The Nikon D300 digital camera review

The Nikon D300 is a midsize digital SLR that's built like a tank -- mostly. The camera has rugged, magnesium alloy body whose controls, doors, and I/O ports are sealed against dust and moisture. The Nikon D300 body is also available in a kit with an 18-135 mm lens .

The Nikon D300 is the successor to the hugely popular D200 DSLR camera, and Nikon certainly haven't rested on their laurels, adding a veritable wealth of features to their new mid-range model. Aimed at the pro photographer on a budget, or the keen amateur with money to invest, the D300 is a 12.3 megapixel digital SLR with next-generation 51-point AutoFocus system, effective ISO range of 100-6400, continuous shooting mode of 6fps and 3 inch, 920,000 pixel LCD screen. The Nikon D300 Digital Field Guide goes beyond camera settings to offer you a refresher guide to the principles of digital photography, covering the essentials of lighting, composition, and exposure. The Nikon D300 has many outstanding features, The bigger monitor is an enormous improvement: 920,000 pixels on the generous three-inch format is fantastic!

The Nikon D300 will utilize the Nikkor Lenses on the F-Mount so if you've made an investment in Nikkor Lenses that might be a reason to stay with Nikon. The Nikon D300 offers 12.3 million pixels for great picture detail, more that double that of the original D100 model, and well in excess of the more recent D200. This is greatly complimented by the auto focusing functionality which allows you to zoom in by both colour and scenery recognition. The Nikon D300’s viewfinder has a clear and bright focusing screen, which is good because it isn’t interchangeable like some of its competitors. The live view on the LCD shows manual focusing, and that view is certainly bright and sharp enough, too.

The Nikon D300 has detailed control over white-balance including automatic white-balance, preset white-balance , manual white-balance and color-temperature. All white-balance options can be fine-tuned in 13-steps from blue to amber and magenta to green. The Nikon D300 has more features than the beginner photographer would ever need. It now also features Live View, which works like in most other DSLRs. The Nikon D300 is the latest prosumer model to pass through our review lab. With the highest price-tag of any of the main contenders, it has a lot to live up to, but a quick glance at the spec sheet reveals some impressive features.

The Nikon D300 features a dust reduction filter, a one-of-a-kind correction for chromatic aberration, active D-Lighting and many more useful functions. It clearly shows Nikon have really listened to their users. The Nikon D300 also offers Live View , which presents photographers with a live image on the LCD screen, with two modes suited to either hand held or tripod shooting.