Digital SLR

Nikon's new D300 DSLR camera slots in above the D200 'pro-sumer' model but does not replace it. Although five grams lighter, the new model has essentially the same sturdy body as the D200, with a magnesium alloy chassis and dust- and moisture-proof sealing. Its shutter unit is rated for 150,000 cycles, compared with 100,000 for the D200. Its sensor resolution is also higher at 12.3 megapixels.

In a new initiative for Nikon, a voucher entitling owners of the D300 to download Nikon's high-performance raw file converter/editor, CaptureNX, which normally sells for around $350, free of charge. This move will put Nikon on an equal footing with Canon in its raw file support - at least initially. But the offer will run for a limited time (we don't know exactly how long). Late-comers will receive the standard bundled disk containing ViewNX raw file viewer, which can also convert NEF.RAW files.  

Interestingly, when we embarked upon this review, just before the camera was released, the latest version of CaptureNX, which we downloaded from Nikon's website, was unable to open raw files from the D300. Ironically, Adobe's Camera Raw 4.3 Photoshop plug-in, which became available for downloading on 16 November, was able to open and convert the D300 raw files (as well as files from other recently-released cameras).

Other third-party converters can't be far behind, although they will have to contend with Nikon's new NEF format. Nikon's track record for supporting third-party developers is far from good, so it's to Adobe's credit that they managed to 'crack' the new NEF files and release a version of Camera Raw that can decode them so promptly.
The review camera was supplied with the new AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G ED lens, which limited the range of test shots we could capture. However, Nikon Australia was able to supply an additional lens with a longer zoom range in the form of the AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6GIF-ED (which was reviewed in December 2005). This allowed us to assess the autofocusing and burst modes of the camera.


A side view of the D300 with the 18-200mm lens, which is available as an option with the camera body.

Controls
Because its control layout is essentially the same as the D200's, the D300 provides most of the same controls and has a similar level of complexity. Like the D200, this camera takes a while to 'learn'. The same cluster of buttons sits atop the release mode dial for quick access to white balance, quality and ISO settings and adjustments can be viewed both on the top panel LCD and in the viewfinder.




The D300's body and control layout are similar to the D200 model.

White balance is infinitely adjustable, with auto, pre-set and manual modes plus several levels of fine-tuning, including a graphical display. Kelvin temperature settings are included, along with white balance bracketing of two to nine frames in increments of one, two or three 10-mired steps. The D300's menu system is similar in design to the D200 and provides assess to all camera settings. the screen grabs below show some typical 'pages' from the menu.






Metering modes are the same as in the D200, as is the ability to input lens data (focal length and maximum aperture) for non-CPU lenses via the Non-CPU Lens Data setting on the shooting menu. This allows the metering system to use colour matrix metering. The D300 also has the same programmable function button just below the depth-of-field preview button. It can be programmed to give quick access to a specific camera control, such as metering modes, bracketing, duplicating the AF-L/AE-L button, turning off the flash or locking the flash exposure.

The built-in flash is also essentially unchanged. It has a GN of 12 (m/ISO 100) and synchs at 1/250 second. It can also be used with certain Nikon Speedlights for iTTL cable-free multi-flash set-ups, which support Nikon's Auto FP High-Speed Sync system for synchronisation at higher shutter speeds. However, the D300's internal flash only provides a type of Auto FP at reduced power with a top synch speed of 1/320 second.

The D300 and the D200 share the same battery. Nikon claims power consumption has been reduced in the D300, partly as a result of the switch to a CMOS sensor, yielding a C.I.P.A rating of approximately 1000 shots per charge. The optional MB-D10 multi-power battery pack can double this capacity.

New Features
Despite its similarity to the D200, some significant features have been improved. The most obvious is the shift from a 10.2-megapixel CCD image sensor to a 12.3-megapixel CMOS imager, details of which are provided below. Other noteworthy enhancements include:

1. Nikon has (at last) introduced a self-cleaning Sensor Clean unit with four resonance frequencies for vibrating the optical low band pass filter in front of the sensor.  Users can opt to switch the sensor cleaning system on automatically when the camera is powered up or down or activate sensor cleaning manually.  
2. The D300's LCD monitor is a larger 3.0-inch TFT colour screen with 920,000-pixel resolution. Essentially identical to the monitor on Sony's A700 DSLR, it's a huge improvement on the 2.5-inch, 230,000-pixel screen on the D200. (The data LCD on the top panel has been modified slightly to take in the new functions but is otherwise the same as the D200.)
3. Live viewing is now supported and the D300 supports two Liveview shooting modes. (See below.)
4. A new image processing chip, dubbed 'Expeed' has been introduced for image processing. According to Nikon, this new chip provides more faithful colour and tonal reproduction and supports higher burst speeds through improvements to data handling and memory card access times.
5. The D300's viewing system includes a new eye-level pentaprism viewfinder. Viewfinder coverage claims to have been increased from 95% to 100% (although in our tests we estimate it to be closer to 98%). But the 19.5mm eyepoint and 0.94x magnification are the same as the D200.
6. Autofocusing has also been improved with a new Multi-CAM 3500DX autofocus module and Nikon's new Scene Recognition System. The 1005-segment AF sensor has 15 cross-type sensors and 36 horizontal sensors and provides 51 selectable AF points. Three AF modes are supported: single-area, a choice of three Dynamic AF settings using groups of 9, 21 or 51 AF points and 3D focus tracking.
7. Tonal reproduction is also improved through two facilities. The Scene Recognition System includes highlight analysis and white balance evaluation to improve auto exposure levels. A new Active D-Lighting function provides highlight and shadow correction to compress the brightness range of extended brightness subjects into the dynamic range of the D300's imaging system. Localised exposure compensation ensures details are recorded in highlights and shadows.
   
   
   
8. The three Colour Mode settings provided in the D200 and earlier DSLRs are dispensed with in favour of the standard sRGB and Adobe RGB and Nikon has replaced the image parameters adjustments with a new Picture Control menu with four pre-set profiles: Standard, Neutral, Vivid and Monochrome. Within each profile, users can adjust hue, saturation, brightness, contrast and sharpening and a Quick Adjust function provides simultaneous adjustment of sharpness, contrast and saturation. Adjusted profiles can be saved in the camera or transferred to other camera bodies that support the Picture Control system, which integrates with Nikon's CaptureNX and Camera Control Pro 2 software. [Note: Nikon has made the earlier settings available as additional Picture Controls. They can be downloaded from http://nikonasia-en.custhelp.com/.]
   
   
   
9. A wider sensitivity range is supported (see below).
10. In-camera 'retouching' facilities are provided, allowing users to apply D-Lighting and red-eye corrections, trim shots, adjust colour balance and apply monochrome or filter effects. Side-by-side comparison of two shots is also possible. (See Playback section below for details.)

Sensor and Image Processing
Nikon has forsaken the CCD technology used for the D200 and now uses CMOS chips in its latest DSLRs. The DX-format imager in the D300 is a slightly modified version of the IMX021 sensor, which was first released in the Sony A700 camera. It has a total of 13.1 million photosites, with an effective resolution of 12.3 megapixels. An RGB Bayer filter provides colour information.

Measuring 23.6 x 15.8 mm, the D300's imager has a pixel pitch of 5.5 microns - which is smaller than the 6.05-micron photosites of the D200. Image files are 4288 x 2848 pixels at top resolution. A wider sensitivity range is also supported. Although the default base is ISO 200 (equivalent), which is a step higher than the D200, the top setting has been pushed out to ISO 3200. Additional Lo 1 and Hi 1 settings expand this range to ISO 100 and ISO 6400 equivalent settings. Auto ISO control is also provided. 

The sensor cleaning system is similar to that in other DSLR cameras and works by vibrating the low-pass filter in front of the CMOS imager chip. Cleaning can take place at any time by selecting the Clean image sensor option in the setup menu which opens a sub-menu with two choices: Clean now and Clean at start-up/shutdown. The latter setting opens an embedded sub-menu with four choices: On Clean at startup, Off Clean at shutdown. On Off Clean at startup and shutdown and Cleaning off (the default setting). Mirror lockup is also provided for manual sensor cleaning.

All internal processing in the chip is handled in full 16-bit colour, which provides better tonal reproduction, improved colour fidelity and faster image processing. An integrated analogue-to-digital (A/D) converter on the chip allows photographers to choose between 12-bit and 14-bit raw file conversion. TIFF file capture has been added to the file format options for photographers who require large files but don't want the hassle of shooting in raw format.




Photographers can choose between Size priority and Optimal quality for JPEG compression.

Typical file sizes and buffer capacities for burst shooting are provided in the table below. 

Simultaneous RAW+JPEG capture is offered at each of the three JPEG file sizes supported. Interval timer photography is also selectable via the shooting menu and users can set start times and interval times in hours, minutes and seconds. The "Expeed' image processing system supports continuous shooting speeds of up to six frames/second with the supplied lithium-ion battery and eight frames/second when you shoot 12-bit NEF-RAW files and use the optional Multi-Power Battery Pack MP-D10 or connect the camera to mains power.

Shooting 14-bit NEF.RAW files cuts capture rates to 2.5 fps, which is still pretty fast when you consider the amount of data involved. The buffer capacity is limited to 100 images and the D300 supports the latest ultra-fast UDMA-enabled CompactFlash cards. The new image processor also improves overall camera responsiveness. Nikon claims the D300 will power-up in 0.13 seconds and has a shutter release lag of 0.045 seconds with viewfinder blackout of 0.1 second.

Two types of noise reduction processing are provided, separately covering long exposures and high ISO settings. When Long Exp. NR is turned on, all exposures longer than eight seconds are processed to reduce noise. Dark-frame subtraction appears to be involved in this mode as image processing times are roughly doubled.
High ISO NR suppression can be set to High, Normal or Low levels or switched off. Processing kicks in at ISO 800 with the On setting and at HI 0.3 and above when Off is selected. We observed little or no effect on processing times with any of the levels selected.

Photographers can also 'write' comments into the metadata using a virtual keyboard, which is shown below.

Live Viewing
Live viewing is selected via the release mode dial on the left side of the top panel, which also controls the self-timer and mirror-up setting. Single-frame, continuous high-speed and continuous low-speed drives are also engaged via this dial. The D300 provides two live viewing modes, which are selected via the shooting menu: Hand-held (the default) and Tripod.

In the Hand-held mode, the camera focuses normally using the same phase-detection system as it uses for normal shooting. Focus is adjusted on the basis of data from the AF sensor. With the Tripod mode, the camera focuses using contrast-detect AF, which is slightly slower. This system analyses data from the image sensor and adjusts focus to provide maximum contrast.

In the Tripod mode, you can magnify a section of the subject up to 13 times to check focus, using the magnify button on the left side of the monitor. The multi-selector is used to move the magnified area around the image frame. With both modes, pressing the shutter release half way down raises the reflex mirror and blocks off the viewfinder. To return to normal shooting without taking a picture, simply rotate the release mode dial to a different setting or press the Menu button.

The Liveview mode came in handy for setting up shots for our Imatest evaluations, when the camera was tripod-mounted. However, using the hand-held setting for general shooting caused unacceptable delays when the mirror was raised and lowered. We missed numerous shots as a consequence and generally found the viewfinder more comfortable and convenient to use.

Output Options
While providing the same USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, PictBridge and PAL/NTSC selectable video connections as its competitors, the D300 is one of two DSLR cameras to permit HDMI output to HDTV displays (the other being Sony's A700). The camera's Type A terminal supports HDMI version 1.3a. A separate Type A cable is required and users can select from auto connection (where the camera selects the appropriate format) to one of three progressive-scan format or 1080i (interlaced). The camera's monitor switches off when an HDMI device is connected.

Wireless file transfer is also possible, via the optional Nikon Wireless Transmitter WT-4, which supports IEEE 802.11b/g/a and also 10BASE-T/TX wired connections. Thumbnail images of files in the camera can be viewed on a computer monitor via these connections and selected images can be transferred to the computer. Wireless Transmitter WT-4 and Nikon's Camera Control Pro 2 (sold separately) are required for remote camera operation and Liveview image viewing.

Like the D200, the D300 allows location data from Garmin GPS devices to be downloaded to image files via an optional MC-35 GPS Adaptor Cord. According to the user manual, "operation has been confirmed with Garmin eTrex and Garmin geko series devices equipped with a PC interface cable connector". No details are provided covering compatibility with other GPS brands. 

Playback
The default camera setting does not display shots immediately after they have been taken. This can be changed via the Image Review setting in the playback menu. Playback options are pretty standard and include full-frame display, four- or-nine-shot thumbnail index views, playback zoom (up to 27x) and slideshow play. Users can hide or reveal selected pictures, protect them from deletion and apply DPOF tagging via the Print set function.

The Display mode setting accesses controls for displaying pictures with detailed photo information including RGB histograms. With the Basic photo info setting, a blinking highlight warning can be displayed. Users can also choose to display the active focus point (or point where focus was first locked in single-servo AF mode). Auto image rotation can also be selected. Images can be deleted individually or all pictures in a folder can be deleted as a batch. The camera also allows shots to be selected for batch deletion.

Slideshow options are limited to displaying images in a selected folder (hidden images will not be shown). Frame intervals can be selected and users can skip forward or backward one frame by pressing the horizontal sides of the multi-controller. The vertical controls are used to change the image data display.

The Retouch menu lets photographers create 'retouched' copies of selected shots and supports D-Lighting and red-eye corrections, trimming, colour balance adjustments, monochrome conversions (B&W, Sepia and Cyanotype) and filter effects.  The Trim control also allows users to switch crop aspect ratios between 3:2, 4:3 and 5:4 as well as providing JPEG versions of NEF-.RAW files.

 
Before (left) and after (right) shots showing the effect of D-Lighting processing in playback mode.

Only two filter effects are provided, both nicely conservative. The Skylight filter reduces the excessive blue in outdoor shots under a clear blue sky, while the Warm filter creates a copy with a slight reddish cast. In both cases, the changes can be previewed in the monitor and users can view a side-by-side comparison of the original and adjusted image.

Colour balance is adjustable via the multi-selector and users can view the effect of changes with red, green and blue histogram displays. An interesting Image Overlay setting allows users to combine two NEF.RAW images into a single picture that is saved separately. (JPEGs cannot be used.) This function can be used, for example, to insert a bird or moon into scene. The resulting image carries the same metadata as the image (Image 1) that was chosen for the background shot. 

Software
The bundled software disk contains the latest versions of Apple Quicktime, Nikon Transfer, Nikon View NX, Picture Control Utility and DirectX 9 as well as Kodak EasyShare software and drivers. Links are provided to Nikon's website where buyers can download 30-day trials of CaptureNX and Camera Control Pro 2. (This is in addition to the voucher supplied with the initial shipment of the camera.)

View NX is a competent viewer with an attractive, easy-to-understand interface and facilities for viewing thumbnails, full images and enlarged shots. You can tag shots with star ratings for sorting, rotate shots, see focus areas, email and print shots directly from ViewNX and view slideshows with a selection of transition effects. Raw files can be converted into JPEG or TIFF files and 8- and 16-bit conversions are supported. You can also transfer shots to CaptureNX for further adjustment.


The browser window in ViewNX.


Raw file conversion settings in ViewNX.


Emailing from ViewNX.

Because we weren't able to open raw files from the D300 in the version of CaptureNX we were given, we had to use files from an earlier shoot with a D200 camera to evaluate the application. You can do a lot with CaptureNX and its user interface is certainly attractive, as can be seen from the screen grabs below. The resulting file conversions are also very good.


Metadata viewing in CaptureNX.


Control Point adjustments in CaptureNX.

Unsharp masking in CaptureNX

However, we were able to obtain results that were just as good with Adobe's Camera Raw, our preferred raw file converter. Being more familiar with Camera Raw, we also found it quicker to use and the various adjustment tools were easier to locate than parallel tools in CaptureNX. We suspect individual photographers who buy the D300 will choose their own preferred raw file converter when working with raw files from the camera rather than forking out over $300 for CaptureNX.

Performance
The test camera was marginally more responsive than the D200, powering up in less than 0.1 seconds. Capture lag was negligible and shot-to-shot times were too brief to measure accurately. The autofocusing system was as fast as the D200's and just as accurate, with little evidence of hunting when long lenses were used. Exposures were also generally accurate across the camera's extensive range.

Continuous shooting was to specifications, with the high-speed mode capturing at eight frames/second and the low speed mode one fps. It took approximately six seconds to process a burst of ten Large/Fine JPEGs when recording to a SanDisk Ultra II 1GB card.


A sequence of shots recorded with the high-speed burst mode.

Subjective assessment of test shots showed colours to be accurately recorded. Saturation and contrast were modest with the default standard Picture Control setting. The camera also handled subjects with a wide brightness range extremely well, with the Active D-Lighting function ensuring adequate detail was recorded in JPEG shots in both highlights and shadows. We found no evidence of coloured fringing in any of our test shots.

Imatest evaluation showed the test camera's performance to be quite similar to the D200, particularly with respect to colour reproduction. Resolution, as expected, was slightly higher and lateral chromatic aberration was lower, thanks to the excellent performance of the AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G ED lens, which was used for our test shots. A review of this lens with full performance graphs will be posted shortly.

The test camera's auto white balance performance was disappointing as it was incapable of removing the inherent colour casts of either incandescent or fluorescent lighting. The manual pre-sets tended to over-correct with both lighting types so it's fortunate that photographers have a full range of additional tools to fine-tune colour reproduction in difficult lighting conditions.

Low-light performance, in contrast, was outstanding and colours were accurately recorded in exposures as long as 30 seconds when it was too dark for the AF system to be usable. Noise only became visible at ISO 1000 when no noise-suppression was applied. At ISO 3200 both colour and pattern noise were evident and shadows were blotchy. Even at ISO 6400 noise was remarkably well-controlled and shots would be usable as long as they were not enlarged too much.


An interior shot taken at an equivalent ISO of 6400 with the AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G ED lens set at 14mm. Some blotches can be seen on the red wall but, otherwise, detail is well recorded and the shot would be usable at a small print size. 


A plot showing the relationship of resolution and sensitivity shows decline only starts at ISO 1000 and resolution remains relatively high right up to ISO 6400 (equivalent).

High-ISO noise suppression processing tended to soften image details and, although the Low setting applied little visible softening, with the High setting shots were unacceptably blurred. Flash performance was excellent. The test camera produced even flash exposures at all ISO settings and was capable of illuminating an average-sized room at ISO 200. Flash shots were essentially noise-free up to ISO 1600, with noise becoming visible at ISO 3200 and visibly blotchy at ISO 6400.

Conclusion
The D300 is a worthy addition to Nikon's DSLR line-up and would make an excellent choice for serious enthusiasts with a suite of Nikkor lenses. It could also be a good second camera for a professional photographer, especially one who specialises in sports, wildlife or outdoor portrait photography. Wedding photographers could also benefit from many of the features it offers.

However, for most photographers, the D300 is not a huge step up from the already very capable D200 - unless you require live viewing and the other improvements the new model provides. In terms of resolution alone, 10 megapixels is more than enough for top-quality A3+ prints. An extra two megapixels provides little in the way of noticeable improvements.  Both cameras are beautifully constructed with well-designed and comprehensive control suites. Both are a pleasure to use and will deliver excellent results for knowledgeable photographers.

Of the three DSLR cameras in its class (the other two being Canon's EOS D40 and the Sony DSLR-A700), the Nikon D300 is the largest, heaviest and most expensive. (Click here for a PDF table comparing the key features of all three cameras.) All three models look like being around for at least the next six to nine months, by which time we'll be expecting some new introductions from all major manufacturers to coincide with the Photokina 2008 trade show in Europe.

IMATEST GRAPHS

SAMPLE IMAGES

18-200mm lens at 200mm setting.

18-200mm lens at approx. 150mm.

70-210mm lens at 70mm setting.


18-200mm lens at 200mm setting.

18-200mm lens at 200mm setting.

70-210mm lens at 100mm.

More pictures taken with the D300 will be posted with the review of the AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G ED lens.

Image sensor: 23.6 x 15.8 mm CMOS with 13.1 million photosites (12.3 megapixels effective)
Lens mount: Nikon F mount with AF coupling and AF contacts
Compatible Lenses: 1) DX AF Nikkor: All functions possible; 2) D-/G-type AF Nikkor (excluding IX Nikkor lenses): All functions possible (excluding PC Micro- Nikkor)
3) AF Nikkor other than D-/G-type (excluding lenses for F3AF): All functions except 3D-Color Matrix Metering II possible; 4) AI-P Nikkor: All functions except Autofocus, 3D-Color Matrix Metering II possible; 5) Non-CPU AI Nikkor: can be used in exposure modes A and M; electronic range finder can be used if maximum aperture is 5.6 or faster; Color Matrix Metering and aperture value display supported if user provides lens data
Focal length crop factor: 1.5x
Image formats: NEF (RAW) 12-bit or 14-bit, uncompressed, losslessly compressed or compressed; TIFF (RGB); JPEG; RAW+JPEG
Image Sizes: 4288 x 2848, 3216 x 2136, 2144 x 1424
Image Stabilisation: Lens-based only
Dust removal: Vibration of optical low pass filter in front of sensor; image dust-off data acquisition (Capture NX required)
Shutter speed range: 1/8000 to 30 sec in steps of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV plus Bulb; X-synch at 1/250 sec.
Exposure Compensation: +/- 5 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV
Self-timer: 2 or 20 sec. delay
Focus system: TTL phase detection with Nikon MultiCAM 3500DX module; 51 AF points with single point selection from 51 or 11 points
Focus modes: Single-servo AF, continuous-servo AF, manual focusing; predictive focus tracking automatically activated in continuous AF mode
Exposure metering: TTL full-aperture metering with 1005-pixel RGB sensor; 3D Colour matrix Metering II, Centre-weighted (6-13 mm circle at centre), Spot metering (3mm circle)
Shooting modes: Program AE with flexible program, Shutter-priority auto, Aperture-priority auto, Manual
Picture Style/Control settings: Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome
Colour space options: sRGB, Adobe RGB
Custom functions: 48
ISO range: ISO 200-3200 in steps of 1/3, ½ or 1EV (expandable to 100 and 6400)
White balance: Auto plus seven manual modes with fine-tuning, colour temperature setting; bracketing of 2-9 frames in increments of 1~3
Flash: Built-in flash GN 12 (ISO 100 in metres)
Flash exposure adjustment: -3 to +1 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV
Sequence shooting: High-speed: 8 fps, Low-speed: 1 fps, JPEG (Normal): up to 100 (2.5 fps for 14-bit NEF.RAW files)
Storage Media: CF Type I, II or Microdrive, single slot
Viewfinder: Eye-level pentaprism; 100% coverage; approx. 0.94x magnification; 19.5mm eyepoint; dioptric adjustment -2.0 to +1 dpt
LCD monitor: 3.0-inch TFT  colour LCD, 920,000 pixels
Live View modes: 1) Handheld: TTL phase difference AF with 51 focus points   2) Tripod: focal-plane contrast AF on selected point
Data LCD: Yes; displays full photographic and digital settings
Playback functions: Full frame, thumbnail (4 or 9 segment), zoom, slideshow, RGB histogram, shooting data, highlight point display, auto image rotation
Interface terminals: USB Hi-speed, HDMI, Video Out (PAL/NTSC), GPS, 10-pin remote
Power supply: EN-EL3e rechargeable lithium-ion battery (up to 756 JPEG Basic images per charge)
Dimensions (wxhxd): 147 x 114 x 74 mm (body only)
Weight: Approx. 825 grams (body only)