- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 22 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"The amazing Nikon D3 -- but smaller!"
Pros: Save time/effort with superior colour, tone and contrast control; ergonomics; ease-of-use
Cons: No dedicated Picture Control button; no detailed MF indicator; (needs more customisable buttons)
Summary: Just to get to the point: this is hands down the BEST DSLR for almost all enthousiast photographers -- bar none. (And depending on where you buy, it can be dirt cheap as well -- I got mine for less than $2000 AUD (body only, but I also got the 18-200 mm VR and 50 mm f/1.8 prime plus SB-600 flash))
The reasons are many for this commendation. From its almost identical feature set to its bigger brother, the Nikon D3, such as superior colour rendering (able to be EXTREMELY vibrant/saturated), tone and contrast control (Active D-Lighting works VERY well); to unbelievable ease-of-use and ergonomics -- this is a true D3 without the weight or size (and lack of built-in flash). (However, the high-ISO capabilities are nowhere near that of the D3, but neither is any other camera out there that doesn't cost less an arm or a leg.)
The importance of aforementioned features (esp. better colour, tone and contrast control) really make photographing so much easier -- from beginning to end. Less or no adjustments are needed during both the shooting and review stages, which just makes life so much better for prolific shooters (like myself - 20,000+ shots since Dec 2007!). Artistic vision is so much more easily realised with this camera - it's truly ground-breaking. Time saved with this camera is easily worth the premium over other DSLRs like the Canon 40D.
Miniscule gripes include the lack of a dedicated Picture Control button (as on the limited-edition D3P for members of NPS) to change quickly between different colour modes (like Saturated, Normal, Neutral, Monochrome, etc.) as well as no detailed Manual Focus indicator (as in the small arrows which give detailed feedback during manual focusing).
Tiny nit-picking aside, the D300 is an amazing camera with which anyone who is truly serious about their photography (and is looking for a DSLR) should definitely top their short-list.
Go to
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mentalman1369/
for some photos I've taken with the D300.
Where to buy
Nikon D300 (with 18mm-200mm lens):
$2,248.88 - $2,499.95
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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$2,248.88 | Yes |
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