The Complete Nikon D300s Review

The Nikon D300s review has been completed for a while now and so I am not taking my time to type up my complete thoughts on the camera along with post all links in the review diary. My conclusions are after the jump.

Please note that I spent a majority of the time shooting with the D3s and the D300s together. The reason why the D3s was reported on more often was because of the fact that it essentially cannibalizes the D300s.

Day 4 with the 70-200mm F2.8 ED VR II: Test shooting wildlife

Final Day: PAX East was a three day long event and the D300s was a constant companion of mine.

Conclusions

The D300s is a camera that I feel is best suited for students, hobbyists and photojournalists/celebrity photographers that don’t really need or want a full frame sensor body and also want to save money. It is an excellent camera, but I do feel that with the D700, D3s and D3x that Nikon very much so cannibalized their own camera line.

Image quality of this camera is excellent. However, it can be misleading as the back LCD can show you that you have more image noise than you really have.

The Autofocus, though not as great as something like the D3s (and understandably so) is still very snappy and very smart. However, I’m actually finding the 7D’s new system to be better.

What is very nice about the D300s is the quiet shutter. Combined with a long telephoto lens you will be the ultimate fly on the wall with the giant lens getting in to take the photos needed. When used with the correct autofocus settings, you’ll be able to do your job quickly as well.

The ergonomics on this camera are really quite good. The dials, buttons and switches all emphasize the most important features to photographers and will allow users to easily and quickly manipulate the settings to what they need. Students will get great use out of a camera like this as it will force them to learn all of these to be proficient in the field.

The reason for this is because of the fact that all three of these cameras offer you more versatility. All of them are full frame sensor camera that let the user access the cropped area mode, therefore allowing them to shoot in FX, DX, and more. Additionally, the D700 and D300s shoot the same number of frame with their battery grips. The D3s is a speed monster and the D3x shoots 5fps.

The D700, D300s and D3s are all mostly targeted at the same types of photographers: photojournalists, wedding photographers, event photographers, etc. What the full frame cameras have over the D300s is better high ISO abilities and being able to get the full view out of the lenses vs a cropped view.

For what it’s worth, the 7D is being tested and is almost complete at my time of writing this summary. The Canon 7D offers much more versatility and makes a great compliment to a 5D Mk II. The D300s doesn’t exactly compliment a D700 except for the fact that there is a video mode.

Ultimately, you’re best off buying the D3s. Any current Nikon photographer that considers themselves to be at least semi-professionals would greatly benefit from purchasing that camera. While the D300s has a much lighter and more discrete profile, you’re probably better off with the original D300 or the D700. With rumors of a D700s coming out at the time of writing this, you can expect Nikon to start pushing harder with their video output.

Tagged as: camera, d300s, nikon, review

http://delanophotography.com Jon

I have to say that your review is a good one. The only thing I would add is the price of each camera.

On the Nikon Site, you can get the D300S for $1699, D700 for $2699 and the D3S for $5199. As you see, there is a huge difference between the three. They all seem to be in a class of their own. Of course people are better off buying the D3S if they can afford it but it’s a huge price difference between the D300S at $1699 and the D3S at $5199.

Just something to think about!
- Bob Flamingo
  
  perfect point. Dont compare Ferrari with Corvette
Guy

I had the D3, D700. They are great cameras – depending on your application. I sold the D3 and D700, and then purchased the D300s. Why? I do a lot of travelling and hiking. The ability to take great pictures and carry around a much smaller amount of gear really appealed to me.

You can covera a lot of different situations with a D300s and 2 lenses: 18-200 VR, and Tokina 11-16 2.8. If you also pack the 70-200 VR with 1.7 TC, your focal range becomes 17 mm – 540 mm. All in a much smaller, lighter package than a D3 outfitted with a comensurate lens setup (D3 & 17-35 & 24-70 & 70-200 & 2.0 TC).

Sure, you can shoot DX on a D3 or D700, but what’s the point of spending the extra money for that? The only thing I can think of is low-light performance, but then you need the lenses to complement that setup.

I used to shoot indoor volleyball. I had the D3 with all of the requisite fast lenses for the task (still have them!). The D3 was outstanding – nothing could compare.

However, travelling through Europe and going on a long hike leaves a lot to be desired when hauling around the D3 and associated lens entourage. For less money, buy yourself another D300s; then mount a long lens on 1 body, and a wide-angle on the other body – instantaneous shooting!

I think it all comes down to your application. I am really waiting for the D400 which I hope will have low-light performance comensurate with the D3/D700. At that point, for my applications, I’ll have a near perfect setup.

Good post!
- http://thephoblographer.wordpress.com Chris Gampat
  
  Hi Guy,
  What you’re saying makes perfect sense. For the traveler, yes it could be a great camera. However, I used it in wedding, event, concert, and photojournalist conditions. For these applications, I found the D3s better suited towards my needs. Although the D300s was a pleasure to carry, I’d gladly sacrifice the extra weight for more maneuverability.
  
  Thanks for the comments, the story and the enlightening other view. It’s much appreciated. Though I do have problems with 18-200 and I actually personally like those two Nikon lenses mentioned and also Nikkor primes. They’re wonderful.
  
  -Chris
  Editor, the Phoblographer
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http://polititoon.wordpress.com polititoon

Great review, I’m about to start doing some photojournalism. I’ve got a D90 almost brand new, as soon as I get rid of it I’ going for the 300s. I would love to go for the 700 but money is the issue. Either way I really liked your review, it is perhaps the best I’ve read. I’ve also thought about switching to Nikon to get the Canon 7D, but here at work photographers have told me to stay where I am and no have to start from scratch with Canon.
- http://thephoblographer.wordpress.com Chris Gampat
  
  Hey,
  
  Thanks a lot for the kind words.
  
  Your coworkers are right. Nikon has some fantastic lenses. Although to be honest with you, I’d recommend the D700. If you have no need for video, stick with the D300s. Otherwise, get the 7D with a couple of primes. D300s’ video just can’t compare. See my comparison post vs the 7D.
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