Review based on a production Nikon D300S
The Nikon D300 made quite an impact when it was first launched - enough to prompt us to conclude: 'There's simply no better semi-professional digital SLR on the market.' And, in many respects, it is still the camera to beat in that class - nearly two years later and it is still able to command essentially the same price as at launch (though the strong Yen has pushed all prices up). And this success appears to have left Nikon unsure how to improve on its APS-C flagship.
Although the many of the additions to the D300S are simply those that we've seen appear on Nikons since the D300 arrived (virtual horizon from the D3, movies from the D90), one genuinely new feature is the inclusion of contrast-detection autofocus that operates while in movie mode - a first for a Nikon DSLR. It's not the quickest focusing you'll ever see, though, and you'll also need to make use of the external mic socket if you're to avoid the distant generator chuntering or asthmatic rodent sounds that autofocus motors seem to so accurately mimic.
The D300S inherits the non-latched memory card door we first saw on the D700, but now with both a CF and SD slot behind it. As you'd expect at this level, the exact behaviour of how the camera writes to the two cards can be defined: use one after the other, write backups to the second card, RAW and JPEG to different cards or split stills and videos. In fact many of the changes make the D300S even more similar to the D700, including Nikon's now-standard multi controller with separate central button that, on this camera, initiates movie recording when in live view.
The continuous shooting speed has been given a bit of a boost, with the camera now capable of shooting at 7fps using its own battery and 8fps with the MB-D10 battery grip. The settings display screen is now, in line with most current DSLRs, interactive, allowing most shooting settings to be changed more quickly, a couple of extra Active D-Lighting options ('Auto' and 'Extra High') have been thrown in too. Finally the 'Quiet' drive mode first seen on the D5000 also makes an appearance.
However the arrival of the distinctly pro-targetted Canon EOS 7D and the accomplished but more wallet-friendly Pentax K-7 could make Nikon's gentle refresh of the D300 look insufficient. (Due to the similarities between the two cameras, some product images come from the D300 review)
| Model | Announced |
Effective pixels |
Auto focus |
Continuous highest (JPEG) | Video |
LCD monitor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D100 | Feb 2002 | 6.0 mp | 5 point | 3.0 fps, 6 frames | n/a | 1.8", 120K dots |
| D200 | Nov 2005 | 10.2 mp | 11 point | 5.0 fps, 37 frames | n/a | 2.5" 230K dots |
| D300 | Aug 2007 | 12.3 mp | 51 point | 6.0/8.0 fps, 100 frames | n/a | 3.0" 922K dots with Live View |
| D300S | Jul 2009 | 12.3 mp | 51 point | 7.0/8.0 fps, 100 frames | 720p at 24fps | 3.0" 922K dots with Live View |
 |
 |
| 12.3 megapixel DX format CMOS sensor | Viewfinder pentaprism |
|---|---|
 |
|
 |
 |
| Main board with image processor | EXPEED processing |
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 |
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| 51-point Multi-CAM 3500DX AF sensor module | 51 AF point locations in frame (approx.) |
|
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 |
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| 1005-pixel metering sensor | Shutter |
If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read some of our Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).
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Dpreview use calibrated monitors at the PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally also A, B and C.
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Nikon D300S 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only) | $1,349.00 |
Nikon D300S 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only) | $1,349.00 |
Nikon D300s 12.3MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II Lens | $2,546.95 |
Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) | $1,799.99 |
Nikon D5100 16.2MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens | Too low to display |
Nikon D3100 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens | $446.95 |
Focus Camera Nikon D5200 24.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Black) with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR and 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S DX NIKKOR Zoom Lenses + EN-EL14 Battery + 10pc Bundle 32GB Deluxe Accessory Kit | $1,029.00 |
Focus Camera Nikon D5200 24.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Black) with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Lens and Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 SLD DG Macro Lens with built in motor + 10pc Bundle 32GB Deluxe Accessory Kit | $954.00 |
Focus Camera Nikon D3200 24.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Lens and Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 SLD DG Macro Lens with built in motor + 32GB Deluxe Accessory Kit | $709.95 |
Nikon D5200 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens (Black) with 55-300mm VR Lens + 64GB Card + Case + Grip & Battery + Tripod + Tele/Wide Lenses + Filters Kit | $1,164.95 |
Nikon D3200 24.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR NIKKOR Zoom Lens (Red) | $546.95 |
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