The Nikon Coolpix P300 is not an enthusiast compact. It might look like one. And it does have a bright f1.8 ultrawide-angle lens and the manual and semimanual shooting modes that you'd find on an enthusiast compact. But that's about where the similarities end. It doesn't have a large sensor and you won't find raw image capture or direct controls for ISO and white balance or an optical viewfinder. If you want those things, the P300 is not the camera you're looking for and you should prepare to spend about $100 more, at least.
The Good
The <b>Nikon Coolpix P300</b> has a nice lens, shooting modes for every kind of user, a solid design, and it's easy to use.
The Bad
The P300's photos look overprocessed when viewed at full size, and performance feels a bit slow.
The Bottom Line
Snapshooters wanting a little more creative control than the average point-and-shoot offers should check out the Nikon Coolpix P300.
What the P300 is, though, is an easy-to-use compact camera with a very nice lens and more control over results than the average point-and-shoot, and there's really nothing wrong with that.