The D300s are starting to appear

[Kamera RAWr]

So, it appears that my round abouts on the web have indicated that the first D300s are starting to hit customers' hands. Anyone here on MR got one yet? I love to hear some first hand accounts.

By the way, pics or it didn't happen

 

[Clix Pix]

Yep. Got one! Quite a few other folks I know from Nikon Cafe also have a D300 now, too. Fantastic camera, just super!

I shot most of my images in NEF/RAW and before I can look at them and post-process/share, I need to download the update to Capture NX or the latest version of Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom..... Haven't done it yet -- had to work today. I am eager for Apple to hurry up and give us a software update which will allow me to then convert my RAW images in Aperture, iPhoto and Image Preview. I've got a bunch of images sitting on the CF card just waiting to get out! Tomorrow I'll be doing some more extensive shooting, too....

 

[Butthead]

Yep. Got one! Quite a few other folks I know from Nikon Cafe also have a D300 now, too. Fantastic camera, just super!

I shot most of my images in NEF/RAW and before I can look at them and post-process/share, I need to download the update to Capture NX or the latest version of Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom..... Haven't done it yet -- had to work today. I am eager for Apple to hurry up and give us a software update which will allow me to then convert my RAW images in Aperture, iPhoto and Image Preview. I've got a bunch of images sitting on the CF card just waiting to get out! Tomorrow I'll be doing some more extensive shooting, too....

What in camera settings are you using, contrast, sharpening, saturation, noise reduction (outside of RAW) etc

Take any in low-light, high-contrast situations that would highlight the sensor noise @ISo6400? I will be interesting to compare w/FF D3@6400, also see if the noise it significantly above what you'd get in a D40x @ISO1600, Canon 40D @3200, or just a slight bit more noise that could be tweaked with DxO or Noise Ninja, etc.

I'll bet the D3 is much easier to manually focus in darker enviroments looking through the brighter VF

 

[Abstract]

Nobody really knows optimal in-camera settings yet.....not for every different situation, anyway. I'm interested as well.

I'm picking up my D300 next week. Opted for it over the D80 and its replacement, which probably isn't coming any time soon (soon = within 6 months). I've played with a D300 yesterday. This D300, while expensive, is going to be the last camera I purchase for a LOOOOOONG time. I doubt we'll see anything other than incremental improvements anyway.

From what "tests" I've seen, noise reduction (NR) should be turned to low. There's no need for much NR. The noise that's produced is quite OK.
Judging from samples, I'm going to have to say that the handling of noise is pretty much a tie between the 40D, A700, and D300. Anyone who says there is a noticeable/relevant difference that's actually important to their photography is just pixel peeping particular examples. Choose other examples, and the advantage goes away, and it's a tie again.

The improvement of the D300 over the D40X and D80 probably depends on personal opinion and situation. While the D300 is better than the D200, I really can't imagine it being THAT much better. I'm guessing 1 stop or less, which is what's being reported by others anyway. Of course, others are so happy about this 1 stop advantage. I'm really not that fussed about it, so excuse me for being unenthusiastic.


I'm going to keep Active D-lighting off as well for now unless I know for certain that I'm in a high contrast situation AND shooting at ISO 800 and below.

I'll be taking this be-yatch to Japan this Xmas.

 

[klymr]

I hate you all! JK. I borrowed a friends D70 today and have been playing around with some HDR stuff for a magazine layout assignment that I have to do. I REALLY want the D300, but no way I can afford it. One of the goldsmiths at work is buying one as soon as they come into the store here in town. He said he is selling his D200 once he gets the D300. He also said his D200 has less than 1,300 shots on it. He bought it the day it hit the store here, so it's rather old and doesn't see much use. I'd LOVE to take it off his hands. It sucks being a poor college student.

 

[Kamera RAWr]

Yep. Got one! Quite a few other folks I know from Nikon Cafe also have a D300 now, too. Fantastic camera, just super!

I shot most of my images in NEF/RAW and before I can look at them and post-process/share, I need to download the update to Capture NX or the latest version of Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom..... Haven't done it yet -- had to work today. I am eager for Apple to hurry up and give us a software update which will allow me to then convert my RAW images in Aperture, iPhoto and Image Preview. I've got a bunch of images sitting on the CF card just waiting to get out! Tomorrow I'll be doing some more extensive shooting, too....

Excited to see a few pics from your new D300. Please upload as soon as you can

P.S. Don't forget to update your siggy

 

[Westside guy]

I'm planning/hoping to get one in spring, after the backlog clears out. I also am planning/hoping to get a 24-70 at the same time...

 

[sblasl]

Hope to have mine within the next 2 weeks, maybe sooner. I Would have had it by now if I had not been out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday.

I don't think there is going to be much of a back log from what I have read. Some fools are paying stupid prices on eBay but that is because they are lazy or have not done enough research. There is not going to be the same problems of availability that the D200 had. Nikon learned its lesson.

 

[Kamera RAWr]

Go on amazon.com. There are some places selling them for ~$2,000. Paying a $200 premium, if they even have it in stock themselves. I also think the backlog isn't going to be as bad as some people think, although I could be wrong

 

[GoCubsGo]

Go on amazon.com. There are some places selling them for ~$2,000. Paying a $200 premium, if they even have it in stock themselves. I also think the backlog isn't going to be as bad as some people think, although I could be wrong

The backlog doesn't seem to be what it was with the D200 when shops, large shops, were getting 5 or so. There are a few that have the kits sitting on the shelves, I think I'm next if not second to next in line for mine and still haven't decided if I'll swing it. Even still, the D300 has a lot more to offer than better noise reduction. Hope you all know that.

 

[Abstract]

Yeah, forget the noise reduction. This baby actually gets WB correct (or more than other cameras). That, and it automagically eliminates CA. Purple fringing may still be there, but lateral CAs will not be. I know it's an easy problem to fix in post processing, but it's still quite amazing for this camera to be able to do that.

Also, focus adjustments on lenses that are either back or front focused. This will make your lenses sharp if there weren't perfectly sharp before. However, the problem is that if you're using a zoom lens (eg: an 18-200 mm), and you the lens is slightly back-focused at 18 mm, it may actually be perfectly fine at 200 mm, and doing a focus adjustment will make the 18 mm better, but the 200 mm end worse than before.


I don't know. There's just a lot more to this camera than ISO. You're better off working on your flash technique than relying on high ISO for "ambient light shooting", which usually doesn't refer to a user's shooting technique, and actually means that the photographer doesn't know how to use a flash without the really horrible spotlight effect you get on small point and shoot cameras.

 

[Westside guy]

Go on amazon.com. There are some places selling them for ~$2,000. Paying a $200 premium, if they even have it in stock themselves. I also think the backlog isn't going to be as bad as some people think, although I could be wrong

You might be right, although I think I'll still wait a bit. I've been burned by Rev. A issues before. Mine were on a Mac, but there were Rev. A issues with the D200.

 

[GoCubsGo]

You might be right, although I think I'll still wait a bit. I've been burned by Rev. A issues before. Mine were on a Mac, but there were Rev. A issues with the D200.

What rev a issue did you find on the d200.

I had a very interesting and educational conversation with a member here about this and instead of butchering the whole conversation (because he knows I will) I'll leave it real simple. Many of the so-called issues people found with the d200 or one of the major complaints was that people were getting soft and underexposed results. I recall this but because I owned the d70 and was a late adopter I was staying out of the d200 release so as to not tempt myself. The issue boils down to a few things but one in particular that stuck out to me. The more megapixels the less forgiving your focus will be. This is a very elementary way of saying it but like I said, instead of butchering it I'm sure he'll chime in soon enough.

That said rev a macs = not the best idea as I'm learning. Rev A cameras, still a gamble but I think your chances with having a good d300 are super high, someone's chances of the d300 taking crappy photos are also super high because those people will most likely not understand the camera enough out of the box to get good results.

 

[Westside guy]

What rev a issue did you find on the d200.

Read Thom Hogan's D200 review - the problem is a ways down, under the heading "Banding". It was just in the initial run, and Nikon fixed it.

The issue boils down to a few things but one in particular that stuck out to me. The more megapixels the less forgiving your focus will be.

Yeah, I've said that myself a dozen times, I bet, on this forum. Don't blame the camera for poor technique.

 

[Clix Pix]

Shot today at Conowingo Dam in Darlington, MD.... D300, 300mm f/2.8 Nikkor with 1.7x TC. Cropped quite a bit....

A few more photos at http://clixpix.zenfolio.com/ in the featured galleries.....

I am ONE happy girl!!!!!

 

[Kamera RAWr]

Great shot Clix. I love a good bald eagle shot. There are quite a few here in my area. I'll have to get out sometime and try to get a pic to post here

 

[Abstract]

I hope that's not the typical noise performance of the D300. Photos #4 and #7 scare me the most....ISO 640 and 500. I know you said they were cropped quite a bit, so I guess the result, when viewed at 12 MP, must look much cleaner, right? I took the stuff about cropping "quite a bit" as a hyperbole.

Also, what do you think of the WB and exposure when compared to your D200?

 

[Clix Pix]

They were cropped EXTENSIVELY so that is why there is noise still evident. I also was experimenting with various settings, D-Lighting on at Low or at Normal or not on at all, ISO set manually or in AUTO ISO, different things.... I am pleased at the amount of detail which shows in an extensive crop but in no way would I enter this photo in a contest, for instance!

Also my post-processing leaves a lot to be desired....I am fumbling around with CS3 while I wait for Aperture to be able to convert my RAW images.

I guess I ought to put the uncropped versions up on my site, too....! They do give a better representation of what the camera does before cropping.

Auto WB and such I didn't even touch, I did NO EV adjustments at all, just left it alone. In using my D200 and D2Xs I usually do have to fiddle with either + or - EV, especially when dealing with white birds and white-headed eagles.

By the way, this is a juvenile eagle, probably about three years old and that is why his head is not perfectly white yet.

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

I can't wait to play with one of these myself. From what I'm hearing, they are just awesome.

 

[micah]

Got mine and I love it. Though I'm bummed there's no support for the RAWs in Aperture yet. Adobe updated their camera raw profiles but Apple is lagging.

 

[Clix Pix]

Got mine and I love it. Though I'm bummed there's no support for the RAWs in Aperture yet. Adobe updated their camera raw profiles but Apple is lagging.

I went ahead and installed Adobe Camera Raw, the latest version, so that at least I have some way of viewing my images (in Adobe Bridge) and post-processing them (in PS CS3) but I really, really miss being able to use Aperture!!!! Hurry up, Apple, let's get the software update to us pretty soon!!!

 

[Westside guy]

A question for those of you lucky to have one already: If you shoot RAW, what advantage is there (if any) to active d-lighting? It's not like the sensor has any greater dynamic range; so it seems like you should be able to accomplish the same thing - or better - in post-processing. Or am I missing something?

 

[ACbc]

wow...incredibly jealous for those that have a D300. Everywhere i've checked has been backordered for a bit. BestBuy had them on their website for a day or so, but i just checked and now they are sold out.

Well...probably good for me. I told myself i'd wait for the first price drop. (a bit off topic, but does anyone know how long it took for the D200 to get its first price drop?) Because if it's a really long time, i might just get a D300 if they become available again soon.

 

[sblasl]

Nikon – Back in The Game!

You might go ahead and buy one now. There is not going to be a price drop for a good long while. Nikon is offering Capture NX 1.3 for the first 300,000 buyers of the D300 & D3. It sound like the D300 is going to be a runaway hit.

Quote from luminous-landscape.com:

Nikon – Back in The Game!

Regular readers know that I shoot with Canon 35mm digital equipment. (I also use Hasselblad / Phase One and Leica). But for some 30 years prior to switching to Canon in the late 90's I shot with Nikon (F, F2 and F4). I switched platforms in the just-pre-digital days because there were certain lenses from Canon (T/S and IS) that simply didn't exist from Nikon at the time.

I had few regrets at the switch through the first 7 years of this decade and the move to digital because it's my opinion that with its full frame sensors and superior high ISO noise capabilities Canon had a clear edge. Many other pros apparently thought so as well, and as a consequence Nikon lost some marketshare in this segment.

But with the introduction of the D300 and D3 a few months ago (the D300 started shipping last week, and the D3 will as well within days) I now believe that Nikon is back in the game – big time!

For this reason I have purchased a Nikon D300 and several lenses and will start shooting with it on a regular basis. A D3? when it comes out next year (the higher resolution version of the D3) will also be added at that time.

Am I switching from Canon to Nikon? No, absolutely not. But I feel that there is now going to be a huge resurgence in use of Nikon gear by pros and amateurs alike, and as a teacher and a writer it is appropriate for me to become much more familiar with what this platform now has to offer.

A few weeks shooting with a test sample isn't enough time to really get into a system, and therefore I've purchased a D300, and took delivery of it just yesterday. In the weeks ahead I expect to start writing extensively about Nikon gear through the perspective of an experienced Canon user. Should be fun.

wow...incredibly jealous for those that have a D300. Everywhere i've checked has been backordered for a bit. BestBuy had them on their website for a day or so, but i just checked and now they are sold out.

Well...probably good for me. I told myself i'd wait for the first price drop. (a bit off topic, but does anyone know how long it took for the D200 to get its first price drop?) Because if it's a really long time, i might just get a D300 if they become available again soon.

 

[ironsidephoto]

the D300 looks great, though i'm not gonna shell out the money to replace my camera just yet. I have a D200, and it hasn't let me down. great camera.

if you want to see some pictures from the D200, you can look at my website

ironsidephotography.com