Jeffrey’s Blog

The new Nikon D300 Digital Camera seems to live up to all its hype and even exceeds it in a couple of cases, especially high ISO shooting.

I say seems because I have only had the camera for 10 days and because of deadlines, have not been able to work with the camera as much as I would prefer. So please consider this as a quick report with more details to follow in the February issue when we will also review the full-frame Nikon D3 Digital Camera.

The D300 Digital Camera is a major upgrade from the D200. A new 12.3 megapixel DX format CMOS sensor coupled with the Nikon ESPEED image process and 14-bit A/D conversion add up to great images.

Also new is  Multi-CAM3500DX Auto-focus sensor with 51 points (15 of them cross-type sensitive) and Auto-focus tracking by color that uses information from the 1005-pixel AE sensor.

Its really quick start-up, 13 ms, shutter lag of only 45ms, mirror blackout of 100ms coupled with a six-frames-a-second continuous shooting (up to eight a second if you add the optional improved battery pack) is pretty impressive.

Speaking of impressive, that describes the new high-resolution 3-inch 922,000 pixel LCD monitor on the back that is the clearest, sharpest LCD on a camera that I have ever seen. The new separate up and down magnifying buttons on the back of the camera work quickly and the clarity of the screen allows you to “really see” if the image you just made is as sharp as you want it to be.

Add to this Live View, with both hand-held and tripod settings, that let you play view camera guy if you bring along a dark cloth to throw over your head to cut down on reflections. Interesting features of the Live View are being able to watch the effect of changing the white balancesettings on the screen and the ability to focus precisely using the magnify buttons and the Multi Selector to zero in on the subject. I’m sure that there will be times that Live View will save the day but since the monitor screen does not articulate, it’s not the help for hail marys or low-angle shots that I wish it could be.

I should mention that the view of D300 Digital Camera through the viewfinder pentaprism is now 100% and it’s bright, clean, a pleasure to look through and, of course, has a built-in diopter adjustment.

Relative Link about Nikon D300

Nikon D300挑戰市場

Nikon New Introduce D300 Digital Camera

Fierce Competitor Nikon D300

D300 is a Dream to Use and Hold

Nikon D300 Aggressively Competing in Market

Discuss about Nikon D300 Digital Camera

Nikon D300’s Day Has Come

There’s a lot to discuss with the new Nikon D300 Digital Camera, so let’s get started.

Look and Feel. Much like the Canon 40D Digital Camera announced earlier this week, the D300 is an evolution of a popular and proven SLR design. Instead of radical changes, we see a moderate tuning of design elements, with softer corners; but overall the camera will remain familiar to current owners.

From the front we can see the slightly more organic curves and a restyled red accent on the grip. The Nikon logo looks slightly bolder, and the D300 Digital Camera logo has been moved up and left a bit to make room for the new tethered Remote Terminal cover (top right).

The back has the same number of components in familiar places, but the purpose and name of a few have changed. Starting at the upper left, what was once the Bracket button has been replaced with the Playback button, and the five buttons left of the LCD have been moved around a bit. Menu moves up one button to make room for more clearly marked zoom buttons, and the Enter button has changed to OK. On the right, the AF-area mode switch no longer includes the Group dynamic-AF option, and the memory card latch has a new design. Finally, the 3-inch LCD takes up more real estate on the back. A plastic screen cover is still available for the D300 Digital Camera, but is not shown here. The LCD itself is reinforced with tempered glass.

On top we have only minor style changes, with a trend toward oval and round buttons on the D300  in place of the oblong buttons on the D200 . The left strap lug has been moved from its far-forward position on the D200  to a spot more near the center of the body. There are also minor changes to the Status LCD.

Body. The D300  has a strong magnesium alloy body for a rock-solid feel. It is sealed to keep dust and moisture out, and the optional battery grip is built of the same material. The substantial grip looks similar to the D200, which was an excellent fit for most hands.

LCD. The first major aspect that the D300 Digital Camera shares with the D3 is its high-resolution LCD. At 920,000 pixels, the D300’s LCD resolution is higher than any SLR currently on the market. As LCDs get bigger, the value of higher resolution becomes clear. You can more easily check focus, sometimes even without zooming in; but when you do zoom in, you can really check focus. The actual resolution in more familiar dimensional terms is 640×480, because they count each color in their calculation (RGB). But even if you count three horizontal pixels as one, that’s still 266 pixels per inch, which is a lot finer resolution than your computer screen. The result is a remarkably smooth, crisp, and sharp view of your images. Menus look like they’re printed on photographic paper.

The new LCD has a 170 degree viewing angle, and offers a 100% view, whether you’re looking at captured images or framing in Live View mode. We’ll test that when we get a sample, but in general we find that to be true.

Relative Link about Nikon D300

Nikon D300挑戰市場

Nikon New Introduce D300 Digital Camera

Fierce Competitor Nikon D300

D300 is a Dream to Use and Hold

Nikon D300 Aggressively Competing in Market

Nikon D300 Exceed High ISO Shooting

Nikon D300’s Day Has Come

Today is a very good day for Nikon fans. If you’ve held on to your Nikon D300 gear while others defected to other brands, your day has come. Though Nikon has long since re-established its prominence in the digital SLR market, today’s announcements of the D3 and D300 take the battle to a new level. If the D80, D40, and D40x were a shot across the bow of their largest competitor, the D3 and D300 digital camera are a broadside, point-blank.

Both the D3 and D300 Digital Camera are pro-grade cameras, and share many of the same revolutionary features. While the D3 breaks new ground for Nikon with a full-frame sensor (called FX) at 12.1 megapixels, the D300 nearly matches that resolution at the old DX-size recording a 12.3 megapixel image with a 1.5x crop factor. They share so many features, we’ve come to think of the D300 as the build-it-yourself Nikon D3. You can almost achieve the D3’s performance by adding accessories to the D300; all but the larger frame size.

Nikon’s D300 digital camera displaces the D200 at the top of the prosumer DX lineup, but it does not replace it. The D200 will live on. But D200 owners in particular will be especially drawn to the D300’s new features. The camera’s increased resolution, 14-bit A/D conversion, and a frame rate of six frames-per-second will pique their interest. The new Scene Recognition System that merges data from the AF system with data from the 1,005-point metering system for greater accuracy and better tracking will draw them closer; the new 51-point AF system that fairly dominates the DX-sized frame and includes 15 cross-type sensors will make them chuckle with joy; and the 920,000 pixel, 3-inch LCD will make them check their bank balance for available funds.

They won’t know whether they care for Live View, in-camera Lateral Chromatic Aberration Correction, a self-cleaning sensor, or optic-by-optic autofocus fine-tuning until they have the camera in their hands; but the ability to upgrade to eight-frames-per-second with the purchase of a battery grip will set their resolve.

The only disappointment is the Nikon D300’s November 2007 shipping date. That’s a long time to wait for something that so whets the appetite. With an expected retail price of $1,800, D200 owners will be on familiar ground, investing a little more money for a lot more camera. Here’s hoping that the legacy of the D200’s supply shortages — which we’re told persist to this day — won’t be a problem with the D300.

Relative Link about Nikon D300

Nikon D300挑戰市場

Nikon New Introduce D300 Digital Camera

Fierce Competitor Nikon D300

D300 is a Dream to Use and Hold

Nikon D300 Aggressively Competing in Market

Discuss about Nikon D300 Digital Camera

Nikon D300 Exceed High ISO Shooting