Nikon D300

68

Winner

Nikon D300

"Very good resolution and detail without looking over-processed"
dpreview.com | talking about the D300's image-quality
"You really have to pick up the D300 to appreciate how nicely it fits into your hand, the ergonomics are great and the soft rubber used on the grip ensures holding the camera steady is an easy task."
dpreview.com | talking about the D300's feel

Reasons to buy the Nikon D300

Weather sealed
Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Focus points
Many focus points
51
Cross type focus points
Many cross-type focus points
15
Viewfinder coverage
Great viewfinder coverage
100%
Badge
Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Fastest shutter speed
Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second
Canon EOS 5D

61

Runner-up

Canon EOS 5D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D

Viewfinder size
Large viewfinder
0.71x
Sensor size
Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Badge
Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Fastest shutter speed
Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D

Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 1,368 ISO vs 679 ISO
Help
The 5D has excellent image quality 1 f-stop higher ISO than the D300
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Help
Around 2.5x larger sensor
Color depth Better color depth 22.9 bits vs 22.1 bits
Help
Distinguishes 0.8 more bits of color
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.62x
Help
More than 30% larger viewfinder
Overall image quality Better image quality 71.0 vs 67.0
Help
Around 10% better image quality
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 12.7 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
Almost the same
Weight Slightly lighter 895 g vs 925 g
Help
Almost the same
Canon EOS 5D Learn more about
the Canon 5D

Advantages of the Nikon D300

Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.5"
Help
More than 20% larger screen
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 922k dots vs 230k dots
Help
More than 4x higher resolution screen
Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12 EV vs 11.1 EV
Help
0.9 f-stops more dynamic range
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
Sealed to shoot in the rain
Lens availability More lenses available 169 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
Around 40% more lenses available
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 6 fps vs 3 fps
Help
2x faster continuous shooting
Viewfinder coverage Significantly better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 96%
Help
Almost the same
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Lowest price Cheaper $1,000.00 vs $3,991.31
Help
The best price we've seen is $2,991 cheaper (4x less)
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
The D300's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Size Slightly smaller 147x114x74 mm vs 152x113x75 mm
Help
Almost the same
Thickness Slightly thinner 2.9" vs 3"
Help
Almost the same
Nikon D300 Learn more about
the Nikon D300
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Canon EOS 5D
61 vs 68
Explain scores
Nikon D300 Nikon D300
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D300.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Thickness Thin Help
5D:3"
D300:2.9"
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Weight Heavy Help
5D:895 g
D300:925 g
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
5D:3,200 ISO
D300:6,400 ISO
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
5D:12.7 MP
D300:12.2 MP
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
5D:1,600 ISO
D300:3,200 ISO
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Movie format Do not shoot movies Help
No movies

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
5D:152x113x75 mm
D300:147x114x74 mm
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
5D:3 fps
D300:6 fps
Screen size Very small screens Help
5D:2.5"
D300:3.0"
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
5D:71.0
D300:67.0
Color depth Poor color depth Help
5D:22.9 bits
D300:22.1 bits
Low light performance Above average noise at high ISO Help
5D:1,368 ISO
D300:679 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens

Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Focus points Has slightly fewer focus points
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$1,047 with 55-200mm lens

Movie format Records lower quality movies
Weight Is slightly lighter
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens

Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Focus points Has much fewer focus points
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,620 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Focus points Has significantly fewer focus points
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,130 body only

$2,875 - $2,999 with 24-105mm lens

Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Focus points Has much fewer focus points
Cross type focus points Has slightly fewer cross-type focus points
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Autofocus Focuses automatically while shootting video
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor

Canon EOS 5D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 5D.

Nikon D300 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,690 - $1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens

Movie format Shoots movies
Color depth Better color depth
Lowest price Slightly more expensive

appearance

Canon EOS 5D Nikon D300
Canon EOS 5D Nikon D300
Canon EOS 5D Nikon D300

discussion

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