Nikon D300 review

Average user rating

9.0

spectacular

Average user rating from 2 users

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Nikon D300 user reviews

April 18, 2008

Posted by: craignowell

"Pricey but worth every penny"

What I like:

3D Colour Matrix Metering II, 51 point AF, ergonomics, customisable, DX sensor format, exceptional 3" monitor, excellent value for what you get

What I don't like:

weighty

Review:

When I first saw this camera and, knowing that I was preparing to invest in my first serious digital kit bag, I had to take a serious look. I quickly found that I was not going to be disappointed.

I have been a Nikon user for many years, back to the days of the F3, 4 and 5, and now I have moved over to DSLRs. The choice was going to be between the EOS 5D and the D300. Yes - I was prepared to move to Canon, and am open minded enough to do so: at the end of the day, the results matter more than the camera itself.

I have read the CNET review fully, and there is a lot of it I agree with, but, there are also some things I very much disagree with. Firstly, on price. The only better cameras on the market in the DSLR field at the current moment in time are the Nikon D3 and the EOS D1s Mk III. Those two will set you back £3000 and £5000 respectively. That is 3 times and 5 times more expensive. I can assure you, those two cameras are NOT 3 times or 5 times the camera. The second has, what I feel, is a gimmicky 21-megapixel sensor that you will only get real use out of it if you fully intend on blowing up images to wallpaper dimensions. The former is 400g heavier than the D300, and only has a few more features than the D300 itself (e.g. an artifical horizon to tell you your camera is level, a digital mic to record commentary notes, and the usual 100% viewfinder you'd expect at that level). There is the small matter that these two pro-specific DSLRs are full frame CMOS cameras whereas the D300 is not. However, the APS-C format sensor is actually rather handy as you get a 1.5x "magnification factor" on focal lengths of lenses, meaning that you don't have to attach a Saturn V rocket to the front of your camera to get in close to the action! In other words, a 200mm lens is 300mm in 35mm format terms.

Is this camera revolutionary? For Nikon - yes it is. The metering and focusing systems in the latest generation cameras are excellent. The beautifully crystal clear 900,000 dot 3" monitor is - in my opinion - the first PRACTICAL screen for reviewing your photos short of carrying a laptop around with you everywhere you go, the white balancing, filter and custom lighting options built in are very useful indeed, and the camera is laden with all the pro-spec features you would expect of a top end camera. The RAW image processing capabilities of this camera with the new processing engine is rapid, and you do get up to 6 fps shooting without the accessory battery pack - which is more than enough in most situations. The built-in flash features rear-curtain sync, flash compensation and bracketing, and I have not once seen red-eye caught with my flash photography even with red-eye switched off. For a built in flash, that is brilliant (although I do possess an SB-800 accessory flash unit for the serious stuff).

As a very keen enthusiast, I carry my camera pretty much everywhere I go just in case there is a photo opportunity to take advantage of. I couple my camera with the excellent Nikkor AF-S 18-200mm DX lens, meaning that I can travel relatively light, and to go with it, I carry the waist level finder DR-6 to get low down, 2 Sandisk Extreme III 4Gb cards, and a circular polariser. For the experienced Nikon user, taking a D300 into the hands will feel like a natural transition from film to digital in terms of layout and ergonomics, and for other users, you will fast get used to it. Another thing I love about this camera is that the important switches and buttons are not hidden away in menus and multiple button presses like they tend to be on Canons.

The most incredible achievement of this camera are results right across the ISO range. Even when you push out to ISO 3200 or 6400, noise is incredibly low compared to its most immediate competitors, including the EOS 5D, Olympus E3 and Sony Alpha 700. Colours are vibrant, alive and clear, and the 3D focusing is even artificially intelligent - able to analyse the scene f