Nikon D300s released

[manaheim]

Honestly, I think the 2 card format is UTTERLY stupid. Select ONE format or the other... if someone wants to use this feature now they are forced to carry around *2* formats of storage. I have nothing against one or the other... but make them at least THE SAME.

I was thinking it was a bit odd, too... I couldn't totally put my finger on why, but this is a great point.

I was also thinking that the speeds (last I checked) tend to vary between the two formats with the CF cards generally being faster... I imagine this would effect performance in fast shooting when writing to both cards.

 

[JerryPH]

D300: Hefty hefty hefty
D60: Wimpy wimpy wimpy

D700 w/grip, 2 batteries and a 70-200 and a SB-800 with PW on top = Bowflex workout machine... lol

I carry this configuration for about 2-3 hours every wedding... If carrying around this camera doesn't make you break a sweat after a few hours, you are in some shape! The D700 in this configuration is even heavier than a D3 with the same lens.

 

[JerryPH]

I was also thinking that the speeds (last I checked) tend to vary between the two formats with the CF cards generally being faster... I imagine this would effect performance in fast shooting when writing to both cards.

I am sure it is a concern, but the D300 has a huge sized buffer in it... and thought they are not up to CF card write speeds (especially since the D300 is UDMA compatible), the SD cards are not lagging that much behind anymore like they were up to a year ago.

Still, I'd love to know who at Nikon justified 2 formats and how... I have no other word to describe it other than majorly stupid... lol.

 

[smyth]

Still, I'd love to know who at Nikon justified 2 formats and how... I have no other word to describe it other than majorly stupid... lol.

I would say likely to entice someone that already shoots a D40/50/60/80/90 to make the move up to the D300 without having to go and buy a whole bunch of new memory cards. They can still use their old SD ones.

 

[PhotoXopher]

D300s is about the only thing I'd even consider upgrading to at this point, and even at that I'm not interested. The D90 is more than I need and it will be a long time before I could justify the upgrade anyway (only justification would be getting paid to shoot or winning the lottery).

Hmmm, if I won the lottery I think I'd still wait for a D4x with video

 

[benhasajeep]

Still, I'd love to know who at Nikon justified 2 formats and how... I have no other word to describe it other than majorly stupid... lol.

I would say likely to entice someone that already shoots a D40/50/60/80/90 to make the move up to the D300 without having to go and buy a whole bunch of new memory cards. They can still use their old SD ones.

I was thinking the same thought.

 

[manaheim]

Still, I'd love to know who at Nikon justified 2 formats and how... I have no other word to describe it other than majorly stupid... lol.

I would say likely to entice someone that already shoots a D40/50/60/80/90 to make the move up to the D300 without having to go and buy a whole bunch of new memory cards. They can still use their old SD ones.

I wonder how much someone who buys a $1800 camera is going to agonize over a couple hundred bucks in memory cards.

 

[blash]

I wonder how much someone who buys a $1800 camera is going to agonize over a couple hundred bucks in memory cards.

Think of it more in terms of you're going to pay 15%-20% of the cost of your camera on memory cards (and other accessories - battery grip anyone?), maybe (probably) more. Then it seems a little more expensive

 

[itznfb]

got to hold and test a D300s for a few minutes today. good thing is the MB-D10 still works with it
i had no reason to think it wouldn't but just glad to see it in person before i actually upgrade to this guy

... and i actually provided 3 links from Nikon's REAL site...

OK, leaving out all the other inflammatory crap in your post, saying that Nikon's Canuck site isn't a real Nikon site is just plain, bigot, wrong. It's just as real as all the others; might as well say Nikon's Canadian customers aren't real customers. Can't really say much about that so I'm just going to shake my head in disgust.

Second, you're placing WAY too much emphasis on how a camera is marketed. The D300/s is a professional grade camera (especially for those who appreciate the extra reach of DX sensors like wildlife photographers), but Nikon doesn't market it as such because it then sets a lower price entry point for a "professional" camera. By making it look like their cheapest "professional" body is the D700, they make more money off folks who just walk into Ritz Camera and say "I want a professional body - gimme your cheapest" while still being able to say to the "in-crowd", hey look not just our "professional" bodies have that great pro quality.

In other words, no one gives a **** what other people classify your camera as, nor in the end do they give a **** about what camera you even used. What people DO care about is the final image you can produce, and if you like your D300 and you feel like the D300 meets your needs then that's all that really matters.

and it continues.... i said it wasn't a real site because the page he linked DID NOT EXIST!!

and i wasn't placing emphasis on the designation of the camera. i was simply pointing out that the D300/s was not a mid-level camera, and Jerry's original statement threw me off for a second until i realised his source didn't really exist and nikon actual published classsification of the D300/s is in the same category as the D3x/3/700.

i was only placing emphasis on the ridiculous way he responded.

 

[Derrel]

The incorporation of both CF and SD card slots in the D300s makes sense give the new ubiquitous nature of SD cards...SD cards are for sale almost EVERYwhere these days--at camera shops, but also at Target, Rite Aid drug stores, Mom & Pop tourist shops all across the world,etc,etc. The same is decidedly NOT true of CF cards, which are now a specialty item simply not in stock at many stores that DO have SD cards available. A cheap 1- or 2-gigabyte SD card can be had for $10-$19 at dozens of stores in my local suburban area. I was at the seashore not long ago at a bait and tackle store that had some 1-gigabyte SD cards for $15...why? Because the SD card has become the most popular,best-selling,and cheapest memory card format over the past three years.

One advantage SD cards have over CF cards is that they do not have 50 small .3mm holes along the edge of each cad, and cameras do not have 50 small,delicate wire contacts that must absolutely,precisely fit into said 50 receptacles. CF cards and the in-camera contact pins make for occasional problems. A single bent pin out of 50 can end a shoot with a CF card camera; having the simpler, more-rugged,less-precise simple flat contact system of SD cards means a Nikon shooter can buy a spare memory card at many locations that are in no way "camera stores" AND his camera can share memory cards with his compact camera as well as consumer Nikon models, plus there's a second memory card option should one of those 50 delicate CF pins become bent,or one of the 50 CF card holes get plugged with something like sand, or sugar,or salt or other types of pocket debris or debris encountered when a CF card gets dropped while doing a card installation outdoors.

Now that it's mid-2009 SD memory has become the "norm". It's small, cheap, and not prone to malfunctions due to a delicate, 50-pin connection system. There's nobody forcing anybody to use the SD card slot over the CF card slot, and those badmouthing the option to use a second, popular,affordable, ubiquitous memory card format are clearly grasping at straws; 99 percent of cameras have only ONE memory slot. This camera will have two slots. At no weight or size or cost penalty. And that's supposed to somehow be an "utterly stupid" design decision? I think it's good to have all the benefits a small little SD card slot brings to a camera designed for serious use by a wide range of Nikon shooters. This isn't 2004 anymore. CF has lost a lot of ground to the SD card format,and it only makes sense to allow a Nikon shooter to share memory cards between the lower- and higher-end models. Omitting the SD card slot in 2009--now THAT would be an "utterly stupid" design choice.

It might be lost on those who proclaim an SD card slot "utterly stupid", but there are SD cards that offer built-in Wi-Fi connectivity,and thus the ability to directly upload photos and or video from the camera to Picasa,SmugMug,Photbucket,Flickr,YouTube, or to one's own web page,server, or to your studio or newspaper's servers. Incorporating an SD card slot in the D300s allows professional users a camera that has wireless file transmission capabilities built right in to Wi-Fi enabled SD memory cards. Without the need for ancillary equipment fitted outside the body, unlike the "professional" Nikon d-slrs that use only CF card storage.

 

[boogschd]

.... curse nikon for not designing the D40/50/60/70/3000/5000 to be compatible with the MB-D10 >____>

now i remember why i wanted a d300 then xD

D300 w/ grip :thumbup:
D60 w/ grip :thumbdown:

D300: Hefty hefty hefty
D60: Wimpy wimpy wimpy

i hate you

 

[blash]

and it continues.... i said it wasn't a real site because the page he linked DID NOT EXIST!!

and i wasn't placing emphasis on the designation of the camera. i was simply pointing out that the D300/s was not a mid-level camera, and Jerry's original statement threw me off for a second until i realised his source didn't really exist and nikon actual published classsification of the D300/s is in the same category as the D3x/3/700.

i was only placing emphasis on the ridiculous way he responded.

Try the link again, it works for me.

And after looking over Nikon's US site, it's pretty apparent that even Nikon USA doesn't really have a designation for "professional cameras" since neither the D3X, D3, or D700 for that matter are described as "professional" in any way on their info pages - rather, they're merely presented as different cameras that have such-and-such features, and ooh this camera is on top and has more features.

So why should I place stock in Nikon's description of "professional" quality in the D300 when Nikon won't even use that word for the D3/X? Because for the D300s, it's merely a buzzword. The D300 is still sold in places like Best Buy to appeal to average Joes who want the best quality - "professional" sounds like a good way to reel them in.

But the point is that people who are familiar with photography know that it's not about the camera you use, but how you use it. I can grab a $50 consumer film SLR, a basic 28mm prime lens, and a tripod and with some Velvia 50 film get a better sunset that someone who knows what they're doing with a D3 and a 24-70 f/2.8, handheld or not. And then, someone will come along with a large format camera loaded up with 8x10 sheets of Velvia that cost $10 an exposure and take an even better image with more detail than either of us could ever dream of taking with small-format. It's all about what tool you use for the job, and a good professional will be able to choose different tools depending on the assignment. Sometimes a professional will take along a D3, sometimes a D300, sometimes even a lowly D40 (hello Ken Rockwell). All that really matters is the final result.

TL: DR - the D300 is both a non-professional and a professional camera depending on the circumstances.

 

[JerryPH]

Truth is, it really doesn't matter, but I love his ridiculous reactions of indignation and I got a chuckle from his posts.

 

[Dwig]

...
I wonder how much someone who buys a $1800 camera is going to agonize over a couple hundred bucks in memory cards.

I don't think the cost of cards is the issue at all.

The advantage of a new body have dual slots is not the price of cards but the fact that the new body would be a companion sharing cards with your existing body or bodies regardless of which format you current kit uses.

Having a two, or more, body kit where the bodies use different card, and/or batteries for that matter, can be a real pain.

 

[Derrel]

Truth is, it really doesn't matter, but I love his ridiculous reactions of indignation and I got a chuckle from his posts.
__________________
* Just a very enthusiastic "kinda-sorta" amateur with a Nikon *
"If I throw enough crap at the wall... *something* has to stick..."

Before posting, please read, understand, and follow "THE PACT".



The question I ask is, "Why even bother linking to THE PACT if you're going to act like this?" You were acting like a D-bag with your attempts to provoke,and calling somebody's reaction to your provocations "ridculous" shows your petty side quite well. You ought to be ashamed of yourself,acting like such an arsewipe.