nikon d300?

back alley

back alley

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IF i were interested in getting a dslr...would a used nikon d300 be worthwhile getting?
i had a d200 years ago and was quite happy with it and from what i have read the d300 would do me well...price would be 300 cdn which is about 240 in usd.
i'm thinking of using it for more action type shots and long lens use...maybe macro a little bit.
 
back alley said:
IF i were interested in getting a dslr...would a used nikon d300 be worthwhile getting?
i had a d200 years ago and was quite happy with it and from what i have read the d300 would do me well...price would be 300 cdn which is about 240 in usd.
i'm thinking of using it for more action type shots and long lens use...maybe macro a little bit.
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Joe, you will love it! Files are not overly large and the images are super, go for it!
 
Nothing wrong with it, even more so at current used prices. Back when they were new I'd have suggested the D90 unless manual lenses were a priority, as Nikon wanted a thousand extra for the aperture coupler and metal shell on a otherwise very, very similar camera.
 
The Nikon D300 is a very solid camera, just like the Nikon FM/FE series was. My only reservation in buying one would be that it is a DX format, and my Nikon lens kit is structured around FX format. But if you're looking for something to use with longer focal length FoVs, that's probably a plus ... my 180/2.8 would act like an effective 270mm f/2.8 lens.

And yes: I wouldn't want any Nikon that couldn't meter with pre-AF Nikon lenses as all but two of my lenses are AI compatible. I had all the pre-AI lenses converted to be AI compatible, and only two AF series lenses.

addendum:
I just did some searching on Ebay out of curiosity. Funny that I see more D700s and D800s at lower prices than the D300S.. !

G
 
I had three of them and used them extensively for years. It is a fine camera and built really solid. I like the controls very much and very sorry to see them go with a mode dial on the D7000 series. But you won't get the dynamic range or high ISO performance of a current camera. Even the D7000 is a big improvement in dynamic range and high iso quality over the D300, and of course they are now up to the D7200. When I used the D300 series I hesitated to go over ISO 800. Now I routinely shoot well above that with the Fujis or the D800 / D600 or even my D7000. Of course the APS-C sensor gives you more reach out of your long lenses.
 
If you have some Nikon lenses then maybe, if not go for a Canon DSLR and you can also use the lenses (with the AF adapter) on your EOS M.
 
Robin P said:
If you have some Nikon lenses then maybe, if not go for a Canon DSLR and you can also use the lenses (with the AF adapter) on your EOS M.
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good point, had not thought of that...just saw a nice d300 advertised locally...hard to find nice gear locally.
 
Robin P said:
If you have some Nikon lenses then maybe, if not go for a Canon DSLR and you can also use the lenses (with the AF adapter) on your EOS M.
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back alley said:
good point, had not thought of that...just saw a nice d300 advertised locally...hard to find nice gear locally.
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Ah, I'd forgotten you have that. Yes, a Canon DSLR makes more sense if you want a DSLR.

I'm sometimes tempted to pick up a Nikon DSLR simply because I have the lenses*for the F and F6 film bodies. I have zero inclination to invest into a DSLR system nowadays ... I've put my serious money into the Olympus E-M1 and Leica M systems as my "working" kit now. (I do still have the ancient Olympus E-1, which is still one of the nicest DSLRs ever made...)

G
 
i have more wishes than money...would love a dslr, an old one is ok with me...with love an rd1 with a couple of lenses...really want the fuji 16 (soon)...an xe-2 body...another lens for the eos m, that 55-200 mm lens!
 
I'm not sure there is that much difference between a d200 and d300, I had a d200 a few years ago as my 'holiday camera' before Canon made nice smaller bodied cameras my work cameras were always and stil are 1d-1dx etc too big for a holiday! When I look back at the pics from the d200 I wish I still had it! I used it all the time with only a 24mm 2.8 and a 85mm 1.8. In the uk d200 are super cheap great bargain. If you look around enough you may find a cheap d700 which I think is worth getting just for the Nikon 50mm 1.2.
Or the other bargain at the moment if you fancy a change from Nikon is Canon 5d classic.
Good Luck!!!
D700 50mm at 1.2
15fbpicMartha1.2_01 by f4saregreat!, on Flickr
 
The d300 is very much improved over the d200; much better low light, faster af, more af points, stronger body, better button layout (similar to the f6), better battery life, etc. i still use it and a d2x for sports where I need more reach than my fx d3 provides
 
Just to echo others... the D300 has a robust camera, high-quality build. It is as full-featured as the D700. With the optional grip it's FPS is pro-level fast.

The AF system is excellent, I believe it is identical to the D700's. There is no AF task it can't conquer. Usage with MF lenses is typical Nikon... it has not improved since the D200. I used the Nikkor 28/2.8 AIS lens most often (~ $250 and up right now) for MF. The green-dot method worked well for me (unlike the D200), so I never bothered to convert it to a spilt-screen finder.

The sensor SNR and DR is only about 1/2 stop lower than the D700 until ISO 400 where the difference increases to 1 stop.

In my practical experience the SNR - DR ranking is:

D200 <<< D300 < X100<< D700 < XE-1, XE-2 ~ X-T1.

I would not hesitate using the D300 for serious color work at ISO 800. ISO 1600 is practical and certainly supports B&W conversions. I never saw banding or other artifacts at ISO 1600, but the chroma noise becomes annoying.
 
D300 is a great camera; I have others, but I still use my D300 today for bird/nature photography with long lenses (300 f/4 AFS and a monopod is my favorite combination). Very good AF. Pro-body style controls and accessories. Very solid.

I'm very happy with ISO 800 (newer bodies would be better of course), and it's 12 MPx.

I had the D200 and shifted to D300. The D300 is a big step up.

For a CDN$ 300 camera, this is a winner, especially if you have any Nikon lenses.
 
You get a lot of camera for not a lot of money. At its launch, dpreview described it as the best DX format camera ever made. It is a heavy camera, but balances perfectly in hand and the ergonomics are superb. IQ is not a limiting factor especially if you shoot below iso 1600. If you already have access to Nikon lenses then go for it. It is alovely camera to use.
 
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