The area of the final image is larger than what you see through the viewfinder, so it takes some practice to fill the frame. Although Nikon states that you can come in as close as 5.5 inches, testing showed that we could get as close as four inches and still capture a usable image. Color balance and saturation are admirable, and the lens gives a sharp image under proper shooting conditions. When using the flash, however, we found exposures were often delayed when the shutter was depressed, making it difficult to shoot fast-moving events at their peak. An LED display serves as a user interface, a viewing screen, and a writing pad.
Contrast is a bit flat in printed output but pleasing when viewed on a monitor.
Enlargements were about average for 640 by 480, blurring into pixels at about 3X magnification. You can set the camera to record sounds automatically while an exposure is being made, or you can record sounds on the fly by pressing the microphone button. Through its composite interface, the Coolpix 300 performs well as an online video camera and conferencing source for programs such as CU-SeeMe. We do have some minor complaints, though. The cable included in the kit barely reached from the back of our PC to the desktop, and there is no tripod socket.