Oh internet, why must you yield such bemusing anomalies? Of all the cameras in the world that could be trending, you could have given me a million guesses and I would have given up long before remembering the Nikon Coolpix S9300 ever existed. And yet, here I am, discussing what was (back in 2012) just another compact camera *yawn*.
So what makes the S9300’s rather meh specs of interest to today’s camera crowd? Well, first and foremost, it’s a compact camera (what else?). Oh, and it comes in red or blue… actually, it comes in black and silver, too, but you don’t get many brightly colored cameras nowadays, so this is definitely a selling point.
And that’s at least partially what this compact-camera revival is all about, right? Good-looking little cameras. I’ll be the first to say that there is absolutely no shame in wanting an attractive camera. You can look down your nose at camera ‘fashion accessories’ all you want. But when it comes to casual photography, I’ll take a chic compact camera that leaves the house, over a technically superior lump of dull that stays at home, every day of the week.
Article continues belowWhat I love about the S9300 is that it’s a bit of a hangover from that bright, bubbly and entirely optimistic post-Y2K era of tech, y’know, transparent Game Boys, fluorescent iPod Nanos and JVC Gumy earbuds. The period before Apple decided everything had to look slick, sanitized and effin’ boring!
I turned to TikTok to find out whether or not today’s Nikon Coolpix S9300 hype was legit and I found quite a few videos from content creators who were recommending it as a cheap, casual buy. One video from Natalia Lorenzo really sums up this neat little Nikon. She cites it as a cheap, high-quality camera that’s “being slept on,” and I completely agree.
You can find the S9300 used in and around the $200 / £150 / AU$300 mark, which is Kodak Pixpro prices. However, it does seem that the online buzz has affected the camera’s availability. I’m seeing a lot of Japan- and China-based listings, so it may take a little while to source one in your region, especially if you want a specific color.
Another great point that Natalia Lorenzo makes is that the S9300 “has a mix of that vintage vibe with the grainy feel, but the photos are still very sharp.” And while many photographers wouldn’t call a 14-year-old camera vintage, it’s worth remembering that many camera phones with their fake-looking HDR and overly sharp images have forcibly aged our perception of relatively recent camera tech. It’s really not surprising that ‘vintage’ aesthetic is so coveted among younger generations. These little cameras might not boast the best specs ever, but they spit out images that look real. And that’s a big deal.
So, what do you get for your comparatively little money? Well, the Nikon Coolpix S9300 was launched alongside five other S-Series Coolpix compact cameras, the S9200, S6300, S4300, S3300 and S30. The S9300 was the range topper, built around a 1/2.3-in 16-MP backside-illuminated CMOS sensor and an 18x optical zoom providing an equivalent 25-450mm zoom range, complete with Nikon’s Vibration Reduction optical-image stabilization.
It could also shoot full HD video at 30p and featured a viewfinderless design with a 3-in TFT LCD monitor. Another neat feature that will no doubt endear the Nikon Coolpix S9300 to younger generations is the presence of a cute little pop-up flash.
So, it looks like I’ve talked myself into the S9300 hype. In a world where you can spend over $1500 / £1500 / AU$2,500 on a compact camera, the S9300 provides a highly affordable alternative to your camera phone’s computational slop, while delivering that vibrant and optimistic late noughties/early 2010s aesthetic.
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