Saturday, October 31, 2009
by Smith
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I have upgraded from a Nikon D70s to a Nikon D300. This Nikon D300 (IMO)is just an awesome dslr camera. I outfitted with a 18-200mm 3.5-5.6 VR lens, a SB800 flash and messed with some of the shooting controls and focus settings and when out for a shoot on a mountain bike race, which started at about 6:30am - the pictures came out great. This shoot happened 3 weeks after I recieved the camera.
I have been using this D300 for about month and still learning all the features it has to offer but more attention to features for sport action shooting.
The camera hasn't given me any trouble yet (knock on wood). This camera has produced pictures that has save me time from editing. Its really a great dslr camera.
Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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I've been holding back from buying the D300 since the launch because I own a D200, but when my wife came home and surprised me with one... not only was I surprised by her gift, but also by what Nikon has packed inside this camera. I will try not to write on what others have already said, but I'll point us to some areas which are new and may not have gotten enough attention towards.
1. AF Fine Tuning - this is a great feature that puts in the user's hands the power to calibrate a lens to the camera body. In the past, if you have a great prime lens (e.g. 85mm f/1.4) and want to calibrate it to work optimally to the camera body, you would need to send it to teh Nikon Service Center to do that. With AF Fine Tuning, you can now do it yourself. Because there will be a slight degree of inaccurarcy in AF systems, i.e. front or backward focusing, you can now fine tune that lens (with +/- 20) to the camera body so that it works optimally. It recognizes Nikon lenses without a problem but 3rd party lenses would have to catch up. It can store up to 12 lenses' fine tuning information, so that when you plug back that lens, it would know the fine tune data to use.
2. Monochrome Picture Control - The monochrone picture control now comes with filter effects or yellow, orange, red, and green... so gone are the days of carrying these filters when taking black and white shots. You can also adjust the toning from black and white, sepia, cyanotype, and also a range of red, yellow, green, blue green, blue, purple blue, and red purple.
3. Improved Picture Control for colors - the settings now are sharpening, contrast, brightness, saturation and hue. You can also download from the internet D2XMODE picture controls (there are 3 modes) and load it in to emulate these modes from the D2X bodies.
4. White balance fine tuning - The Canon 5D had long since had this feature in the white balance tuning where you can shift the white balance in a grid, and finally, this is now incorporated in this camera. Even the other white balance fine tuning is much improved, e.g. for flourascent, it hast a list of different florescent lights to choose from for fine tuning. For the present white balance, you can save up to 4 presets.
5. In camera picture editing made easier - Once you take a picture, when you press the "ok" button, a list of in camera picture editing tools come up (where you can trim the pic, change to monochrone, use filter effects of skylight or warm filter, or edit the color balance). The color balance feature here is great because you can shift the color balance of the picture to the desire effect you like.
6. Help button - at anytime when you need some help as to what that feature is about, you only need to press the "?" button and it brings up a page explaing that feature. This is like the D40/x and the menu layout also looks like that of the D40/x.
The D300 is without a doubt leaps and bounds ahead of the D200 and their competitors. The high ISO is great, and auto white balance more accurate. It is without a doubt the best semi-pro camera Nikon has produced.
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After 2 months of using the D300, and shooting some events, this is what I have discovered about it. I thought it was going to be easy to move from a D200 to D300, but realized there is a learning curve as well. I was frustrated at not being able to capture a shot like I did with the D200, but as I discovered along the way while using the D300, that it gives you more flexibility and adjustments, which means more control in your hands... but that also means that just out of the box may not get you what you used to have almost out of the box for the D200.
When shooting in a well-lit outdoor scenario, the D300 performs very well. Focusing is fast, sharp, and auto-ISO works well too. Most of my issue arise when shooting indoors with difficult lighting... and the following points have all to do with indoor shooting.
- When shooting an indoor concert with a fast lens and no flash and using auto-ISO with different metering modes, the camera tends to over expose the shots, and some were very over exposed. The overexposure come from the inability of the D300 to decide what ISO to use, and in some scenarios, it went to ISO 1600 when ISO 200 or 400 in that lighting condition would do. Advise is to forget about auto-ISO with indoor shooting.
- When shooting indoors without flash, the camera tends to overexpose the shot by 1/3 to 2/3 with matrix metering. This is easily resolved by adjusting the exposure compensation. Another way is to use center-weighted average, which is more consistent in the metering.
- The default sharpening for the D300 is less than the D200. Hence, the pictures may look a little soft, so would need to bump up the sharpening by maybe +3 in your picture control. This is more for shooting in jpegs, but some people prefer to leave the sharpening to post processing.
- With a 12MP camera, my shooting flaws + lens sharpness is more evident. This is where breathing techniques, how to hold the camera, etc. becomes more evident with the pictures taken. Also, I have found the AF fine tuning useful to adjust the front or back focusing of the lenses... and even Nikon lenses needs some adjustments.
- The LCD is too bright and does not reflect the true exposure of the picture. The picture may look alright on the LCD but when downloaded onto a computer, it looked underexposed. You would need to decrease the LCD brightness by -1 or -2.
Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Friday, October 30, 2009
by Smith
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IMHO this is the best camera in Nikon's lineup considering it boasts the same focusing system, metering system, and superior resolution to the D3 and even the Canon 1Ds mk III. Although it's the same resolution as the D2x, it's focusing system is superior. The only place the D3 rivals the D300 is in ISO and frame rate, which is over rated (no pun intended). Photographers can capture better images with well planned 6 fps than will sloppy 9 fps any day!
Then there's the weight issue. I've developed carpel tunnel from using my D2x cameras constantly all day long 6 days a week with big heavy lenses. It will be a treat to use these little guys.
The popup flash has commander mode which will free up one of my SB 800 units so I can add it to my army of SB 800 flashes that accompany me to all my shoots. And it will be nice to not have to constantly cary a flash on my camera all the time.
One note on resolution. The D300's 12 megapixel sensor has 32,823 pixels / mm which means it has a higher resolution than the Canon 1Ds Mark III which has 21 megapixels at 24,336 ppmm by almost 10,000 pixels / millimeter. It's because of the size of the sensor. The Canon however has a larger print resolution because it has more pixels, but because the Nikon has a higher sensor resolution it makes inherently sharper images (especially since you can shoot 14 bit now), so you can make larger enlargements with the Nikon than the Canon's enlargements. This all really makes no difference however because what is acceptable resolution for enlarged prints is wholly subjective and not able to be quantified as it is based solely on the viewer preference and distance from print! Bottom line resolution doesn't matter! But if you're hung up on Megapixels just know that this one has a higher sensor resolution than even the $8,000 Canon!
This camera is an amazing buy and that's probably why the D3 isn't selling like I would have expected. The D2x is still more expensive here on Amazon than the D3. Crazy...
The D300 is a nice step up from the D2x although I'll miss the high speed crop!Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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I have a D100 to compare my new D300.. The D300 is so far more advanced that I feel like a little kid playing with a toy. The ability to take good pictures in low light without a flash using a very high ISO and pushing the compensation settings to 1.7 makes it a pleasure. I visit museums that don't allow flash and now have some really good pictures of my subjects. I use the burst speed and continuous focus for my radio control car racing and have great pictures almost movie like. I like the large viewer and the amazing number of choices that can be programmed. The dials are conveniently located. The only drawback is that I can't use my Capture 4 software with the D300. Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Thursday, October 29, 2009
by Smith
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I wasn't sure if the upgrade to a D300 was worth the cost. I am now very pleased w/ the value because of the picture controls, the LCD monitor, the battery life, and the high ISO resolution. I purchased it w/ a Nikon 18-200 VR lens from Amazon, both were shipped directly from Amazon, and arrived even faster than expected.
I am a satisfied customer.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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I've owned a Nikon d80 for over a year and a half. This camera blows the D80 out of the water. The new menu system is fantastic and the controls are perfectly placed and easy to use. I noticed immediately that the camera had much better ergonomics then the D80, I often found myself unintentionaly obscuring the AF light on the D80 however the D300 solves this eloquintly by placing a steep lip underneath the sub-command dial on the front. All the controls are well placed and this camera fixed a few of the menu oddities found on the D80, overall a great new camera for anyone willing to take the time to learn the controls. Worth every penny.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
by Smith
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At first it felt a bit bulky but as I got used to it, it just felt right. The quality of images is perceivably way better than the ones I took with the D80, and that was a camera I loved.
Lot of parameters on the D300 menu to play with though, so it makes for a significant learning time.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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Got this as an upgrade from the Nikon D40 (which I had for about 1 week), a D200, (which I had for a couple of days). I've had this for about 2 months, and it have journeyed over 2000 clicks with me.
Pro's:
-beautiful 3 inch LCD screen. This was my primary drive for getting this camera. It makes previewing your shots a pleasure. The LCD screen is bright enough even to view in sunlight.
-long battery life, you can shoot all day long, and still have some charge left. Buy an additional battery and you are clearly set for all day shooting (The battery life is greatly improved over the d200)
-sturdy construction. This thing is built like a rock. I brought this on the slopes of keystone Colorado snowboarding in January, and it braved the cold weathers and bumps nicely (I managed not to drop it in the snow, but I'm sure it would have survived that)
-nice sticky grip. The surface is some kind of rubbery substance that encourages you not to drop it. (helps a lot with one hand grip holding)
-easy layout of controls.
-a plethora of features, liveview, active dlighting, menu customization
-great high ISO shooting.
-nice auto focus system
-fantastic pictures
Cons:
-a little heavy. (hefting this camera with the 70-200vr plus a camera bag with a couple other lenses all day around a zoo will make you tired. =) ) Note, heavy is actually a pro too, as it very nicely balances out lenses like 17-55 and 70-200, as those lenses are heavy by themselves.
-live view is a little clunky, and sluggish
This is a very nice piece of equipment. It's so nice, it makes you want to love it more and more, and take more pictures with it. =)Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
by Smith
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i had a d40x and i bought the D300,while i really liked my previous camera, but the D300 is a really different ones,a camera that you would depend on for a longer time.im not saying the D40x isnt that good,but after time u will feel u would need something with more capabilities, and here where the D300 fits, what a camera...best in everything,ergonomics,quality of pics,options available for adjustments.higher ISO, u even feel u wouldnt be in need to lower aperture lenses, the only bad thing about it for me is the weight,i know i would get used to it, but that was my first impression compared to the D40x weight, which is almost half weight,another bad thing that it went down $ 50 after i just bought it:))Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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I was using the Nikon D50 for the last 18 months before deciding to upgrade my camera body. I knew I was outgrowing the D50. I was beginning to see the inconvenience of some of the features of the D50 because I was going into menus more and more frequently.
I initially thought of the D80 but felt it was not enough of an upgrade. I then looked at the D200, but the D300 was just announced and I knew that was the one I would upgrade to.
I am very pleased that I chose this camera. The buttons are well placed and eliminates me from having to go into the menus as often and even then, the My Menu function allows me to add my favotire functions to my own custom menu.
I also love the low light/high ISO capabilities. I do a lot of dusk/night shots in the street and find my results are better than I could ever do with my D50.
The last thing I love is the build. It just feels right in my hands. The addition of the MB-D10 grip is not needed, but is an added benefit for further balancing the camera with a long pro-level zoom lens.
Overall, I have not been disappointed and would recommend this to anyone looking to upgrade to a semi-pro camera.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Monday, October 26, 2009
by Smith
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Wow!. Coming from the last 4 years with a D70, this is a phenomenal camera! Combined with my 18-200mm VR Everyday, and 70-200mm VR occasional sports lens, there's nothing else I need and I'm in love with this thing!
I'm not going to bore you with details. I've a headache from trying to read the hundreds of stellar reviews here. Everything that needs to be said has already been said. Can't go wrong with this camera.
Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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This camera is so well-designed with many, many useful features. Great results even with ISO 3200 (looks like 800 did on the d80). I upgraded from the d80 and it's an enormous difference. I would buy it all over again. The auto-focus "fine-tune" feature for different lenses has been great. It is alot heavier than the d80, but you adjust quickly to the difference. You won't be sorry!Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Sunday, October 25, 2009
by Smith
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I wrote a review of this camera a short time after I bought it, but I would like to update it with my experience from having used it for almost a year.
First of all, the title for my review has not changed. It thought it was a great camera, and I still do. As this is not a detailed review of the camera, I would like to comment on a few things that have struck me while using it.
I'm very satisfied with the metering system. I have taken pictures under challenging lighting conditions, and after having reviewed the picture on the LCD I changed the exposure. However, after downloading the pictures to my computer it turns out that the camera has been right more often then I. Therefore, my trust in the metering system has increased. (I believe this has occurred because the LCD has been hard to view properly in the given lightning conditions, and not because the LCD is bad).
Having 51 auto focus points to choose from can seem a bit excessive, but it's something I really appreciate. Now I can compose the pictures as I like and then choose where the camera should focus, instead of having to re-frame after having focused first. This leads to a more precise focusing. Also, the "intelligent" mode where the camera chooses witch points to focus at is very good. It doesn't work all the time, but more often than not.
Having a high-res LCD is great! You can zoom in closely to check focus, and it is in general great for reviewing your pictures. This is, objectively, one of the very best LCDs on the market.
There are some software issues that could be better. For instance, I would like the auto iso-function to turn off when setting the camera to manual exposure mode. Not a big deal, but a bit annoying.
I also miss a fast way of changing picture controls. An easy way to fix this would be to enable the Fn-button to do it. I hope this will come in a future firmware update.
Why not buy a D300? Well, I think there are two main reasons. The first one is the D90 and the second one is the D700. The D90 has much of the same technology as the D300, but comes at a lower price. You won't get 51 auto focus points or a rock solid magnesium house, but do you need that? The D700 is the D300's big brother. It has a full frame sensor, but apart from that is is very similar to the D300.
Would I buy the D300 today? I'm not sure. Don't get me wrong; I love my camera, but as I'm single and in a good job I would probably go for the D700 instead. And if you have been stup.... if you're married with kids, maybe the cheaper D90 would suit your needs sufficiently.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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I have owned a D100, D200 and now a D300. It is an easy camera to use and gives excellent photos. In using the D300, there is nearly a seamless transition between the D200 and D300 with an improved quality and features. Another positive feature is that both the D200 and D300 use the same Compact Flash card, battery and cable release.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Saturday, October 24, 2009
by Smith
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I have always been a Nikon person and having this camera shows me why I love Nikon so much. When the D100 came out I bought it right away. Since then I have had two kids and found out that Nikon was about release the D300. I read the reviews and decided it was time for me to buy my new camera. I bought the D300 about a month ago and have shot about two thousand pictures. All of my shots were like Wow.
I did have a problem with the memory card slot though. Never have I seen a camera have this problem. I treat my cameras like babies. I went to change out a memory card and the eject wouldn't work. Finally I got the card out only to see that it wouldn't let me put a new card in. I looked in the slot to see that one of the gold prongs was bent. I looked at my memory cards and they were fine. So I was a little upset. I took the camera back to where I bought the camera and they were as shocked as I was. They right away gave me a new camera and I couldn't have been happier.
Everything that other people have said about this camera are so true. I highly recommend this camera.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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My personal experience in digital photography began with a Sony 4.1 megapixel point & shoot in 2001, and graduated through the Nikon Coolpix 8400, D-200 and now the D-300. The D-200 is an excellent DSLR but the D-300 represents a substantial upgrade, particularly in color saturation, focusing, noise reduction and real-time display. Using the same lens( 18-200 VR DX lens) has resulted in deeper and richer colors with greater resolution, exclusive of post exposure processing software. This camera best approaches film resolution and color saturation of any digital camera I have experienced. The cost is significant but the results justify the investment. The professional reviews rave about the D-300 and those reviews are accurate according to my personal experience, both in shooting and printing the shots on my Canon Pro-9000. If you can afford it, the D-300 is well worth its purchase price. Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Friday, October 23, 2009
by Smith
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I already have Nikon D200 .. but will I see the D300 I said I must buy it >> when its come to me and I start photo !!! waw wonderfull color and white balance ... and the built in flash much much better in white balance also ... The live view is great and its 8 frame dode ! I use it for sport photography I have it with nikon SB-800 and Nikon 17-55mm and Nikon 70-200mm + 1.7X telecoverter ,,, all from amazon ....
The camera is in wonderfull price ....
Something unbleveable ! is the High ISO ... comparing with the D200 if I make it more than ISO800 its start noise , In D300 you can photo up to ISO1600 with few noise ,,,
Last thing the foacus point ... they are full in the frame 51 point !!! but you can use 15 of them in one times .... The battery still more than The D200 ...
The negative thing I feel the body in some swiths in the camera became worest (the m,s,c) swich near the lens ... + the on and off swithcs and the memory open swithc and (the facous switch) need to be more strong such as the D200,
the battery cover + the memory cover + the Nikon MB-10 grip they are made of plastic !!!
This is the only things need to approve by nikon ... and you can feel it for the first time ... If something more ... you can ask me Question
Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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I Owned a D80 for a bit over a year and too about 15,000 pictures with it and thought it was great. I picked up one of these and didn't take a picture with it and realized that I wanted one. Everything is just in the right place and works better. If you are at all on the fence about getting one just do it. Yes it may seem like a lot of money but anything less is throwing money away.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Thursday, October 22, 2009
by Smith
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I am an amateur with experience (meaning I don't pay my bills through photography). I previously owned a D70 and an EOS for 35mm film.
Thing is, I wanted to upgrade the digital system I had with the D300 and, in summary, the camera is SO BEAUTIFUL, SO RELIABLE, INCREDIBLE PICTURES, etc etc... it's a dead-on choice for a digital SLR!!
This camera has many pluses:
-Many pro's says 12Mpx for an APS sensor (= sensor with a conversion factor, smaller than a 35mm film's frame size) is too much for such a small sensor, since the image's will be quality-restricted because the pixels are too small... My response is that after shooting for a couple years with a 6 Mpx D70, the quality difference IS GREAT... There IS a leap in resolving power with the 12Mpx sensor in the D300.. It blew my mind away. More on this at the end of the review.
- The D300 picture controls, specially saturation, reaches a level of in-camera adjustments unheard of in previous Nikon DSLR's. Saturation levels will reach levels comparable with Fuji's Velvia film, and that's a lot! This gives you the advantage of reduced post-production, since you are capable of tweaking pictures in-camera that will suit your taste (It did for me)
- Active D-lighting. DSLR's tend to have problems with highlly contrasted subjects (Subjects with ample dynamic range), and this is one of the many reasons why many pro's still use film (because it will deal better with high contrast). The ADL function in the D300 does allows me to capture contrasty subjects under difficult light conditions, reducing highlight blowout in the picture, while preserving shadow detail.. It really works. It allows me to use digital for shot's that would have required film or in-camera filtration!
- Splendid ISO range!! Now I can take pictures in very low light conditions that would have been impossible with my D70 because of the high noise inherent to a high ISO. The D300 does manage high ISO noise like no other camera I've used in the past! ISO 1600 images are very very clean (ISO3220 is clean, HI-1 mode (ISO 6400) is too noisy for me)! This is great news! This also means I don't have to lug a tripod for low light shots (unless I were doing landscape work; In such case, I do use a gitzo tripod for every shot I take, which takes me to the following point):
- Mirror up mode! I didn't have this feature in my D70, and I love to be able to raise the mirror when doing tripod shots (Landscape) in order to gain maximun sharpness by minimizing vibrations.. Also included are Live view mode (It allows you to see the subject in the camera LCD while composing the picture, instead of using the viewfinder. I use this feature when the camera position won't allow me to see through the finder, and it really helps).
- The D300 autofocus is very reliable (3D autofocus mode is realy helpful when tracking moving subjects). Very high frame per second count ( Up to 8 FPS with the accessory grip).
- Weather sealed. I live in a tropical part of the world, where things can get pretty damp and wet, and the D300 is all about getting pictures, and I don't have to worry about the weather!!
- 14 bit RAW is the way to go if you are interested in the highest image quality and rich tonal gradations. My D300 gives me that option! with my D70, i had to work with an inferior 12 bit Raw file... I usually shoot RAW (14 bit) + JPG (You NEED a a 4 Gigs CF card as a minimum, since the files tend to be big..)
- Last, the camera allows me to save the combination of settings i need tuned for specific purposes. I have a menu bank tuned for portraits, another menu bank for landscape, another for low-light conditions and another one for highlly saturated images! This is just wonderfull!! For example, let's say I am doing tripod work and I need to change the camera setting for portrait work, and I need to do it FAST, instead of browsing all the settings I need to change, I just select a menu bank tuned for portraits, so I don't loose my time changing setting by setting!
On the minus side:
- Nikon didn't implement a release timer when using mirror up mode, which seems foolish to me, since a timed release AND mirror up, when used on a tripod, are the way to go in order to reduce vibrations... this forced me to buy a release cable, and this leads me to the next point:
- The cable release for this camera is of the 10 pin family, and it is expensive, compared to the 15$ IR release I used on my D70...
- As much as I've become in love with Active D-lighting, there are times when i need to turn it off. This happens when I shoot for silhouttes (heavy backlighting) since I WANT a deep, textureless black ( silhouttes are meant to look like that) and the ADL function will try to preserve shadow detail, creating a murky grey instead of a deep black.
To sum it up, this camera is great!! My jaw still falls wide open whith amazement with the images coming out from the D300...
One final point: I HAD an EOS 35mm film camera, because I no longer feel that 35 mm film gives me superior quality when compared to my beloved D300!!! This camera is THAT GOOD!
April 2008:
Thousands of photos have gone through.. I can only say that THIS IS THE DSLR!! I just couldn't be happier!!!!
I'd like to add a minus that I've come to encounter:
I do a lot of night shooting in low ISO, and this is the only thing I've seen that this camera isn't that good. Thing is, any digital sensor will generate noise related to circuitry (electrons, charges and stuff) and some digital cameras will tend to create more noise than others (though all of them do generate noise) when exposure times start to get on the long side (minutes).
The D300 isn't good at very long exposures in very low light (longer than 5 minutes). It generates a lot of noise via hot pixels. Nikon knows that this happens, so they implemented a Long exposure noise reduction (NR) which basically takes a second frame withoutt letting any light hit the sensor (This is called a black frame). This black frame will only contain pure black + electronic noise. This frame is substracted to the original long exposure, and this method will indeed reduce most of the noise in the frame.
Problem is, when NR gets to work by substracting the black frame, it will soften the image (the image will loose some sharpness) due to the nature of the substraction algorithm. To me, this loss of sharpness is unacceptable (And notice, this happens to ALL Dslr's, just that it is pronounced in the D300) and this is the main reason why I still shoot film (no electrons = no noise) though I sold my film EOS.
I took a deep breath, checked my wallet after the D300, and took the plunge and bought a medium format camera (a Hasselblad 501) to do the things no digital camera can do; For me, it's mainly very long exposures and for Black and white film (When I REALLY need a very high dynamic range)... For everything else (mostly everything!) my D300 is perfect!
Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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I wrote a review of the D80 after I had used it a fair amount. The D80 was OK, but definitely did not warrant all of the praise that people heaped on it.
The D300 is a usable camera. First, the noise has been greatly improved at higher ISOs. I shoot a lot of available light and indoors, and I no longer fear going over 400 ISO, as I did with the D80. I get usable shots every time at 1600 ISO. That's plenty fast for any indoor shots as well.
The D300 is well sealed. I shoot in a humid climate (San Francisco fog), and the D80 would get moisture in the body. The D300 is tight as a drum.
The review screen is amazingly bright and clear. Again, a vast improvement.
I would recommend the D300 highly to anyone. This is coming from someone who gave the D80 only 3 stars. There is no comparison between the two cameras.
Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
by Smith
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Since mine will be the 73rd review, I will try not to rehash in great detail all the great things about this camera (plenty of great info elsewhere), but instead, briefly try to mention some of the things that make this camera, to me, so extraordinary and so valuable.
Color rendition. Once I read about the extraordinary control over color now in the photographer's hands, this camera became extremely compelling. You can get the details elsewhere, but I can hardly believe all the options in color available. Still mastering it. Amazing.
Fast frame rate. You can get 6 frames per second as is, and with the battery pack option, you can go to 8fps! Not much difference between that and a D3 @ 9fps. That's incredible!
MUCH better ISO/noise performance. "3200 is the new 800," the Nikon rep said. He said it's not the company's official claim, but I would say that's pretty close. My shots in ISO 3200 are MUCH cleaner (less noise) than I used to be able to take at 1600. It compares to 1000 and/or 1250. So maybe a bit less than 2 stops.
3" LCD. It's not color accurate, but colors are GREAT for a camera LCD and it's obviously great for exposure and details. ZOOM control on this is lightning fast, too!
51-point AF. You have to use it to appreciate it. Much more convenient for precise focusing than the 11-point I used to rely on.
12mp CMOS sensor (self cleaning). 14-bit RAW files produce at about 25MB.
D3 performance for barely more than 1/3 the price!
My conclusion is that this is not merely an evolutionary leap for Nikon, but really a raising of the bar in terms of performance. And they did it while holding costs down in the reasonable range. These improvements really open up a lot of possibilities beyond what existed before. If you're a committed Nikon shooter, and you can live without the full frame of the $5k D3 (you can), then don't miss this gem of an SLR!
Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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I came to the d300 by way of a d70. Wow. That is like going from a Honda Civic (my car, actually) to a Mercedes. Everything about it is in a new class. The 14-bit a/d converter results in more nuanced colors (although this is not a radical change). The meter is the best I've used in 40 years of hobby photography. The controls, once I got used to them, are perfectly intuitive. Build quality is fantastic. The manual, though 421 pages long (!), is well written and easy to use. My d300 came with Nikon CaptureNX, which has a few annoying interface features, but works quite well. Best levels/curves function I've used (much better than Adobe's). What fun to own a toy like this! Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
by Smith
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There is nothing else to say. Because it is just an amazing camera.
Regards,
Burak ImirGet more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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I HAVE OWNED NIKON CAMERAS SINCE 1972 STARTING WITH THE NIKON F SERIES
INCLUDEING THE PHOTOMIC F-2 ETC. ETC.......
AND THEN I EVENTUALLY WENT DIGITAL........THE BEST MOVE I EVER MADE
WELL AFTER OWNING VARIOUS NIKON DIGITALS.......I NOW OWN THE NIKON D300
I RECIEVED IT LAST NIGHT........MADE ALL THE SETTING ON THE MENUS THAT I PREFER..........MADE SOME TEST FOTO'S DOWNLOADED THEM TO MY COMPUTER
AND PRINTED THEM WITH MY EPSON PHOTO PRINTER........TO SAY THE LEAST
I"M VERY IMPRESSED WHAT THIS MAGNIFICENT MACHINE CAN DO.......
THE NEW SENSOR AND THE THREE INCH HI DEF VIEWER , TRULY ARE WONDERFUL............ THE FEATURES ARE JUST TO NUMEROUS TO MENCHION
IF YOURE CONSIDERING THIS AWESOME MACHINE........I HIGHLY RECCOMEND IT
AND I WOULD PURCHASE IT THRU AMAZON AS I DID........I CANT WAIT TILL I GO ON MY NEXT CRUISE VACATION TO USE MY NEW TOY.........Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Monday, October 19, 2009
by Smith
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Product was shipped and received on time - good service. The D300 is a very sophisticated high end camera. I am an accomplished film photographer but my only previous digital experience has been a Canon PowerShot point-and-shoot. I knew it was time to get serious about digital and wanted a serious camera - the D300 is certainly that. I have a very long way to go before I will be able to take advantage of all this camera can do but suffice it to say that it will do everything you could possibly imagine and do it well. An additional plus for me was the ability to use all of the Nikon AF Nikkor lenses that I already had for my Nikon N90 film camera.
I would not recommend this camera for a casual photographer - it is expensive and you will never take advantage of all it can do; however, if you are a serious photographer or have plans to be one, this is a great camera.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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Nikon d300--- I am a rank amatuer---this is the finest camera around for the price. Suitable for pros and a blessing for the rest of us. Buy one and be happy for life.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Sunday, October 18, 2009
by Smith
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I have owned Nikon Cameras and Lens' since 1965 when I bought my Nikon F from Schiller Camera in Pacific Beach, California. I purchased my present Nikon F4 in 1991 with an Auto-Focus 28mm-105mm lens. The F4 represented the Evolution of Nikon Cameras to that time. The F4 remains an awesome Film Camera to this day. Due to the present-day value of this fine camera, I did not have the heart to sell it on eBay. Instead, I will give it to my 7-year old grandson when he visits this coming Fourth of July. It is my hope that he develops the same passion for the Art of Photography as I have experienced over the years. Two years ago my wife and I gave Chris a Collegiant Microscope. Since that event, he places his observations and findins into a Journal. The Nikon F4 can expand his curiosity... It also provides me the opportunity to show him the joys of photography and convey to him the respect that the excellent Nikon camera equipment deserves. At the same time, I can continue to expand my horizons with the incredibly advanced Nikon D300...Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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Have had this camera for 4 months now and have taken over 11,000 photos so far, and counting. As many other people have already mentioned it is a great camera and well worth the 5 star average rating.[...]. 3200 ISO allows even dimly lit photos to be useful. A beautiful 3 inch LCD that will be much sharper than your computer, which can be acutually a drawback because some photos look great on the LCD but less sharp on my computer when downloaded. But I'm also learning better technique, so I can't blame the camera too much for that. The other drawbacks include I'm taking so many photos with this great camera that I'm quickly running out of memory on the 4 GB Compact Flash card and have to buy multiple cards now. I've also had to buy multiple external hard drives to backup and store all my photos. I can get about 321 photos on the Large & Fine Jpeg settings. The battery life is also amazing. I can easily get close to 1000 photos and constant LCD reviews of my photos on just a single charge. It's always nice to have a backup battery but I've never had to change it in the field yet. I use this camera with my Nikon 18-200mm, Sigma 10-20mm, and Nikon 50mm f/1.8. The only regrets......I didn't get this camera earlier, I missed the opening ship date by about 2 weeks :-) Hope this helps. You deserve a reward, go buy it from Amazon.com where I did.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Saturday, October 17, 2009
by Smith
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Oh yes, the D300. I upgraded from my D200 (which sold the next day), and I could hardly ever consider going back! The D300 surpasses the D200 in so many ways. Although, the price is very expensive, the camera is very much worth it. If you don't need the FX sensor and the other features of the D3, then this is DEFINITELY the way to go! Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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Outstanding camera. I've owned several SLR/DSLR Nikons over 40 years and this is by far the best. It has great balance and control, even with my relatively heavy 18-200mm Nikkor VR lens. I've shot over 300 pictures with it in the first week under different shooting and lighting conditions and the results were amazing! The metering system is right-on and I'm still using the battery with it's initial charge. I highly recommend this camera.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Friday, October 16, 2009
by Smith
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I had been planning to buy a second DSLR body when the D300 came out late last year. At the time I was using a Nikon D200 and was very happy with the quality and versatility of that camera. I decided to put off my purchase and see how the new D300 was received by both amateur and professional photographers. After reading many reviews I decided to go for the D300 and I couldn't be happier.
I shoot in a wide variety of situations, from indoor and outdoor sporting events, wildlife photography,fine art images, to portraits and advertising. So the ability to shoot fast and under varied lighting conditions was of considerable importance to me. I was happy with the abilities of the D200 when paired up with fast lenses. But fast lenses tend to be expensive lenses and although I do have a couple of great fast lenses, I primarily use a 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens just for its versatility. With the High ISO/Low Noise capability of the New D300, I gain about 2 stops over the D200. What that ultimately means is I can shoot without a flash in more situations and maximize the flashes capability when I do use it.
Another feature of the D300 is Active D-Lighting. This feature allows you to preserve the details in high contrast images such as those with a bright sky and a darker foreground by expanding the dynamic rang of the image.This saves you from spending lots of extra time making adjustments to each image later in post processing at home.
I have now shot about 10,000 images with the D300 and I find the build quality to be solid as a rock. The camera is a bit on the heavy side, but not so much so as to be uncomfortable. The large LCD display is much brighter an easier to see than that of the D200 and the addition of 'Live View", the ability to see through the lens on the LCD screen, makes composition and focusing in awkward positions much easier.
Overall, although the D200 and D300 share many great features and look very similar, the D300 is a much more serious Pro-sumer camera which is very well suited for the rigors and wide ranging needs of both the Amateur and Professional Photographer. Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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I really dont have to add anything that has already been written. Just ask yourself this......When was the last time you saw all 85 ratings at 5 star here on Amazon? The camera is just that good : )Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Thursday, October 15, 2009
by Smith
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I have been researching Nikon cameras to upgrade my ancient D1H's and I debated about going with a D200 OR D2H since I could practically get 2 of them for the proce of a D300. Well my advice on the D300 is BELIEVE the HYPE - this camera is the real deal. I have only owned this about 2 days and already I am saving my beans to buy another one. Low light capabilities are amazing- even handheld! FPS is great- even without the MB-D10 battery pack, LCD is incredibly clear and bright even during midday sun and Nikon has improved basic navigation of menus and settings. I cannot say enough about this camera, you will not be disapointed.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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I can't add any other superlatives to the previous raves about the Nikon D300's technical qualities. It's a great camera, my second Nikon DSLR since I started with the D100 when it first came out. However, I have encountered one problem: long lenses can malfunction and the camera will either fire late or not fire at all. After looking at the Nikonian site, I see that others have reported same problem. I've resorted to removing the lens and cleaning around lens perimeter as well as camera (where they make contact with each other)before reattaching the lens. For some reason, there is a residue. Since I shoot sports, it means a lot of long-lens use. The camera is also a heavy user of battery power so extras are a must if one shoots a lot of pics.Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
by Smith
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I sold my D70 and bought the D300 from Amazon. What a difference ! About 600 pictures in 2 weeks and only 2 deleted (clearly my mistakes). I am not a pro but a very serious hobbyist . My fist Nikon was a F2 and I have a big collection of Nikkor lenses. My favorite is now the 70-200 2.8 VR but I get great results with an old "standard' 50 mm 1.8 .
The D-Lighting feature works like a charm and I love the big , high resolution monitor.
I can't see any difference between Iso 200 and 800 and even at 1600 the pictures look perfect to me. With the D70, I couldn't get good results over 400.
I just hope the cleaning mechanism really works. With the D70 I had a lot of specs and dirt on the sensor . Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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I've had the camera for about a month now. After going through several point and shoot cameras (e.g., Canon G1 and Nikon 8800), I decided to jump into the D-SLR market. I don't believe I had a preference for Canon vs. Nikon vs. Olympus, etc. The reason why I picked the Nikon D300 is because it felt great in my hand plus the functionality is somewhat similar to my Nikon 8800...also the reviews on the D300 are stellar.
I have not been disappointed so far. This camera is solid all around.
After taking some digital photography classes at the local reseller, I've taken this camera on nature hikes (for nice landscape shots) and fast action shots (college sporting events like tennis). In both situations, the D300 along with the Nikon 18-200mm VR lens that I used on both occasions produced excellent shots. The multi battery pack (MB- D10) gave me the adequate fps to shoot fast moving college tennis players with no problem. The photos are crisp and clear. I've also taken indoor shots of my dogs and used the same lens and camera along with the SB-800 and the shots were also crips and clean.
Again, I would highly recommend this camera for those who want to step up from a point and shoot or from an entry level D-SLR. The reason why I jumped straight into tha "semi-pro" D-SLR like the D300 is because friends of mine who purchased an entry level D-SLR often wished they had ponied up more money and bought a D-SLR with more features (actually lack of fast fps was often cited as a complaint).Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
by Smith
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I recently purchased the Nikon D300 as my first digital camera. It may seem like I was jumping in feet first by purchasing such a complicated camera, but with over 30 years of photo experience under my belt it really wasn't all that difficult.
I am quite satisfied with my D300, especially with its 51 point focus zone that allows me to pinpoint exactly where I want the focus. I initially had some problems with exposure, but as it turned out I was the one making the errors, not the camera, so that is now water under the bridge.
So far my only serious gripe about the D300 is the arrangement of its controls. While I fully realize that this is a very complex camera, and there is only so much room on the body for control buttons, some of them are very badly placed. I have missed several photo opportunities because I didn't have my finger on the shutter button, but on either the on/off switch, or the exposure control button, which are placed right next to it. A lot of times my photography requires literal snap shots, with little or no time to pause and gaze at the camera to make sure I have my fingers in exactly the right place. It's point, shoot, or lose the photo. Fixing this problem doesn't even require moving any of the buttons; Nikon should have made the shutter button more prominent, or different in a tactile sense so that the moment you touch it, you know you are in the right place, and that's actually what I've gone and done. I found some small self adhesive vinyl plastic nubbins and stuck one of them atop the shutter button, making it much more obvious, and I haven't lost a shot since, but considering the price of this camera I shouldn't have to be doing stuff like this.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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The D300 has very awkward controls and their menus are a pain to figure out. Why did Nikon ever go with a non-standard dial on top of the camera. I can never turn it as easily as the normal dial. Their button and dial approach to changing between P, M, A is just awkward. I do not want to look at the LCD just to change my mode. Their hand grip is also off. I have no place to put my thumb. The grip on the Canon 40D is much better, a nice solid grip and feel.
The Canon 40D also seems much easier to use. The 40D has a normal dial on top, all the menus are only 1 deep and you never need to navigate a complex menu structure. Very nice and quick to use. All the buttons are easy to memorize. I rarely have to take my eye away from the viewfinder. Plus I save $700 for basically the same image quality and dynamic range.
The 40D even has a lower noise rating between ISO 100-400. Which is important to me. But it was surprising to learn that since the Nikon cost $700 more and the Nikon has lower noise ratings above that ISO range. I guess they had to skimp on the lower ISOs to reach 6400. This is according to popphoto.
Here are some more surprising finds. When the D300 is in 14-bit capture mode the shutter speed reduces to a max of 2.5 fps. The 40D remains fast at 6.5 fps in 14-bit mode. And the usable dynamic range of the D300 at ISO 100 is only 8.5 EV. The 40D has a better usaable range of 9.1 EV at ISO 100. Which will be useful for photos requiring high dynamic range.
I also found out Nikon has the worst reliability among DSLR cameras, according to consumer reports. Almost twice the problems compared to top rated Canon. Thats all I need, spend $1800 today for a Ford (Nikon) that may have problems a few years from now. Looks like quality has suffered in their desperate attempt to beat out Canon.
RELIABILITY RATINGS FOR DSLR BRANDS: The smaller the number, the fewer the problems. This data includes 2007 cameras. Pulled from consumer reports. The numbers are correct. Consumer reports sure has been dead on for past cars I have owned.
4...Canon
4...Olympus
5...Fujifilm
7...Nikon
Note: For those interested, the reliability ratings for point and shoot digital cameras were closer. But I am a little more worried about cameras over $500.
5..Canon
5..Sony
5..Olympus
5..Kodak
6..Fujifilm
6..Casio
6..Nikon
7..Pentax
(Data are based on over 221,000 responses about digital cameras to our Annual Product Reliability Survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. Data have been adjusted to eliminate differences solely linked to age and usage.)
Needless to say I ended up purchasing the Canon 40D. It was not even a contest. I love its look and feel. It has a steel interior and a magnesium alloy exterior. When I compare it to the Nikon and the Sony's, it just feels better built and looks like a Pro camera. I'm loving it. Just in time for spring/summer travels.
So far the only downside to the Canon 40D is I now enjoy taking photos so much that I quickly fill up my 8GB card. But I'm trying to reduce the number of pictures I take. I dont really need 130+ photos of a tulip farm in L+RAW. I think about 30-40 should be enough to capture the beauty. I guess I was having a little to much fun.
Dont let the positive reviews for the Nikon D300 fool you. Consider the 40D and spend the $700 in savings on better lenses. The 40D is a better camera.
Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Monday, October 12, 2009
by Smith
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I have been a Canon user for over 15 years, I have shot on many cameras including Nikon, Olympus and Sony, but still I believed that the Canons (specifically the 5D and the 1D MkII) are/were the pinnacle of camera design and image quality that I have used.
Needless to say that opinion has now changed, for how long I can't be sure, but believe me when I say that it is tough not to give the camera five stars.
Superb build, ergonomics, image quality and the sheer amount of features put many other cameras to shame. There are a few features I would like to pull out for special attention that really sealed the deal; 3D Matrix Metering II and automatic in camera CA elimination (not just reduction, but elimination). Now I love my 17-55mm f2.8, but when it comes to CA it leaves a lot to be desired... Until now. JPEG's are simply amazing with the CA elimination, not to mention the active D-lighting (if you wish to have the benefits of these features for NEF files you HAVE to use Nikon's Capture NX, but more on that later).
The Matrix Metering used in this camera is the best I've used bar none, it is extremely accurate and it really will make you a better photographer (or some say a lazier photographer, lol).
I don't have to say much about the image quality of the D300, there are plenty of examples floating around the net, suffice to say it is very, very good.
Now, I do have a negative. Capture NX. It is a resource hog, also in my subjective opinion it can be an unintuitive nightmare. That doesn't mean that the images that it produces aren't any good, in fact they're great, if you want the most out of the camera (CA elimination and Auto D-Lighting) you will need capture NX. I also use Lightroom, Apple Aperture and Adobe RAW, oh how I wish that I could tap the CA and D-Lighting in those programs - it would mean that I could avoid Capture NX completely. But I can't.
Now there are some around here who would toss irrelevant comments at me for such a knock (Capture NX is free! or some such nonsense), but the reality is that many don't own an application such as Aperture or Lightroom, they really need this software to get the most from their camera purchase, which is not an insignificant dollar amount. I thank Nikon for finally realizing that Capture should come bundled with it's camera, but there is still some work to be done regarding it's performance in terms of speed of use and it's huge resource requirements. As a serious photographer I can't bear the thought of the horrendous time wasted waiting for changes to occur to my image in NX, but when some of the cameras best features will only be achieved through NX, it seems I don't have a choice.
I was tempted to drop the rating to four stars because of the software, considering I can't do four point five stars; but A)It's harsh on the camera, and B)Giving the camera four stars is like bait to the Nikon fanboys, if you don't believe me look at some of the flaming in those four star reviews. They would probably just add a dose of unnecessary idiocy to a simple question; Is it a worthy purchase? Yes, yes it most certainly is.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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I own a D200 and a D300. I do a lot of Macro work outside while hiking. The D300 focuses much more reliably for this. I also like the that there is more dynamic range.
There are still things I like better about the D200 which is one of two reasons I deducted a star from a 5 star camera. One of the things I liked about the D200 was the multi-focus point area focus. The D300 can simulate this, but but exactly.
The other deduction is that Amazon did a lousy job of packing the camera. The camera box was tossed into a large box with just a few air filled packing bubbles. It could bounce around in the big box. Luckily it is packed well from Nikon and has no issues.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Sunday, October 11, 2009
by Smith
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I started Nikon digital cameras with the Coolpix E5700, 5200, D70, D80 and D40. Enjoyed the technology improvement. Until I got my new D300, I was shocked by it's new EXPEED image processing engine. The color rendition is so dramatic and extraordinary. The very low noise high ISO and 51-point AF system made this machine a must to own. The controls are so easy to use and quick to make any adjustment you want. They are all at your fingertip. The rigid body and handfeel make me want to shoot all the time. I enjoy every minute of having it even I am not a professional photographer. Only thing I regret is that I should have bought it earlier.
I am still learning all the customizations I can set for different shooting situations.
If you are in the market for one, do not hesitate, this is the one you want.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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Having been used to using the more advanced settings of my D70 the first day I purchased the D300 I had to do a photo shoot of a Salsa class and took the worst photos of my life. Day two I read the manual and spent much time getting used to the D300 and customising the settings. My photos since then have been stella.
Best bits compared with the D70:- Better colour, lower noise, better screen, better dynamic range.
The worst part of the camera is the sensor cleaning which is not really up to the task - poor at best.
Fantastic camera but you need to learn how to use it otherwise your photos will be dire. All the main things that you need to change are on the outside of the camera.
In low indoor light I fould that the hand held pictures were a little dark and had too much image noise(ISO 3200 using aperture priority setting). One tip is to up exposure compensation by +0.7 or more which gives very quiet pictures which you can then post process to -7.0 if you wanted.
The dynamic range of the camera coupled with the real time "Adaptive D-Lighting" means that I don't have to use my gradual grey filters so often.
For me the 12MP is not such an advantage as I never crop or print poster sized pictures. My Brother used a 6MP camera (D50) and actually produced poster sized photos for his company which they were very pleased with and paid him alot of money for. One of my customers was paid £3000 when he snapped 80 photos of a balloon going over his house with a D40. He approched the advertising company, his solicitor negotiated the deal - wow.
For the avaerage photo taker I would recommend the Nikon D40 which is an absolute bargain price and takes fantastic pictures. If you need fast shutter cycle times, complete and instant control of your photos and a rugged camera than this is one to consider. Highly recommended for the right user.
Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Saturday, October 10, 2009
by Smith
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I am a previous D200 and D70 owner. Maybe it is that the controls are very similar but for whatever reason I am getting really stunning results with the D300. It seems to have much better ability to evaluate the lighting conditions and come up with really nice tonality and color. I am still working on the new focusing issues, but even without fully understanding it the results seem really good. Worth the upgrade.Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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The best. Hands down.
But bear in mind: It is heavy, especially compared with the D40. And the infrared remote doesn't work with it.
Those are the only two negatives I can think of. Unbelievably good camera!Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Friday, October 9, 2009
by Smith
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I moved from a Nikon D70S to the D300 as my primary DSLR.
The D300 has marvelous control placement - of course there are still myriads of menus that one may make choices from, but the controls one most often needs are at fingertip access.
Learning curve on all of the possibilities of this machine are formidable; it's obviously not designed to be used in automatic or "scene" modes - there are no "scene" modes to be had. (Although with custom menus one could create such if desired). It is possible to charge the battery, attach a lens, and shoot right out of the box; however the real power in this machine lies in knowing all of the controls available and applying those controls to achieve the desired results.
The physical feel of the machine is one of solidness; I've added the external battery grip (which allows the entire machine to function off of 8 AA batteries, as well as Nikon camera batteries) and the balance, for my hands, is as good as I've ever had in a camera. (The external grip also bumps the frames per second from 6 to 8 when using AA's or some Nikon camera batteries.).
I've not weighed the machine with an 18-200 VR lens and external grip w/batteries, but it's a heavyweight and I would recommend a different strap than the Nikon supplied strap that comes with the camera body.
There is no "stealth mode" on this machine as there is on my Canon G-9 P&S; the shutter is loud, and putting it into rapid fire mode at 8 fps will get the attention of those around you.
The camera will be happiest with high speed compact flash cards - Extreme IV's, Ducati's, or other cards of that ilk. Slow cards, especially if one is capturing NEF+jpg fine images will slow the write buffer down. Plan on getting 4 gig or 8 gig cards - they fill up rather quickly.
I will let others comment on the images this camera can record - I've not had enough field experience yet to give an intelligent opinion. However, I will say that the camera (again) is not designed for shooting on automatic, out of the box. This machine requires input from the operator to function well. Also this machine requires good lenses to maximize it's potential; the 18-200 VR Nikkor that works so well on my D70S seems softer on the D300.
Heavily recommended for:
Those who have Nikon cameras and have maxxed out the possibilities with those machines and are looking for greater challenges. The D300 will support Nikkor lenses made since 1959 (although the ones made before 1977 may need a minor, inexpensive modification to fit on the D300). Not all older lenses, of course, support auto-focus.
Those who have other camera brands but who have not yet invested large sums in glass or accessories.
Those who wish to become involved in photography at a serious level; this machine requires investment of both time and money.
Not recommended for:
Well heeled users who are looking for an expensive point-and-shoot or all-automatic machine.
I am massively pleased with the D300 (good thing, considering the cost of one of the machines for a non-pro photographer!).
My only real gripe is the cost of the machine - and the "hidden" costs associated, such as faster CF cards, better lenses, upgrading camera bags (this is a large beast and what my D70S fits into comfortably won't hold the D300 with grip and lens attached).
However, at the level that the D300 plays in it is comparable in price with it's counterparts and (currently) it's feature set is well above the competition. Of course, that latter part will change - no one camera model stays on top for very long.
HTH
Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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If you are considering this camera and have the disposable income, don't hesitate. This camera has exceeded my admittedly high expectations. Low light shots are amazing, colors are very nice, and it is a dream to shoot with. My only complaint is that the camera tends to over saturate my shots a bit with the default settings, but that can easily be changed.
Nice job Nikon!Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Thursday, October 8, 2009
by Smith
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Just got my D300, and it is truly a wonderful camera. With a tweaking of the settings (ie vivid) my photos are looking HOT! Better than reality! BUT, this morning I came outside and was shooting some purple flowers, that ended up looking blue onscreen. I played around with the WB and reset the picture settings to normal and even nuetral, even set the auto white balance to a slightly different setting - in other words LOTS of tweaking...- and eventually more of the purple came out than blue. But, still not as satisfactory as I'd like. So watch out for the colour purple. This camera reads it as blue! Any suggestions, please email me at ideasfromtravel@googlemail.comGet more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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Previous to purchasing the D300, I was using the Canon 400d with several prime lenses. All I say is after switching to the D300, it is like the fog has lifted and I can finally see.
The colors and sharpness is just remarkable! Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
by Smith
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If you buy this camera, be prepared to fork out a lot of money (after buying the body). You're going to go broke.
This camera will inspire you like you've never dreamed of. You'll throw caution to the wind and buy top of the line lenses and filters. My polarizing filter alone was $185. I only put the best filters on this camera.
I love this DSLR so much that I bought more lenses, a SB800 and a SB600 flash unit. Then I bought a wireless remote (absolutely fantastic). Don't forget to buy a few SanDisk Extreme IV 8GB memory cards with the Extreme IV reader; it's worth it! After I learn this camera, I might buy the battery pack.
I bought a D80 within the past year but so many of my pictures were blurry or didn't come out right and when I increased the ISO speed I got way too much noise. Now when the light is low or I need a faster speed I don't hesitate to crank up the ISO to 1600 or even faster. (btw: CaptureNX does a much better job of reducing noise than Photoshop CS2.) The year before I bought a Canon XTi with a $1200 lens but the viewfinder was so dark that I couldn't manually focus so I bought the D90.
Nearly every photograph out of the D300 are absolutely perfect. Many of the photos require zero photoshopping.
I've been doing photography for over 30 years (non-professionally but I went to art school full time and majored in photography for 3 years). I started off with 4x5, 5x7 cameras and a Nikon FTN. Aside from the 5x7 camera, this is the best camera I had in my whole life.
This camera is heavier than the D80 and I couldn't imagine hauling around a D3. The rubber grips are very comfortable and I thought the D80 was fairly decent.
On the downside, Nikon manuals really suck and the menus are a beast to learn. For auto-ISO, what were they thinking by setting the max shutter speed to 1/250th of a second? Why not go for the full range? With a telephoto and fast action I want at least 1/2000th of a second.
[Edit: The newest firmware removed the 1/250th second restriction. You can now set any shutter speed.]
CaptureNX (included for free) but it has a number of issues that I won't go into detail here but it does have some great features. You will need an ultra-fast computer with a lot of memory. It's a major CPU and memory hog. I bumped up my RAM to 4GB and even with a new fast Intel dual-core, the CPU is typically pegged out.
I found one store that had the camera in stock and on my birthday I went out and bought it full price. I don't regret it.
A word of caution: If you're going on a vacation or going shoot something important, buy the camera at least a month or earlier and learn the options to maximize the desired results. There are tons of tweaking you can do. Or just use 'P' mode and treat it like a point-and-shoot.
I'm not familiar with the other high-end ($1700 range) cameras but I gotta tell you, this camera is absolutely spectacular which is why some stores are almost always out of stock and they put you on a waiting list; and this camera has been out for quite a few months.
[Edit: Sigh. Less than 6 months after I bought the D300, they released the D700. I'll wait a year or two before upgrading]Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).
by Smith
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As a professional wedding photographer in today's marketplace it is difficult to keep pace with technological improvements and remain profitable. Not many of us can afford to replace a $5,000- $8,000 camera annually.
I have used Nikon Cameras since the NIKON F was introduced. We use multiple photographers in my wedding business and I have never been happy with our photo sharpness and quality since we migrated from the medium format Hasselblad film cameras to the Nikon D100, D70, D200; Fuji S2, S3; and Canon 20D, 30D, XT, XTi cameras. With the advent of the D300 we see a major improvement in linearity of the image quality at both ends of the characteristic curve, there is much better control of the shoulder (highlights), and we see more detail more faithful color reproduction and much less noise in the toe, (dark areas) and picture to picture variation minimization. It has been difficult to get matching exposures when taking multiple flash photos of the same subject taken seconds apart. Finally, we have a camera that reliably an repeatedly reproduces the subject we are photographing brides, grooms or the Gymnast portraits we shoot!
Our on photo-journalistic bridal photographs are much more controlled, with improved control of the detail in the whites of the gown. The Fuji S3, and the Nikon D200 showed improvement in this area, but the D300 is a big step up from it's look-a-like the D200.
Focus is another area that Nikon has improved tremendously with the adoption of 51 focus points. This was my chief reason for changing back to NIKONs from the my Canon Cameras. I purchased Canon's best quality lenses, yet I still had to take additional photos with my Canon cameras to assure that my focus was where I want it. Formal Groups in churches can be difficult, as the camera wants to focus on the background instead of the group. One other interesting note, is that we get many more closed eyes with the Canon 580 strobes than we do with the Nikon SB800. I wonder if the infrared frequency of the Canon autofocus system is more visible to some people than is the Nikon infrared system. I do know that we get less closed eye shots with the Nikon than we do with the Canons which my assistants use.
Prevention of over exposure of mens faces, causing a Pillsbury dough boy look due to camera metering subject failure when using available light or flash wedding to take pre-wedding portraits is another area that Nikon has trumped Canon with the D3 and D300 metering improvements.
The Nikon D300 is a great wedding camera which has improved my available light ceremony photography, at ISO 3200.... with minimal sensor noise.
I love using this camera, and highly recommend the D300.
Get more detail about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).