Nikon D 300 Camera Review--DCRP Review

[joseph_smith3]

I just saw this review of the D 300 done by Jeff Keller. It is long and

thorough with good inserts and should be useful for those wanting to learn how

to use some of the newer fetures of the camera and included Nikon software. He

points out some of the settings he would change to produce better images right

out of the camera. There is a printer friendly version too.

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/nikon/d300-review/index.shtml

 

Joe Smith

[s_nathan]

Why is he using the 70-200 VR and 70-300 VR to test a D300? It always baffles me why

tester's match a semi-pro camera w/ amateur level glass. He complains about some purple

fringing and vignetting. Duh! What do you expect w/ this type of glass. Also, he contradicts

himself by saying that the D300 is not intended for the p&s crowd, but concludes saying that

the D300 would make a nice first digital SLR. I feel these reviews are written simply to

generate website traffic. Sorry if I am being harsh.

[genec]

The 70-200 VR is anything but amateur glass. It is considered to be one of the best ever pro lenses.

[mike_s.3]

S nathan meant to say the new Nikon 55 - 200 mm VR lens - which is not professional grade. Amazingly the reviewer also thinks that he spotted some vignetting from night shots. I also agree that this review is not that great.

[frankie_frank1]

Jeff Kellerf wants to improve his time-to-market achievement, and he doesn't have extra money to buy one of those pro-lenses without extra ads income from his D300 review. Nevertheless, his review is better than none.

[Brad_]

From the review:

 

"The D300's continuous shooting mode is very good, though you'll need the optional battery grip

(and proper battery) in order to hit the 8 frame/second number that Nikon advertisers. Without it, the

camera will take 13 RAW+JPEG, 15 RAW, or 37 Large/Fine JPEGs in a row at just under 6

frames/second. The one exception to this rule is if you're shooting 14-bit NEF (RAW) images, where

the frame rate drops to 2.5 fps. "

 

Does this imply 14 bit capture is option - or am I not interpreting right?

 

Also, does anyone know if the HDMI port is active in Live View mode before capture?

[ShunCheung]

In the D300's Shooting Menu, if you select image quality to be RAW, you can further select the bit depth to either 12 bits or 14 bits.

[walterh]

Brad I was told the port is active but have not verified it. Not much help I am afraid ^^.

[mars790]

I believe that no review is better than one not performed properly. There is no shortage of

fine reviews out there.

 

Here's a pretty thorough one basically covering all that you'd want to know:

 

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/nikon/d300-review/index.shtml

[mars790]

oops, i spat back the same review !

 

I will say that i was impressed with his coverage of the features and the menus.

[michael s.]

Brad - Not certain I fully understood the HDMI question, but if I did, this may be the answer:<p>

 

<i>"HDMI output works in any mode which would otherwise use the LCD monitor; shooting information, menus, live view and playback. It has to be said that using live view over HDMI to a HD LCD or Plasma screen really is an amazing experience and could be extremely useful in studio photography situations."</i><p>

 

Quoted text from <a href=http://www.dpreview.com/previews/nikond300/page9.asp>this page of dpreview.com</a>.

[._._z]

<small><i><blockquote>

 

Does this imply 14 bit capture is option - or am I not interpreting right?

 

</blockquote> </i> </small><p>

 

<u><A href = http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/nikon/d300-review/>

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/nikon/d300-review/</a></u> <p>

 

<small><b>

 

the D300 has six different NEF (RAW) options. You can select the compression level, selecting from uncompressed, lossless compressed, and lossy compressed (Nikon says the drop in quality is minimal). The bit depth is also adjustable, with 12-bit and 14-bit options available (the latter records more color data, but lowers the continuous shooting frame rate considerably).

 

</b> </small><p>

 

<small><i><blockquote>

 

Also, does anyone know if the HDMI port is active in Live View mode before capture?

 

</blockquote> </i> </small><p>

 

Yes. Here are two movies of HDMI with Live View:<p>

 

<u><A href =

http://a.img-dpreview.com/previews/NikonD300/Samples/Videos/d300_liveview_720p.mov>

http://a.img-dpreview.com/previews/NikonD300/Samples/Videos/d300_liveview_720p.mov</a></u> <p>

 

 

<u><A href =

http://a.img-dpreview.com/previews/NikonD300/Samples/Videos/d300_playback_720p.mov>

http://a.img-dpreview.com/previews/NikonD300/Samples/Videos/d300_playback_720p.mov</a></u>

[ShunCheung]

Brad, I just tested this, connecting a D300 to my TV via an HDMI cable. You can indeed show an live view image on TV before the capture. The image moves as you move or zoom on the camera, sort of like connective a camcorder to the TV.