- Aug 23, 2003
- 25,375
- 142
- 116
After the first few days with some new gear, here are my thoughts:
D300
The autofocus is a revelation compared to consumer level DSLRs. On the D300, the 51 AF points cover nearly the entire midsection of the viewfinder. Low light AF is great, even on sensors at the extreme edges. AF speed depends on the lens you're using; my AF primes focus very fast, but my AF-S kit lens can be a little slower. High-end AF-S lenses should be very fast (wish I had a 70-200mm VR to test it with
).
Resolution is incredible. To be honest, when I moved from my D50 (6MP) to my D80 (10MP), I actually thought many of my photos looked LESS sharp on the D80. So I didn't expect the difference going from 10MP to 12MP to be easily noticeable, but it is. It might have a little to do with the more accurate AF system, but I think the move to CMOS + the much improved image processing system has more to do with it. Even with the in-camera sharpening set low (or turned off), I don't feel the need to apply sharpening in PS or Lightroom as much.
Ergonomics are slightly disappointing in some areas. The dial that selects the shooting mode has a lock button that needs to be depressed anytime you change the setting, but it's a little awkward to operate with one hand. I would prefer a lock on/off switch instead with a clicky dial. The camera is noticeably bigger and heavier than my D80; I'll probably pick up a neoprene hand strap so it's easier to carry. Some of the buttons and switches are slightly too small or too flush against the body to easily change (especially if you have big hands/fingers). This could have been done on purpose to make "accidental" changes hard to do. The new multi-selector dial is a huge improvement; it's accurate and soft (my D80's dial was way too stiff).
The software interface and menus are deep, and confusing unless you read the manual. I would say about 30% of the options resemble something I've seen before on my D80, but a LOT of new settings to learn too. The good thing is that there are custom settings 'banks', which save a group of settings to the memory. You can save several different groups of settings and change between them quickly, so you're not digging around in the menu each time your shooting situation changes. Browsing photos, zooming in/out, etc., is instantanous, and the new high resolution LCD really deserves all the praise its getting. It's bright (even outside) and displays color/exposure very accurately.
MB-D10
I was a little skeptical first, especially with the price (about $230 on Amazon, $270 retail). I've used the MB-D80 and MB-D200 in the past, so I'm familiar with Nikon's battery grips, and wondered why they were charging so much for this one. Now that I have it installed, it's worth every penny.
Improvements from previous battery grips are immediately noticeable. One big change is that you no longer need to remove the internal battery to install the grip, and you can choose which order the camera drains the batteries. Construction is magnesium alloy, just like the D300 body, and the grip feels just like the one on the camera body...huge improvement from the high-grade plastic they used in the past. The vertical shutter feels the same to me (some people say it is slightly more sensitive). Another huge plus is a second multi-selector dial they added on the grip, which you can operate while it is oriented vertically.
Ergonomically, it adds a varying amount of weight. Slightly more weight when unloaded; a little heavier when you load an EN-EL3e battery. Much heavier when you load it with 8xAA, which is what I'm using (8xAA Sanyo Eneloops). Battery life hasn't been fully tested yet, but the 8xAA NiMH + the internal EN-EL3e should be good for 2,500 shots at minimum with heavy use; probably over 4,000 shots with average use. Detailed battery drain information is only available for EN-EL3e batteries; AA batteries give you a simple battery level gauge.
One important thing is that the grip distributes the weight of the camera across your entire palm, which produces less strain in my hand. The choice to move the battery loading slot to the side of the grip (instead of on the back like previous grips) makes the grip feel even more solid because you're only gripping solid metal/rubber, and not plastic. The fit is solid; feels like part of the body.
18-55mm VR "Kit" Lens
Not many impressions yet, since I just got this last night. VR is giving me about a ~2 stop improvement. Build quality is much better; the plastic feels more solid, and they gave it a finish that exactly matches the alloy body of the D300. Zoom ring is stiffer than the original 18-55mm (not the second version); focusing feels slightly slower than the original version too, and its a little noisier when focusing (high-pitched noise).
D300
The autofocus is a revelation compared to consumer level DSLRs. On the D300, the 51 AF points cover nearly the entire midsection of the viewfinder. Low light AF is great, even on sensors at the extreme edges. AF speed depends on the lens you're using; my AF primes focus very fast, but my AF-S kit lens can be a little slower. High-end AF-S lenses should be very fast (wish I had a 70-200mm VR to test it with
).Resolution is incredible. To be honest, when I moved from my D50 (6MP) to my D80 (10MP), I actually thought many of my photos looked LESS sharp on the D80. So I didn't expect the difference going from 10MP to 12MP to be easily noticeable, but it is. It might have a little to do with the more accurate AF system, but I think the move to CMOS + the much improved image processing system has more to do with it. Even with the in-camera sharpening set low (or turned off), I don't feel the need to apply sharpening in PS or Lightroom as much.
Ergonomics are slightly disappointing in some areas. The dial that selects the shooting mode has a lock button that needs to be depressed anytime you change the setting, but it's a little awkward to operate with one hand. I would prefer a lock on/off switch instead with a clicky dial. The camera is noticeably bigger and heavier than my D80; I'll probably pick up a neoprene hand strap so it's easier to carry. Some of the buttons and switches are slightly too small or too flush against the body to easily change (especially if you have big hands/fingers). This could have been done on purpose to make "accidental" changes hard to do. The new multi-selector dial is a huge improvement; it's accurate and soft (my D80's dial was way too stiff).
The software interface and menus are deep, and confusing unless you read the manual. I would say about 30% of the options resemble something I've seen before on my D80, but a LOT of new settings to learn too. The good thing is that there are custom settings 'banks', which save a group of settings to the memory. You can save several different groups of settings and change between them quickly, so you're not digging around in the menu each time your shooting situation changes. Browsing photos, zooming in/out, etc., is instantanous, and the new high resolution LCD really deserves all the praise its getting. It's bright (even outside) and displays color/exposure very accurately.
MB-D10
I was a little skeptical first, especially with the price (about $230 on Amazon, $270 retail). I've used the MB-D80 and MB-D200 in the past, so I'm familiar with Nikon's battery grips, and wondered why they were charging so much for this one. Now that I have it installed, it's worth every penny.
Improvements from previous battery grips are immediately noticeable. One big change is that you no longer need to remove the internal battery to install the grip, and you can choose which order the camera drains the batteries. Construction is magnesium alloy, just like the D300 body, and the grip feels just like the one on the camera body...huge improvement from the high-grade plastic they used in the past. The vertical shutter feels the same to me (some people say it is slightly more sensitive). Another huge plus is a second multi-selector dial they added on the grip, which you can operate while it is oriented vertically.
Ergonomically, it adds a varying amount of weight. Slightly more weight when unloaded; a little heavier when you load an EN-EL3e battery. Much heavier when you load it with 8xAA, which is what I'm using (8xAA Sanyo Eneloops). Battery life hasn't been fully tested yet, but the 8xAA NiMH + the internal EN-EL3e should be good for 2,500 shots at minimum with heavy use; probably over 4,000 shots with average use. Detailed battery drain information is only available for EN-EL3e batteries; AA batteries give you a simple battery level gauge.
One important thing is that the grip distributes the weight of the camera across your entire palm, which produces less strain in my hand. The choice to move the battery loading slot to the side of the grip (instead of on the back like previous grips) makes the grip feel even more solid because you're only gripping solid metal/rubber, and not plastic. The fit is solid; feels like part of the body.
18-55mm VR "Kit" Lens
Not many impressions yet, since I just got this last night. VR is giving me about a ~2 stop improvement. Build quality is much better; the plastic feels more solid, and they gave it a finish that exactly matches the alloy body of the D300. Zoom ring is stiffer than the original 18-55mm (not the second version); focusing feels slightly slower than the original version too, and its a little noisier when focusing (high-pitched noise).
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