out the entire pictures in the memory chip. I used Lexar 256 MB and I still use it which means nothing is wrong with Lexar. Be very careful when the battery is low and make sure to carry extra batteries.
Rating: 
Summary: only "cons" here -
Review: The other reviewers have clearly pointed all the good things about this camera, which i do agree. But there are certain issues ( might be they are to me ) here - All of them are minor & not major ones though, . this camera keeps on autofocussing ( in auto mode ) with a buzzing sound which can't be stopped. Would be really good if they have given an option to stop this autofocussing. . if you want to have the date & time on the image, its only through their software "Nikon view" ( which reads the images date & time from the images meta-data ). So if you use your card reader & copy images - you got to onceagain open them through their software to put the date & time. In that too, there isn't a direct way to add date & time - you got to say 'Print images' to a different directory in which there is an option to specify the date & time. . even the slightest of the shakes totally distorts your image . images taken indoor weren't so clear. you got to have flash 'on' to get it ( eventhough your room is well lit ) . Lens cap is a really annoying . Go & get a high speed ( like Lexar 12x or higher ) CF card. Else with simpler ( viking ) CF cards, it takes couple of seconds to write a picture ( with approximately "Fine**" picture quality & "Image size** : 1600 ). . The movie clips taken will always have some 'noise' in it - you can't avoid that. But overall this is a good camera with a 'really good' picture clarity & an exceptional close-up shooting capability. I would rate this is 4.5 stars ** -- Picture Quality & Image size defined above are specific to nikon coolpix.
Rating: 
Summary: bad service
Review: Within a year, there are problems with my menu dial knob. It became stucked which makes it almost impossible to switch between modes. I send my camera to Nikon for servicing, took them a whole 6 weeks to diagnose the problem. Worse of all, they claim that it's some kind of internal damage and refuse to cover the cost via warranty! They wouldn't repair my camera unless if I pay $100 for parts(?) and labor! It is a good camera in terms of the function and quality, but take your chance with it because Nikon absolutely sucks when it comes to customer service.
Rating: 
Summary: System error, annoying cap design
Review: Got a "system error" problem 30 days after purchase. Made the camera totally inoperable. Also, the lens cap design is flawed. You have to manually take the cap off in order to use it. Audio on video also lacking. Otherwise, it takes very good pictures; shutter delay isn't so bad either. Still, had to send it back to Nikon for repair.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Camera
Review: I am an amateur photographer and here is a piece of advise to all the folks who are thinking about making a move the digital world. Nikon 4300, I feel, is THE BEST camera out there for the features and price. Here were my requirements in a Digital Camera:
1. I had initially thought of buying a 2 or 3 Megapixel camera but these are good for 4x6" or 5x7" prints and I wanted some really great 8x10" photos once in a while.
2. I did not want a very small camera as it seems to get lost in my hands and I wasn't comfortable with that...I wanted a decent sized camera with a contour for my fingers to hold it steadily.
3. I wanted a camera that had a lot of built-in settings for different types of suroundings while giving me an option to use my photography skills (although, I am an amateur with an interest in photography) by turning on the manual settings.
4. And, of course, I wanted a respected brand and had to stay within my budget because I had bought an expensive Camcorder before but hadn't used it much. Depending on all the above requirements, I had narrowed down my search to Nikon 4300 and Canon Powershot S400 models. Nikon got the final nod for its settings (auto and manual along with movie modes), medium & compact size, price, brand name, good software that is included and previous reviews. I should say I have been very happy with my decision ever since. The pictures are absolutely amazing - the camera captures the minutest of details. A few things that might make it even better:
1. Pictures taken in an indoor setting are a little dull and rarely hazy if you tend to take photographs from a distance.
2. It takes a while for the camera to actually capture the photograph from the time you click the button and I have seen people becoming a little impatient waiting for the flash to glow...
3. The pictures come out hazy if your hands shake even for a moment during the entire process of taking a picture. All the above, I think, are problems with all the Digital Cameras out there and so I have no major complaints. Try to buy a tripod and that should solve some of those problems. Whichever camera you buy, add upto about 200 dollars for an additional memory card (I bought a 256 MB card), USB card reader, camera bag and the warranty. And finally, get your pictures developed at a Kodak Picture Maker machine even though it costs you a little extra - no one can beat Kodak processing in terms of clarity and brightness... Hope this review has helped you in making up your mind. I have taken about 150 photographs so far and have absolutely loved the experience. I am looking forward to my Vegas trip for some great photographs now.
Rating:
Summary: Super Camera!
Review: With our compact 35mm broken, and a vacation in Europe at hand, I finally decided to enter the digital age. I first intended to buy the 3100, but am really happy to invest the extra [money] for the 4300. The lense is a lot better, and the 4MB produce fantastic pictures.
The possibilities with auto, manual, and the very helpful "scene" mode, which offers 11 optimized situational settings like portrait, landscape, beach/snow, sunset etc., are endless. The movie mode is also working great.
The 4300 comes with excellent easy to install software (I use it on XP and Win98 without problem), battery charger, USB and video cable. A 64MB flash card (camera comes with a 16MB) holds 52 pictures on "normal" resolution. I experimented with online print ordering with the two major US brick and mortar retailers, and they both delivered great results. Even at the "normal" setting, a 8x10 print (!) shows not a single sign of visible rendering or pixels - you could never tell that the picture has been taken by a "digital".
The battery life is ok, but can be somewhat short when working a lot with the monitor on. I therefore bought a second battery as a backup, and due to the lightingfast charging with the included charger, which by the way works on 110V as well as 220V in Europe, we ran never out of "juice".
I highly recommend the accessory kit, which provides you with everything else you need: A nice camera bag, which holds camera plus all the cables and the charger. Furher it contains a card reader, a flash card folder for up to 8 cards, a lense cleaning rag, and an AC adapter, which is very helpful when working in an "outlet environment".
Over all a fantastic very compact camera, which made us experience photography on a totally new level!
Rating:
Summary: camera shake
Review: After reading all the glowing review on this camera, I went to my local camera shop to try one. I currently own an Olympus D-550 which takes wonderful outdoor pictures. However, indoor pictures of subjects more than a few feet away can be blurry or grainy. Anyway, in the store, I tried coolpix 4300 along with two other 4MP models (Minolta Dimage S414, and Panasonic Lumix). Focusing on a display rack about 20 feet away in a brightly lit room during day time, pictures produced by this camera were blurry and in a shade of orange. Pictures produced by the Minolta were orange but not blurry. Pictures produced by the Panasonic were excellent. The store clerk concluded that the blurriness may be caused by shaking the camera slightly when I press the button, which is understandable since this camera is lighter than the other two models. Anyway, I ended up purchasing the Lumix. I'm sure that this camera has all the wonderful features that others talk about. However, as an average person with unsteady hands, I doubt it'll perform well in lower light settings.
Rating:
Summary: Great Camera
Review: I purchased the Nikon 4300 after several weeks of searching. The value, name, and resolution signed the lease. After nearly 800 pictures I have found that this nikon takes incredible pictures. The digital zoom takes as good of pictures, as the optical zoom does! The inside pics, can be a bit challenging, but when you can instantly delete pics you dont like, that are not focused perfectly, or need lighting adjustments, make this camera very simple and effective. I love all of the features, and presets as well. Sunset feature takes incredible pics in the morning, and the evening!! The software you get with this camera is perfect. Touchups, redeye, and so on are very easy to alter, and correct. I definately recommend a large memory card. I use a 128mb card, and usually get around 70 to 100 pics (1024-1280 res.), with good resolution. Very large pics take 8mb each! Battery life is good, although I recommend two rechargebles, or a alkaline backup, for those (emergency) pics you have to have. All and all, I am extremely pleased with this camera. Making the step from film to digital has been a great move. I find myself emailing pics to everyone I know. Great camera, great investment!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent camera
Review: This is my second digital camera, though I also use one at work and have some experience with several Nikon and Canon models. The Nikon Coolpix 4300 is wonderful--easy to use, high quality, and compact in size. With an extra battery and a couple of good sized memory cards you are all set for a day of picture taking while on vacation. The auto setting does a great job most of the time but there are manual settings for those who want them. If something were to happen to my Nikon Coolpix 4300, I would order another just like it.
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