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Nikon D300


girishmenon

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<p>What are the obvious shortcomings of the Nikon D300 as compared to the latest camera bodies (purely in terms of image quality at low ISO settings)? Anything at all? If I use a Nikon D300 for making photos which need to end up as 16" x 20" prints, is there anything that I should be careful about?<br>

I will be using the Nikon 24-120 F/4 VR, 85 F/1.8G, 500 F/4 P IF-ED (AiS) and the 80-200 F/4 (AiS).</p>

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<p>Girish, Some of my favorite photos (especially of birds) were made with the D300. My main advice would be to stay at ISO 200, but for certain not to venture beyond ISO 800 for best results. As you are aware, it is a 12MP camera while the latest are 24-36MP. Obviously that will somewhat limit any PP cropping as well for 16x20 prints. Just try to frame your shots so that the need to crop later will be limited.</p>
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<p>Hi Girish. A D300 is a perfectly capable camera. Disadvantages compared with a newer model? Much less <a href="http://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Compare/Side-by-side/Nikon-D5500-versus-Nikon-D300s-versus-Nikon-D300___998_614_440">dynamic range</a> if you want to do shadow recovery in post, and as you've noted the low-light performance isn't state of the art. Get the exposure right and fill your shadows, and you'll be fine. Of course, you'll still only be 12MP, with an AA filter, so you won't get quite the detail the latest sensors will give you, but it should still be plenty for a moderate print size unless you want to crop a lot. But you're not buying a D300 these days for the sensor (I hope). Good luck.</p>
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<p>Girish, last time when you asked a similar question about a year and half ago, you mentioned that you were mainly a Canon user: http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00c2w5<br>

Do you already have a D300 or you intend to buy one?</p>

<p>As Andrew Garrard answered back then, the D300S (essentially the same camera as the D300 with dual memory cards and primitive video) was very old technology. It is even more so today. If you are buying a camera in order to use those lenses, I would go for something newer or perhaps FX format, but it also depends on what type of subjects you shoot and your budget.</p>

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<p>I've printed larger than 16x20 from well-exposed, relatively low ISO D300 images made with good lenses, and the results can look quite good. Enough that paying customers were very happy. I still grab the D300 as a secondary body once in a while, but certainly appreciate a much more recent body for the noticeably better dynamic range and chroma noise behavior.</p>
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<p>I rarely print over 10x12", my largest easel is a Saunders 16x20" one. Personally, I find a 16x20" to be a big print. Matted and framed the thing grows. I have some 3-4ft. long Lambda prints mounted on aluminum frames (no borders), these are expensive! They came from 10-12Mp cameras, and 35mm film as well. They look fine to my taste.</p>

<p>So my question is: Do you <strong>really</strong> need more than 12Mp? Do you <strong>regularly</strong> make 16x20" prints?</p>

<p>Generally and obviusly, the latter the better, the bigger the better. And usually, the most expensive, the better, too.</p>

<p>But if money (or whatever) is an issue, I think we are perfectly fine with 12Mp... I say "we" because I shoot with a 12Mp D700. BTW, the difference between a D300 and D700 print at base ISO is between marginal to unexistent. I personally checked it when the D3 was released.</p>

<p>Another topic is the quality of the image; as mentioned, there could be a huge difference between a good/bad illluninated and exposed shot, a tripod/handheld shot, etc. We can read here about unsatisfied users that find their "carefree" shots disgusting even coming from a 36Mp camera with a pro lens... and the opposite, shots taken with cheap cameras and consumer superzooms that look really nice and sharp.</p>

<p>I personally would not buy a D300 (nor any outdated model) because I think current cheaper (consumer?) models do it better, at least in pure image quality. And they offer some "new" features older models lack. But if you have a -really good- chance (important to be "really good"), the D300 could be an interesting option.</p>

<p> </p><div>00dDKD-556028284.jpg.e60985df7d9787aa582324d46274fb19.jpg</div>

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<p>Back in the 1990's, I had 16x24 prints done from 35mm Velvia originals (Nikon F4), and they still look pretty good today.</p>

<p>My point is that at least in my opinion, the question is not really whether you can make 16x20 prints from images from the D300 RAW files. I am sure you can, and in fact you can with even older technologies. How much is a used D300 in these days, maybe $400?? You can buy a new D7000 for like below $600 or so today. In my mind, the question is whether a D300 is the best DSLR body for the OP to buy now in April, 2015. Can he spend a bit more to get better results?</p>

<p>Without knowing the subject matter and budget, it is hard to answer.</p>

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<p>I agree with all the comments on the older D300 sensor. If the OP is looking to purchase a camera, I think the key factors are: (1) budget; and (2) camera requirements. If your budget is under $500 and you need certain D300 strengths (large build, good ergonomics, nice feature set) then a D300 can make sense. However, if you have a larger budget then you may be able to find a better camera for your needs then D300. </p>

<p>Personally, I moved from D200 to D300 and I am quite happy with the D300 for my needs. </p>

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It all depends on what you want to do with the camera and what limitations you're comfortable with compared to what's

available now. I still have a pair of D200s that are in pristine condition and I know exactly their limitations and use them

accordingly. If you're out to find a bargain, any of the new consumer bodies like the D3300 are going to beat the pants off

the D300 once you turn the ISO up some.

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<blockquote>

<p>The lenses that you listed are good and expensive lenses and all of them are FX. I would buy an FX body if I want to use them.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>a 24-120/4 might actually be sharper on the edges with a DX body due to the crop sensor. $400 is reasonable for a d300 in good condition. still a well-built body, and two control rings + focus motor, unlike some of the newer-gen models. i would probably be more concerned about shutter actuations than anything else. <br>

<br>

as far as ISO, i wouldnt push it above 1600 unless no other way to get the shot, but at lower values, you should be ok. </p>

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<p>Thank you so much for all your replies. Yes, Shun. It's a long story and some of you will think that I'm crazy.<br>

After that post, http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00c2w5 I simply purchased a Neewer Nikon-Canon EOS adapter with the focus confirmation chip glued on. The focus confirmation chip worked great but the adapter didn't fit too well on the 500 F/4 ED-IF P. There was a circular displacement of say 2 millimeters which is easier to deal with when using a 28mm or 50mm lens but not a lens of this size. So while shooting, I had to pull the weight of my right hand down to combat this displacement. <br>

I then contacted one other manufacturer (I don't recall their name but they were a small team who made customised adapters). Their Nikon-Canon adapter could be screwed at the back of the Nikon mount, however, I wasn't interested in melting the cement around the screws of the original Nikon mount to take them off and fix their mount.<br>

Nevertheless, I did a birding trip with the Neewer adapter and the Canon 50D and Canon 550D (also had access to a 5dm3 briefly) and posted this http://www.photo.net/canon-eos-digital-camera-forum/00cUgN<br>

During this trip, I realised that I should invest in an affordable Nikon body for my birding trips rather than dealing with a lose big lens. I do only one, maybe two of these birding/wildlife trips every year for leisure, so I didn't want to make a big investment. I'm not too fond of the handling of the 3000 and 5000 series and the D7000 was new and expensive back then. So I purchased a used D300 from Adorama.<br>

I've since done a couple of wildlife trips with the 500mm lens and D300 but then again, I had problems with my tripod and had to shoot at hight ISO settings to ensure fast shutter speeds. I'm not displeased with what I got out of my D300 during these trips. I haven't printed any of the photos though. <br>

Now then, as my Canon 50D is getting older, so am I. I used to mainly do outdoor travel assignments but now the thought of setting up a studio close to home and increasing my portraiture work seems like a good idea.<br>

I have limited money to invest in gear at the moment because of the costs involved in acquiring the studio space. I'm considering the Nikon 24-120 F/4 VR on the D300 for studio portraits rather than purchasing say a 7D or 70D and the 24-105 IS (in our local markets, a Nikon 24-120 VR costs about $ 650).<br>

My primary lens all these years has been the Canon 16-35 f/2.8 USM II which has the 50D at the moment.<br>

I rarely use long lenses for my professional work so I had never invested in one. The other day, I got a good deal on a Nikon AiS 80-200 F/4 ($95 on ebay). <br>

In a few months, I want to travel to a pinewood forest and photograph the trees in black and white, that's why I bought the 80-200 lens.<br>

The purpose of this thread was to understand your experiences with printing photos made with the D300. Would you say that dynamic range of the D300 is more than black and white film?<br>

Last, but not the least, while all this was happening, I got a good deal on a Nikon D200. I purchased it four months ago as 'back up'. I'm hoping to recover all this money sooner rather than later with my studio work before I sit down with a light head and re-evaluate everything that has gone down. </p>

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<p>If you are not swimming with money, and Canon is your main brand, I would sell your Nikon gear and consolidate into Canon. All of these duplicated bodies and lenses in two brands simply costs extra money and adds weight. (If Nikon makes more sense, you could do it the way around and sell your Canon stuffs.) Either brand can get you great images, and you aren't using their latest and greatest products that maybe exclusive to one brand anyway. The key is to streamline your gear.</p>

<p>For long lenses, both Tamron and Sigma have 150-600mm zooms in either Canon or Nikon mount.</p>

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<p>I like the fact that manual focus AiS lenses work on Nikon DSLR cameras. Canon FD lenses don't work that way. I wanted a quality lens for my wildlife photography and that's the only reason I went for the Nikon 500mm f/4P (and it can work on Canon bodies too). <br>

But I also like the additional focus points on bodies such as the D300, D7000, D7100 and now even the D5300 as compared to their Canon counterparts.<br>

It might be logical to trade the Canon 16-35 for the Nikon 17-35.</p>

 

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I've printed multiple 24x36 on a 24" CAD inkjet printer with excellent results. No cropping on these images. Lots of light, outdoors, ISO 200, handheld. I've also done some 24x36 canvas wraps with excellent results. The key D300 feature for me is with my usual 17 x 55 f/2.8 lens and a battery grip the camera fits my hands well. Mount the 70 - 200 f/2.8 and its still a nice fit for me. I've handled the D3200 and the D7100 and they just are too small for me. Maybe I could adjust with time, but the D300 does everything I've asked of it. Granted, all my lenses are 2.8 or faster.

 

Mark

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