 |
|
|
Halsmithromi
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jul 21, 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 0
|
|
Review Date: May 5, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Picture quality, ergonomics and build, speed, feature-rich and customisation, lens fine-tuning, LCD, sharpness, and beauty
|
|
Cons:
|
a bit clunky Live View implementation, better with vertical grip
|
|
|
I upgraded to D300 from D70. I am very pleased with the performance and the more advanced features this camera has compared to D70 (which I still own and like). Very nice transition.
In addition to what I've said already, D300 has actually and practically reduced the amount of time I spend on PPing. Apart from occasional contrast and WB correction, the only other thing I do is I convert my files into JPEG, since I almost always shoot in RAW. If I get the exposure and settings right in the first place, I doubt that I would even need to do much post processing. Ah, maybe a bit noise reduction when shooting beyond ISO 1600!
I very much appreciate the Lens Fine-Tuning feature. It has brought back to life a few lenses I had previously had difficulty with with sharpness and focusing. Now, all my lenses lock focus much faster than what they used to do before. A great bonus.
This camera offers much more than what I've listed here. It's very speedy and ready to capture the moment. I also very much like the clarity of the LCD, and the ability to adjust WB and Exposure in Live View mode, and then switch to other available Exposure modes.
Speaking of Live View, even though it's a nice feature and I occasionally use it, I reckon the way it works is a bit clunky and annoying. This is particularly true for me when in hand held mode, as the shutter goes down and the LCD darkens in order for the camera to perform focusing, which means that if you have zoomed in on the subject, your zoom goes right back to Normal view after you press the shutter. The Tripod Mode Live View is a bit slow as well. Therefore, I strongly recommend using Manual Focusing for both modes.
To be honest, if I am not able to capture decent even great images using this camera, then I am convinced that the buck should stop with me. The camera has pretty much all the pro features that can turn out great photos, as long as I know what I'm doing with it. So, no excuse!
I suggest buying the vertical grip as it bumps up fps into 8, which is blazingly fast and the extra battery set in the grip will assist the batteries longevity.
All said, I've been a very happy shooter with Nikon D300 and I highly recommend it.
|
|
 May 5, 2008
|
|
Steve Jamroz
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: May 13, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 367
|
|
Review Date: May 4, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
Viewfinder, focusing, body, shutter sound and speed, lots of custom functions, smooth gradations shooting into the sun
|
|
Cons:
|
Images not all that great, not that sharp, mediocre meter, hard to see lcd outside with color cast
|
|
|
Rented the D300 this weekend and seriously considered buying it 3 days ago as a Canon shooter since I had to see what all the chatter was about. After 3 days and some 2000+ shots later, I happy to say I'm still a Canon shooter. Images from this cam just look soft compared to Canon. That's even jacking around with all the custom controls etc. I even downloaded the custom D2X profiles to try out and wasn't all that impressed. I heard many raves about how awesome the meter is on this cam and I can honestly say the 40D is way better. I got tons of incorrectly exposed shots and ended up shooting manual a lot. People rave about the LCD screen to I felt inferior with the 40D but trying to see this LCD outside is not easy and it has a bad color cast to it. Body feels great, viewfinder is AWESOME, files are smooth but not sharp. Noise is better than the 40D and maybe on par with the 5D but that's because it blurres the images and they are really soft. A good cam no doubt, but after using the 5D and 40D it's a step back, except in body...man did it feel good! The Canon's feel cheap compared to this, but the Canon IQ is better IMHO. I'll wait to check out the next gen 5D. Sorry Nikon....good cam but not good enough to make me sell my L glass.
|
|
|
May 4, 2008
|
|
hotline
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Apr 25, 2008
Location: Belgium
Posts: 0
|
|
Review Date: May 3, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,700.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Sharp, good ISO till 3200, responsive, built quality, vibrant colors : a dream
|
|
Cons:
|
MB-d10 grid IS A NIGHTMARRE !
|
|
|
Just the best ....
mb-d10 grid doesn't work fine with the body ?! "Very very highly recommended ! ..."
|
|
|
May 3, 2008
|
|
Dasmig
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Apr 13, 2008
Location: Philippines
Posts: 0
|
|
Review Date: Apr 25, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,699.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Great Color Rendition. Auto-focuses very well. the Live-View feature saves your clothes from getting dirty(you know when you have to prone just to get that cool perspective, etc...) Fast High-Speed Continous Shooting and better with a battery pack. A Very conservative camera(1000+ shots w/out batt pack). Ergonomics. Large Buffer. Active D-lighting works so well.
|
|
Cons:
|
I dunno, but the LCD is somewhat "deceptive". It's sharp, warm, etc... when looking at the LCD but viewing the pictures at your PC is a different story(and yes, my monitor is calibrated). If only I could calibrate the LCDs, then this camera is almost perfect. Also, slow playback scrolling and High noise.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 25, 2008
|
|
traveler
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jan 8, 2002
Location: United States
Posts: 4011
|
|
Review Date: Apr 25, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,799.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Autofocus like a cheetah on it's prey. Build quality, ergonomics, functionality, weight/balance, image quality, customization
|
|
Cons:
|
None I've found as yet. I do wish the AA batteries could be accurately read for their power levels as does the LiIon's but I realize without the built in sensor its hard to provide.
|
|
|
Having come from a D200 this was like trading in a BMW 300 series for a 5 series if analogies work. The autofocus capabilities are legions beyond any previous generation. Flash photography is a dream come true in ease of accuracy. The build and balance are just wonderful. The newer grip is designed so it integrates so perfectly so as not to call attention to itself as a separate appendage but rather like part of the ONE body. The functionality and ergonomics are above reproach and are certainly leagues better than Canon. I find the IQ remarkable and the AWB is dead on in all but the most complex of shooting arrangements. All in all Nikon just got this one RIGHT.
|
|
|
Apr 25, 2008
|
|
BenV
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jan 1, 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 8267
|
|
Review Date: Apr 10, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,800.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Great ergonomics, very responsive, it just feels 'right', superb image quality,
|
|
Cons:
|
none that I've found yet.
|
|
|
When I made the switch from Canon to Nikon I was a bit nervous, having used Canon my entire life, and my family growing up on Canon it was somewhat a big thing for me to switch. Now that the switch is complete, I will raise my family on Nikon, lol. I have nothing but great things to say about this camera. I used to use a 40D with a 70-200 f/2.8 IS and switched to a D300 with a 70-200 f/2.8 VR. I didn't think Nikons 70-200 could be sharper than my previous lens, but boy was I wrong. Add the D2X picture controls to the D300 and this is the perfect camera for me. If your thinking about getting a D300, stop, and just buy it, you wont regret it.
|
|
|
Apr 10, 2008
|
|
Matt Hunt
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Aug 18, 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 16
|
|
Review Date: Apr 8, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Ergonomics, ease of use, picture quality, monitor quality, ISO performance up to c. 1200. The autofocus is very reliable.
|
|
Cons:
|
Very minor niggle:I wish there was a fast way to select 'Shoot' modes.
|
|
This is my first DSLR and I spent some time debating if I should change systems and move away from Nikon. When I went camera hunting I wanted high ISO performance, reliable AF, build quality and weatherproofing and the D300 offers this in spades.
It just fits into my hands and nearly everything is within easy reach.
It is intuitive to use too. I sat down to read the manual and found that I was really just checking that what I thought I was doing to the camera was indeed correct. The images that it produces are wonderfully sharp and the colours are excellent although the 'Vivid' setting is rather garish for my taste. Monochrome images with the in-camera filter effects are also good. Shooting in raw the buffer offers around 17 frames which is ample for me.
The only issues with the AF is when one of the extreme out-lying AF points to the left or right is selected over something that is not very high contrast, but then this is not a 100% fair test of the camera and happens at wide angle only so far. Moving in just one AF point solves the problem.
I wish it had a cable release socket, although the shutter delay option works perfectly well.
Since I brought this home, my F80 has shot only 19 frames....
Example images shot so far:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reactivefilm/2370696915/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reactivefilm/2371532926/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reactivefilm/2341810720/
|
|
|
Apr 8, 2008
|
|
marcusparham
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Dec 27, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 59
|
|
Review Date: Mar 26, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Build, Speed, image quality, iso 1600, nikon ergonomics, features
|
|
Cons:
|
None that I can think of so far
|
|
|
More than just a minor upgrade from the D200. The D200 was a great camera and still is a great camera but the D300 is head and shutter clicks better with high iso performnce, better focus, a better grip, better view finder, and a better feel.
|
|
|
Mar 26, 2008
|
|
Zagisis
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Mar 29, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 30
|
|
Review Date: Mar 23, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,800.00
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
Good size and grip. FPS, Fast startup, Hight ISO
|
|
Cons:
|
Missing bracketing button, flimsy battery grip door. Image hot.
|
|
|
Is this a revolution or what. Are the long time Canon users coming around to Nikon. I have to admit as I still use my Canon 5D and 1DMKII, that I really enjoy this camera.
It makes my job as a photographer much easier. Its fast, and captures beautiful images without too much post processing.
I am surprise at the quality of the high ISO shots. Dont' shoot higher than ISO 1600, 3200, 6400 have bad noise issues.
Its a new unit to me, but I have always liked the Nikon photograhs. They appear smooth, warm and sharp. Along with Canons, I also use a Nikon D70 which is showing its age. I comitted to Canon because I needed a fast camera for sport photography. Now there are more choices for quality images and FPS. "I am not loyal to any brand, only to my wallet and my customers".
As I have done with previous reviews I am not going to bore everyone with the cameras technical babble. On the negative side, I have to say... what is with that weak battery grip door. It feels like the compartment hinge will break soon. Its made of very soft plastic and one too many pulls and push will result in a separation, then what! the other minor issue is the missing bracket button on the camera body. Now you have to dig inside the menu to set the parameters. Also why is there no option to preview image on the LCD without all the camera shot data. The 3 inch LCD needs to be clean to view all the details of the image. Yeah I know that there is image zoom, but that only distorts the original shot.
I like the AF lens correction, hight ISO, Auto ISO, fast buffer.
I pretty much figured out the camera without even reading the user manual. Everything is straight forward to figure out.
If this keeps up, I will have to sell 7 years of Canon equipment.
Cheers to the World!
|
|
|
Mar 23, 2008
|
|
G.A.R.Y
Offline
[ X ]
Registered: Mar 18, 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 65
|
|
Review Date: Mar 19, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Fast AF, large buffer, menus easy to use and understand, huge LCD. Better than 1:1 zoom so you know if you nailed the focus. Wonderful JPEG's, so no need to shoot raw 95% of the time.
|
|
Cons:
|
Price is TOO LOW, everyone is getting one!
|
|
|
A camera is a tool. This is a wonderful tool.
AWB is spot on! AF is quick and accurate. The buffer is large and the camera writes to the card quickly. The battery grip is better than the one offered with the D200. Batteries last and last.
If there is a down side to this camera, inn several hundred shots, I have not found one in my copy.
I purchased an S5 a year or so ago, and HATE IT! Dumbest camera menu system ever! So many things I dislike, I never use the camera. So it is not true that I love all my toys; However I do love my D300!
|
|
|
Mar 19, 2008
|
|
light and dark
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Nov 18, 2007
Location: Germany
Posts: 0
|
|
Review Date: Mar 19, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,699.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
IQ, build quality, speed, ergonomics and everything else - for me THE perfect DSLR
|
|
Cons:
|
-
|
|
|
I just came from Canon's EOS 1D Mark II N. I left Canon because I wanted a smaller and lighter body, some 48 or so AF-points like I had with the 1DIIN, sealed body, true auto-ISO, AF-microadjustment, an option to have actual ultra-wide angel (1DIIN has 1.3 crop factor, EF-S lenses won't work on it. Not liking fish-eyes, the widest option was 14mm x 1.3 = 18.2mm, nice, but not wide enough for me) - and good high-ISO performance. The D300 is the only camery which delivers all of that in a small and light body (at least that's what I think comoing from the big and heavy 1DIIN). On top, IQ is better than I was hoping for. The default settings leave some room for improvement, but after a week or so and some 1000 shots I love the image parameters for their huge range of possible settings - and having found my personal landscape setting, images blow me away: Sharpness in the out-of-the-camery JPGs (not to mention the NEFs), colour rendition, contrast is exactly what I have ever been wishing for, just perfect.
As regards wide-angel: I had a shoot-out with three of each, the Nikon 12-24 and the Sigma 10-20. First, I picked the best of each group, than I compared these two. I was indeed prepared to pay $1000 for the Nikon, however, the best of the three Sigmas outperformed the best of the three Nikons in terms of sharpness, definition and micro-contrast. For me, colours aren't any longer related to lenses but to camera settings - finally, I've got true ultra-wide-angel with 15mm - for 50% of the Nikon-18mm...
Coming from Canon's 1DIIN, I recommend the D300 without reservation as - from my point of view - it combines the best of all worlds.
|
|
|
Mar 19, 2008
|
|
ttbrown
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Dec 11, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 85
|
|
Review Date: Mar 16, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,600.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Nails exposure, minimal post production, build quality, real life photography benefits from menu options.
|
|
Cons:
|
Nothing to complain about - absolutely nothing.
|
|
|
After having shot with Canon's for years, more recently the 5D, it just seemed that Nikon had been making better advancements. The D300 is a perfect case in point.
I shoot predominately nature and landscapes and this camera is an absolute pleasure to work with. The direct view, along with the exposure lock, is perfect for split neutral density filter work. Additionally, I have yet to have to photoshop out any dust spots - I mean none.
Understanding the menu options has resulted in a two stage mirror lockup with a second touch of the shutter release to obtain a 1 second timer. Convenient especially since the mirror lockup is not buried in the menu.
Possibly the biggest plus of the D300 is the minimal post production needed. It just seem like I had to struggle with the 5D RAWs - not so the D300 - minor white balance adjustments (although the auto consistently does an excellent job) and sharpening - that's it. This is the camera for photographers who want to photograph and not become a photoshop slave. Now post production is available to enhance an already photogenic image.
|
|
|
Mar 16, 2008
|
|
PJ Fish
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Nov 24, 2006
Location: Denmark
Posts: 18
|
|
Review Date: Mar 8, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
LOVELY Camera ! this is definitely best buy right now it cant be beat unless you use lots of Dollars.It is so fast and a real pro camera so i use it for sports and alike,simply pure joy.high iso at 3200 is possible,real wheathersealing..and the list of positive aspects is so good and well done Nikon quality and absolutely worth every dime.Stunning images.
|
|
Cons:
|
a little weigthy but thats about it!
|
|
|
This is a new Nikon camera which is certainly best buy at the moment,Canon has not a real competitor out there on the market which can beat this superjewel.The sound >clash>is really pro and a joy to listen to.The handling the feel and real wheathersealing and possibility to nai the shot right on with 8 seconds for sport is a real winner.
Sharpness and colours is amazing as well,so in fact the positive aspects is so evident so my advise is simply this ; try it and youll get Nikonaddicted at once.
Let me tell you this as a pro user and a dedicated photographer; you will not regret this investment at all.
|
|
|
Mar 8, 2008
|
|
maxx9photo
Offline
Image Upload: On
Registered: May 19, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 2886
|
|
Review Date: Mar 7, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,750.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Every aspect of this camera has stunned me!!!
|
|
Cons:
|
None
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 7, 2008
|
|
tksuther
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Aug 4, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 1399
|
|
Review Date: Feb 24, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,749.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Great high ISO and flash performance, tons of settings options, excellent metering, user-friendly controls, fast and rugged.
|
|
Cons:
|
A little heavy but not really an issue.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Feb 24, 2008
|
|
dieseldavey
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jul 11, 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 74
|
|
Review Date: Feb 21, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Fantastic camera. Nails exposure every time, Build quality top marks, images straight out of camera are are mear perfect.
|
|
Cons:
|
None so far
|
|
|
|
|
|
Feb 21, 2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reviews
|
Views
|
Date of last review
|
|
53
|
99786
|
Jul 18, 2010
|
|
|
Recommended By
|
Average Price
|
|
92% of reviewers
|
$1,674.34
|
|
|
Build Quality Rating
|
Price Rating
|
Overall Rating
|
|
9.70
|
8.96
|
9.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
