dSLR Dad

The Nikon D300 dSLR has been out in the wild for some time (shipping now at both Amazon and B&H Photo). For all you dSLR Dad’s out there who are looking for one more bit of information to justify that purchase, here you go:

As a primer, the D300 comes in three ways from Nikon:

1. Nikon D300 (Camera Body Only) (available at both Amazon and B&H Photo)
   
2. D300 with 18-135mm AF-S DX f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF Nikkor Zoom Lens (Amazon and B&H Photo)
3. D300 with 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens (Amazon and B&H Photo)

Nikon D300 Review List:

Popular Photography Magazine

Main Review – The camera that best refines or redefines photography? The D300 triumphs on both counts, and raises the benchmark for every camera maker.

Camera of the Year - Does the D300 beat its competitors on every count? Certainly not. The new Olympus E-3 has an even more rugged build, an articulating/swiveling LCD, and built-in image stabilization that we’ve tested to a 3-stop advantage. There’s also that 2X lens factor, which sports and nature shooters covet. Sony’s new Alpha 700 also has state-of-the-art built-in image stabilization and a steal-this price of $1,400, body only. But for 2007, no camera both refines and redefines photography as well as the Nikon D300.

Nikon D300 vs Canon EOS 40D – While mid-priced DSLRs from competing manufacturers may excel in different ways, these semi-pro models from Canon and Nikon give you a winning combination of speed, image quality, extensive lens/accessory systems, and an upgrade path to their top-drawer professional brethren.

Of course, pitting the two against each other isn’t entirely fair, since the technology-showcase D300 ($1800), a junior version of Nikon’s tour-de-force flagship D3, costs 50 percent more than the EOS 40D ($1200), which has evolved from humbler “prosumer” models. Still, we found them to be more evenly matched than we expected, based on our evaluations in the key areas…

cNet – As for photo quality, the D300 delivers great results, with a visibly superior noise profile to the D200 as well as to the Sony DSLR-A700 (which uses the same sensor). At their best, photos are sharp, with excellent exposures, accurate colors, and broad tonal ranges. Flash with the SB-800 Speedlight unit especially showed off how well the metering system works, with none of the harsh, overexposed look that I frequently get on the most difficult shots.

CameraLabs Review – ….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. But unless you’ve already bought into the Nikon system, we’d advise closely comparing it to (it’s) rivals….

Digital Camera Resource – When people call the D300 a “baby D3″, they’re not kidding….Nikon has done a really impressive job with the D300. They made a lot of promises, and the D300 has delivered on them. It keeps up perfectly with its closest competition, the EOS-40D, and surpasses it in several areas…..

Imaging Resource - …the bottom line is this: If you need a great digital SLR camera and the price is no issue, the Nikon D300 will exceed your needs. Those requiring a faster frame rate and greater autofocus speed should consider a D3, provided they can handle the extra size and weight. I won’t call it a compelling upgrade for happy D200 owners, but it sure wouldn’t hurt if you’re in the market for something even better than the D200. Nikon’s D300 is an amazing machine, well worth the $1,799 price tag, and a rare five-star.

Photographyh BLOG (4.5 stars, Highly Recommended) – ….overall, unless you are a professional photographer needing massive file sizes or even swifter image capture, the Nikon D300 could well be all the DSLR you’ll ever need. Though that body-only price tag may appear decidedly steep to the average consumer, the pro will consider the D300 something of a bargain, particularly if he/she already has a collection of compatible optics waiting in a kit bag. Though Canon may currently rule the roost when it comes to the number of DSLRs it sells, for the discerning photographer the Nikons D300 has got to be pretty much near the top of any wants list.

Digital Outback Photo – D300 Diary, updated regularly with new articles.

dPreview – Nikon D300 Hands-on Preview

ePHOTOzine – Not only is the D300 a worthy successor to the D200 but it also improves on the old flagship model, the D2Xs and it carries Nikon’s DX format (1.5x crop factor) into the future. It is being marketed as a full Pro spec camera and, given a couple of extras, it is hard to argue with the claim.

Scott Kelby, Photoshop Insider – ….the D300 is a much better, more fully featured update to the D200 than I had ever imagined it would be. How much so? Well, needless to say, I’m selling my D200, but I guess what I’m most shocked about is that I’m going to sell my Nikon D2Xs now, too.

Ken Rockwell (a bit haphazard and all over the place) – If you want a new Nikon DSLR for about $1,800, just order a D300. If you already have a D200, I wouldn’t go out of my way to dump it for the D300 unless one of the D300’s new features, like live-viewing on the exquisite new LCD, faster frame rates, or possibly broader range of color adjustments, are critical to you.

Inside Digital Photo Special Report: Vincent Versace, the Nikon D300 & Shooting in Remote Locations (podcast). A gallery of his images from his trip to Vietnam may be found here.

The Image Doctors #55, a Nikonians Podcast – Vincent Versace joins the Image Doctors, Rick and Jason to discuss the D300.