Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

Product Category: Digital SLR (Single-lens Reflex) Camera Body

Manufacturer: Nikon

Where to Buy: Amazon [USA, Affiliate], The Camera Store [Canada]

Price: $1649 USD (Amazon), $1598 CAD (The Camera Store)

System Requirements: Nikon F mount lenses required

Specifications: 12.3MP, 3.0" LCD Monitor, 7fps, dual memory card slots, ISO 100-6400; details from Nikon site.

Pros:

• Great ergonomics, buttons and dials well placed and easy to operate;
• Excellent low light capability with large ISO range;
• Fast 7-8fps continuous shooting speed;
• Extremely customizable.

Cons:

• Continuous autofocus not available during movie recording;
• Movie recording clips limited to 5 minute duration with 720p resolution;
• Autofocus groups not visible in viewfinder at all times;
• Exposure meter and histogram not available on LCD monitor during Live View.

Summary: The impressive Nikon D300s is an update of the well-regarded D300 DX format digital SLR body, and is a recommended upgrade for existing Nikon users, or as a new body for photographers looking for a powerful and versatile camera.

Read more...

"Not all of the changes made to create the D300S will be immediately apparent from looking at the specification sheets. Thankfully Nikon has loaned us a D300S which we've pored over and peered into, in an attempt to get to the bottom of the less obvious changes that have been made to its APS-C flagship."

dpreview.com was lucky enough to get their hands on the new D300s prior to the official announcement, and they've written a small article with some of the changes. I'll be interested in seeing if the video on the D300s is noticeably better than the video from the D90 - it should be given the superior sensor on the D300s, but one never knows...

"Mississauga, ON, July 30, 2009 - Nikon Canada today announced the D300S digital SLR, combining professional-level performance with agility and enhanced D-Movie capabilities to deliver a new benchmark for creative versatility. Engineered to leverage proven Nikon technologies, including a 12.3 megapixel CMOS sensor and the 51-point autofocus system; the addition of HD video capture; dual memory card slots; and a faster 7 frames-per-second (fps), the Nikon D300S balances form factor, performance, versatility and reliability for serious photo enthusiasts and professionals.

The D300S retains the photographer-friendly features of the critically acclaimed D300, while enhancing the speed, versatility and agility of the DX-format for a wide variety of photographers, including advanced enthusiasts, wedding photographers and photojournalists. The D300S can record HD video clips and high-fidelity audio with an external stereo microphone input, offering users a digital SLR with full multimedia capabilities. Dual card slots afford users the ability to seamlessly record stills and video to one CompactFlashTM (CF) and one Secure DigitalTM(SD) card separately, while one-button Live View, a new Quiet Shutter Release mode and Active-D Lighting bracketing help users capture stunning images like never before."

Nikon Canada has this habit of releasing new products right around the time I'm trying to call it a night, so I'm not going to do much analysis here - I'm just posting the press release and all the images I can find. Also coming tonight is the Nikon D3000, and two new lenses from Nikon.

As a D300 owner myself, I'm intrigued by the D300s, but the 720p video doesn't impress me. My $400 Panasonic ZS3 can do 720p - if I'm going to drop $2000 on a new DSLR, it should do 1080p. I was expecting Nikon to announce the D400 and have it support 1080p video capture, but that doesn't seem to be happening tonight. The remainder of the press release is after the break, along with a whack of images. Read more...