Nikon Coolpix P310

is a modest update to its predecessor, the P300, and maintains many of the same features in almost exactly the same body design. Physically very similar to competitors like the Canon PowerShot S100, it offers PASM exposure modes and a useful-but-not-enormous zoom range (24-100) with a reasonably fast maximum aperture of F1.8-4.9. Unlike the S100 though, the P310 is a JPEG-only camera and uses a considerably smaller sensor. This might limit its appeal to enthusiast photographers, but allows a relatively low price compared to its high-end peers, making it potentially attractive to buyers who don't need the greater post-capture versatility offered by Raw but still want full manual control.

key specifications: 4.2X zoom (24-100mm) 16.1MP CMOS sensor 3in, 921k-dot LCD PASM shooting modes 1920 x 1280 video mode Weight (with battery and SD card) 6.9 ounces Dimensions 58.3mm x 103.0mm x 32.0mm (2.3 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches)

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Pocket-sized cameras with manual controls have become increasingly popular, especially among DSLR owners and shutterbugs who want a compact camera (regardless of whether or not they use the advanced features). Arguably, Canon started it off with the S90 (a form factor that is now on its third iteration, the S100) but these days the field is pretty crowded. Olympus offers the XZ-1, Fujifilm has the innovative X10, and Sony has recently entered the fray with 20 megapixel CX-format RX100. Unlike these cameras, the Coolpix P310 uses a standard compact camera sensor, so you only gain the extra control of these cameras, rather than the image quality increase over a good point-and-shoot model. The 16MP Coolpix P310 is the second such camera from Nikon, coming after last year's P300.

Like the P300, the P310 offers a fast, f/1.8 lens at wide-angle but is now built around a 16 megapixel sensor, offers a higher maximum ISO by adding a Hi 1 equivalent to 6400, is outfitted with a new function (Fn) button, 3D capture, interval shooting and a pre-shooting cache continuous mode along with a few other minor changes. The P310 offers many of the same features as its competitors such as manual exposure controls and full HD video, but at its heart is a sensor considerably smaller than most of its rivals, which means less control over depth of field at equivalent apertures and potentially poorer image quality in marginal lighting at high ISO settings.

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