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Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) |
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Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) |
| ReviewsUp until a few days ago I would have given this camera five stars. It's an excellent camera all around, and surpasses the D3 and D700 for use in nature photography, one of the pluses of the non-full-size sensor (greater reach with your lenses.) Since I use this mainly for nature shots, I wouldn't have traded it even for a D3 (unless someone threw in one of Nikon's big telephoto primes.) But, alas, the shutter failed only a few weeks after the one-year warranty expired, and far short of the 150000 shutter clicks the shutter is supposed to be good for. I have no idea whether this failure occurred due to an engineering flaw or random chance. But a fairly pricey prosumer camera that breaks after a year of normal use is unreliable.
The D300s is supposedly more or less identical except in its video capabilities, which will put even more strain on a badly designed shutter, so I would guess that unreliability will be a problem with the D300s as well. But that's just a guess. But the D300 camera should have lasted longer without breaking.
There have been ample reviews, mostly positive, written for this all-around high-quality body since it was first introduced in 2008. I bought one right away as my first digital camera after hanging on to film well into the digital era.
I want to comment one of the weaker aspects of this body (and lens lineup) and my main use, that is low-light photography. My previous film experience was with cameras well suited for low light, Leica rangefinders and a Rollei twin-lens. Over my first two years with my Nikon D300 I have used it extensively with high-speed prime lenses, mostly the Nikon 50mm f/1.4, often wide open. And I have often been disappointed by the Nikon seeming to miss focus, even when the subject is stationary.
In comparison to the old rangefinders (my main user was a 1948 vintage Leica IIIc) I would say my Nikon misses focus (at wide aperture) more than 50% of the time. While with my older cameras I would put my focusing success at near 100%. With the split image rangefinders or the large and clear screen on the Rollei TLR I rarely missed, even on moving subjects. So I would rate the low-light focusing of the Nikon inferior to the older technology. Nevertheless the lens if very sharp. And for the photos that are in focus the effect is perfect. I can get selective focus and blur the background with f/1.4 and f/2 at close distances.
While I have some nostalgia for the older technology, with more accurate focusing, I am overall quite satisfied with the D300. Of course just being digital gives it considerable advantage. Even when focusing is an issue I take so many more photos that after some selection I can get as many well composed ones from the Nikon as I did with film. And I see the results right away.
I would also comment that for very shallow depth of focus (as you get with a 50 f/1.4 at close distance) the very focusing mechanism in the D300 may not be adequate to focus perfectly all the time. I do not know the internals of the camera. But the issue may be that the gearing of the focusing within the camera body is not fine enough to step precisely enough. The lenses dedicated to the digital format (which Nikon calls "G" lenses) have focusing motors within the lens which may be more precise than the body's own motor. I haven't tried these lenses for intermediate focal lengths.
My final criticism is that these "G" prime lenses and the smaller sensor of the D300 (compared with 35mm film dimensions) leaves odd gaps in the focal length selection. The current prime lens lineup is biased to the telephoto side. Sigma seems to be making up the difference to an extent. But we maybe without a good high-speed wide and ultrawide "G" lineup (such as Leica has long offered with its M cameras).
After 2 years of use, teh conclusion is that the camara is a great tool. But...don't forget that in order to get the best out of it, some practice is requiered!
Or just buy it... The Nikon D300 has been the most cost effective way for a Nikon digital photographer to transition into many of the features of a professional-use camera. Since its inception in the summer of 2007, the Nikon D300 has had some of its incredible feature set, like its 12.3mp CMOS sensor, re-appropriated into other less expensive models (D90, D5000; ok, actually they've modified the sensor slightly), and it has even been replaced with a slight upgrade, in the D300s. However, this camera still remains an excellent choice for the photographer looking to either build a business or for a capable back-up model, and with the inevitable fall in its used price, due to the introduction of newer models, it looks to be an increasingly better value.
It beats the Nikon D90 and D5000 in:
1. Body build and weather sealing (ie. Magnesium Alloy vs. Hardened Plastic, Yes vs. No)
2. 14-bit NEF vs. 12-bit NEF RAW
3. Top Shutter Speed (1/8000 vs. 1/4000)
4. Compact Flash Cards vs. SDHC
5. Better AF Detection (51 points vs. 11)
6. 100% Viewfinder vs. not
7. Much larger buffer rate (99 vs 22)
8. Ability to use older manual focus lenses with metering (also D5000 requires G lenses, or else focusing is all manual)
9. Balances larger, heavier, pro lenses much better
10. More of the controls are on the surface of the camera rather than hidden in sub-menus
11. Shutter life (150, 000 clicks vs. 100,000 in D90, maybe less in D5000)
Nikon D90 and D5000 beat it in:
1. Slightly better sensor performance (a lot has been made about the subtle improvements made to the original sensor in the later bodies. However, it should be noted that most of the online tests that you read are conducted in jpeg; this defaults the D300's sensor to 12-bit, same as the best capable in the D90 and D5000, in this case, the newer sensors edge it out. Shooting the camera in 14-bit NEF improves its low-light performance especially in controlling shadow noise, which what most of the tests measure. In other words, the tests generally short-change the capability of the D300's sensor in favor of the newer models)
2. Improved Live View
3. Video Mode
4. D5000 has a positionable LCD Screen
And that's just the surface. If you've been contemplating buying one, the best time is when the used prices go down by about a third of the original MSRP (my experience anyway; you are more likely to get a camera still at the peak of its performance, without biting the bullet too much on cost).
Best-
Jason Gray
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