Nikon D90 v D300 (1 Viewer)

pe'rigin · Oct 27, 2008

I think that we have two very good cameras’ here.

The price difference is important to an individual.

I will agree with KR with his thoughts on noise, which really shouldn't be mentioned in any forum if we are photographing correctly.

The overriding judgement for any camera is the image results; unfortunately everybody thinks they’re a dab hand at Photoshop…they’re not.

Buy what you comfortable with and aim to improve the results after the shutter has been fired.

birdeast · Oct 27, 2008

I went through this very same process a few weeks ago. I ended up with a D300 and I am happier than I ever thought I could be. I picked up my neighbor's D80 yesterday and it felt like a toy.... I upgraded from a D50 as well and I thought my neighbor's D80 really great, until 3 weeks of D300.

It feels right in the hand
It is fast on focus
Gives more control without having to hunt through menus

You cant go wrong with the D300

Gentoo · Oct 27, 2008

birdeast said:
I went through this very same process a few weeks ago. I ended up with a D300 and I am happier than I ever thought I could be. I picked up my neighbor's D80 yesterday and it felt like a toy.... I upgraded from a D50 as well and I thought my neighbor's D80 really great, until 3 weeks of D300.

It feels right in the hand
It is fast on focus
Gives more control without having to hunt through menus

You cant go wrong with the D300

Again I'd have to agree. If price is not and issue, the D300 is the best. I am so glad once again that I impulsed bought this camera, otherwise I'd have a D90 now because of cost. Like the D80, the D90 doesn't have that same "it's a real camera" feel to it. I upgraded from a D40.

Des! · Oct 27, 2008

Thanks for all your input - lets see what my wages bring at the end of the month.

:t:

Des

Hyrax · Oct 28, 2008

Helios said:
The D300 autocorrects for CA as well, which is very useful as the older AIS lenses were more prone to CA.

How effective is this? The biggest problem I have with my current Sigma telephoto is lots of CA in high contrast areas. Having spent £600 on the lens, which is fantastic otherwise, and currently owning a battered D50, I'd really rather replace the camera when the coffers next reach critical mass. I was aiming for the D300 but I'd like to hear from someone with experience of it's CA reduction in the hope that it can, at least partly, solve the problem.

Gentoo · Oct 28, 2008

Hyrax said:
How effective is this? The biggest problem I have with my current Sigma telephoto is lots of CA in high contrast areas. Having spent £600 on the lens, which is fantastic otherwise, and currently owning a battered D50, I'd really rather replace the camera when the coffers next reach critical mass. I was aiming for the D300 but I'd like to hear from someone with experience of it's CA reduction in the hope that it can, at least partly, solve the problem.

They correct the same way, this is one nice feature of all Nikon Generation 2 cameras. the D90 has the newest censor. It's 12mp just like the D300 but was designed specifically for the D90.

Like I said before, it's all about price and whether or not you need the added features the D300 can provide. Even if you settle for the D90 it will be mountains above the D50. Overall though if you are buying mainly on picture quality alone, the D90 and D300 are the same. I've seen it with the same lens switched between them. Some may not agree but having auto Active D Lighting will also help out. It makes little sense to have either of these bodies if you don't use that feature. The shape of a birds body and the places they hang out create lots of shadows and bright areas. You want to tame those, making them more like the way your eye naturally sees them. One great thing about our Nikons are the automatic features they offer so you can concentrate on shooting and getting a higher percentage of great shots.

Get the D90 if you're on a budget and you plan to shoot movies (eew). Get the D300 if you can afford it and want a nice metal body that can take a beating.

Nelbert · Nov 22, 2008

I've got both and find I use the D90 as my second body (usually with a macro on it) - I'd take Rockwell's comments with a pinch of salt - it's very easy to get excellent results from the D90 but it's priced below the D300 for good reason - it doesn't have as many features as the 300 - it is lightweight and doesn't feel as solid - Low ISO performance on the D300 is slightly better IMHO though picture quality in the lower-mid iso range is pretty equal I'd say, but with the D300 you pay the extra for the extra options that shooting with the D300 gives you - in that sense the D300 is a better camera than the D90 and I don't really care what Rockwell thinks.

That's certainly not to say that the D90 isn't - for a mid-level DSLR it's outstanding and capable of producing top-quality images and it's better than the D80 imho by some margin, but it is limited in terms of functionality (though I love the face recognition feature for street photography). As long as people recognise that, I'd recommend the D90 as a terrific camera.

Gentoo · Nov 22, 2008

Nelbert said:
I've got both and find I use the D90 as my second body (usually with a macro on it) - I'd take Rockwell's comments with a pinch of salt - it's very easy to get excellent results from the D90 but it's priced below the D300 for good reason - it doesn't have as many features as the 300 - it is lightweight and doesn't feel as solid - Low ISO performance on the D300 is slightly better IMHO though picture quality in the lower-mid iso range is pretty equal I'd say, but with the D300 you pay the extra for the extra options that shooting with the D300 gives you - in that sense the D300 is a better camera than the D90 and I don't really care what Rockwell thinks.

That's certainly not to say that the D90 isn't - for a mid-level DSLR it's outstanding and capable of producing top-quality images and it's better than the D80 imho by some margin, but it is limited in terms of functionality (though I love the face recognition feature for street photography). As long as people recognise that, I'd recommend the D90 as a terrific camera.

I don't agree with the ISO performance. I've tried them both myself and the D90, in my use, was equal to the D300 (Rockwell claims is slightly better but I think they are the same). The colors are the same as are most of the picture controls. The D300 is priced higher because it's the "prosumer" camera niche Nikon has. It isn't compatible with as many older lenses like the D300 is. It can't meter with older lenses by entering the lens info like the D300 can. It only has 11 focal points, not the 51 on the D300. I can't remember if the D90 can do the 3D tracking or not. None of these missing features change the image quality of the D90. They only impact the way you may or may not be able to use it.

Nelbert · Nov 23, 2008

Gentoo said:
I don't agree with the ISO performance. I've tried them both myself and the D90, in my use, was equal to the D300 (Rockwell claims is slightly better but I think they are the same). The colors are the same as are most of the picture controls. The D300 is priced higher because it's the "prosumer" camera niche Nikon has. It isn't compatible with as many older lenses like the D300 is. It can't meter with older lenses by entering the lens info like the D300 can. It only has 11 focal points, not the 51 on the D300. I can't remember if the D90 can do the 3D tracking or not. None of these missing features change the image quality of the D90. They only impact the way you may or may not be able to use it.

Well I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then - I had both bodies out with the same lens on the same settings and downloaded both to the same pc and I thought the ISO performance on the low end on the D300 was slightly better - could be I don't have a pristine D90, but I can only call it as I find it.

Gentoo · Nov 23, 2008

Nelbert said:
Well I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then - I had both bodies out with the same lens on the same settings and downloaded both to the same pc and I thought the ISO performance on the low end on the D300 was slightly better - could be I don't have a pristine D90, but I can only call it as I find it.

I guess the truth is right in the middle somewhere. Rockwell says the D90 is better, I see them as the same as you had the D300 better LOL. Perhaps all of us need to sample more:-O

RJM · Nov 23, 2008

This new website ranks the D90's sensor slightly better than the D300 too,
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/eng/DxOMark-Sensor

cheers,
Rick

Duke Leto · Nov 23, 2008

bet no one could tell the difference in the real world............

griffin · Nov 24, 2008

RJM said:
This new website ranks the D90's sensor slightly better than the D300 too,
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/eng/DxOMark-Sensor

cheers,
Rick

According to this site the ISO performance of the D300 is only marginally better than my D70S ! What gives ?

Lindsay

Guidenet · Nov 24, 2008

Evie19 said:
:C Yes but Ken Rockwell is a professional and you are not!!

Anyone who thinks Ken Rockwell is a professional or an impeccable source as not been to many parts of his website.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nm/aliens/index.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/analprobe/dissent.htm

Ken Rockwell has fun, doesn't make money taking images, but does make money selling equipment from his website. He admits that he only outputs low quality Jpegs which wouldn't cut it in most of the professional marketplace.

Some of his blog is really good, IMO, while much is totally nonsense.

Gentoo · Nov 25, 2008

Guidenet said:
Anyone who thinks Ken Rockwell is a professional or an impeccable source as not been to many parts of his website.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nm/aliens/index.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/analprobe/dissent.htm

Ken Rockwell has fun, doesn't make money taking images, but does make money selling equipment from his website. He admits that he only outputs low quality Jpegs which wouldn't cut it in most of the professional marketplace.

Some of his blog is really good, IMO, while much is totally nonsense.

Somewhere on his site he also says that. Everyone here on BF is world's beyond Ken Rockwell IMO. He got me started as I knew little a couple of years ago apart from the electronics aspect of DSLR's. Once I got started, you all have been my source for the most part lol.

He admits his controlled insanity here:

This is my personal website. I do it all by myself. I'm just one guy with a computer who likes to take pictures. I have the playful, immature and creative, trouble-making mind of a seven-year-old, so read accordingly.

This site is purely my personal speech and opinion, and a way for me to goof around.

While often inspired by actual products and events, just like any other good news organization, I like to make things up and stretch the truth if they make an article more fun. In the case of new products, rumors and just plain silly stuff, it's all pretend. If you lack a good BS detector, please treat this entire site as a work of fiction.

This site is provided only for the entertainment of my personal friends, dogs, family and myself. I've never promoted this site. If you're reading this, you got here on your own.

Read this site at your own risk. I make a lot of mistakes. I have no proof-reader and there are plenty of pages, like this one, which have been around since the 1990s and may no longer apply or be correct. I'm just one guy. No mater how stupid something may be, if I don't catch it, it gets out there anyway and stays wrong for years until someone points it out. I can't track everything; I've written thousand of pages and write a few more every day.

If you find anything out of whack, please let me know, since there are a lot more of you than there are of me.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/about.htm

However if you're a beginner who gets daunted and confused by owners manuals (and Nikons manuals are known for this), pages like this are helpful:

http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/d90/users-guide/index.htm

The rest, you take with a grain of salt and pick through the crap. Such is the case with the main D90 page of his.

I guess someone should write a guide on how to read KR LOL:-O

Des! · Dec 2, 2008

Thanks! for all your thoughts & Suggestions - I took the Plunge!

I got a D300, Nikon 300 F/4 & 1.4 Converter.

With spare Battery, Pro Filter & 4GB Card.

I had managed to get a really good deal out of my local Jacobs by getting them to price match.

I was happy as I had change from £2k :t:

So hopefully I'll be able to take better pics!!!!!:-O:-O:-O

Gentoo · Dec 2, 2008

Des! said:
Thanks! for all your thoughts & Suggestions - I took the Plunge!

I got a D300, Nikon 300 F/4 & 1.4 Converter.

With spare Battery, Pro Filter & 4GB Card.

I had managed to get a really good deal out of my local Jacobs by getting them to price match.

I was happy as I had change from £2k :t:

So hopefully I'll be able to take better pics!!!!!:-O:-O:-O

Oh you will take awesome pics, especially if you already know a lot about Nikons cameras and how to take advantage of the many tweaks available.

I have pretty much this same combination although I have the older AF, non AF-S version of that prime. This is what I was able to do from just the seond time using it:

http://www.pbase.com/shonn/image/105795341

http://www.pbase.com/shonn/image/106434198

http://www.pbase.com/shonn/image/105479356

http://www.pbase.com/shonn/image/105479659

Before I bought a good prime like this, these kinds of shots always eluded me and the colors you can get out of a D300 (or D90, same picture controls) makes it all worth it. Have fun and I'd love to see some of your work with this set up.

griffin · Dec 3, 2008

Des! said:
Thanks! for all your thoughts & Suggestions - I took the Plunge!

I got a D300, Nikon 300 F/4 & 1.4 Converter.

With spare Battery, Pro Filter & 4GB Card.

I had managed to get a really good deal out of my local Jacobs by getting them to price match.

I was happy as I had change from £2k :t:

So hopefully I'll be able to take better pics!!!!!:-O:-O:-O

Good for you I did too !

How you getting on ? I have no regrets though am now considering getting a nikon 1.4 to replace the Kenko.

Lindsay

Helios · Dec 3, 2008

One way that the D300 is definitely superior to the D80 (and D90 if it's the same) is the stupid scene selection dial on the left of the camera. I've lost some very good shots as the dial had mysteriously moved to shutter priority, or one of the scene selection modes. So I get "bulb" popping up or suddenly can't use the exposure compensation. By the time I've worked out what's happened, the birds gone and I've missed the shot.

Never happens with the D300. It's a lot easier to use than the D80, even if there's not a great deal of difference in image quality IMHO.

Gentoo · Dec 3, 2008

Helios said:
One way that the D300 is definitely superior to the D80 (and D90 if it's the same) is the stupid scene selection dial on the left of the camera. I've lost some very good shots as the dial had mysteriously moved to shutter priority, or one of the scene selection modes. So I get "bulb" popping up or suddenly can't use the exposure compensation. By the time I've worked out what's happened, the birds gone and I've missed the shot.

Never happens with the D300. It's a lot easier to use than the D80, even if there's not a great deal of difference in image quality IMHO.

The D90 does have that dial though I've not used one enough to run into that problem.

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