What drives you nuts about the D300?

<p>For me, it's how easily the auto focus switch gets knocked out of position. I have to remember to check it constantly or I will find myself shooting in manual focus or continuous focus. Maybe it has something to do with my being left handed and how I hold the camera, but the switch moves far too easily.</p>

<p>That's true of every Nikon body that's designed that way. You just learn to stop grabbing it in a way that does that. And, you just learn reflexively to check, too. I find it happens <em>less</em> frequently to me with the D300 than it does with my D200, actually.</p>

<p>I paid $1799 for my D300 early in its product cycle. What "drives me nuts" is that Nikon is now selling a camera in the mid $1000 range that is clearly superior to the D2X that was sold at $5000 merely 4 years ago. (Only 2 years and 10 months had elapsed between the D2X becoming available in February 2005 to the D300 in November 2007.) Value for the D2X/D2Xs in the used market sank like a rock as soon as the D300 was introduced.</p>

<p>One item missing on both the D300 and D700 is a dedicated exposure bracketing button. I have unintentionally engaged that feature and messed up some images. I have no problem with the AF/MF S/C/M button on all Nikon AF bodies.</p>

<p>I liked the overlay-info display of D200 better than on D300, during playback on D200 you would see the image full size in the background as different exposure info would be overlayed, now on D300 it's different info pages and it either covers the image too much or it makes the image just a fraction (like 1/4) of the screen.</p>

<p>I never accidentally bumped that C/S/M switch but when I switch, I have to look to make sure it is where it's supposed to be. Like Shun, I miss the dedicated bracketing button that was on the D200 and vanished on the D300. <br>

My D300 with the attached MB-D10 has the annoying - and intermittent tendency - to not display the image or the menu when the MB-D10 is on and the respective buttons on the camera are pressed - simply nothing happens. Turning the MB-D10 to L rectifies this - when I turn it back on, sometimes it goes right back to the same problem, sometimes it doesn't. I catually think that the MB-D200 was the better design and allowed for a better connection between camera and battery pack.</p>

<p>I vote for the easily bumped switch, too. The other thing that drives me nuts is some posters on other forums who still claim there is a flaw in the design that makes the D300 die suddenly in the middle of shooting and that it effects huge numbers of cameras.</p>

<p>What I want on any camera is a personal reset switch. I want to have a set of things that I set like WB-A, Exposure-0, Bracketing-off, Quality-L/N, etc.</p>

<p>Yes - the focusing & not to forget my issue with the lens release button with is too sensitive..... I want more resistance Nikon!<br>

Yes & from handling alone - the metering changes somehow. I aim for Matrix - but inevently I'm always in Spot. - - I don't get that one.<br>

That it won't take the same type of Eclips as my D200. I have a big thing on my sensor which no blowing to the end of time is getting rid of. Eclipse E2 is on the way..... but the wait is too long...<br>

Noise now that I'm used to the D700<br>

Lil :-)</p>

<p>Nothing. But I'm not usually shooting fast-moving things.</p>

<p>Conni</p>

<p>Very little. :-) It has taken me about six months of use (not every day, but mostly every week) to really understand how to use it, though. I keep liking it more and more as I understand why Nikon put a certain button where they put it, say.<br>

But I must agree that the M/A/C focus switch button feels a bit fiddly and I can't easily operate it without turning the camera around and looking at it.<br>

Martin</p>

<p>The omission of a dedicated exposure bracketing button.</p>

<p>Sanford, I agree with you 100%. I wound up using gaffer tape and taping the selector switch to S.</p>

<p>That is very easy...... what bothers me most is that I only own one! Would be nice to have 1 for each lens!</p>

 

<p>Re: The D700, the relocation of the image display button compared to the D200. It's gets old calling up the "menu" function everytime I want to chimp and image.</p>

<p>Guess I'll get used to it eventually.</p>

<p>What drives me nuts? The fact that so many people gripe about the D300 and I still can't afford one. Heck, wanna swap for the obviously vastly superior D2H? I'll throw in three EN-EL4's, the EH-6 power adapter and maybe a few other goodies.</p>

<p>What, no takers? Yeh, see, the D300 ain't so bad after all, hmm? ;></p>

<p>Lex, D90?</p>

<p>I'm giving it some serious thought, Dan. The D90 is the AE-1 of this generation of dSLRs. I'd have to trade in a bunch of stuff to make the trade. But due to back and neck injuries I'm not enjoying the D2H as much anymore, especially not lugging a bunch of heavy equipment. Last time I shot a PJ type session (a local industrial fire), just lugging my D2H, 300/4.5 AI Nikkor, 35-70/2.8D AF, 50/1.8D and SB-800 gave me a neck and back ache for the next several days. A modest load by most standards but a bit much for me nowadays.</p>

<p>A D90 and the new 35/1.8 DX Nikkor would do nicely for my purposes. And the low noise/high ISO performance seems promising. Giving it some thought, we'll see...</p>

<p>Lex, you might consider a belt/harness with detachable pouches. Would get the weight off the neck/upper back and place it more on the hips yet leave everything quickly accessible. Can place lighter gear like filters/memory cards/triggers on the harness portion, heavier, bulkier like 300 mm behind back since they slide around for access. Camera with lens in pouch at side not interfering with leg movement. Shot with someone from the local club using one last weekend, pretty slick. Can add or subtract pouches depending on the shoot. </p>

<p>Shun, do you think that since the affordable consumer DSLR is relatively new technology, the rapid progress can be expected til like film slrs, they are perfected to point the standard features meet the needs and the technology plateaus. I'm not a computer guy, but seems like in the 90's computers went through such a technology spurt which has slowed in the last 5 or so years. In the ninetys, it seemed like every couple of years a computer was obsolete, not any more. As for that focus switch, I used to rest the camera, lens down on vertical dividers in the bag. That could change the setting. Now the lens rests on horizontal divider over a timer trigger which wouldnt be needed unless camera was off it. Plus, manipulating it from behind the camera just doesnt make sense to me, so I have to look. I guess if it was important enough, I could drill with it til I get it, but it isnt.</p>

<p>I suspect that some people have problems with the AF/MF C/S/M switch on the D300 and other Nikon AF bodies because they hold their camera incorrectly.<br>

<br />If you hand hold your camera, your left palm should be supporting the camera from the bottom and use the fingers on your left hand to focus and zoom the lens. In that case no part of your left hand can accidentally turn the C/S/M switch. However, if you grab the left side of the camera body with your left hand, I can see why your middle or ring finger can accidentally knock that C/S/M switch out of position. But that is not the right way to hand hold.<br>

<br />In case that is your problem, please don't blame that on Nikon.</p>

<p>Lex: I think Bob's really onto something, there. I've evangelized here occasionally about the Think Tank stuff (but I don't feel too pushy, since Ellis does it too!)... but man, what a relief, getting that gear off of my neck and shoulders.<br /><br />I spent some time the other day on a go-go-go shoot with two bodies and several lenses (including the weighty 70-200/2.8), and used Think Tank's modular system. Though I have one of their simple, heavily padded belts off of which I hang a couple of body holsters and lens drop-in bags, I also use their Speed Racer product. The Speed Racer has a very comfortable waist belt, but you can tuck that in and use the bag off the shoulder, too, if you like. From that bag's belt, I also mount the same modular extras that I use with their belt-only rigs.<br /><br />Anyway, I can't emphasize enough how comfortable it is to let all of that mass ride on your hips instead of your upper body. Lowe Pro makes similar stuff, but I've become a big fan of Think Tank's little design nuances. </p>

<p>Being pretty new to any semblance of serious photography, I need all the help I can get. I've found the D300 (my first and only DSLR) fantastic. However, my pet peeve is that the viewfinder grid display does not follow the rule of thirds. I have it on to give me a reference to vertical and horizontal but it doesn't offer much help beyond that. Am I missing something?<br>

--Wade</p>

<p>The only thing that drives me nuts about the D300 is that I can't afford to buy one right now.</p>

<p>Yup, waist bags can help. But I can't put much more weight there than on my back. Car wreck banged up the lower back (left a weird knot on the right upper edge of the sacrum), right knee, blah-blah-blah, whinge-whine-moan. I do sometimes split up my camera gear between a small shoulder bag and small Lowepro Off Trail waist bag. Helps a bit. But when I'm in a rush, like trying to catch that industrial fire last month, I just toss everything into a medium size shoulder bag. (Was hardly worth the effort anyway, no flames, not much smoke.)</p>

<p>Shun, this NEVER happens with my D50 or D80, just the D300. I believe the switch doesn't have enough resistance. I don't know how it gets knocked out of position so much but I do know it shouldn't happen so easily no matter how I hold the camera.</p>