If you’re at the market, searching for the best vlogging cameras under 300, you already know you’re on a budget. As a vlogger, you need HD video and perhaps a good camera. For the inexperienced, an easy-to-use camera is a must. For that, we look to the Nikon Coolpix L340 for answers. It is one of the best vlogging cameras for beginners.
Why We Like It – Nikon Coolpix L340
The Nikon Coolpix L340 doesn’t sacrifice much to be a viable choice for vloggers on a very tight budget, limiting itself to 720p with a few scene modes for creativity.
- Takes great photos
- Excellent choice for a beginner
- Very affordable
- 720p video quality
Performance
With the Nikon Coolpix L340’s 20.2 CCD sensor, image quality came out great. But, there was a lot of noise in very low-light environments, unlike the Nikon D850, which takes great shots in dim lighting. If you have bad lighting, consider the Panasonic Lumix ZS50. The zoom range its zoom lens can achieve is great; 28x digital zoom with 56x dynamic fine. Vibration reduction was built in to prevent too much shaking. If you are browsing the internet for a mid-price professional webcam for streaming, click our Logitech c922x pro review.
Video recording with the Nikon Coolpix L340 bridge camera does have its downsides. It shoots in 720p at 30fps, unlike the Nikon-1 AW1. We would’ve liked at least 1080p, but to be fair, hundreds of popular YouTubers still release videos at 720p. It’s even easier on one’s uploading speed.
For other similar products, check out the Canon PowerShot A4000 IS 16 Megapixel Digital Camera, Sony Alpha A6300, Longin Digital Camera, and the Lakasara 1080p Camcorder.
Design
Taking photos with the Nikon Coolpix L340 compact camera was a breeze, as was shooting videos. It doesn’t have a lot of buttons, which is great for inexperienced vloggers. We liked the dedicated video button in particular. Other notable buttons were its Scene Auto button, which you can disable and choose between 16 different scene modes—a joy to play around with as a vlogger. It takes AA batteries, and uses a 2.3-inch LCD screen; it isn’t a touchscreen. Altering white balance and shutter speed were missing, however. That’s still more than the GoPro Hero5 Session would give you. If you are looking for an amateur camera that delivers high-resolution images with fewer artifacts, click our Panasonic Lumix ZS50 review.
Value
Considering the Nikon Coolpix L340’s picture quality and decent video quality, we can say with confidence this is a good camera. It favors images slightly more, but its scene modes for video are great to have if you want to vary your style. And the pricing is really hard to argue with. The closest competitor, the Canon PowerShot SX430 performs similarly but for $130 more. You’re getting a great deal here. Even the Canon PowerShot SX610 HS, another competitor, focuses less on video than the Coolpix L340.
Nikon Coolpix L340 Wrap Up
For what it’s worth, the Nikon Coolpix L340 is a really good camera for someone on a tight budget—especially if you’re new to vlogging. It even takes great photos. And sure, 720p isn’t the greatest, but bumping up to 1080p would tack another $100 or so onto the price. Plenty of YouTubers upload at 720p. It was easy for us to overlook.
