Nikon D300 or D90?

C

CJ

Member
Sort of the same question as Jeff's 'D7000 or D300s' just slightly modified.

I am looking at getting a new, used, body after christmas and am going back and forth on what to get. I am shooting with a D40x now so either option is going to be an upgrade. I was pretty set on the D90 but it was brought to my attention that you can get a D300 for around the same price, both used. The D300 would be more, but only by about $200 which seems pretty minimal. I've looked at the specs, reviews, comparisons, etc. and still am a little lost.

I guess I'll start with why I am looking at a new body. First and foremost, the D40x does not have the autofocus motor in the body. Meaning that I need to buy lenses with motors or am forced to shoot manual focus. I have 2 lenses now that do not autofocus and have missed several shots either because I couldn't focus fast enough or was slightly off. The low FPS and lack of high ISO are also major concerns. Also the body size, I have pretty big hands so having a small body can get uncomfortable at times and also makes me feel like I am going to drop it occasionally.

On to the good stuff. Probably the biggest difference in the D90 and the D300 is the HD video of the D90. Honestly, this is a very minor detail for me. I really don't see myself shooting video. I've had a point and shoot for years with video and have never once used it, so I doubt having it on a DLSR would make me want to use it. ; From the reviews I've seen the D90 seems to have lightly better high ISO noise reduction, but the 300 has better noise reduction at normal to low level ISO. The 300 is a bigger body which is nice as I have large hands and it also has a nicer build quality with the weather proof seal.

The 300 does only use CF cards and the 90 uses SD. Not a huge deal, but I already have SD cards so getting the 300 would mean getting all new cards.

The 90 seems more consumer friendly with more auto features and scene modes. I almost never use these on my 40x so this really isn't a breaking point either.

What I really like in the 300 is the faster FPS and better/faster autofocus. ;

there are other differences, but I think these are the most meaningful to me.

Just writing all this out I may have convinced myself of the D300, but I wanted to get some opinions and see what other people thought. Coming from a D40x, is going to the D300 going to be too big of a jump?

Thanks!
 
I would say about 98% of the time I am shooting in M-A-S-P modes. The other 2% of the time I am playing with the scene modes just for fun to see what they look like.
 
The D300 will seem intimidating at first, but mainly it's because of the additional options that are offered by the pro-level Nikons. ; Are both of these in your price range? ; Not sure but the price of a used D300s may be coming down with the release of the D7000. ; The D300s has both an SD and CF slot.

But another factor is that for some reason, the D90 tweaks of the sensor (same as the D300) provide a slightly better High ISO advantage over the D300.
 
Easy answer - D300s. ; It has a manual audio jack on the side. Great autofocus system. ; High ISO quality isnt in the d700/d3 range but its close.

I shot two music videos with it after borrowing it for a day.
 
The D300s is out of the question for me. One because of price and two, it just doesn't have enough extra features (over the D300) that I would actually use to justify the price.

On paper the D90 and D300 look quite similar. So has anyone used both that can compare them? Menu layouts, buttons, ease of use, that type of comparison. I have seen the side-by-side resolution comparisons and except for the D90 have slightly better noise control at super high ISO, there isn't much difference.
 
I went through the same back and forth decision when I was looking a two years ago. ; The I was looking at the same two cameras and could not make a decision. ; On paper they were both great cameras. ; I was able to go to a camera store and hold both cameras in my hand. ; I new the moment I picked up the two that I wanted the D300. ; The main reason for me was the feel in the hand. ; The D300 felt so much more balanced when I picked it up. ; It does weigh a lot more but for me that felt good. ; I sometimes complain at how "heavy" it is after a full days shooting but honestly I have no regrets. ; If you end up getting a battery grip the balance and feel gets even better. ; I did find away around the CF and SD card issue. ; I have both and use both in the camera. ; I attached a link to an adapter that makes an SD card work in the D300. ; I have used it many of times and don't have any issues with write speed. ; If you don't mind the weight I would go D300 if prices are comparable. ; The Noise is really minimal at around 3200 but Lightroom 3 NR really makes even a 6400 ISO picture look really well. ; I have not run into many noise issues using my D300. ;

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/462559-REG/Jobo_SE9108_SD_SDHC_to_Compact_Flash.html
 
I would go with the D300. ; Even though the D90 is an upgrade over your D40x, how long will it take you to outgrow the D90? ; The D300 will give you plenty of growing room and since you almost never use the program modes you already know how to shoot in the advanced modes and won't have a huge learning curve. ; I went from a D70 to a D2Xs before I got my D700, so I will say that the buttons will be in different locations from what you're used to, but once you learn where everything is, you'll love it. ; I think the pro level Nikon bodies have a much better button layout compared to the lower end bodies.
 
I never had a D90- but I had a D80 and a D300- here are my thoughts-

Build- D300 is a substantial built weather sealed pro camera built out of magnesium alloy, use one for a while and the D40x and D90 will both feel like plastic toys. ; Aside from just heft it also has a lot more controls so you flip a switch in lieu of pressing a button and turning a dial at the same time- or worse- menu diving.

FPS- You mention this as important- they may be close on paper but the professional buffer on the D300 puts it over the top. ; Especially shooting raw the D90 will bog down after a five or six shots while the D300 will rip out 20 plus frames before it ever flinches.

AF- This you also say is important- again I may be comparring to the D80 but the AF on the D300 was substantially faster and better in every way on the D300. ; It's still better than the D7000 I am shooting with now by all accounts I have read from serious bird/sports guys who need top notch AF.

ISO advantage goes to the D90 but it's slight. ; Video goes to the D90 but you don't care about it.

Cost on the D300 is more but I expect it will also have a better resale value in a year or two as well.

Just my $0,000,000.02 ; ;)
 
Awesome! Thanks a lot Jeff.

Yes, 'menu diving' is a pain to say the least. Without my D40x in front of me I can't even guess how many times I need to push buttons, just to change the ISO or WB.

One more question about the D300; what type of remote shutter options does it have? Does it have the infrared sensor to use a wireless remote or do you have to use a wired one? Again, not that thats a breaking point, I was just curious.
 
The D300 uses the "standard" Nikon 10 pin port for remote or GPS unit, no built-in remote wireless option for shutter release.
 
No- unfortunately it takes the staggeringly overpriced 10-pin cord. ; ::)

Type Nikon MC-30 Remote Trigger Release into the B&H search box at the top of the page. ; There are some cheaper 3rd party cables out there but I have never tried one.
 
"Jeff Fillmore" said:
There are some cheaper 3rd party cables out there but I have never tried one.
Click to expand...

I have. ; It worked, for a while. ; Then it refused to trip the shutter...it would work for AF (half-shutter) but it wouldn't release the shutter fully. ; So then I got a used MC-30 from KEH, which was great while I was shooting Nikon. ; Now I'm back to a generic, and so far so good!
 
"CJ" said:
Awesome! Thanks a lot Jeff.

Yes, 'menu diving' is a pain to say the least. Without my D40x in front of me I can't even guess how many times I need to push buttons, just to change the ISO or WB.

One more question about the D300; what type of remote shutter options does it have? Does it have the infrared sensor to use a wireless remote or do you have to use a wired one? Again, not that thats a breaking point, I was just curious.
Click to expand...

It has a standard 10-pin connection, which makes it pocket-wizard/remote camera friendly. ;
 
Despite the cost, the 10-pin connector is much better than the lower end cable release connector. ; I have broken two cable releases for my D70, which are very flimsy (small connector, thin wire) compared to the build quality of the MC-30.
 
Despite the cost, the 10-pin connector is much better than the lower end cable release connector.
Click to expand...


i know a lot of folks are on budgets, some have gotten tighter than others, and i'm all in favor of saving a buck whenever possible, but i feel that there are a some things in photography where it just does not pay to cut a corner. i always believe in good system manufactured glass, IE use canon on canon, nikon on nikon, etc. save up until you can afford the high end glass. and get the brand named electronic hookups, such as the cable releases. just seems to work out better in the long run.
 
Well since I just sold my D700 I might have a couple extra MC-30's laying around- along with a couple extra EN-EL3e's, and about 48GB of CF Cards I don't need anymore if anyone who's getting a new D300 needs them for a good price. ; Just sayin. ; ::)
 
"gary" said:
i know a lot of folks are on budgets, some have gotten tighter than others, and i'm all in favor of saving a buck whenever possible, but i feel that there are a some things in photography where it just does not pay to cut a corner. i always believe in good system manufactured glass, IE use canon on canon, nikon on nikon, etc. save up until you can afford the high end glass. and get the brand named electronic hookups, such as the cable releases. just seems to work out better in the long run.
Click to expand...

I absolutely agree with you Gary. ; I used to believe the opposite, thinking its just a cable release, which it is. ; Then I attended DLWS and Moose Peterson told us that he carries extra covers for the cable release ports for his cameras in case he loses one in the field[nb]This used to be a huge problem with the pre-D3 10-pin covers that were a small plastic screw cap[/nb]. ; When asked why he did that for a cable release port, he told us that the 10-pin port is not just a cable release port; instead it is a direct connection to the heart of an ungrounded computer that is the brain of the camera and if anything gets in there and shorts it out, you're looking at a hefty repair bill. ; Needless to say, the first thing I did when I got home from the trip was to order a replacement and a spare for the one I lost the first week I had my D2Xs, over a year before.
 
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