First of all, this is not a full review (people already did great jobs in reviewing the older model P300) this is more like a comparison between p300 and p310 because I had a hard time until I've settled on this camera. The choices for me were (P310, Canon s100, Olympus XZ-1, and of course the older model P300)
I don't own and never used the Nikon p300, so I can't tell if the p310 worth the extra 70$ but am going to mention the added features to the p310 and you decide for yourself :
16.1 megapixels instead of 12.2. Some might say it will produce more noise, but in my case I didn't face any issues with the 16 megapixels, no noticeable noise at all. And with some added features such as noise control of 3 different levels (which is also not available in the P300), then I don't think you should be concerned at all trust me.
fn button (This is customizable, allowing you to assign a frequently used camera setting to it rather than having to dig through the camera menus.) I use it to give me access to ISO settings.
Vibration Reduction V2 (which is an enhanced version of the one available on p300) so far I didn't get any blurry pictures even when am driving a car.
one more mode has been added to the dial on top (which is `U' mode, you can for example go to manual settings and adjust the shooting mode, aperture, shutter speed, etc and save them to the user mode for next use) It allows you to save only one preset, but you can always reset of course.
Manual focus (yes the p310 has manual focus, p300 doesn't) You can also use the manual focus during video recording.
ISO range (instead of 160 to 3200 in the p300, now it's 100 to 6400)
3D mode (this feature has been added to the "scenes mode" it allow you take 2 pictures from two different angels and then the camera will produce a 3D photo that is viewable on 3D TVs.
That's all I guess
The camera is really nice and takes sharp and crisp pictures, as you know most of the cameras take good photos in day light. However, the real challenge is when shooting in low light and when it comes to low light this camera is SICK!! I took some pictures in extremely dark places and the camera never let me down. I took some photos at night with ISO 1000+ and still no noticeable noise!
A small hint: never use `auto mode' when shooting at night, use either "landscape mode" if you want to shoot buildings, etc or "night portrait" scene if you want to shoot people at night with background (requires flash) or Aperture priority and of course there's always a manual mode.
To my experience so far, the best mode for night shots is "Night Landscape". When you choose it you'll be provided with two options:
1Handheld: In this scenario the camera will take 5 consecutive shots very quickly in just 1 second, actually you will hear the sound of the lens taking five shots. The output is nice but a little darker with no noticeable noise.
2Tripod: This is the second option and when you choose it the camera will first set the vibration reduction to off, and then it will increase the shutter speed to around 2 or 3 seconds I guess, depending on the situation. The output is tremendous. So when using a tripod with this mode YOU WILL NEVER miss a shot at night believe me.
Cons: I gave this camera 5 star because the Cons are not a deal breaker for me. So here we go:
1At first, it might be hard for you to hold the camera, turn it on, etc because the buttons are so close to each other. However, one day is enough for you to adapt.
2Zooming while recording video is EXTREMELY slow. I usually don't zoom while recording so it's not a big deal for me but it might be for others.
3Still no RAW like its predecessor.(probably all of you already know that)
4Charging cable like others mentioned is not a standard USB cable.
Hint: you can go to ebay and buy a wall charger with two extra batteries for 14 bucks.
Generally, for under 400$ this camera is a winner in its class, if you're willing to spend over 400$ you can look for the Canon S100 or Olympus XZ-1. (I've checked them both) The Olympus has some focusing issues + video quality is terrible, the S100 has a common lens error + the flash will pop up automatically and it's located exactly where you put your left finger, so I ended up buying the P310)
In conclusion, I've dealt with many P&S cameras and all I can say is that this Camera is meant for..well, like the title says "Photography in the Dark"
I don't own and never used the Nikon p300, so I can't tell if the p310 worth the extra 70$ but am going to mention the added features to the p310 and you decide for yourself :
16.1 megapixels instead of 12.2. Some might say it will produce more noise, but in my case I didn't face any issues with the 16 megapixels, no noticeable noise at all. And with some added features such as noise control of 3 different levels (which is also not available in the P300), then I don't think you should be concerned at all trust me.
fn button (This is customizable, allowing you to assign a frequently used camera setting to it rather than having to dig through the camera menus.) I use it to give me access to ISO settings.
Vibration Reduction V2 (which is an enhanced version of the one available on p300) so far I didn't get any blurry pictures even when am driving a car.
one more mode has been added to the dial on top (which is `U' mode, you can for example go to manual settings and adjust the shooting mode, aperture, shutter speed, etc and save them to the user mode for next use) It allows you to save only one preset, but you can always reset of course.
Manual focus (yes the p310 has manual focus, p300 doesn't) You can also use the manual focus during video recording.
ISO range (instead of 160 to 3200 in the p300, now it's 100 to 6400)
3D mode (this feature has been added to the "scenes mode" it allow you take 2 pictures from two different angels and then the camera will produce a 3D photo that is viewable on 3D TVs.
That's all I guess
The camera is really nice and takes sharp and crisp pictures, as you know most of the cameras take good photos in day light. However, the real challenge is when shooting in low light and when it comes to low light this camera is SICK!! I took some pictures in extremely dark places and the camera never let me down. I took some photos at night with ISO 1000+ and still no noticeable noise!
A small hint: never use `auto mode' when shooting at night, use either "landscape mode" if you want to shoot buildings, etc or "night portrait" scene if you want to shoot people at night with background (requires flash) or Aperture priority and of course there's always a manual mode.
To my experience so far, the best mode for night shots is "Night Landscape". When you choose it you'll be provided with two options:
1Handheld: In this scenario the camera will take 5 consecutive shots very quickly in just 1 second, actually you will hear the sound of the lens taking five shots. The output is nice but a little darker with no noticeable noise.
2Tripod: This is the second option and when you choose it the camera will first set the vibration reduction to off, and then it will increase the shutter speed to around 2 or 3 seconds I guess, depending on the situation. The output is tremendous. So when using a tripod with this mode YOU WILL NEVER miss a shot at night believe me.
Cons: I gave this camera 5 star because the Cons are not a deal breaker for me. So here we go:
1At first, it might be hard for you to hold the camera, turn it on, etc because the buttons are so close to each other. However, one day is enough for you to adapt.
2Zooming while recording video is EXTREMELY slow. I usually don't zoom while recording so it's not a big deal for me but it might be for others.
3Still no RAW like its predecessor.(probably all of you already know that)
4Charging cable like others mentioned is not a standard USB cable.
Hint: you can go to ebay and buy a wall charger with two extra batteries for 14 bucks.
Generally, for under 400$ this camera is a winner in its class, if you're willing to spend over 400$ you can look for the Canon S100 or Olympus XZ-1. (I've checked them both) The Olympus has some focusing issues + video quality is terrible, the S100 has a common lens error + the flash will pop up automatically and it's located exactly where you put your left finger, so I ended up buying the P310)
In conclusion, I've dealt with many P&S cameras and all I can say is that this Camera is meant for..well, like the title says "Photography in the Dark"
