D300 questions

Hi all

Almost bought a used D2x but after seeking advice here and some further thought decided to get a used D300 instead and went ahead and bought one over the weekend. Will arrive this Tuesday and comes in mint- condition with 1 year guarantee. Shutter count is 3.5k and cost 400 UK. Can’t wait to open the box and get started!

However, before the camera turns up I thought I’d ask a few quick questions:

First, what are people’s views on the best type of compact flash card I can put in it? I’m coming from the D50 so my CF knowledge is almost non existent. At present, I’m thinking of an 8gb San Disk Extreme 60 mb/s. Quick, reliable and comes with rescue software. Would have gone for the San Disk Ultra but that seems not as well built and slower at 30 mb/s. Is there a significant difference between the two and would I notice it on the D300?

Second, I currently have the 18-70 lens and plan to use that on the D300 to begin with. Anyone know how this lens performs on the D300? I’m thinking of upgrading my lenses but kinda want to hold off until we see what happens in the DX line up. Although, at a push, I would be willing to consider a used 18-200 VR (or at a hard push the 17-55) and a prime (either the 35 or the 50, not quite sure which would be best). Any thoughts on these lenses?

Third, considering that this camera is probably going to be my main camera for the next year or so, I would also consider picking up the grip. What are people’s views on the D300 grip? Is there a significant difference between the Nikon grip and a generic grip? I’ve also come across some posts where people have had problems with grips causing problems. Are there any know issues that I need to know about?

Finally, when I get the D300 up and running, as it is used, is there anything I ought to test and scrutinize carefully over the next few days to make sure everything is working okay? Any known issues?

Sorry for the relatively long post, but once again, would very much appreciate people’s thoughts on these issues.

Many thanks in advance.