The Nikon D300 is a DX format DSLR (1.5x crop factor) has a 12 megapixel CMOS sensor, ISO range of up to 6400, 51 point AF sensor, 14-bit A/D conversion, six frames per second shooting speed (upgradable with the addition of a battery grip), self-cleaning sensor and a 3.0 inch LCD (922,000 pixels) with Live View.
Buy the Nikon D300
The Nikon D300 is available from Amazon in three configurations:
Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens
Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-135mm AF-S DX f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF Nikkor Zoom Lens
Nikon D300 Reviews
LetsGoDigital reviews the Nikon D300 and they write “Nikon produced a fabulous digital SLR camera with the new D300. A camera you can’t get around as an advanced photographer and I can imagine the competition being very impressed with the impact the D300 has made. The new Nikon D300 is a beautiful work-horse and meets the requirements of the professional photographer. It is an ideal camera for those who find the D3 too big or just too expensive, but don’t want to make concessions regarding the quality. It is a superb DSLR camera and it won’t surprise me if people will start swapping brands and find their way to Nikon. I fully understand them and agree with them! The Nikon D300 is recommended without restrictions for it is an exceptional camera!”
Thom Hogan reviews the Nikon D300 and writes “take the already well-regarded D200 and put in a better sensor than the D2x, faster frame advance than the D2x, (mostly) better autofocus than the D2x, faster card write speed than a D2x, and a much better color display than a D2x, and what do you get? Well, a D2x killer, as evidenced by the huge number of D2x bodies that hit the used market. Add other features sprinkled here and there, like autofocus fine tuning and Live View, and just on the basics, the D300 all at once rendered the D2x and D200 as completely old generation, behind-the-times cameras. The question on everyone’s mind has been singular: is the D300 really that good? Short answer: yes.”
DP Review has posted their in depth review of the Nikon D300 and writes: “The D200 was a big step forward for Nikon, the ‘baby D2X’ certainly gave the competition a thing or two to think about. Its big problem was the fact that Canon was still a generation ahead in the noise stakes, managing to consistently deliver clean images despite megapixel jumps. With the advent of the D300 however Nikon has conclusively removed this disparity and if anything stepped ahead of Canon (mostly thanks to its chroma based noise reduction delivering more film-like grain rather than color blotches). Nikon’s biggest problem now will be bettering the D300; it raises the bar to a new high, and represents the state of the art despite strong competition from the likes of Canon, Sony and Olympus. There’s simply no better semi-professional digital SLR on the market.”
Digital Camera Resource Page reviews the Nikon D300 and writes: ‘When Nikon announced the D300, the digital photography world stood up and took notice. When people call the D300 a "baby D3", they’re not kidding. The D300 has nearly the exact same feature set, but with an APS-C / DX-format sensor instead of a full-frame one. That means you get the super-fast performance of the EXPEED image processor, live view on a brilliant 3-inch LCD display, a 51-point autofocus system, dust reduction, full manual controls, and the expandability that you’d expect on a Nikon SLR. You also get excellent image quality, especially if you tweak a few basic settings. It’s not often that I review a camera actually lives up to the manufacturer’s hype — and the D300 does exactly that."
Camera Labs test the Nikon D300 and concludes ‘There’s no denying the Nikon D300 is a highly capable DSLR which will delight enthusiasts and satisfy the demands of pros looking for a backup or ‘budget’ body. Certainly no-one does ergonomics like Nikon and despite a handful of annoyances, it’s also the most feature-packed DSLR of its class. But there’s also no denying it’s also comfortably more expensive than many rivals while not delivering significantly better image quality. Indeed in the case of the Sony A700, the image quality is essentially the same. If you’re after a big step-up in image quality from the Nikon system, you’ll need to look at the D3. But ultimately the D300 remains a superb DSLR and one of the best we’ve tested at Camera Labs – it’s certainly a model we can Highly Recommend."
DP Review has posted a hands on preview/review of the Nikon D300 where it writes – ‘The D300 design is very similar to the D200, that’s no bad thing, it’s virtually the same size (very slightly taller), at the front there are new covers over the remote and PC sync terminals, at the rear a larger AF-ON button and a subtle re-arrange of the buttons down the left of the now larger LCD monitor. Build quality is just as good as the D200 (if not slightly better) and certainly in line with its ‘bigger brother’ the D3. The body is constructed from magnesium alloy, soft rubber is used on the grips both front and back as well as environmental seals on compartment doors. Just like the rest of the family he D300 features oversized buttons on the rear of the camera which are easier to use when wearing gloves.’
Pop Photo reviews the Nikon D300 and writes – ‘A major factor in the D300’s stellar image quality is the new Sony-made 12.3MP (effective) CMOS sensor that captures RAW data with up to 14 bits of color per red, green, and blue channels. Most other DSLRs in this class only provide 12 bits per channel. This gives the D300 an advantage in reproducing fine color gradations, shadow details, and wider dynamic range. But it also increases the file size of images recorded in the 14-bit mode (selectable over normal 12-bit RAW).’
Nikon D300 News Release
Nikon Introduces The New D300 Professional Digital SLR Camera
Nikon (www.nikonusa.com) today introduced its most advanced DX-format digital SLR camera, the D300. Engineered with pro-level features and performance, the 12.3 effective megapixel D300 combines brand new technologies with advanced features inherited from Nikon’s newly announced D3 professional digital SLR camera to offer serious photographers remarkable performance, combined with agility.
Similar to the D3, the D300 features Nikon’s exclusive EXPEED Image Processing System that is central to driving the speed and processing power needed for many of the camera’s new features. The D300 features a new 51-point auto focus system with Nikon’s 3D Focus Tracking feature and two new LiveView shooting modes that allow users to frame a photograph using the camera’s high-resolution LCD monitor. The D300 shares a similar Scene Recognition System as found in the D3 that promises to greatly enhance the accuracy of auto focus, auto exposure and auto white balance by recognizing the subject or scene being photographed and applying this information to the calculations for the three functions.