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| Brand: Nikon
Category: Photography
Buy New: $1,445.00
New (14) Used (4) Refurbished (2)
Avg. Customer Rating:  205 reviews
Sales Rank: 165
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Includes Software: Yes
Optical Zoom: 1
Display Size: 3
Continuous Shooting Speed: 5
Maximum Resolution: 12300000
Has Red Eye Reduction: Yes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.4
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
nv:Sensor: 12.3 Megapixel
Image Resolution: 4288 x 2848
Storage Media: Compact Flash
Compressed Format: JPEG
LCD Monitor: 3.0-inches
LCD Pixels: 921,600 pixels
LCD Coverage: 100%
Shutter Speed: 30 - 1/8000 sec.
Light Metering Method: Spot AF
Light Metering Method: Center Weighted
Exposure Modes: Manual
Exposure Modes: shutter priority
Exposure Modes: Aperture-priority Auto
Exposure Modes: Program Auto
ISO Speed Range: Auto 200/400/800/1600/3200
Flash Mode: Rear-Curtain Sync
Warranty: 1 year warranty
MPN: 25432
Model: 25432
UPC: 018208254323
EAN: 0018208254323
ASIN: B000VJX7DW
Release Date: February 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Brand new , shipping same business day.
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| Customer Reviews:
 D300 - Good, but over-hyped. December 10, 2008
5 out of 12 found this review helpful
Reviews I read made it sound like the D300 was leaps and bounds better than all other Nikons before it, and all other competing brands today. I had such high expectations that I also had disappointments. I mean, it costs 10 times as much as a compact, weighs 10 times as much as a compact, and is 10 times bigger than a compact, yet I usually don't get 10 times better pictures than with my compact(s). I'm not a professional photographer, but I've thoroughly learned how to use the D300, and can now usually get much better results (sometimes only after extensive editing, or with added lighting) than I can with my compact(s), but I must say today's little P&S's take some pretty darn good pictures, as long as there is plenty of light. So, if you are an amateur and considering buying one, just be aware that the quality of your pictures may not skyrocket like you hope. Note: The D300 is the first and only SLR I've owned, and some of my comments are more specific to SLR technology than the D300. Some specifics:
- Depth of field tends to be shallower than on a compact. - this is good for taking pictures of subjects that you want to stand out, but bad for taking close-ups when you want the whole subject in focus. And its harder to get the underside of a mushroom with it, than with a smaller camera.
- When using LiveView, the display shuts off as soon as you initiate focusing to get your shot - better get used to using that viewfinder ($180 for a Nikon right-angle viewfinder to keep from having to lay on the ground, or when there just isn't room, oh - then you need a camera bag to carry it in, along with the other things...).
- For a deeper depth of field, if there isn't enough light after stopping down the aperture, flash can be added - and the D300's built-in flash is quite nice. Since depth of field is hardest to come by the closer you are, the flash is a nice way to acheive it, although I now have an entire bag just devoted to supplemental lighting.
- Photos of people have far less red-eye than with my compact(s), even with just the built-in flash (I dont use the obnoxious red-eye flash mode)
- Lens changing provides more options than with a compact - watch out for dust on the sensor though. Fish-eye is super-fun and useful - I've taken great fish-eye shots, as well as great wide-angle - after fish-eye lens correction and cropping. Beware that telephoto lenses to get as far as, or further than a compact super-zoom are extremely expensive, big, and heavy.
- You can take pictures with less light than with a compact - do not underestimate this plus - compact cameras perform well under ideal lighting conditions, but many pictures are taken in less than ideal lighting, especially if you are into wildlife photography where you are shooting at dawn or dusk, into a shadow, ... - this is one of the biggest pluses of the D300 in my opinion. I'm constantly amazed when I hear people say "low-light performance is not a big factor for me". What? - I mean taking pictures indoors almost always constitutes a "low-light" situation. Pictures taken in shadow are often "low-light". OK, if you put your camera on a tripod and dont shoot moving subjects, then low-light isn't a big factor - unless the wind is blowing...
- I maintain that when pictures have been taken under ideal lighting conditions, and when viewed at normal screen resolutions, my compact does just about as good a job as my D300, sometimes better actually. That said, when viewing super-sized, or when blowing it up for print, or if the image will be extremely cropped - the D300 is by far the better tool.
- SLR cameras make audible noise (mirror and shutter). This noise can scare wildlife and/or offend humans. Compacts can be made silent.
- I am enjoying the more precise focusing and faster performance of my D300, although I'll swear the automatic metering does not seem to do as good a job as my compact(s). On the other hand, I find myself using manual exposure modes more and more, in which case the auto-metering does not come into play, and since I shoot RAW, it is easy to adjust exposure after the fact without much quality penalty.
- RAW images often do not look as good as the JPEGs that come from the camera, until after spending a while editing.
- Another complaint: I don't think the user interface of any modern cameras is very good. I wonder what Apple would come up with if tasked with designing a camera's user interface. For example, the D300 has four banks of settings, but they are in two sets, and they include all settings, and if you change a setting you change the bank. There is no way to define a subset of settings, or to change settings that don't get saved in the current bank, or to even define default settings to load the camera into a preferred known state (you can load factory-defined defaults, but not user-defined defaults).
- Some other things to be aware of: Nikon charges extra for its editor, and remote control programs, and the Nikon wireless interface is $700. Also, the speedlights that support CLS are very expensive, and CLS only works line-of-sight (indoor bounce helps, and outdoors you can funnel control light into the IR sensor using a tin-foil construction, but what fun is that?). I don't use the editor, but I've spent several hundred dollars on CLS lighting and I'm still not happy with it - camera only controls 2/3 groups (A & B) so you need an 800 or SB-900 to control group C. Also, you can't control individual units, just groups. I've found I usually end up walking around several times to adjust positions of the lights anyway so having remote control of flash compensation on a group basis is not that valuable, if I were doing it, I would use radio-waves for communication, and provide positive feedback from flash unit to camera so you know whether a flash is likely to fire ahead of time, and whether it did after the fact, and can control as many lights as you want individually or by group - b.t.w. I am a professional engineer. Also, the same radio-comm would be built-in for camera control and picture transfer, obviating the need for a WT-4A, external devices would merely add power and range). As it stands, I just do without the computer and wireless interfaces.
All in all, I love my D300, believe it or not. I just think reviews are most valuable if they include the disappointments and stuff too. After spending $2200 for D300 with an 18-200 lens, I have spent another $2000 on additional lenses, and say $800 on lighting, accessories, and software, so my total picture taking upgrade is like $5000, in order to get better pictures sometimes, or to get pictures that I wouldn't otherwise be able to get sometimes, and to be able to get pictures that aren't quite as good as my compact at other times. My camera bag(s) together weigh over fifteen pounds, and I'm scared to leave them in my car.
PS - I always have my pocket camera with me, and only have my D300 with me when I plan to take pictures. If I do bring my D300, I don't stop along the way for anything that would require me to leave it out of my sight.
Summary:
If you've got lots of money, are into still photography, and are willing to deal with the inconveniences of the D300, I'm still guessing you can't do much better in a sub-$2000 DSLR body - just be aware what you are getting yourself in to.
You can contact me at [...] if you want to talk further (no spam please).
Absolutely Incredible!!! December 4, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I'll get right to the point since all the other reviews covered any and everything imaginable. This was an upgrade from my D70s which I've had for about 3 years now. While the D70s is a great camera for still and slow moving subjects, I realized that it had it's limitations (focusing speed on fast moving subjects,small viewing screen size - 2.5", etc.). After watching the D300 demo videos on Nikon's website, scrolling through the features and menues on the camera and snapping a few shots, I can tell you that this is an "Incredible" camera! The speed and features are like nothing you can imagine! For a camera of this quality and price range, you can't go wrong! This is truely a "Pro Quality" camera!
Nikon D300 November 29, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have had a Nikon D200 for two years and this camera is definitely a step up. I love it. My pictures are even better than they were with the D200. They appear to be sharper with this system. The D300's matrix system makes it much easier to focus on the subject.
The live view was a bit of a disappointment to me because I thought using the screen would be similar to a point and shoot camera. Live view is only for times that you can't use the view finder easily. When using live view the shutter speed is diminished greatly.
Amazing Camera November 28, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I've been using this camera since a couple months after it was released and I just love it. It takes some amazing images. Not to rewrite what so many have already written, I'll just summarize the features I like about it.
1) The 3 inch LCD is the envy of every photographer I've worked with who doesn't have one
2) This camera has a Live View mode, which I don't use much but some people do.
3) The 12.3 mega pixels is very nice
4) The ability to shoot at ISO 1600-3200 and still get usable images is great. With my D200 I never go over ISO 800
5) You can zoom way in on images when viewing them
6) The Autofocus system is just awesome. 51 points and color. They say the Auto Area AF mode can detect human faces but I don't use that feature.
7) I have its dust removal system set up to remove sensor dust at startup and shutdown
8) The Active D-Lighting gives me more dynamic range
9) I like the rubber covers instead of the screw caps my D200 has (had until I lost them)
This really is the best camera you can get for under two grand. Canon may have something comparable by the time I write this but I'm not really following the Canon line so I wouldn't know. I just know that this is a truly amazing camera and you will not be disappointed.
For a good tutorial book on this camera, have a look at Darrell Young's Mastering the Nikon D300.
Best Prosumer DSLR So Far November 24, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The Nikon D300 is the best DSLR so far made for the advanced consumer market. The features included in the D300 are or are almost the same as the professional Nikon D3 professional camera that is over three times the price. Best buy that I have made in a while and I am quite satisfied with the 18 to 200 mm lens and the SB-900 flash that I have purchased for it.
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