To D300 or not to D300!

allanm

allanm

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Allan
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I`ve been very happy with my D200, but, a bit of spare cash is coming my way soon and the D300 is drawing me towards it.
So, I was after user experiences, has anyone upgraded from a D200 to a D300? was it worth the extra cash? Do you miss anything about the D200 or is the D300 all you wanted it to be.
Should I do it? Well, of course i will have to, I just needed confirmation that it was the right thing to do....
Allan
 
i would have thought glass would be better, but if your covered in that respect, the camera seems to get nothing but rave reviews, so it would be rude not to.
 
Never hurts to have a backup camera. The D200 would do that job just fine.

But..... Make sure you're going for the 300 for the right reasons. I try ( not alway successfully) to leave major decisions on hold for a week or two or three. If after that it stills seem like a good idea! However short term special offers tend to screw this process up
 
and the age old childs excuse of "i want it now!!!"
 
No idea, only you can decide that. What would the the D300 give to your photography that the D200 doesn't already? For what it's worth I upgraded from a D70s to a D300 simply because I want a pro-specced body to start earning money from while the D70s will provide back-up. If I were just using for amateur photography then the D70s would still be more than adequate.
 
NorthernNikon said:
No idea, only you can decide that. What would the the D300 give to your photography that the D200 doesn't already? For what it's worth I upgraded from a D70s to a D300 simply because I want a pro-specced body to start earning money from while the D70s will provide back-up. If I were just using for amateur photography then the D70s would still be more than adequate.
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If you are using it to earn dosh then I would upgrade. I used my D200 the other weekend at an equine event during which the light and rain was so bad I had to ramp upto 800ISO min and to be honest I was not happy with the outcome. In saying that its amazing how many people want pictures of horses riding in the rain!

At the time I was wishing I had taken the plunge for the D300 or the D3 to cope with the higher ISO. Its going to have to be based on what you are using it for at the end of the day.

Why not bank the cash and have some more fun with the D200 while the D300 drops another few quid and get it then if you need it.

I am sure LeeP or Hacker will come along and add some comments as they have both upgraded to the D300 (and beyond :razz:) from the D200.

Cheers,

Bob
 
I upgraded from the D200 to the D300, but unlike you I never got on with my D200. I found that my D50 had better focus accuracy and ISO performance than my D200.:thinking:

For me it was definitely the right move, but if you like yours:shrug:
 
If you really want it just get it! You only live once. But if you would miss the £1000 (and who wouldn't) decide if you really need the features which are improved in the d300 over the d200?

Russ
 
I added a D300 to my D200 and there is a definate improvement; BUT it depends on what type of photography you do.
Get the D300 IF you need better high ISO performance, more fps, faster and more versatile auto focus. If those qualities are not important, then stick with the D200.
 
Think of it from a different angle! What if after you get it you decided it is not the camera for you, or you need the cash? Well, sell it! How much of a loss would you be hit with? At most, if you did a dirt-cheap sell you would probably lose £200!

Now, this is how I figure out if I should buy a gear for a hobby .... is this £200 loss for the experiment with a D300 for a month of so woth it? Seeing that I would probably shoot at least 5 days a week with it .. hell go for it, if you have the cash to spare at the moment. I could get more clinical and say, how many shots would you have shot in that one month? Say, for argument sake, 2,000 shots?!? :shrug: ... now that's 10p a shot!! Well worth the risk.

On the flip side of this, if you don't spend the money on the D300 you will surely spend it on something else ... God forbid, you may even spend it on something you can't even despose off so easily!! :nono:
 
I have been thinking of getting a D300 but am curious to know what the D80 replacement will be like.
 
fletch5 said:
and the age old childs excuse of "i want it now!!!"
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I cant really substantiate the upgrade other than the above. But, I do regularly use high ISO settings and, although generally happy with what the D200 and NR produces I am sometimes left wanting a bit more detail.
I know if i dont spend the money, it will go on shopping, new bits of furniture, more petrol in the car etc, but, the thing is, the D300 is out there and while its true that if I wait it will be a bit cheaper, theres a lot of buses out there just waiting to run people over!

Theres some good points to ponder in those replies, but I really like Fletch5`s replies, and I certainly dont want to appear rude!

I might give it a few days to see if sensibility kicks in, but it hasnt done in the past so i imagine I will have a D200 for sale by the weekend...
Allan.
 
You may want to console yourself by noting that the D300 comes with a free Nikon NX, which is at least £80! So, if you get the best price for the D300, at £970, taking away the price of the NX, you’re left with a true price paid for the D300 at £890.

I’m not sure how much you would be able to sell your D200 for, but doing the maths and you will note that it wasn’t that expensive ;)
 
So, even more of a bargain than I first thought. Sensibility still not kicked in, so it looks like an imminent purchase is on the cards. I quite like the idea of being able to fine tune lenses with the D300 too. And, though I have been lucky and never suffered a dusty sensor, that shaking one on the D300 looks a good idea too.
Allan
 
congrats on the purchase!!(doesnt sound like you will make it through the day without ordering one!)
 
Aaaaagh the money, it burns. But, cant get to Jessops till Friday ;)
Allan
 
Done the deed, pick up after 0945 tomorrow....:clap:

Allan
 
Well done! :clap: :clap: :clap:
 
Now it's my turn :lol: .... let me see, I need the extra couple of fps, I need the better IQ at ISO 800 and above, I need the sensor dust removal, but most of all I need the D300 logo in the front of my camera instead of that old-and-dated D200!

So, how much is my 9 months-old D200 (with 10,000 shots on the counter and in excellent condition) to fetch me? :shrug: A trip to my local camera store is in order :lol:
 
Wail said:
Now it's my turn :lol: .... let me see, I need the extra couple of fps, I need the better IQ at ISO 800 and above, I need the sensor dust removal, but most of all I need the D300 logo in the front of my camera instead of that old-and-dated D200!

So, how much is my 9 months-old D200 (with 10,000 shots on the counter and in excellent condition) to fetch me? :shrug: A trip to my local camera store is in order :lol:
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£450 - £550 seems to be the going rate these days, depending on condition.
 
Thank you ... now that's very tempting! Ooooh, now I'm begining to feel the itch!
 
Wail said:
Ooooh, now I'm begining to feel the itch!
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Theres only one cure for an itch like that ......;) A large tube of D300

Allan
 
I've been contemplating this since I first heard the news of the D300, but that made me go for the D200 since my local dealer was more than happy to "dump" that "old" model on me.

But, now, a few months down the line, and seeing how the D300's price has dropped the itch is back and I keep restraining myself .... as I have a few exams to go through right now, I will put any analytical thoughts about this on hold until the end of the months .. the news that my D200 could fetch £450 ~ £550 (I believe the latter since it is in perfect condition) makes the "hold" so much more painful :( .
 
I`ll be picking mine up this morning, then the D200 will have to go for sale. Mines a little bit older than yours, but still looks like new, I think they are built so well they keep their good looks for a long time ( unlike me, and I was built a very long time ago)
Good luck with your exams. You can tell I am getting a new camera, its just started raining!
Allan
 
ive actually heard a few bad things about the d300 from my dad.

hes on another forum i think its dpreview and theres quite abit on there saying people have bought the d300 and couldnt get anything decent out of it so sold up and went back to the d200??.

apparently the battery commonly dies due to the weather sheild making it prone to over heating.

has back focus problems with some lenses

people are struggling with the white balence and to get some colours right like reds and skin tones but this may well be down to the wrong settings, maybe nikon have over complicated things?

maybe they will bring an "s" series out to iron out the problems.

till then im holding back,
 
Here's my 2p - and I havem't a clue, so feel free to take my comments with a massive portion of salt. I have the D200, my first SLR, and I absolutely love it. I agree high ISO in low light is a royal PITA, but other than that, I can't think of what buying a D300 would do to improve *MY* photograpghy. Chances are it would knock me backwards, as I am still learning how to use the D200 and still trying to learn how to take decent shots. I feel the D300 would be a £1K splurge with no real need...

Now, the D3? That's different. The ISO perfromance is apparently groundbreaking, so it becomes a feature that is maybe much harder to ignore. However, what really does it for me, is the full frame aspect. It feels like a proper upgrade, a big leap, like going from division 3 to the premier league so to speak. I would honestly buy it tomorrow, but because the D3 mkII (or whatever its going to be called) was announced, I'm holding fire...

Gary.
 
DoubleT said:
ive actually heard a few bad things about the d300 from my dad.

hes on another forum i think its dpreview and theres quite abit on there saying people have bought the d300 and couldnt get anything decent out of it so sold up and went back to the d200??.

apparently the battery commonly dies due to the weather sheild making it prone to over heating.

has back focus problems with some lenses

people are struggling with the white balence and to get some colours right like reds and skin tones but this may well be down to the wrong settings, maybe nikon have over complicated things?

maybe they will bring an "s" series out to iron out the problems.

till then im holding back,
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The problem with internet forums is shown ably here.

As a general rule only the people with a problem post, you don't hear from the happy ones.

Any product will have problems no matter how good the quality control so some unhappy peeps are always going to exist (you can please some of the people some of the time, but you cant please all of the people all of the time)

So in the scheme of things a few people are experiencing problems that may be caused by a manufacturing flaw or may be as a result of several different things.

All I can say is I have had a D300 since the end of December and I have not had one problem apart from the increase in camera complexity as a result of moving from film to digital, and, that is down to me:)

Reds and skin tones are frequently down to the settings applied within the camera for saturation levels

White balance is sometimes not perfect due to the ambient lighting used but is easily correctable in camera or with PP

Just my 2p worth.
 
PsiFox said:
All I can say is I have had a D300 since the end of December and I have not had one problem
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+1. :thumbs:

Well actually that's not quite true. I was calibrating my lenses last night, and for some reason the 30mm f1.4 seemed to think it was the same lens as the 150mm f2.8.:shrug: Other that that I haven't had any problems.
 
EdinburghGary said:
Here's my 2p - and I havem't a clue, so feel free to take my comments with a massive portion of salt. I have the D200, my first SLR, and I absolutely love it. I agree high ISO in low light is a royal PITA, but other than that, I can't think of what buying a D300 would do to improve *MY* photograpghy. Chances are it would knock me backwards, as I am still learning how to use the D200 and still trying to learn how to take decent shots. I feel the D300 would be a £1K splurge with no real need...

Now, the D3? That's different. The ISO perfromance is apparently groundbreaking, so it becomes a feature that is maybe much harder to ignore. However, what really does it for me, is the full frame aspect. It feels like a proper upgrade, a big leap, like going from division 3 to the premier league so to speak. I would honestly buy it tomorrow, but because the D3 mkII (or whatever its going to be called) was announced, I'm holding fire...

Gary.
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When all is down, I have to say you are 100% correct on this! There is just one thing that I want from the D300 that I can't get from the D200 and that is the better IQ at high ISO settings (ISO 800 and above).

I hate to shoot with flash, it is just my style and the D200's noise is really horrid as you start to approach ISO 800 :'( .. other than this one little issue I see nothing wrong with the D200 at all.

In the 4 years that I've been shotting DSLR I've only had dust issues on my sensor a couple of times (touch wood) and that's after more than 250,000 shots taken in these years and God-knows how many lens change. So, I am not all too worried about this, and not too keen on this feature on the D300.

As for the D3, there is no way I can justify that price to myself. Don't get me wrong, it is worth every penny and it's a marvel of a camera, but I just can't see myself spending that much on a DSLR body when I could spend that amount on so much more kit (I have a wish list, for photography items that go over £10,000; and this doesn't enclude my other hobbies and obligations :thinking:).

So, the question is, should I splurge £1,000 (or thereabouts) on the D300 to get the better IQ at higher ISOs, plus the extra ISO hitch to 6400 :thinking:? Or should I spend just the £100 for Noise Ninja and do with some PP ... of course the £1,000 (or £900 after buying Noise Ninja) will be spent on something else.

Finally, it has been my style that I only upgrade models when my existing camera needs servicing. When my D70 needed to go to service, just a check-up, that's when I bought the D200 and the D70 became my back-up (which has since been replaced with a D40 :cuckoo:). May be I will hold off until I need to send my D200 for service and then buy the D300?!?

See how confusing this is, and why I want to not think about this for a while :bang::bonk::bang:.
 
allanm said:
... Good luck with your exams....
Allan
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Thanks, I need it since going back to study in my 40s isn't is more of a challenge than I thouhgt, especially since I have to set a good example to my daughter!
 
Wail said:
When all is down, I have to say you are 100% correct on this! There is just one thing that I want from the D300 that I can't get from the D200 and that is the better IQ at high ISO settings (ISO 800 and above).

I hate to shoot with flash, it is just my style and the D200's noise is really horrid as you start to approach ISO 800 :'( .. other than this one little issue I see nothing wrong with the D200 at all.

In the 4 years that I've been shotting DSLR I've only had dust issues on my sensor a couple of times (touch wood) and that's after more than 250,000 shots taken in these years and God-knows how many lens change. So, I am not all too worried about this, and not too keen on this feature on the D300.

As for the D3, there is no way I can justify that price to myself. Don't get me wrong, it is worth every penny and it's a marvel of a camera, but I just can't see myself spending that much on a DSLR body when I could spend that amount on so much more kit (I have a wish list, for photography items that go over £10,000; and this doesn't enclude my other hobbies and obligations :thinking:).

So, the question is, should I splurge £1,000 (or thereabouts) on the D300 to get the better IQ at higher ISOs, plus the extra ISO hitch to 6400 :thinking:? Or should I spend just the £100 for Noise Ninja and do with some PP ... of course the £1,000 (or £900 after buying Noise Ninja) will be spent on something else.

Finally, it has been my style that I only upgrade models when my existing camera needs servicing. When my D70 needed to go to service, just a check-up, that's when I bought the D200 and the D70 became my back-up (which has since been replaced with a D40 :cuckoo:). May be I will hold off until I need to send my D200 for service and then buy the D300?!?

See how confusing this is, and why I want to not think about this for a while :bang::bonk::bang:.
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Just don't rush it. I just try not to take photos were High ISO is required. Try and fail :D

Get yourself a mini challenge, try and earn £2K over the next year from your hobby, then by that time the D3 price will be a lot less and you can buy it?
 
EdinburghGary said:
Just don't rush it. I just try not to take photos were High ISO is required. Try and fail :D

Get yourself a mini challenge, try and earn £2K over the next year from your hobby, then by that time the D3 price will be a lot less and you can buy it?
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I love this challenge! Now this is VERY good thinking ... thank you.
 
DounleT,

Interesting read, that thread you posted; but personally such issues do not turn me off but still an interesting issue with the D300! That aside, me now working on my exams and the fate of a possible D300 is on hold for a while.
 
I was in the lucky position of not having to justify, too much, why I needed the D300 over my trusty D200. I sold my telescope and didnt want to fritter the money away, and, of course, I wanted a D300.
So, now I have it, and first impressions are good, apart from the glob of muck I noticed on the focus screen! 2 seconds with the speckgrabber sorted that out, easier than a trip back to Jessops.
Oh, and I couldnt get it to focus on anything either. Switched it to mf then back again and it now seems spot on. I have no idea what happened.
But, the changes between the d200 and this are quite marked. First thing you notice is the 3 inch screen at the back. Wow! Then there is live view, bit of a gimmick really, but really handy if you use it on a tripod.
The menus are better set out, looks like they took the retouch menu from the D80. Picture Controls is a great idea too.
You can now record Tiff`s, theres HDMI output, lens fine tuning, image sensor cleaning and Active D Lighting, before you even think about higher useable ISO settings. I also got a free Lowepro bag and a copy of Nikon NX.

Well, I couldnt say no. Now, just need a rainless day to check how it handles....

Allan
 
Congratulations on your new toy and well done on taking the steps to acqurie this.
 
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