Nikon D90 or D300

[unknowndomain]

I currently have a D70 and for a few reasons...

+ Sensor noise even at low ISO
+ No proper vertical grip
+ 6.1MP

I know 6MP is offically fine for most use as many people seem to say, but I like to be able to crop my pix and when you start cropping a 6.1 picture you soon end up with a low resolution image on your hands, wishing you had only zoomed in some more.

So I was all ready to buy the D300, I have tried the D200 last year at B&H Photo, and then the D300 again this year at B&H Photo, great, I though, I knew the D80 was not going to do it for me, I wanted the Live Preview, the battery grip option, the great sensor and the cool guy (damn you patrick norton) buttons for each function.

Now the marketing people at nikon say theres a D90 so I wait, and would you have guessed it they finally added a feature I have wanted in an SLR for as long as I can remember, Video, not just crappy QCIF or VGA video but full, proper authentic 720p 24fps video, which admittedly only lasts 5 minutes but WOW!

Imagine shooting a a video in HD with DOF it would look amazing.

So now I have vented my excitement about the D90, I am going to wait to try it out but what do people think? I am excited about what Chase Jarvis said on his blog and the videos on Nikons site.

D90 for £699 or D300 for £929.99 (£225.00 less)

Bad points, neither camera take my Nikon D70 EN-EL3 batteries AFAIK, the D90 doesnt take CF cards of which I have 2, anyone else see any other things I miss out on?)

 

[Shoei]

D90 uses the MB-D80 grip, which can be bought pretty cheaply.
D300 uses the MB-D10 grip which aint cheap once you add extra batteries.

May be tempted to move from my D80 to a D90 at some point since i can keep the grip, either that or i ditch the D80 and get a 2nd hand D2Xs.

 

[Darren555]

I moved from a D70s to a D200 and the best thing I find is that the handling of the D200/300 is streets ahead. You can quickly change drive mode, focusing and metering options without having to press buttons or go into menus options. Everything just falls perfectly to hand too.
Yes it is a bit bigger & heavier but for these reasons alone I wouldn't move back to a D70/80/90 size body.
If you shoot action stuff with RAW then take a look at the buffer sizes of each too. There is a BIG difference.

 

[Tooks]

Well, if you're sold on wanting a DSLR with video, then the D90 is your only choice isn't it?

Although it's 720p video (1280 x 720) you only get mono sound. The 5 mins limitation might be an issue too.

Personally, I think the D300 is a better camera than the D90 if all you want is a camera, but the video capability of the D90 makes it your choice if that feature is important to you.

Personally, I'd go for a D300 and buy a decent video recorder for video, as I'm just not sure about a single device trying to do the job of two quite specialist units! Mainly though, it's because I believe the D300 to be the better camera.

Nice position to be in though, having to choose between two very nice cameras!

 

[unknowndomain]

I really am annoyed now I am torn between the enhanced functionality of the D300, vs the lower price and video mode.

I have researched the video mode some and while I can see there are issues, no decent sound option, rolling shutter, jpeg artifacts (in some conditions) and only 5 minutes of recording at a time, it does seem really good all the same, and it does mean I can use the same lens kit that I already have and I only want it for the occasional use, I have seen tests on Vimeo against a $5000 camera and the only thing it did better was autofocus which the d90 couldn't do.

ARGH, I know its sounds like I have already decided but I truly haven't, I just need to know what makes the D300 worth an extra £200 more and the cost of its accessories worth more? At the moment I am struggling to see a time when I would need its functionality, other than for convince but when I weigh that against the extra money, and the extra weight to carry around, I can't see which is best.

If money was not an issue, and I could go out and get either, what would make an amerture photographer go for the D300 other than a few minor tech spec's, 14bit raw, more AF points, AI, Compact Flash, anything else????

 

[King_Boru]

If money was not an issue, and I could go out and get either, what would make an amerture photographer go for the D300 other than a few minor tech spec's, 14bit raw, more AF points, AI, Compact Flash, anything else????

Weather sealing, magnesium body, higher shutter speed, control layout, speed of use,...

I personally would opt for the D300 or second hand D2Xs (if high ISO usage is not on your list).

Dan.

 

[unknowndomain]

I disliked the D70 for its noise, I may just have to try them both out.