As well as being compared against other pro DSLRs, the Nikon D300S is also often compared to entry-level DSLRs and mirrorless. The Nikon D300S's top rivals come from Nikon (such as the D90 and the D7000) and Fujifilm (such as the X-T10 and the X-T1)
Generally, some of the advantages of the Nikon D300S compared to other pro DSLR competitors include: it records lower quality movies (720p @ 24fps vs none), lets you preview your photos on the screen, shoots faster continuously (7 fps vs 6 fps), has much less startup delay (300 ms vs 400 ms) and is newer (july 2009 vs september 2008).
However, on average it slightly smaller viewfinder (0.62x vs 0.71x), takes slightly lower resolution photos (12.2 MP vs 17.9 MP), slightly lower maximum light sensitivity (3,200 ISO vs 1,640,000 ISO), has much more shutter lag (225 ms vs 206 ms) and is slightly more expensive ($1,755.00 vs $1,099.00).
Generally, some of the advantages of the Nikon D300S compared to entry-level DSLR competitors include: it slightly larger viewfinder (0.62x vs 0.55x), has a weather sealed body, shoots faster continuously (7 fps vs 5 fps), has much less startup delay (300 ms vs 400 ms) and has higher quality type of viewfinder (pentaprism vs pentamirror).
However, on average it records lower quality movies (720p @ 24fps vs 1080p @ 24fps), has a slightly smaller screen (3" vs 3.2"), has a significantly lower resolution screen (920k dots vs 1,228k dots), takes much lower resolution photos (12.2 MP vs 24 MP) and has much more shutter lag (225 ms vs 173 ms).
Generally, some of the advantages of the Nikon D300S compared to mirrorless interchangeable-lens competitors include: it has higher quality type of viewfinder (pentaprism vs none), has a weather sealed body, records movies in 24p, has an external mic jack and much more lenses available (230 lenses vs 62 lenses).
However, on average it records lower quality movies (720p @ 24fps vs UHD @ 30fps), has a slightly lower resolution screen (920k dots vs 1,400k dots), doesn't have image stabilization (none vs sensor shift), takes slightly lower resolution photos (12.2 MP vs 20.2 MP) and doesn't have a touch screen.