Is it worth getting the nikon d300?

Question

For the last year, i have been really thinking about buying a good camera, and my dilemma is... should I buy the D300? I'm 16 years old and semi-serious about photography (meaning that I enjoy it as a past time and potentially, when I get out of school, use it as a second job or something). But, for my knowledge about cameras and photography, and my willingness to spend around $2000, is there any other choices? I spent the last year researching, and somehow all my choices pointed to the D300. Right now, I have the Kodak Z712 IS, and I already learned all the things to do on manual mode, and i am willing to learn all the different settings on a professional camera. So, if you have any insight, or different/better camera choices, it would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

Answer 1

The D300 is a top quality camera with great quality. Its built to last. I love mine The only ones out there that are better are twice the cost.  

Answer 2

I have had mine since December 2007.  I got the D200 in January 2006, so I used that for almost two years before getting the D300.  As great as the D200 is, the D300 is a phenomenal improvement.  The D300 is now $500 more than the D200 and I would say that it is worth every penny of that.

Nikon just dropped the price on the camera, so you can even get the D300 with an acceptable lens for under $2,000.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/51...

You can read reviews everywhere by now, but the major difference is obviously the switch to the CMOS sensor and the new Expeed processor.  Both are great moves for Nikon.  The camera has excellent image quality, exceptional low-light performance, and very fast auto-focus.  It has many features that make it easier to use faster than the D200.  Live view is not something that you will use the same way it is used in a point and shoot camera, but when it is appropriate, it is a major enhancement.  I appreciate the ability to show the top LCD info on the reaer LCD.  It's much larger and easier to see.  If the camera is on a tripod, this feature along with live view really make your life easier.  There is an in-camera dynamic range booster called "Active D-Lighting" that helps with unevenly lit subjects and scenes.  It's not the same as shooting HDR, but it is a step in that direction.  I could go on for an hour about all the features, but it has a 400 page user manual!  That tells you something.

See the review in PopPhoto where the by-line says, "...pushed the D300 to new performance records in the Pop Photo Lab." http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/4911/cam...

See where PopPhoto chose the D300 as the 2007 Camera of the year:

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/4857/cam...

See the 4½ minute video explaining why:

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/4925/cam...

See Michael McNamara's editorial on digital surpassing film in the March 2008 issue of Popular Photography and see how highly he praises the Nikon D3 and D300.  If people keep saying this kind of stuff about the camera, it's going to start selling at a $200-500 premium...

See the dpreview.com review where the D300 where they conclude, "There's simply no better semi-professional digital SLR on the market."

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond30...

See Ken Rockwell's review where he says, "The Nikon D300 is the world's best amateur camera."

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d300.ht...

I must say that I have not read a bad review on the D300 yet.  Practically the only complaint I've read is that it is so hard to find something to complain about!

See a few of my samples and while you are here, click on the link to "All public photos tagged D300."

http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstei...

Answer 3

YESSSSS

Answer 4

The D300 is an amazing camera ...

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d300.ht...

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d300/ex...

I use a D300 and D3 in my work

Answer 5

I think the D300 is an excellent camera but for you need at this time, you'd probably want to hold off on its purchase. By the time you get out of school there will be newer and better cameras that you might like. You're talking about a D300 and there's already a D700 out. By the time you get out of school, imagine what there will be. If you're aching to get you hands on a more professional camera for the experience then I'd suggest getting a used one. Maybe look into a D200 or a Fuji S5.