The Best Nikon Digital SLR Camera

Page updated: November 2007

The best Nikon digital SLR that you can lay hands on right now is the Nikon D300 (Release Date: November 2007).

When I talk about the D300 being the best, I'm referring to CONSUMER level cameras and not the PROFESSIONAL ones.

Nikon has a long history of making pro-quality gear. While those cameras have exceptional features, they are also well out of the budgetary range of your average non-professional photographer (typically in excess of $3,000 for the camera body without a lens).

However, if you're not a pro shooting for National Geographic but still want the best that Nikon has to offer, the D300 is the digital SLR for you.

Built for Speed

The Nikon D300 would not be able to compete with other cameras at this level (Canon 40D, Sony DSLR-A700, Olympus E-3) if it did not have a fast continuous shutter rate.

By way of comparison, the average shutter rate for a sub-$1000 consumer digital SLR camera is 3 photos per second.

The Nikon D300 can capture images twice as fast: at 6 photos per second without the optional battery grip, or at a whopping 8 photos per second with it.

All this speed wouldn't be worth much if the camera slowed down after only a handful of shots.

Not to worry - the D300 can capture up to 100 consecutive full resolution (12.3 megapixel) photos before it runs out of steam. For the math inclined, this means that you can capture 96 consecutive photos in about 16 seconds.

In addition to its fast consecutive photo speed, the D300 includes an advanced 51-point autofocus system which is made up of 15 cross-type sensors (which are highly accurate) and 36 horizontal sensors.

The autofocus system also leverages the camera's light meter so that it can accurately track subjects that are zipping by.

All The Extras

There are three common extra features available on modern digital SLR cameras: dust control, live view LCDs and built-in image stabilization.

Other consumer Nikon cameras (D40, D40x, D80) stand out because they don't include ANY of these additional features.

By contrast, the D300 earns its title of best Nikon digital SLR by including a new dust control system and a live view LCD (features that are also included in the rival Canon 40D).

Built-in image stabilization is not included - but this makes perfect sense since Nikon offers a wide variety of high-performance image-stabilized lenses (which bear the VR label for Vibration Reduction).

The live view mode lets you compose photos using the camera's LCD, and it actually includes TWO different modes (rather than the one that's more common on other competing camera models).

1. Tripod Mode - for use when the camera is attached to a stable surface and the subject isn't moving
2. Handheld Mode - to be used with a subject in motion or when the camera is moving around

Special Features

It's speed and extra features alone clearly make the D300 the best Nikon digital SLR camera - but there's even a few more special settings that really make this camera stand out.

• Active D-Lighting (increased dynamic range)
• Wireless Compatibility
• Approximate 100% Viewfinder Coverage

Some other Nikon digital SLR cameras (like the D80) include a feature called D-lighting, which increases the brightness of shadows and balances the contrast in a digital image.

Before D-Lighting	After D-Lighting

The only issue with this feature is that it only worked on photos that had already been saved to the memory card.

The Nikon D300 includes active D-lighting: it's the exact same feature, only you can set it so that it is applied to every photo you take. This effectively reduces harsh shadows so that you don't have to edit the image later (either in-camera or by using software).

The second special feature - wireless - only works with the optional WT-4A transmitter. When the D300 is connected to the WT-4A, you can "beam" images directly to a computer that's set up to receive them.

Finally, the approximate 100% viewfinder coverage ensures that the image that you see in the viewfinder is the image that will be captured on the sensor. On many other digital SLRs, the viewfinder coverage is 95%, so it's possible for the sensor to capture additional information around the edges that you can't see when you look through the viewfinder.

Price

It's true - the best Nikon digital SLR doesn't come cheap.

However, if you're the type of person who really enjoys action photography and doesn't want to spend a lot of time editing images after the fact (or deleting them because the focus was off), then the extra cost of the D300 will probably be worth it in the long run.

Related Links

• Nikon D300 Press Release
• Nikon D300 Specification From Nikon's Web Site
• All Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

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