One Last Chance ...

<p>I'm about to take the plunge and purchase a new camera. I previously requested the assistance of PN Nikonians and was grateful when you assisted: <a href="http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00TCFb">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00TCFb</a></p>

<p>I've saved enough money (I think) and am about to finally make my purchase, but wanted to give you one last chance to tell me "yay" or "nay" on purchasing the Nikon D300, a Nikon MB-D10 Multi Power Batter Pack, and a 8GB Extreme III ScanDisk. I'm setting my sites on a refurbished D300, but would be willing to pay the extra $400-$500 for a new one if an argument could be made that new is better than refurbished.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for your insight. I'm really excited because football season starts in 2 weeks!</p>

<p>You will not be sorry, Laura. I'm using a refurbed D300 now, and quite happy with it. Use the heck out of it during that shorter warranty period, just to scare up anything that needs attention. My guess is that you'll hardly put it down!<br /><br />Get at least one extra battery, too.</p>

<p>with the mb-d10, get an en el4a (or the currect version) battery and you will rarely need a spare!</p>

<p>You may want to wait a few weeks for the price of a new D300 to drop a bit from the D300s.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>You may want to wait a few weeks for the price of a new D300 to drop a bit from the D300s.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>With the assumption that you will still be able to find new D300 bodies. I am not saying that you won't be. You may or may not be able to find them new in another month or two; that is an unknown at this point.</p>

<p>Laura,<br>

I'm wondering why you want & need the MB-D10 & then you decide on only one CF card. This is highly illogical to me. You should have at least two CF cards. Just in case one has problems. I once bought two new cards & they both malfunctioned. Got them exchanged - too late for the vacation shots - those two malfunctioned as well.<br>

The MB-D10 weighs a lot. I'm used to it & love it - but unless you need 8fps..... It may be more than you want.<br>

But please - please use more than one CF card.<br>

JMHO<br>

Lil :-)</p>

<p>Why not a nice, new, clean D90?</p>

<p>She shoots sports, Dan. No contest between the two bodies - the D300 is way better on the AF and speed/buffer side of things. Also a lot more moisture/dirt-capable, which matters in a lot of outdoor shooting situations.</p>

<p>"Why not a nice, new, clean D90?"</p>

<p>She shoots a lot of sports. Period.</p>

<p>LOL. Matt that was almost simultaneous</p>

<p>Thanks everyone ...</p>

<p>Thanks for your kind advice, Lil. I certainly wouldn't want to be "illogical." I was just trying to run down my list of what I thought I would need. Thanks to Robert, I hadn't thought about the EL4A and will have to check into it. I'll probably have to put an extra CF on my wish list for either my anniversary in November or Christmas list. (I'll just use one of my other cameras as a backup should something happen to it). This is a huge purchase for me and I need to be frugal--my son starts back to school next week and I'll need every spare dime to help with his expenses.</p>

<p>My husband will be surprised when I tell him I'm actually making the purchase! Maybe with the new speed I'll be able to shoot more in RAW. I'm sooo excited. Thanks again everyone. I certainly hope there will be a noticeable improvement. I'm soo giddy. Thanks.</p>

 

<p>BTW, Matt ... I like your new profile photo. Very nice.</p>

You can get a decent Lexar 2GB card for those moments in which you want a backup. Or two...

 

I went once to Office Max, and they had some for sale at about $13.00. I snagged their last two and have been happy with

them.

 

Whatever you do, buy your card(s) from a reputable dealer, be it a store or online. Do not use eBay (unless, of course, you

bough from Adorama or some such store), because there are lots of counterfeit CF cards around.

 

Congratulations on your choice. I, for one, support your getting the MB-D10. Nothing works better than that in cold

weather, with some Nikon batteries or reliable AA rechargeables.

<p>I'm hoping this works, but here is a link that you may want to use for your CF cards:</p>

<p>http://dealmac.com/3-San-Disk-Extreme-III-8-GB-CF-for-73-after-rebate-free-shipping-more-updated-/311387.html?redir=1&ref=alert</p>

<p>It is to dealmac.com, and it is for both Extreme III or Extreme IV cards.</p>

<p>If you are one a budget, I'd get 8 AA NiMH-batteries to go with the MB-D10 instead of the EN-EL3 or EN-EL4 batteries, at least until you have sufficient funds.</p>

<p>Congrats on the decision :-) I just want to second Lill's suggestion - skip the MB-D10 at first, and get at least 2 CF cards. They're simply more important.<br>

I'd suggest getting Extreme IV - when shooting at high speed (6 fps, w/o the extra grip), I notice the speed difference between the Extreme III and IV cards quite well, the IV's are really quicker to clear the buffer again after it's been filled.</p>

<p>But maybe I'm too late :-) If so, have a great time discovering the best APS-C camera out there.</p>

<p>Laura,<br>

I can understand why you want the grip now - sports - yes you do want to be able to get 8fps. That explains the wish for the grip.<br>

Joel found a deal on CF cards for you - even if you just get a 4GB card extra or get two 4GB cards. It's always better to have more than one card - - just in case.<br>

To save money with the grip - use regular batteries. But put the big batteries (EN-EL4 batteries) on your wish list - but with those you have to get that charger as well & that adds up. But with those batteries you will be set. That's what I use.<br>

Good luck & you'll love the D300.<br>

Lil :-)</p>

<blockquote>

<p>with the mb-d10, get an en el4a (or the correct version) battery and you will rarely need a spare!</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I don't disagree, but I'll present a separate option, use NIMH AA batteries. that is **all** i use on my D700 with the MB-10, and here's why: it will give you the 8FPS, I get good life out of them, shooting all day on good quality duracell 2400 AA batteries, and most importantly the batteries I use in my camera, and my flash, are all the same and use the same charger.<br>

Not to mention that I can get emergency replacement batteries in any store in the world.<br>

-----------<br>

As far as cards go, LOOK CAREFULLY, different capacities of extreme III's and Extreme IV's have different speeds, some so close that it's not worth the up charge for the IV's. I've also gotten good millage out of Lexar, but have has nothing but problems with Kingston shooting RAW (they're actually fine shooting JPG, don't ask me why).<br>

On the buffer, if you've got good timing, and constrain yourself to 3-9 round bursts, I rarely run out of buffer regardless of what card I'm shooting with.</p>

<p>Unless you already have EN-EL4a batteries and charger, getting a set of those is very expensive. It is much cheaper to get 8 frames/second with 8 AA batteries.</p>