Nikon P310

Nikon P310 is Nikon's Small Sensor Compact digital camera originally announced on June of 2012. It uses a 16 MegaPixel, BSI-CMOS 1/2.3" size sensor with a max resolution of 4608 x 3456.

Nikon released this model in order to update the previous Nikon P300 (Read Full Comparison) & afterwards released the newer Nikon P330 (Read Full Comparison) as a way to replace this model.

The P310 is ranked #18 out of 261 in Small Sensor Compact cameras & over-all #555 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our list. You should look at our Smart camera search to see camera rankings based on your personalized criteria.

Here is a graph of multiple factors used in the rating system.

The Nikon P310 is part of a family of digital cameras. You can see the complete list underneath.

You can view the P310 from several angles in the gallery here.

Here is a checklist of positives and negatives of the Nikon P310 based on things which are oftentimes considered necessary in a digital camera.

The sensor size in the Nikon P310 is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor has the ability to capture 4608 x 3456 pixels with aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera comes with Image Stabilization (Optical). In body stabilization is better than digital stabilization as the latter might cause cropping.

Photography Glossary

The BSI-CMOS sensor has 16MP and supports a standard ISO range of 100 - 3200. Sadly, RAW format is not saved therefore you have less margin for error.

The image underneath displays the P310's sensor size in comparison to other popular sizes. The P310 sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is highlighted in green.

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To get a sense of specific aspect ratios, you can refer to the graphic below.

Nikon P310 weighs in at 0.43 lbs (194 grams / 6.84 ounces) & has exterior size of 103mm x 58mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3"). The weight of typical Small Sensor Compact camera is 174 grams so the Nikon P310 is heavier than other competitors.

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Here is a image of the Nikon P310 alongside a soda to help you get a feel for its size.

The top view just below will show the button design on the P310.

The P310 is equipped with a fixed lens with a focal range of 24-100mm giving it a 4.2 x zoom which isn't really huge however it will be helpful in certain conditions.

At it's widest 24mm, the lens comes with an aperture of f1.8 making it useful for low light events and getting good bokeh. It would also enable you to set a much lower ISO to have cleaner photos. With the long end, 100mm comes with f4.9 making it really sluggish and you would have to choose slower shutter speeds.

The P310 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• HDMI Yes

Digital cameras with NFC and Bluetooth compatibility can be used wirelessly via smartphones. You can easily transfer images and at times alter settings without connecting straight with the camera.

Some apps also provide a Liveview and hit the shutter whenever you are not close to the camera. If the camera contains a HDMI port, it can be connected to an external screen. A good number of cameras enable you to charge the battery pack with the USB port.

The max video resolution in the Nikon P310 is 1920 x 1080 and you can save in MPEG-4 and H.264 file format. 1080p resolution can provide a good balance between video quality versus file size but 1080p will not leave you with any room to downsample. The body does not have a microphone and headphone port which means that you have got zero control over the audio. It is probably a better idea to find another model in case you require good audio for your videos.

There is no environment proofing on the Nikon P310 so you have to be careful in wet or dusty situations.

The Nikon P310 houses a 3 inch fixed display screen with a resolution of 921 thousand dots.

Please be aware that the display has no touch support.

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The View Finder specs for Nikon P310 are the following:

• ViewFinder None

For sunny outdoor situations that make the camera displays washed out and hard to see, viewfinders can be pretty helpful.

Nikon P310 has the ability to shoot continuously at 6.0 frames/s. The highest shutter speed is 1/8000s.

Nikon P310 comes with just in-built flash lacking external flash support.

Nikon P310 comes with only Contrast Detect Autofocus & does not have Phase Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot snappier & accurate than Contrast Detect autofocusing. The camera boasts Face detection which makes it useful for people photography.

The AF system boasts 99 focus points to pick from. It also has Tracking Autofocus for moving things. Nikon P310 supports manual focus when needed during low light conditions or you want to have more accurate focus control.

The battery pack (EN-EL12) on the Nikon P310 is designed to last for 230 shots as per the CIPA benchmarks which is on par with it's competitors. The usual Small Sensor Compact camera battery life is 241. Fujifilm X30 has the maximum (470) battery life within this kind of cameras.

Following is a collection of Small Sensor Compact cameras with the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm X30
P310 vs Fujifilm X30470 yesnono

Casio EX-10
P310 vs EX-10455 yesnono

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Ricoh GR Digital IV
P310 vs GR Digital IV390 yesnono

Canon G12
P310 vs G12370 yesnono

Canon G16
P310 vs G16360 yesnono

The following chart displays a summary of the Nikon P310 for specific forms of photography. To see more, have a look at the specific section underneath.

The Nikon P310 receives a score of 43 which is lousy, and means the camera is simply not very good to use for portrait photos. Taking portrait photos leans greatly towards sensor dimensions, RAW support along with the ability to work with external flash.

With a modest score of 56, the Nikon P310 is somewhat appropriate to buy for street photography. A very good street photography camera features a fine balance of image quality and portability.

A average sports photography points tally of 48 indicates the Nikon P310 is relatively suited for taking photos of sports. A camera needs excellent focusing and continuous shooting for sports photography.

Weight is extremely important when picking a camera for travel. On the whole, the Nikon P310 gets a very good 71 as a travelling camera which is a fine pick to take on your holidays.

For anyone who is looking to pick a digital camera for landscape photos, the biggest factor will no doubt be image quality. The Nikon P310 with it's moderate score of 54 as a landscape camera is reasonably suitable within the current marketplace.

A camera for vlogging should posses a articulating display, microphone input and ideally IBIS. Considering all things, the Nikon P310 is simply not very good for vlogging as it delivers a lousy score of 36.

If you are interested in alternatives to the P310, below is a collection of the highest scored cameras which fall within the family of Small Sensor Compact.

The graph followed below will give you a bird's eye view of the P310 vs it's top rated rivals shown above.

Following are additional cameras you might check out as alternative options. To read through a comprehensive comparison, go to the "compare" link.