Nikon D90 or D300

I hope to be finally able to upgrade my Nikon D100. I was hoping to be able to afford a D300 but it appears that a D90 is more realistic.

Is there any reason I should avoid the D90 and keep saving for the D300?

Thanks for your answers.

- Dan

I'd wait a bit longer before deciding Dan, simply because of rumors about a D300 replacement. If that happens the price will plummet. As for differences between the two, a lot depends on your needs and uses. We don't own the D90, but shoot with a friend who has the model, while we bought D300's as backups for our D2X's. The big differences we notice are in speed of operation, and especially low light performance. Frankly, the light weight and excellent performance of the D300 have us using them more than the D2X's these days. They leave the D2X in the dirt when it comes to low light performance, and by extension, the D90 too. We're talking virtually noise-free images well beyond 800 ISO, the absolute limit for the D2X.

I've posted it before, but as an example of D300 performance I'll post an outtake from a recent industrial shoot. See any noise in those blacks? This is unprocessed, other than reduced from 34mb to 200k for the web. It was shot at 3200 ISO in order to achieve 1/125 shutter speeds. Through the tiny open window of a chartered plane. In a tight turn. At around 100 knots, in very rough air.

I got zero usable images from the D2X on that shoot, while virtually everything was usable or better from the D300. Speed of focus and engagement of image stabilization were a big part of that, in addition to high ISO quality.

Can you guess that I'm a fan of the D300 now?

Dan,

The D300s has already been announced on the Nikon site, it is supposed to be available by September 15th I believe, so the price on the D300 should be going down after that.

If it were me I'd go with the D300 os D300s, not the D90, but my style of shooting gets me down in the dirt, mud and either in or close to water. The D90 has less weather/climate protection than the D200/300/300s.

More than just a rumor...

http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Digital-SLR/index.page?

I recently bought the D90 and am very happy with it. Of course the D300 is a faster camera and it really depends on your requirement. For comparison between the two see http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d90.htm

Dan,
D300 for sure. The "s" is basically the D300 with Video.
Check out www.dxomark.com as well as www.bythom.com to confirm. To me this is kind of a no brainier. The D300 is also a much sturdier (pro style) camera. I'll be looking for a used on as a backup as well in a month or so when they start shipping the D300s. You going to be in Lee Vining or the area in Early October---shoot me an email if so. jack@jackgrahamphoto.com
JG

Hey Dan,

Jack has made some good points. But... the D90 has a considerably better image sensor (including low-light/high ISO performance) - see the results on dxomark.com (the D90 is ranked 14th overall of ALL cameras, and the best of ANY cropped sensor camera on the market, while the D300/D300s is ranked 20th overall). One has to wonder why Nikon didn't put the better D90 sensor in the new D300s! But the D90 definitely has a more consumer-oriented build quality (less robust, with poorer environmental sealing) than the D300/D300s. If you're not too hard on your cameras the D90 may be a very good option for you...

Cheers...

Brad

Dan hi I have both cameras and am very happy with both of them.
1st. The D300s as said here is coming with a video mode--
the D90 has a video but not as good .As for pricing I dont see the price dropping that much if at all for thenext 6 mthsExcellent camera if you like avian and need a fast drive this is the camera.
2nd. The D90 is a smaller camera and much lighter it also doesnt have all the features of the D300 .The colour is like the D80 it is excellent a few people I know have the camera as well and I am shortly going to pick one up for a friend- all of them have this great colour @ contrast IMHO better than the D300..I love using the camera and you can see some of my latest shots are with this camera.Its also a lot quieter than the D300.Motor drive is like the D100
As I mention sometime ago the Nikon agent is Israel is a friend of mine and as he says the difference is only in the mind and a few things on the camera.
I would go for the D90 -after the D100 it will seem like magic has returned to your photography ,You could add the grip and an extra battery and the you can shoot non stop for ages I am getting in the region of 2 batteries togethr in the grip about 2,400 -3,000 shots depending how much I preview what Ishot.
Good luck and enjoy whatever you buy

Hi, Dan; I don't think anyone has mentioned these:

The D300's focussing system is significantly better (51 v 11 pts).
The D90 does not have mirror lockup for taking photos with slow shutter speeds.
The D90 does not have a PC-sync terminal.

The first two were influences on my decision to get the D300; the third makes the lightweight macro-flash arrangement I've worked out possible (couldn't do it without the PC cord--just the TTL coiled cord weighs a pound). And I don't think I'll be wanting a new camera body for a while.

I used a D80 for a year or so, and have been using the D300 for about a year now. I am mostly an outdoor photographer, and do a lot at night, especially in winter. I have some thoughts. I did not have any problems with the build quality or sealing on the D80, and trust me I put it through hell. The image quality between D90 and D300 should be very similar. There are three main differences, I think. The first is the autofocus on the D300 is significantly better. That's a factor if you photo birds. Second, the flash sync on the D300 is 1/250 vs. 1/200. For me that was a factor since I do a LOT of big flash work. Third, the D300 does have mirror lock. Of course OTOH the mirrors on the D90 are so light and small there isn't much slap anyway. The D300s is coming out, but I agree that prices on D300 likely won't drop much in the coming months. January, definitely. I bought my D300 from Cameta Camera through eBay for $1040 last October and have been happy. It's a refurb.

Here's how I would decide between the two. For me, it would come down to what lenses you have. Lenses are always a priority over camera bodies. IF you have the lenses you are happy with and are doing the job, then putting more money on a camera might make sense. To me it never makes sense to put big money on a camera when you don't have good lenses. I doubt you'll see any image quality difference between the two cameras, so in reality it might come down to autofocus speed.

Here's another thought. I have D300, Tokina 11-16mm f2.8, Nikons 17-55mm f2.8, 70-200mm f2.8 VR, 80-400mm VR, and a number of "lesser" lenses. This is my "first line" camera system, but it's heavy. For family outings I've been taking my D80 plus Nikons 17-55mm VR & 55-200mm VR. It's a very compact and lightweight system and does the job for family photos. What I'm getting at is that even though I own a D300, there are plenty of times I take the lighter D80 instead. I just looked over your website/photos, and I'm guessing the extra money spent on a D300 might not do much for you. Not sure that fast autofocus, fast frames per second, and 1/250 sync speed are something you have a big need for. What about putting more money saved with a D90 into a tripod or computer software instead?


Kent in SD

I think I'll go with a D300. I like the fact that my D100 uses a standard screw in cable release. What to the D90 and D300 use?

- Dan.

Kent,

Did your D300 refurb come with a Nikon USA warranty?

- Dan.

The D300 has the multi-pronged socket for the screw-in MC-30 we also use on the D2X Dan, if that's what you mean rather than the old screw-in plunger type of release. I'm just not acquainted with the D100. The same socket accepts the various radio releases we use, too.

It may sound like a small deal, but the cover on the D300's is a snap on, with the cover remaining with the camera, rather than the screw in cap of the D2X, which we lose so often we keep several spares with each camera. The socket is also much more conveniently located on the D300, no small consideration for blocky fingers like mine.

The camera is U.S. labeled so I can send it in to Nikon if I want to pay, but it came with a 90 day Cameta warranty. I've had it for a year and run it hard and nothing has shaken loose. It takes the electronic kind of cable release. This is bad in a way--it's more expensive. However it also has a good aspect--I use my CyberSync triggers and can fire the camera from 800 ft. away. Sometimes I take photos in places I'm not supposed to be, and using a remote trigger I can set the camera up and hide it, and then hide myself in the brush a hundred yards away and pop some shots without being seen by critter or man.


Kent in SD

I just received an email from Abes of Maine, the D300s is available now.

Thanks for your replies. I had an MK 30 for my F5. They're expensive, but I guess I'll have to buy one.

- Dan.

I can't remember the make or model Dan, but before buying the MC30, check on inexpensive radio releases. My wife picked one up from B&H for about the same price, and it works so well she almost never uses the cable. She intended it for studio and location work, but now uses it universally in the field too. The receiver that screws into the MC30 port on the camera is about the size of an ear bud, and the trigger is for all intents and purposes just like the electronic key for a car. Tiny, so far completely reliable, and a really welcome alternative to yet another tangling camera cable.

Abes of Maine has a long history of claiming things are in stock when they aren't. They are slow to refund money too.


Kent in SD