Nikon D300s Full Review

By Author: unknownmem
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At the launch of Nikon's pro-bodied, DX-format D300 in 2007 it marked something of a revolution for Nikon. At last, Nikon cemented their top-level cameras into two categories: FX and DX. But as far as the rest of the world was concerned, the real revolution came a year later with Nikon's introduction of the D90 -- the first DLSR capable of recording HD video. It's no wonder that Nikon was so eager to take the new high resolution sensor and video mode from their mid-grade D90 and put it into a higher-priced DSLR ... the new Nikon D300S.

The D300S features the same 12.9 megapixel APS-C sensor and Nikon's latest generation EXPEED processor found in the D90. But there aren't many more similarities between Nikon's newest king of the DX format and the older, cheaper D90. The D300S is packed with the same 51-point AF system with color and distance tracking as well as optional viewfinder gridlines from the original D300. In fact, there is little that changed between the popular D300 and the D300S other than the ability to record video, a faster 7 fps continuous shooting speed, and the inclusion of an SDHC card slot in addition ...
... to the Compact Flash card slot.

The D300S shares the same 200 to 3200 nominal ISO range, and the ability to use "Active D-Lighting" The improved EXPEED image processor allows you to capture video at 1280x720 pixel resolution and 24 frames per second. The built-in microphone works as well as the built-in microphones on the D90 and D5000, but the D300S includes a mini-jack stereo input that lets you attach an external microphone for better audio recording. There's also a menu option that allows you to control the volume levels for the video recording.

As previously mentioned, the D300S adds a second memory card slot for SD/SDHC memory media along with the standard CF slot seen in the D300. The SDHC card slot allows photojournalists to quickly transfer images using the built-in SDHC card reader in most laptops. Another convenient benefit to the SDHC slot is that you can use an Eye-Fi card to wirelessly upload images to a computer or the internet whenever you're within range of a Wi-Fi network.