Nikon W300

The Nikon W300 is a compact camera from 2017 with a fixed lens and a 16 megapixel CMOS sensor. It is aimed at people who want one small, weather-sealed camera for outdoor use. At 231 g and under 30 mm thick, it fits a jacket pocket rather than demanding a bag.

The sealed body, GPS tagging and wireless connectivity point it at hikers, travellers and anyone shooting outdoors in sand, dust or rain. You trade lens flexibility and low light headroom for that toughness and portability.

The W300 uses a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, a small format matched to its slim body. The ISO range runs from 125 to 1600, so evening and indoor shooting needs steady conditions or a flash unit.

Autofocus relies on a single point, which asks a bit more of you. You frame around that point or focus and recompose, which is workable for landscapes and snapshots but less convenient with off-centre subjects. A 1/4000-second maximum shutter speed gives you room to freeze bright daylight action.

In-body stabilisation helps here. It reduces the camera shake that can blur handheld shots in fading light, though it cannot freeze a moving subject. Combined with the fixed lens, it keeps the camera straightforward to carry and shoot without extras.

Burst shooting reaches 7 fps, a useful rate for grabbing a sequence outdoors, though that figure is the camera's maximum rather than a promise of sustained shooting.

Video is supported with a maximum resolution of 4K, which is plenty for sharing clips on large screens. The camera also lists a maximum frame rate of 120 fps, suitable for slow motion work, though those limits are listed separately, so treat 4K and 120 fps as distinct capabilities rather than one mode.

A built-in timelapse mode rounds out the moving-image options. That suits the outdoor brief of this camera well, since a tide, sunset or cloud layer can be captured without extra gear or intervalometer apps.

Recordings are saved as MPEG-4 or MOV files, formats that most editing software handles directly, so clips can usually be worked with as shot.

Framing and playback happen on a 3-inch TFT LCD with 921,000 dots. There is no touch control, and the screen does not flip or tilt, so overhead or waist-level shooting means judging the frame blind or moving yourself instead.

The body is sealed against dust and moisture, which is the defining feature of a camera like this. It gives confidence on rainy or sandy outings, though weather sealing is not the same as full waterproofing.

Connectivity covers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, plus GPS for location tagging so the camera can record where each shot was taken. That combination suits travel and outdoor shooting where location matters.

There is no built-in flash, but an external flash can be attached when you need extra light.

Images go to SD, SDHC or SDXC cards, with UHS-I support for faster cards. Alongside the single slot the camera carries some internal storage, though there is no second slot for in-camera backup.

Power comes from an EN-EL12 battery rated at 280 shots per charge. That figure is not a promise of real-world endurance, and steady use of the screen, GPS and Wi-Fi will affect it in practice. A charged spare is a sensible companion for a full day out.

The W300 does not charge over USB, so you need the dedicated charger and a mains or adapter supply. Plan charging stops around that rather than assuming a power bank in your pack will do the job.