Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens by Nikon
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Digital camera reviews of Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens
Digital camera Review: Beautiful, gorgeous color range!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a rank amateur photographer. I have been able to shoot some photographs that people liken to professional work. I just follow a few rules from books like dragging the shutter, 1/3 composition, tack sharp, etc.
This is a true enabler!
Not to brag, but right now I can look at photos in fashion mags, books, Sports Illustrated, etc. and say to myself (modestly), hey, I could do better than that! It's amazing how slip-shod many high profile photos are. Victoria Secret: models faces are in shadow. Sports Illustrated: models look bored and plastic. Whether or not you agree with me, this camera guarantees that the tool will not be your limit.
The shortcomings: When the battery indicator shows 20% discharged, the camera shuts down. It will take pic, but exposure is way off. Another issue is that sometimes when there is not enough light, the shutter release will not work at all.
Everything is worth putting up with for this camera's color and range.
Added later: I can't emphasize enough how good this camera is with color! There is a danger you will read this and think, "oh yeah, its got great true color." It goes way beyond that! I just took a picture of a polishe copper kettle sitting on the edge of a deep red oriental carpet. I thought I'd like to see how the shiny copper would look with the fantastic spot exposure in this cam. So I snapped it, and what came back was a gorgeous wash of red reflection along one side of the kettle where it is reflecting the carpet! I said, "huh?" and looked at the kettle again. I can't see the red with my eye! (I have 20-20 vision.) SO what this camera can do is maybe 100-1000 times better than you can see! Once you get a basic facility with the controls (exposure, etc.), it is hard to take a bad picture with this camera. No it won't make you a great photographer by itself, but it will help you get great photos. It's like having a ferrari when many others are driving a ------. Buy it.
Note added 9/10/2009
I must reluctantly add that Nikon's support is bad. The camera had several defects: bad battery contact (fixed by putting match book cover on top of battery, and sloooow auto-focus. THe call center for Nikon repair has many problems, but the one I want to mention is that it doesn't use US workers. Nikon is selling us an expensive camera and then taking jobs away for a mediocre service. Better to buy camera from company more integrated into the US society, and concerned about jobs here, IMO. That's all.
Digital camera Review: Best in class at the moment
Summary: 5 Stars
In a list of so many glowing reviews, I will keep this one short and sweet.
This is a fantastic camera, if you can afford it. The standouts are fantastic color saturation, terrific white balance control, terrific ISO performance, incredible AF functionality and on and on. Full-featured, ergonomic, sturdy and substantial, this is clearly the leading "prosumer" model currently. Having said that, this is a camera designed for more advanced amateurs and the professional market -- you don't have preset "shooting modes" like other digital SLRs have, for example -- you have the standard "P, S, A, and M" options. The camera assumes you know enough about photography to judge exposure decisions yourself for certain scenes, and this camera fully empowers you to do that easily and ergonomically.
The kit version comes bundled with an excellent lens, too! The 18-200mm VR lens is terrific -- a wide range of uses, actually a terrific "walk-around" lens, and the VR (vibration reduction) feature greatly reduces the need to have a tripod for most shooting conditions.
In all, if you can afford this price range, and are up to a camera geared for a more advanced amateur photographer, this is the best in class at the moment.
Digital camera Review: Better than Advertised
Summary: 5 Stars
I upgraded from the D70 ad it was well worth the money. One great feature is that in Auto mode you can enable and disable the flash. So if you want to not use it, you don't have to keep flppig it down. The quality and clarity of pics are unreal.Digital camera Review: Camera is excellent
Summary: 5 Stars
I truly love the D300 it takes amazing pictures. The 18-200mm Nikon lens that comes with the camera is great for close and long distant shots. The lens is very universal for most type of photos you'll be taking. The only thing that I recommend for novice photographers as me is buying a third party book about the camera. The manual that comes with the camera is ok but it's tailored more for people who have experience with photography. Overall, I'm very satisfied with the camera.Digital camera Review: Coolest toy ever
Summary: 5 Stars
The more I use it the more I realize what it can do, it won't make you a great photographer, but you will not be able to blane the equipment.