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Nikon P300 vs Canon 650D Comparison

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Nikon P300

12 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Nikon P300
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Canon 650D

18 MP | APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

Canon 650D
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Nikon P300 vs Canon 650D Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon P300, which was introduced in May 2011 is a Small Sensor Compact camera with a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Canon 650D, which was introduced in August 2012 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 18.0MP APS-C sensor. There is 15 months difference between P300 and 650D so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger 650D, especially in sensor tech.

Comparing a DSLR camera to a Fixed Lens camera is not an easy task but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon P300 and Canon 650D before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon P300 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-05-31
  • 12MP - 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 160 - 3200
  • 24-100 mm F1.8-4.9 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 7 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 120fps High-Speed Video
  • 189g. 103 x 58 x 32 mm

Canon 650D Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-08-20
  • 18MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 12800 ( expands to 25600)
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 575g. 133 x 100 x 79 mm
  • Also known as EOS Rebel T4i / EOS Kiss X6i
  • Replaced Canon EOS 600D Compare

Nikon P300 was replaced by Nikon Coolpix P310. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon Coolpix P310 vs Nikon Coolpix P300
Nikon Coolpix P310 vs Canon EOS 650D (EOS Rebel T4i / EOS Kiss X6i)

Canon 650D was replaced by Canon EOS 700D. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 700D vs Canon EOS 650D (EOS Rebel T4i / EOS Kiss X6i)
Canon EOS 700D vs Nikon Coolpix P300

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon P300 and Canon 650D compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix P300 over Canon EOS 650D
Image Stabilization
Optical vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Continuous Shooting
7.0fps vs 5.0fps 2 fps faster
Weight
189 g vs 575 g 386 g lighter


Reasons to choose Canon EOS 650D over Nikon Coolpix P300
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder
Optical vs None Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max Sensor Resolution
18 MP vs 12 MP 50% more pixels
Max ISO
12.800 vs 3.200 300% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Resolution
1.040k dots vs 922k dots 12% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/4000s vs 1/2000s faster mechanical shutter
Battery Life
440 shots vs 240 shots 200 more frames with a single charge
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Flash Coverage
13.0m vs 6.5m 6.5m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
18.54µm2 vs 2.34µm2 692% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix P300 and Canon EOS 650D
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
LCD Screen Resolution
922k dots vs 1.040k dots High resolution screens
Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix P300 and Canon EOS 650D
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Nikon P300 vs Canon 650D: 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 P300 and Canon 650D side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon P300 has external dimensions of 103 x 58 x 32 mm (4.06 x 2.28 x 1.26″) and weighs 189 g (0.42 lb / 6.67 oz) (including batteries). Canon 650D has external dimensions of 133 x 100 x 79 mm (5.24 x 3.94 x 3.11″) and weighs 575 g (1.27 lb / 20.28 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon P300 and Canon 650D. Nikon P300 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 30mm narrower, 42mm shorter and 47mm thinner than Canon 650D. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Nikon P300 has a built-in lens but Canon 650D doesn't. Once you put a lens on 650D, its thickness will increase significantly.

Nikon P300 vs Canon 650D Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon P300 and Canon 650D Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon P300 and Canon 650D.

Nikon P300 vs Canon 650D Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Nikon P300 and Canon 650D Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon P300 and Canon 650D.
Nikon P300 vs Canon 650D Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon P300 and Canon 650D Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon P300 is significantly lighter (386g ) than the Canon 650D which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on 650D, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon Coolpix P300 nor Canon EOS 650D (EOS Rebel T4i / EOS Kiss X6i) 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 Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon P300 and Canon 650D's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

On the other hand, Canon 650D sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Nikon P300's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to 650D.
Nikon P300 vs Canon 650D: Sensor Comparison

Nikon P300 has a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed C2 processor. On the other hand, Canon 650D has a 18.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 5 processor.

Canon 650D's sensor provides 6MP more than Nikon P300'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 P300 and 650D sensor size comparison.

Nikon P300 vs Canon 650D Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon P300 and Canon 650D Cameras


As seen above, Canon 650D has a 11.8x Larger sensor area than Nikon P300. 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.

What types of Photography are Nikon P300 and Canon 650D Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon P300 and Canon 650D 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 P300 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Canon 650D for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon P300 for Street Photography

GOOD

Canon 650D for Street Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fast Lens at Wide: f1.80
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Nikon P300 for Sports Photography

POOR

Canon 650D for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Fast Continuous Shooting: 7.0fps
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 240 shots
100 mm Tele Lens
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
9 Cross Type Focus sensors
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Nikon P300 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Canon 650D for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Compact Body
189g
4.2X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Large Body
575g
Body Thickness 79mm
Read the details

Nikon P300 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Canon 650D for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon P300 vs Canon 650D: 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 P300 and Canon 650D, 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 P300 and Canon 650D scores compare:

Nikon P300
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #177 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #732 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Canon 650D
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #28 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #217 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Canon 650D is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon P300 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Nikon P300. Otherwise, Canon 650D is the better camera overall.

Nikon P300
Nikon P300
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Canon 650D
Canon 650D
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Canon 650D vs Nikon P300 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon Coolpix P300 Canon EOS 650D
Brand Nikon Canon
Announced 2011-05-31 2012-08-20
Body Type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size 1/2.3-inch APS-C
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 22.3 x 14.9 mm
Area 28.07mm2 332.27mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 18 megapixels
Max Resolution 4000 x 3000 5184 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity 3,200 ISO 12,800 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 25600 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 9 9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Canon EF/EF-S
Lens Focal Range 24-100 mm (4.2×) no lens
Max Aperture F1.8-4.9 no lens
Macro Focus Range 3cm no lens
Screen
Type Fixed type Fully Articulated
Size 3" 3"
Resolution 922k dots 1,040k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 95%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.53x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/2000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Optical No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 6.50 m 13.00 m
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/200s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 7.0 fps 5.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Video Formats H.264, Motion JPEG H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 189g 575g
Dimensions 103 x 58 x 32mm 133 x 100 x 79mm
Battery Life 240 shots 440 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 62
DxO Color Depth not tested 21.7
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 11.2
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 722
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