Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus E-300 Comparison

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Nikon 1 J4

18 MP | 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Olympus E-300

8 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CCD Sensor

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Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus E-300 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon 1 J4, which was introduced in April 2014 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 18.0MP 1" sensor whereas Olympus E-300, which was introduced in January 2005 is a Advanced DSLR camera with a 8.0MP Four Thirds sensor. As you can see, E-300 is 9 years older than 1 J4. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-300 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon 1 J4 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2014-04-10

18MP - 1" CMOS Sensor

ISO 160 - 12800

Nikon 1 Mount

3" Fixed Type Screen

60 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

1,200 fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

232g. 100 x 60 x 29 mm

Replaced Nikon 1 J3 Compare

Olympus E-300 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2005-01-10

8MP - Four Thirds CCD Sensor

ISO 100 - 400 ( expands to 1600)

Four Thirds Mount

1.8" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

3 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

624g. 147 x 85 x 64 mm

Also known as EVOLT E-300

Olympus E-300 was replaced by Olympus E-330. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Olympus E-330 vs Olympus E-300 / EVOLT E-300
Olympus E-330 vs Nikon 1 J4

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-300 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon 1 J4 over Olympus E-300

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs None	Better connectivity
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution	18 MP vs 8 MP	125% more pixels
Max ISO	12.800 vs 400	3100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	171 vs 3	168 more focus points
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 1.8"	1.2 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	1.037k dots vs 134k dots	673% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting	60.0fps vs 3.0fps	57 fps faster
Weight	232 g vs 624 g	392 g lighter
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080 vs None	Higher Resolution Video

Reasons to choose Olympus E-300 over Nikon 1 J4

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Optical vs None	Better framing and control
Sensor Pixel Area	28.15µm² vs 6.36µm²	342% larger pixel area

Common Strengths of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-300

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality

Common Weaknesses of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-300

In-body Image Stabilization	No vs No	No Built-in stabilization
Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 1.8"	Small display
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions
AE Bracketing	No vs No	Not good for multi-exposure HDR

Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus E-300: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-300 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon 1 J4 has external dimensions of 100 x 60 x 29 mm (3.92 x 2.36 x 1.12″) and weighs 232 g (0.51 lb / 8.18 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-300 has external dimensions of 147 x 85 x 64 mm (5.79 x 3.35 x 2.52″) and weighs 624 g (1.38 lb / 22.01 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-300. Nikon 1 J4 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 47mm narrower, 25mm shorter and 35mm thinner than Olympus E-300.

Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-300 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon 1 J4 is significantly lighter (392g ) than the Olympus E-300 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

1 J4

E-300

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

1 J4

E-300

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon 1 J4 nor Olympus E-300 / EVOLT E-300 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon 1 J4's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Olympus E-300's 1.8" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus E-300: Sensor Comparison

Nikon 1 J4 has a 18.0MP 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor. On the other hand, Olympus E-300 has a 8.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CCD sensor .

Nikon 1 J4's sensor provides 10MP more than Olympus E-300's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Below you can see the 1 J4 and E-300 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-300 Cameras

As seen above, Olympus E-300 has a 1.9x Larger sensor area than Nikon 1 J4. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus E-300 Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Olympus E-300 has an advantage over Nikon 1 J4 There are 45 lenses for Olympus E-300's Four Thirds mount, on the other hand there are only 13 lenses for Nikon 1 J4's Nikon 1 lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 7 lenses for Nikon 1 mount and 3 lenses for Four Thirds mount with IS.

Lens Type	# of Nikon 1 J4 Lenses	# of Olympus E-300 Lenses
Standard Zoom	4	8
Standard Prime	2	4
Wideangle Zoom	1	4
Wideangle Prime	2	9
Telephoto Zoom	2	6
Telephoto Prime	n/a	4
SuperZoom	2	2
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	n/a	3
Macro Prime	n/a	4
Perspective Control Prime	n/a	n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime	n/a	1
TOTAL	13	45

What types of Photography are Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-300 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-300 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon 1 J4 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Olympus E-300 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 8.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-300 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-300 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Fast Continuous Shooting: 60.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
105 Cross Type Focus sensors
171 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
3 Focus Points
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-300 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

232g
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Large Body
624g
Body Thickness 64mm
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus E-300 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 8.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus E-300: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-300, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-300 scores compare:

Nikon 1 J4

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #70 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #326 out of 1218 in all Cameras

Olympus E-300

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #86 out of 94 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #798 out of 1218 in all Cameras

Nikon 1 J4 is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Olympus E-300 in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Olympus E-300 vs Nikon 1 J4 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Nikon 1 J4	Olympus E-300
Brand	Nikon	Olympus
Announced	2014-04-10	2005-01-10
Body Type	Rangefinder-style mirrorless	Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CCD
Size	1"	Four Thirds
Dimensions	13.2 x 8.8 mm	17.3 x 13 mm
Area	116.16mm²	224.90mm²
Megapixels	18 megapixels	8 megapixels
Max Resolution	5232 x 3488	3264 x 2448
Max Native Light sensitivity	12,800 ISO	400 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	1600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	160 ISO	100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	171	3
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Nikon 1	Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses	13	45
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	3"	1.8"
Resolution	1,037k dots	134k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	Optical (pentamirror)
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/4000s
Max Electronic Shutter	1/16000s	n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	5.00 m (ISO 100)	n/a
Max Flash Sync	n/a	1/180s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	60.0 fps	3.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080	None
Video Formats	MPEG-4, H.264	n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	232g	624g
Dimensions	100 x 60 x 29mm	147 x 85 x 64mm
Battery Life	300 shots	n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
	Report a correction	Report a correction