Feature: Nikon D300 is getting rave reviews from Camera Shops
Idea:We put the camera to stress test in a camera shop
The chatter in the camera shops is that the Nikon D300 is the SLR to have before you go whole hog for a full frame, top of the line digital SLR for mucho bucks - think $4000-10,000. So as I slowly gather data on the various SLR cameras as I seek to replace my venerable Canon XT, a few shots with the D300, to see its vaunted image quality, seemed to be the order of the day.
As usual I was not allowed to poke my head outside to take a few shots along Yonge street. But that was okay because I live more often in the handheld and shady territory of 1/2 to 1/30th of a second - where streaks of implied motion are the rule. This is also very challenging for digital SLRs as unwanted camera shake, rattle, and rolling Blur along with the speckled mottled Noise Beast dwell. So the following shots are really a good stress test for the Nikon D300 with a VR17-55mm lens on board. VR is the Nikon on-lens, image stabilization which is reported to deliver 2-3 stop improvements in picture taking power.
Now the Nikon D300 delivers 4288 x 2848 Pixels (12.21 MPixels) at a 3:2 ratio. It gets impressive image quality ratings from ISO 200 to 1600 in all the popular magazines and websites. And at $1600 for body alone it touts some pretty nice features:
- 12.3 megapixel DX format CMOS sensor
- Self-cleaning sensor unit (low-pass filter vibration)
- ISO 200 - 3200 (6400 with boost) using 14-bit A/D conversion
- Nikon EXPEED image processor (Capture NX processing and NR algorithms, lower power)
- Super fast operation (power-up 13 ms, shutter lag 45 ms, black-out 100 ms)
- Shutter life only 150,000 exposures
- New Multi-CAM3500DX Auto Focus with 51-point, 15 cross-type, more vertical coverage
- Auto-focus tracking by color (using information from 1005-pixel AE sensor)
- Auto-focus calibration uses fixed body or up to 20 separate lens settings
- Scene Recognition System (uses AE sensor, AF sensor)
- Picture Control image parameter presets (replace Color Modes I, II and III)
- Six frames per second continuous shooting (eight frames per second with battery pack)
- Compact Flash UDMA support
- 3.0" 922,000 pixel LCD monitor
- Live View with either phase detect (mirror up/down) or contrast detect Auto Focus
- HDMI HD video output
- 'Active D-Lighting' (adjusts metering as well as applying D-Lighting curve)
- Detailed 'Control Panel' type display on LCD monitor, changes color in darkness
- Buttons sealed against moisture
The following shots were all taken indoors under a mixture of fluorescent and tungsten light using Aperture Priority and Automatic White Balance detection. So don't look for color fidelity under such a lighting brew. But do look for exposure, sharpness (the D300 has 50 autofocus points) and noise control (the D300 receives top marks for noise correction in lowlight situations). Also remember that the VR lens has built in image stabilization. All of the image are 790 x 250 crops from the original photo with no other post processing done(no sharpening, smoothing nor color corrections).
ISO 250, f5.6 1/6 sec, 85mm
This shot at 1/6th for 85mm which should be blurry is. But the contours are sharp and the colors are full and smooth with no speckling.
ISO 250, f5.6 1/50 sec, 95mm - Out the door
This is another detail of the original shot which is of the interior of the shop. At a low f-stop the D300 is still able to produce fairly sharp details. The strut in the middle had a taped on sign just removed accounting for filminess- compare with lighter strut on the left. Again, the VR lens had its work to do - as I/50th is still no match for a 95mm lens setting.
ISO200, f5.6 1/400 sec, 100mm - Fluorescent light
This shot is at slightly slower ISO sensitivity but the shutter speed should and does deliver very sharp details. Again, the crop is extracted from an image that is otherwise permeated with dark shadow areas. Good image taking.
ISO 1600, f3.5 , 16mm - Interior wide angle shot at high ISO
I decided to try the great high ISO ratings that the D300 has been getting using a wide angle shot. There is good news and bad news. The good news is the quality of the details and their sharpness. The bad news is the noise with mottled color in the shadow areas. I must admit I was expecting less noise.
ISO 1600, f5.6 1/30, 85mm Pixma box exterior
This is the type of shot that I take all the time. A hand held shot with low light conditions, slower speed, aperture as wide open as possible and the telephoto at 85mm working against the camera's sensor and processor at maximum image size of 4288 x 2848 Pixels. Since the picture is extracted from the flat side of the box, I would have expected less noise and a bit better sharpness. A disappointment here - 1600 ISO is not quite as robust as I expected.
Summary
From specs, the D300 has mixed result. Discounting completely for color fidelity because of the poor lighting conditions, I had hoped to find the D300 as the lowlight, high ISO virtuoso. And at fast shutter speed the sharpness was good but the noise was more than I expected. No in camera stabilization nor tiltable nor fast focusing Live screen and one begins to wonder what all the raves are for. But in Nikon's favor these are are hardly ideal lighting conditions for the camera to show of its prowess. Perhaps an upcoming rental will show the D300 for all its worth.
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