BetterPhoto Q&A
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D-300 Test Pics

I was amazed by the ability of the D-300 to track and focus without hesitation or hunting when I photographed some geese flying overhead. Seems Nikon took some of the CAM tech from their D2 series and put it in the 300. wow!

All of the photos shown are JPG @ 1:4 compression; or (Large/Fine) File sizes averaged about 5 Mb each. Lens: Nikon 18-200 DX VR II.
Shooting modes: Program & aperture priority.
ISO was set to 200 for all photos EXCEPT the flower pics. These were shot indoors at ISO 1600 at a Botanical conservatory, no flash. The very low noise levels in these samples simply blew me away!

Adobe PS was only used to resize these photos and crop...They are right from the camera.

The metering ability of this camera stunned me. Rarely did I see blown highlites in Matrix mode.

Continuous mode @ 6 FPS never skipped a beat, although I DID see a few mis focused shots; probably due to my shooting environment, not the camera.

I was particularly pleased to see excellent tonal range as well as dynamic range exhibited very well when shot at a highly contrasting scene. (Snow & Rocks) A 6 stop range w/o blowing out hi-lites is nothing to sneeze at. Good job Nikon!

The ergonomics of this camera were well thought out. While I still love my other Nikons, NOT having to press two buttons when switching from Matrix to Center to spot is VERY nice.
Shooting info can also be displayed on the back viewer...3 inches and VERY sharp display..You can actually check focus with it.

The camera to some may seem a tad heavy, although I experienced no fatigue after shooting for 4 hrs; no camera strap on; so when I wasn't cradling it like a new born it hung at my side in my hand...shame on me! LOL

This was the first day I actually had time to slow down and take some shots in daylight.
Sky conditions were poor as was lighting..Grey overcast and tons of humidity in the air....11 am-3pm shoot times. The sun finally came out, but I was cold and ready for someting hot to drink.

I hope these pics show well..If not, anyone interested in the originals, I would be happy to email the originals.

all the best,

Pete

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0 January 27, 2008

I am particularily impressed with the interior low-light shot at 1600ISO. Pretty amazing.

BTW, it's (flower, I think) a Peace Lily - Spathiphyllum.

John

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0 January 28, 2008

Pete

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0 January 28, 2008

I had to look at the EXIF data myself to believe it!

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0 January 28, 2008

Bill

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0 January 30, 2008