Nikon D300 12.3 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera Body with Lens Kit - 18 mm - 135 mm

Great Camera

Strengths: About everything - Lightning fast focus and frame speed, improved auto white balance, crisp pictures at ISO 1600/3200, save multiple manual white balances, effective auto-area focus & the list goes on.

Weakness: High price, Flash sync at 250 instead of 500 like my D70 and my D70 economical wireless remote does not work with D300.

I have only had the camera for a week, but it has already supplied noticeable improved performance over my D70 which I really liked as well. I used it last weekend at the state wrestling championships and it worked better than I could have expected. I have always used single point focus when taking pictures of wrestling because the more automated focusing systems would get confused. The D300...
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I have only had the camera for a week, but it has already supplied noticeable improved performance over my D70 which I really liked as well. I used it last weekend at the state wrestling championships and it worked better than I could have expected. I have always used single point focus when taking pictures of wrestling because the more automated focusing systems would get confused. The D300 supplied improvement here when using the single point because I could place the focus point where I really wanted it since there are 51 focus points. The real step change improvement was that I was able to use the auto-area focus as it worked flawlessly picking the focus point correctly and kept the kids in focus.
I used my Sigma 120-300 2.8 lens with a 2X converter and was able to knock off pictures at 6 frames a second. The the focus was right on (note these are moving targets I was taking pictures of) and the pictures looked great at both ISO 1600 and 3200.
Next item, I always manually set the white balance in gym situations as the lighting is always bad and really confused the auto white balance on my other cameras. The auto white balance on the D300 did a really good job. Ih I did continue to use my manually set white balance to be safe, but in the future if I don't have time to manually set it I will no longer be overly concerned with using the auto.
Also, being able to manually set and save two white balance settings was beneficial. I set one with flash and one without which allowed me to quickly switch between using and not using a flash depending on what I was trying to get. The multiple custom settings banks help with this as well -- just toggle to the other custom set up and you are ready to go.
I have not had a chance to try the live view and do not know if I really will have a need, but I can see where this would come in handy in situations where I am concerned about depth of field.
As you can see I am really impressed with this camera and would say I am surprised at how many things it does well that really has improved the pictures I can take -- really a step change from my D70.
The final item I do need to mention is how big and bright the LCD is. You can really quickly see detail on this LCD. I will admit that the D70 LCD is very small compared to most of the new cameras so others may not notice as big of a difference, but for me it is the difference between being able to see if the picture I took is truly spot on focused or not.

So in conclusion, this is a great camera and you should have no reservations about buying one. I was concerned with spending the money on the D300 due to the price being pretty high, but it was well worth it. Hope you get one and have as much fun as I have had with it so far.

I originally listed in the weakness area of this review that the camera did not come with Nikon Capture NX as it was not listed as an included item in the website order info or on the box. However, it was included. I thought the disc I received was the 30-day trial version, but it was the full Nikon Capture NX program. Nice surprise for me.

By dougmorrill - Feb 25, 2008

Nikon D300 camera w/ 18-135mm Lens

Strengths: Light weight, not much noise even at ISO 3200, great color and sharpness, battery lasts soooo...long!

Weakness: Portraits with sun set back ground not very good.

I have been using D2x and D70 for few years. The D300 is much lighter than D2x, battery lasts VERY long, not much noise even shooting at ISO 3200 (better than D2x), great color and sharpness. The contrast is good for general shootings but for portraits - might want to decrease a bit. For portraits with sun set back ground it is too much contrast causing the sun set almost being washed out, might...
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I have been using D2x and D70 for few years. The D300 is much lighter than D2x, battery lasts VERY long, not much noise even shooting at ISO 3200 (better than D2x), great color and sharpness. The contrast is good for general shootings but for portraits - might want to decrease a bit. For portraits with sun set back ground it is too much contrast causing the sun set almost being washed out, might need some adjustment in settings. Over all, I am happy and very impressed with camera. Highly recommended!

By savio - Jun 13, 2008

Nikon ups the ante again - best DX camera to date!

Strengths: 12MP, ISO performance, 6fps, 3" hi-res LCD, 51pt AF tracking, Live View

Weakness: Really hard pressed to find one of note - it's that good!

The D300 is at the top of Nikon's DX lineup and as the DX flagship, it does not disappoint. It has a lot of D3 goodies at about 1/3 the price. ISO performance is fantastic - I can use ISO 1600 confident that I can clean up the image in post. Six fps is great for sports (8fps is possible if you use the grip and correct battery). The 3" LCD is gorgeous and 51 AF points nails focus all the time....
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The D300 is at the top of Nikon's DX lineup and as the DX flagship, it does not disappoint. It has a lot of D3 goodies at about 1/3 the price. ISO performance is fantastic - I can use ISO 1600 confident that I can clean up the image in post. Six fps is great for sports (8fps is possible if you use the grip and correct battery). The 3" LCD is gorgeous and 51 AF points nails focus all the time. Live View is useful for macros.

The 18-135 is a good starter lens. Fairly priced but not up to par with the D300.

All in all, the D300 is a joy to use and lived up to my high expectations. Highly recommended!

By jemaerca - Jul 23, 2008

Power, Power and More Power

Strengths: Speed, Versatility, Advanced Features, Power, Resolution

Weakness: Lacks the foolproof features of the D80/CoolPix line where you have Theme Modes.

This is a huge leap forward from my D100 and offers higher resolution, more features and many improvements in customization features. However, for when I don't want to think hard about modes and settings, it would be nice that this higher end camera also had the fool proof theme settings for portrait, outdoor, etc. found on D80 and CoolPix cameras.

By szynda - Jul 19, 2008

Nikon D300 (w/ 18mm-135mm lens)

THE GOOD: Excellent performance and photo quality; solidly built; extremely flexible custom settings architecture; onboard wireless flash controller. THE BAD: A bit too expensive, given the competition. THE BOTTOM LINE: Visibly better photo quality and slightly improved performance make the Nikon D300 a significant upgrade over the D200 and an excellent all-around choice.
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By cnet.com - Jan 28, 2008