Nikon D300S
Nikon D300S
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Nikon D300S
Editor's Review
The Nikon D300S is a substantive prosumer DSLR for those craving the autofocus system of the pro line in a crop sensor format. The 12.1 megapixel sensor is getting a bit long in the tooth by now, however, and it has been partially eclipsed by the D7000's better low-light performance and video capabilities. Expect a D400 sometime in 2012.
Specifications
- 12 megapixel CMOS sensor
- Nikon EXPEED image processing
- D-Movie mode, 720p resolution, 24 frames per second
- 3-inch Live View LCD display
- SD/SDHC memory storage
- Release Date: Aug 03, 2009
Shop for D300S Accessories
Nikon D300S Comments & Questions (write your own!)
technology challenge ! (sudds — 10/28/2011)
Hi I am thinking of buying a Nikon or Canon dSLR to take pictures to frame and sell at local markets. Seascapes landscapes and nature.
Could you inform me of which type I should be looking at flying home in a few weeks so duty free is looking good. I have used an SLR for years and prefer them to point and shoot. Could you Inform me just what, to the layman, in laymans terms these cameras are capable as i am a bit technologically challenged but learn real quick when interested. Thanks
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Could you inform me of which type I should be looking at flying home in a few weeks so duty free is looking good. I have used an SLR for years and prefer them to point and shoot. Could you Inform me just what, to the layman, in laymans terms these cameras are capable as i am a bit technologically challenged but learn real quick when interested. Thanks
Alexandra Gabrieloff (10/16/2011)
My husband studied photography and has a huge amount of Nikkor lenses and 3 Nikon cameras. I want to buy him a gift of a digital camera. Which camera would be a good choice?
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Alexandra Gabrieloff (10/16/2011)
My husband studied photography and has a huge amount of Nikkor lenses and 3 Nikon cameras. I want to buy him a gift of a digital camera. Which camera would be a good choice?
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(01/13/2011)
Which one is better for a professional, a D7000 or D300s?
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Liam McCabe (01/13/2011)
This is a good question. Both are really enthusiast or semi-pro cameras, since neither have a full-frame sensor (you'd need to step up to the D700 for that).
But among the two, the D7000 is probably the better choice because it's a newer model and has a more developed feature set. First, it has a higher resolution sensor, 16 vs. 12 mp. It has a superior video mode, 1080p with continuous autofocus vs 720p. The D300s's design tends to appeal more to serious shooters, though this is purely a personal preference. The D300s is also a bit more versatile with autofocus.
I'd say either one is a solid choice; you can pick either, but I'd personally put my money on the D7000.
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But among the two, the D7000 is probably the better choice because it's a newer model and has a more developed feature set. First, it has a higher resolution sensor, 16 vs. 12 mp. It has a superior video mode, 1080p with continuous autofocus vs 720p. The D300s's design tends to appeal more to serious shooters, though this is purely a personal preference. The D300s is also a bit more versatile with autofocus.
I'd say either one is a solid choice; you can pick either, but I'd personally put my money on the D7000.
D300s Auto Focus mode failure (Shen — 12/27/2010)
I own a D 300s since Sept 2009. On Sept '10 i experienced a total shut down on the auto focusing which would not work even removing the lens, changing lens BUT the next morning it worked again. Two months later, it happened again (last week( and after sending it to the retail shop that i bought it from to inspect the cause. The shop owner says that it worked again on the 4th day. Is there an inherent problem with 300s and what can i do to fix it, as it fails without signs or warnings. I am afraid that it will happen again, esp when you need it.
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robbi cohn (12/15/2010)
how does the D300S compare to the D3S for low light?
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Liam McCabe (12/15/2010)
Well as a full frame dSLR, it's still going to be very good, but the D3s is pretty much the industry standard for low-light dominance.
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suggestions to buy a SLR (jayesh — 11/05/2010)
i likes photography.but not much familier with pohotography and would like to buy a camera with extendable zoom My budget is max$1000.can anyone suggest me which will be the best brand and model for a beginner in photography.
seeking advice from everyone.
thanks&cheers
reply to this comment
seeking advice from everyone.
thanks&cheers
Liam McCabe (11/05/2010)
A few things:
If your budget is $1000, you can get a dSLR, but dSLRs have interchangeable lenses, so it doesn't come with a built-in extendable zoom. You have to buy a separate lens, and telephoto lenses are expensive.
If you're OK with a fixed-lens camera, you'll save a lot of money and have a much longer zoom, but the photo quality won't be as good as a dSLR -- it can still be quite good, but it's not print quality.
Long story short, here are a few extended zoom cameras I think you might like:
Panasonic FZ35
Canon SX20
Panasonic FZ100
reply to this comment
If your budget is $1000, you can get a dSLR, but dSLRs have interchangeable lenses, so it doesn't come with a built-in extendable zoom. You have to buy a separate lens, and telephoto lenses are expensive.
If you're OK with a fixed-lens camera, you'll save a lot of money and have a much longer zoom, but the photo quality won't be as good as a dSLR -- it can still be quite good, but it's not print quality.
Long story short, here are a few extended zoom cameras I think you might like:
Panasonic FZ35
Canon SX20
Panasonic FZ100
Walt Cooper (10/01/2010)
Thanks for your comments. I finally gave up and just try to remember to reset the camera when I shift from available light to flash exposure. This means that about half the time I do it wrong. Anyway, you are right about flash exposures at ISO 800 producing good photos. I may just leave it set to ISO 800 max and quit worrying about it.
Thanks again,
Walt
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Thanks again,
Walt
by James DeRuvo (10/01/2010)
Well, I wouldn't just leave it there 24/7. You're hampering your camera's capability. But in flash conditions, if you're satisfied, it won't hurt it.
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edgar carrasco (08/06/2010)
on shooting hdr with landscape sceneries as your subject, what af area mode would be best? single af area or dynami, or auto af area ?
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by James DeRuvo (08/06/2010)
I'd just go auto and let it roll.
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garfrico (08/06/2010)
just new to my d300s and i love taking hdr shots on my d80. question: on bracketing shots, with d300s, what AF area mode would be best set to bring out full details of image on landscape, besides setting at f22? single point af or auto are af? would appreciate any help on this, thanks.
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by James DeRuvo (08/06/2010)
If you want the best, take 5 photos from +2 to −2. Stopping by 2 is ideal though (+2,0,−2). Auto bracketing is a great way to shoot them.
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Alex Perez (07/30/2010)
What are the differences between D300 and D300S?
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by James DeRuvo (07/30/2010)
The D300s adds HD movie recording with an external microphone input, the claim of slightly quicker 7fps continuous shooting (versus 6fps), dual memory card slots with backup facilities, a new Quiet shooting mode and a handy Virtual Horizon.
B ut most of the core features that make the D300s a great camera remain present in the earlier D300.
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B ut most of the core features that make the D300s a great camera remain present in the earlier D300.
Loujain (06/30/2010)
which is better for use in studio and out side photo d300 or d200?
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D300s - High ISO value even when using flash. (Walt Cooper — 03/05/2010)
I mistakenly left this question on the D300 site instead of this D300s site. When my D300s is set to ISO AUTO and 3200 max value most indoor flash shots wind up being exposed at ISO 3200 even though I am close to the subject (approx 8 ft.). Nikon help desk says this is as it should be and to turn off ISO AUTO if I don't want it to happen. It is most inconvenient since I frequently change from flash to available light. My D200 functions as I think it should which is to use ISO 200 unless the range of the flash is exceeded and then the ISO value goes up. Thanks for your comments.
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by James DeRuvo (03/06/2010)
Well can you disable or reduce you max value? That could be the issue. Also try resetting your camera.
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Walt Cooper (03/07/2010)
James, Thanks for your comment. I have reset the menu items, I have argued with Nikon but nothing I do makes it work like my D200. If I use the preflash menu setting the camera ignores the high ISO value selected for auto ISO and work somewhat as I expect but that does not resolve the issue when I don't use preflash. I can go into the menu and turn off ISO AUTO but I shift back and fourth between available light and flash so frequently that this is a real problem. For example, I might photograph a grandchild opening a birthday present using both available light and flash all within 15 seconds or so. I have an old Coolpix 990, a D70, and a D200 and none of them have performed this way. Maybe it is just my ignorance...
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Kees-Jan (09/30/2010)
I've got no solution for you but I can confirm that my d300s has the same "problem". I also previously used my sb800 a lot with my d200 and liked the way it operated with auto iso and external flash. I was very dissapointed with the way my d300s worked with flash combined with auto-iso. So do not try to reset the camera, it's just the way it works. Thom Hogan briefly mentioned it when the d300s was introduced "there are also a few alterations with auto-iso which users of flash might like" or something like that. I will drop him a line and see what he has to say about it. There is one thing however that you must consider: a flash picture with iso 800 is surprisingly "good" compared to the d200; evenly lit and less noise ....
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love it (majid abbasi — 02/17/2010)
It's best & i love it but i can't buy it becuse i don't have enough mony. i live in iran & i'm engineer and my salary is 800 $ in moon.
majidam55374@yahoo.com
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majidam55374@yahoo.com
Raw Files (Lisa — 01/26/2010)
can you shoot this camera in raw and tiff or just high jpeg?
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Brenda Paro (01/30/2010)
You can indeed do RAW and TIFF! You can, in fact, do compressed RAW, lossless uncompressed RAW, RAW+JPG (two copies of each photo), TIFF, or JPEG.
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Which camera has the best white image/low light capability- NikonD90, D300s,D700s or CannonD50 ? (Norette — 12/22/2009)
Also, which of the above cameras is easiest to transfer pictures to my Dell computer for processing and copying.
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by James DeRuvo (12/22/2009)
Transferring is a wash if you use a card reader - which is the best way. That way it's a simple drag and drop onto your PC. Low light, I think all would work just fine. I'd prefer the D90 for one reason .... HD video.
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