What I hate about my D300

<p>I hate the Lens release button position. Once or twice during every job I find it moved from the S to C or even M position. <br>

I might just hot glue it into place since I can use the M mode on the lens and I never plan to use the C. <br>

But for a wonderful camera too bad they did not catch this problem.</p><div></div>

<p>Hmmm... You mean the focus mode switch? The lens release button has been comprehensively complained about in other posts.</p>

<p>Hot glue's a little extreme. Try some duct tape.</p>

<p>I hate them both, sevetral times I had a lens disconnected and the AF in the wrong funktion. The af-switch is a lot better as the grip is mounted.</p>

<p>The lens release button is another thing I never had this problem till I got the D200 or D300 and it continious on the D700, it never happens on my D2h.<br>

Camera's before: FG20, F70, F90, D70, D50.</p>

<p>When I had a D2x I hated the focus mode switch. It was always being bumped to a position I didn't want.</p>

<p>Should have kept it like the F5. That thing doesn't move unless you want it to.</p><div></div>

<p>What I really hate about my D300 is that Nikon did not YET released D400. :-)</p>

<p>Honestly I never had problems with the way are arranged these controls... the only minor problem I have is with the door over the USB and other connectors... It's a really PITA to get it closed now.</p>

<p>Otherwise with every day I'm more and more pleased about how good is this camera and I feel guilty for neglecting it because of my D700. But I like to handle it much better than D700. They are very close in size and weight but D300 represents the perfect size for my hands.</p>

<p>Just 1 question... :<br>

Did you tell Nikon about this ?<br>

Nikon , at least at the Dutch Nikon Website, actively asks about wether you have any comments/remarks on their products, and also encourages ppl. to send them new ideas that could contribute to improving a future camera or lens...</p>

<p>I posted this same thing about 3 months ago, and got lambasted by a few who thought I was so dumb I wasn't holding the camera/lens correctly. Anyway, especially with short lenses like 50mm f1.4 to physically hold the lens as part of the 2-way support, your fingers almost have to touch that C/S/M lever. It's great to have a switch, but it is in the wrong place.</p>

<p>I forwarded a link to this thread to Nikon USA's Customer Relations Department. This type of feedback should be useful to them.</p>

<p>Shun, the probelm here is that I actually <strong>like </strong>the focus mode switch. But if it ever is changed for something other people like and I do not, I might just glue it in the c-position...</p>

<p>I am sure that Nikon, like me, makes no attempt to please everybody. Wade, sorry to bring this up again, but if you hold the camera correctly, I see no reason why you can accidentally touch the AF/MF S/C/M switch during picture taking. However, obviously people need to change lenses and if it is easy to change the AF/MF settings unintentionally during lens change, this is an issue.</p>

<p>The D7000's AF/MF switch has yet a slightly different design. On the D7000, the switch lever points to the bottom of the camera so that it seems harder to change the setting accidentally.</p>

<p>While my D300 and Sigmonster are very workable for surf photography, the 16 MP sensors in my D7000s and Sony A580 are far better. For football, I previously used the D300 with slow focusing 80-400 but the JPEG images needed a lot of post processing especially since the home team's uniform was black and white. It takes a lot of time to process the best 20-30 images of the game. Not nearly the problem with the A580 and 70-400. The Sony is not as quick as the D300 but the JPEG images are almost ready to post right out of the camera. The D7000's are also much better than the D300.</p>

Just tape the switch over with gaffer tape which won't leave nasty residue like a duct tape would.

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<p>I might just hot glue it into place since I can use the M mode on the lens and I never plan to use the C.</p>

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<p>There are many fine lenses that do not have M mode on the lens: I have a 50mm f1.8 and f1.4, and 20mm f2.8, 28mm f2.8 that don't. Probably others, that's just off the top of my head.</p>

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<p>But for a wonderful camera too bad they did not catch this problem.</p>

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<p>I'm sure they've had a bit of feedback, the mechanism has been basically unchanged for over 20 years. My old N8008 had it.</p>

<p>ok, my hands are the size of bear claws and a 50mm is very short. How exactly am I supposed to hold then lens?...assume I have a battery grip on a D300.<br>

This is laughable. 25% of pros admit knocking that level off accidentally and people still thinks it's not an ergonomic error in locating it where they did .</p>

<p>We have been down this road before. That is my biggest complaint about the D300 too and you are about to get a hundred people telling you you are holding it wrong. B.S.! It is a design flaw, plain and simple. IT SHOULD NOT BE SO EASY TO MOVE THIS SWITCH, PERIOD.</p>

<p>Sanford, we indeed have discussed this before: <a href="00SSBp">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00SSBp</a><br />They teach you how to hold the camera correctly in introduction classes. When "a hundred people" tell you that you are doing it wrong, perhaps there is some truth in it. Keep dismissing it is not going to correct your problem. Holding an SLR the wrong way has more serious implications, such as stability, increased camera shake, etc.</p>

<p>I, for one, have never had problems with that AF/MF switch on the D300, but I can see that for some people, changing lenses can potentially knock the switch off.</p>

<p>I'm pretty sure my focus mode problems using a D2x happened when changing from a vertical to horizontal framing and my thumb brushed the focus switch to Continuous.  Then I'd wonder why my lens was going crazy for the next photo.  If it had more resistance I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem, but it was way too easy to bump from S to C.</p>

<p>Well, I am left eyed and have to hold the camera in a certain way to accommodate my "disability". I have adjusted to the "design flaw"now by constantly checking the switch as a matter of habit. No piece of technology can accommodate 100 percent of the of the people 100 percent of the time and compromises and adjustments have to be made, kind of like living with this crapy little Apple keyboard I'm typing on now. The switch does not have enough resistance and is too easily knocked off position in the heat of action. This never happens with my D80 or D50.</p>

<p>Shun: Thanks for sending this on. I do hold the camera correctly and the thing still moves. </p>

<p>I wonder if some people's C-S-M switch/levers are 'looser' than others? For there to be a positive 'notch' action, there must be a kinda ridge>groove mechanism.<br /> I imagine there can be wear on these surfaces resulting in a less positive, looser hold and more accidental changes? <br /> Admittedly the position doesn't help, but my D300's & D700's levers take some pushing, so stiff infact that I can't do it with gloves on.</p>

<p>PS My D300 hate is that the rubber finger grip has 'grown' to be bigger than the recess it's supposed to fit it and now pokes out around the edges and seems to catch on everything when taking it out of the camera bag!</p>

<p>As I've said in previous threads, my only issue with this switch (admittedly on my D700) is that it's so far from where my hand might possibly be that it's impossible for me to reach it. I'd still like to know how people are holding their cameras in such a way as to go anywhere near it. Maybe it's because I rarely use a 50mm prime.<br />

<br />

Personally, I'd like the C/S/M switch moved to the other side of the lens mount. Then it'd be much harder to knock and it would actually be reachable with the hand that's on the camera.<br />

<br />

My D700's rubber came loose when exposed to the Australian sun. It's not expensive to get Nikon to replace it (they just have a gummed sheet that gets stuck on).</p>

<p>Thanks Andrew, I'll have to see if I can arrange a walk-in surgery on my next trip to the Oval... 1 min from Fixation's workshop.</p>

<p>Speaking of D300 design flaws, I've never understood why the Auto ISO feature is not disabled in Manual Mode.</p>

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<p><br />Speaking of D300 design flaws, I've never understood why the Auto ISO feature is not disabled in Manual Mode.</p>

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<p>Well... it make sense to have Auto ISO even in Manual Mode. In this way you can do EV compensation. If you want fully manual mode you have to disable Auto ISO but then I am afraid that someone will say that what he hates to D300 is that in Manual Mode EV compensation does not work :-)</p>

<p>I guess so that if eg you're photographing horses outdoors in slightly variable light and you want 400th sec (and no faster) to freeze motion of horse's body but not legs and f4 (no more..no less) to blur the background, and let auto ISO adjust to the correct exposure.....maybe!</p>

<p>However, the default should be disabled with enabling as an option....</p>