Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
by Nikon
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Customer Review: I Upgraded from A D50 what an upgrade!
Summary: 5 Stars
I wanted to upgrade from my D-50 and seriously thought about a D-80 and then when the D-60 came out looked at that. This is more expensive than the D-50 (which I love - but is going to my daughter) or the D-80 or D-60, but what an awesome camera.
The metering system is fantastic. I use it to shoot a lot of sports, high school football games and Yankee games. Its fast, it takes beautiful shots even at night from the outfied.
It also takes every Nikon lens.
What more can you ask for. If upgrading from another Nikon this this is the camera to get.
Bill
Customer Review: WOW!
Summary: 5 Stars
OK, after reading all the online reviews and professional reviews and stewing over it for a few weeks I jumped on this one with the "kit" 18-200 VR lens. I am not a pro, although I have considered doing some pro work, but I take my photography seriously. My subject is mostly family/grandkids and local scenery. I am constantly experimenting with settings and never used the standard icon selections on the mode dial on my D50, so this camera seemed a natural upgrade to me.
First, I am absolutely enthralled. This is an absolutely fabulous equipment combination. There seem to be few settings, options, or configurations that I could have dreamed of that would have made me happier. Things I love:
The 18-200 VR lens; I have taken pics at 1/30 of a second at full 200mm zoom that I wouldn't have thought possible. It really does prevent most motion blur. Besides the actual camera this was the best part of my purchase. I rarely miss a shot for need of changing lenses, my former lenses being an 18-55 and a 55-200. With the flexibility of the camera itself and my second lens being a faster 30mm f1.4 this is pure photography fun for me. I know that some pros have dissed this lens as being less than pro, with distortion at certain extremes and some blur in the midrange 135mm. For the photography I do this is not important. When I do notice some distortion it's not important and I have not seen any blur, though I may not be looking close enough.
Auto-ISO: Still playing with this feature but the cool thing is that you can set it the minimum shutter speed you want and it will step up the ISO to keep that speed when needed. 1/30 seems a good speed with the VR lens, though there is sometimes subject motion blur (not camera motion blur), but this is also fun to play with. It can always be bumped up to 1/60 or more.
External controls: Most of the commonly-changed options are at your fingertips which means you don't need to visit the menus as often. I have a friend with a D40x and most of the options are in menus and my D50 has some on external buttons. The D300 seems to have a good balance. You very clearly could not have put all the menu items on external buttons on this camera!
Speaking of menus; I have a great fondness for the help feature available on this and on my D50. Not sure of other maker's cameras but if you don't know or don't remember a feature the help button will nudge you.
The customizable individual lens focus adjustment feature is the cat's meow. My aforementioned Sigma 30mm lens has never focused properly and I was able to quickly adjust this in-camera. Henceforth, all my pictures taken with the Sigma lens will at least be properly focused!
OK, one of my favorite features; the intervalometer. Ooooo, Ahhhh. It can be used by itself or with multi-exposure. By itself you can set it up to take pictures at whatever interval you like. This can be great fun. I set it up on a tripod at our reunion to take a picture every minute while we were playing cards, even catching my brother with Easter eggs over his eyes. This almost makes up for the lack of an infrared remote capability, though I guess they could not have included everything and to be fair, it is available with external added equipment. Multi-exposure is also pretty cool. More stuff to play with.
Some observations; if you have an event coming up get the camera early and play with it. I was still figuring out the settings when I went to a family reunion and took 1500 pictures. Many of those were multi-shots of the same subject so I dumped the extras and ended up with around 500 good pictures. I took some group pictures and some were blurry because I misunderstood a feature or two.
I take a lot of profile pictures and the only way to properly focus on these is to spot focus on the nose or eye. I would have liked a feature that recognizes a profile and focuses properly without changing settings. I guess that is asking a lot! Maybe in the next generation.
The weight of the device is off-putting for some, though not for me. I have big hands and the camera fills them nicely and the "balance," the way it feels in one's hands when it is turned different directions, feels just right to me, similar to the way a well-balanced 18v cordless drill feels. Though heavy, the weight is evenly distributed and it can be turned and manipulated without strain, at least not for me.
The battery life for me has been less than the 1000 pictures others have been getting. More like 500 or a little more. I'm not sure if this is because of the VR lens because I have not used my Sigma much yet. 500 is still a lot and I am not unhappy with this.
The only other "issue" if you can call it that is the front aperture dial; My finger sticks to the rubber around it which makes it more difficult to turn it. Just a nit-pic (pun intended) and something I will get used to.
Overall, I can truthfully say I love it. It doesn't get much better than this!
JCF
Customer Review: The perfect photographer's camera
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the perfect camera for an advanced amateur.
The main strengths are:
(1) the excellent ergonomics and design: the camera controls are perfectly laid out. This makes the camera feel very fast and responsive. Everything about the camera is designed to allow you to change settings quickly and effortlessly. An example: the auto-ISO feature changes completely how you shoot in quickly changing lighting. Think about shooting sports in a stadium where half the field is covered in shadow - with auto-ISO you can set your parameters and then forget about the camera and just worry about catching the action. It also features endless customization which is great when you have to live with your camera day and night - if something in the interface annoys you, just change it to what you like.
(2) 100% viewfinder: a pleasure to use. Framing is perfect and the size of the image seems huge. No, it's not like an F6 or D3, but it is the best cropped-sensor viewfinder to date. You can buy a magnifying eyepiece that gives you a bigger view at the expense of eye relief.
(3) picture controls: allow you to dial in settings in-camera and create great looking JPGs without any post-processing.
(4) built-in GPS support is wonderful: I am able to geotag all my photos on trips and display them on Google Maps when I get home. This is also an essential tool for surveying or scientific work.
(5) live view: perfect for macro and landscape work. It is designed to be used on a tripod for slow and methodical pictures, not for over-the-head grab shots on NFL sidelines.
(6) The camera can use pretty much all Nikon glass made since 1959. I take great pleasure in using a 40 year old Nikkor 28/3.5 to shoot infrared on the D300.
(7) The CAM3500 is truly amazing - I have only begun to appreciate it. I recently used the 3D focusing to track tiny cave swallows against a cliff wall. I watched the focus point dance all around the viewfinder as it perfectly tracked the tiny birds. Wow!
The main weaknesses:
(1) NEF (RAW) image quality in Lightroom is very good, but to get the very best skin tones and overall quality you still must process in Capture NX, which is clunky.
(2) this is NOT a good camera for a beginner. You will quickly become frustrated with the complexity. The camera is like a manual transmission car - it leaves all the decisions up to you, so you can't rely on it to "think" for you. If you are new to photography you will be much better served by a more consumer-friendly Nikon or Canon body.
Bottom line: after a few weeks of getting the D300 dialed in to your liking, you will quickly forget about the camera completely and concentrate on your images, which is, after all, the whole point.
Customer Review: Amazing camera
Summary: 5 Stars
The D300 was quickly delivered. Everything was in the original packaging. This is an upgrade from my previous D70 which was a great camera as well. But the D300 image quality is amazing. Good features/quality for price.Customer Review: Great Camera for Enthusiasts
Summary: 5 Stars
The Nikon D300 is a great camera for enthusiasts and advanced amateurs. The D300 is fast to focus, has plenty of megapixels, advanced controls, and has a tacky-feeling grip which helps you hold the camera. This is my fifth Nikon.
Don't buy a D3 unless you are rich. Buy the D300.