the nikon coolpix 4300 is a worthy follow up to its predecessor, the 885. it offers most of the features found on the more expensive coolpix 4500, including the use of conversion lenses and the macro ring light! most importantly, the 4300 has the excellent photo quality that is found on the more expensive coolpix. the camera can be used in both point-and-shoot and manual modes, with the latter coming in handy for those challenging low light shots (among others). what would i add to the 4300? maybe support for compactflash type ii cards and a microphone. other than that, i'm very satisfied -- this small nikon gets my enthusiastic recommendation. pros: excellent photo quality many manual controls good value for a 4mp camera at $499 stunning macro ability support for many add-on lenses nice playback mode cons: no af illuminator included 16mb memory card way too small movie mode could be better doesn't support type ii compactflash cards the bottom line: the coolpix 4300 is an easy to use and reasonably priced four megapixel compact camera. it yields sharp pictures with good tone and color saturation. the four- megapixel images will yield photo-quality prints right up to 13x19" size and if you don't need that capability there are numerous other smaller image sizes available. this camera will please the novice as well as the intermediate user and thanks to its small size and light weight, it can be carried all day with little to no fatigue. if you want a good camera for someone making the switch from film to digital, they won't be disappointed when they open the box and see a nikon coolpix 4300 inside. the coolpix 4300 looks like a very nice nicely designed camera for the high end "point & shoot" market. it's extensive set of scene modes will let even novices snap good photos in what would otherwise be challenging situations. at the same time, the partially hidden full-manual exposure mode and manual focus option provide added flexibility for more advanced users, without overly cluttering the user interface. now that i've had a chance to test a full production model, i can confidently recommend the 4300 to anyone looking for a compact, full featured four megapixel camera: its resolution and color rendering are both excellent. highly recommended, i think this is going to prove to be a very popular model for nikon!

Not great pictures, fair price, small

Score: 40 Posted 01-Jan-1900 by Xander9791 at Cnet

Pros: size, price, shot modes

Cons: poor low light shots, no sound movies, lots of menus to go through to change settings

Conclusion: I expected better from this camera than what I got. It is lightweight, cheap and 4 mp, but the images it takes are not great, especially in low light. This camera does not allow easy modifaction of settings. It would be good though for beginners because of the scene assist and the fact the camera is made to operate automatically.

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Easy to operate, excellent choise for the 1st time digital camera buyer

Score: 90 Posted 01-Jan-1900 by wayne bloch at Cnet

Pros: Extreme ease in operation, The instructions are clear and precice.

Cons: No problems in the 1 year + time we've owned it.

Conclusion: This is the first digital camera that my wife and I purchased. Needing a camera for a trip to Florida on a motor cycle we decided on this Nikon Coolpix 4300 with NO regrets. This camera was used most of the time by my wife while she was riding on the back of our bike and the pictures she took were excellent. Even at 70MPH the pictures were sharp, clear and the colors were vivid just as we remember them. Purchased from a camera shop, we also purchased: one extra battery, 256MB film card, and a co

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SOOOOOO Slow....

Score: 30 Posted 01-Jan-1900 by twinklchic at Cnet

Pros: Good picture quality

Cons: So slow I could fall asleep, heavy and bulky

Conclusion: It doesn't even matter how good the picture quality is (which is pretty good) because it takes so long for the stupid thing to turn on, and then takes soooo long between photos, that you missed whatever you wanted to take a shot of in the first place! Whatever it is is LONG over.... I'm getting rid of it and getting a Sony Cybershot, it's a useless camera.

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