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We clicked with:
Top notch performance
Tank like build quality
Excellent displays
Breaks the high ISO barrier
Shots in the dark:
Necessarily complex
No in-body VR
Creates jealousy pangs in D2X users
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Nikon's D3 and D300 cameras are currently the hottest products at the mid and top end of DSLR photography. The buzz surrounding the D3 is understandable - it's the first direct competition for the Canon 1DS and its 35mm-sized sensor in years and puts Nikon right back on the radar for news and sports photographers once again. On the face of it, the Nikon D300 is much less of a draw, as it could be seen as a series of incremental upgrades on the D200. In fact, it's much, much more.
The camera is a 12.1 megapixel semi-pro DSLR. This essentially means it has the same DX-sized sensor resolution as the pro-grade Nikon D2X camera (the predecessor to the D3) and is built on a solid alloy chassis, but does not feature the full-sized body with a second shutter release. It also uses the smaller EN-EL3e lithium ion battery, similar to the ones found in everything else Nikon from the D40 to the D200. There is an optional battery pack and grip, which can also take the bigger battery from the D2X and D3 if needed.
Having the same sensor size and battery as the D2X is impressive, but does not make the Nikon D300 a groundbreaking camera. What does make the D300 groundbreaking is the way it draws together most of the best functions seen in cameras across the board for the last few years and mix them together into one exceptionally well specified body. So, this is the first Nikon with an ultrasonic dust-shaker in front of the sensor; it's one of the first to sport a wider, more user-friendly series of colour modes, it's one of the few non-press cameras that can cope with six frames per second (eight with the grip). It has 14-bit RAW picture handling, 51-point CAM3500 autofocus, two live modes, ISO 200-3200 (realistically ISO 100-6400) and that gorgeous three inch, 930k pixel LCD screen. Taken individually, each of these is a handy ace up the D300's sleeve. As a group of improvements, it hits the rivals for six. Only in-body image stabilisation (unlikely, given Nikons love of in-lens VR instead) and the funky Virtual Horizon system (originally said to be on the D399, but not there on production samples) separate it from an absolutely perfect spec sheet for the money. Even so, as it stands, the Nikon D300 is still stands head and shoulders above the rest of its current peers.
Now here's the "oh bugger" moment. Back in the days before the digital meteorite wiped out the old film dinosaurs, you could confidently get more than a decade's worth of use from a pro-grade camera. Many photographers had a Nikon F3 or two that saw regular action long before and long after the launch of autofocus, and the product ran for more than 20 years. Today, things are much changed. A 2005 vintage flagship Nikon D2X is pretty much confidently trounced by a mid-market camera like the Nikon D300 in only a few short years. So anyone using a Nikon D2X is basically using an expensive camera that is outperformed by a far cheaper modern one. Well, almost... at anything up to ISO 400, the Nikon D2X still (just) has the edge. At ISO 640, the two are almost level pegging, but by ISO 800, the Nikon D300 pulls ahead dramatically. And up to ISO 3200, the D300 is still going strong. How good? This image was taken - quite by accident - at ISO 2500. Grainy, yes... odd tonality, of course. But just about a workable photograph, despite the extreme settings (some of the image softness is as much due to diffraction from the small aperture as it is from high ISO washout):
And here's a more direct comparison between the Nikon D300 and the D2X, which shows just how badly the older camera competes at high ISO. These also show just how much more accurate the metering system of the new D300 really is. The D2X files all underexposed by around 1/2stop and required post-processing. The D300 files - aside from being cropped - are unchanged, straight out the camera:
D300 ISO: 200
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400
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800
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1600
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3200
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6400
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D2X ISO: 200
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400
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800
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1600
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3200
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The Nikon D300 offers a mighty range of pre and post-processing colour modes. You can infinitely adjust tonality to suit, or pre-load a series of tonal settings to make the camera behave very different from the norm. You can even make it emulate a D2X, if you so desire. Similarly, the plethora of monochrome modes and ease of D-Lighting and other post processing forms make the camera one of the most flexible designs around. And with this flexibility comes complexity - perhaps the Nikon D300's biggest flaw (shared by many high-end cameras) is as soon as you get past day-to-day operation, you will reach for the manual. This is not complexity for its own sake, but the range of control over the D300 makes demands on the photographer as you try to select the right colour scheme for the scene.
In terms of autofocus, there's practically nothing that can fox the Nikon D300. It'll focus more accurately, faster and in a darker places than almost any other camera around (the D3 has the same AF system). The 51-point tracking system is remarkable for those events where the field of view is organised chaos, while the other focusing modes really do cover almost all the bases. And this just scratches the surface of the D300.
So, the Nikon D300 improves everything over the D200, and even makes the previous D2X flagship look tired by comparison. Except for in-body stabilisation, this ticks all the boxes, and introduces a few boxes of its own. A big leap forward? You bet. Start saving!
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Sensor
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12.3 megapixel DX format CMOS chip
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LCD monitor
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3” TFT LCD (922,000 pixels)
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Sensitivity
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ISO 200-3200 (ISO 100-6400 options)
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Auto Focus Points
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51-point, Multi-CAM3500DX system
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White balance
| Auto, 7 presets with fine tuning, 4 manual presets, 31 step direct Kelvin colour temperature, white balance bracketing
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On board flash
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Built in pop up, GN17
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Shutter speed and flash sync
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30 seconds -1/8000th second (plus Bulb)
Sync to 1/250th second
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Continuous shooting
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6fps (8fps with grip)
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Storage
| Compact Flash (CF) Type I or II
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Battery
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EN-EL3e 1500 mAh Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery
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Lens type / fitting
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Nikon AF mount (AF-S and DX compatible)
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Other / Key features
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2x Live View modes
14-bit A/D conversion
Ultrasonic sensor clean and air-ducting system
Active D-Lighting
Scene recognition for AF and AE
Picture Control presets with
HDMI output option
Shutter life 150,000 exposures
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