Nikon
D300
 vs
Nikon
D3100

Updated (April, 2012): Compare the Nikon D300 vs Nikon D3200

Nikon D300

59
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

Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12 EV
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
922k dots
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.62x
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
6 fps
Focus points
 Many focus points
51
Nikon D3100

45
Runner-up

Nikon D3100
"The D3100 offers little to complain about in terms of image quality, and its new 14Mp sensor delivers very good results."
dpreview.com | talking about the D3100's image-quality
"It's almost impossible to pick up without your hand falling into a sensible position with the key controls at your fingertips."
dpreview.com | talking about the D3100's button-layout

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3100

Movie continuous focus
 Movie continuous focus
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
Badge
 Autofocuses shooting video
Contrast detection

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D300
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 922k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 4x higher resolution screen
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12 EV vs 11.3 EV
Help
 0.7 f-stops more dynamic range
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Focus points Many more focus points 51 vs 11
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.62x vs 0.51x
Help
 More than 40% larger viewfinder
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 15 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Viewfinder coverage Much better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 95%
Help
 Around 10% better viewfinder coverage
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 6 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 2x faster continuous shooting
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
 Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 227 ms vs 279 ms
Help
 Around 20% less delay when taking photos
Battery life Longer battery life 1000 shots vs 550 shots
Help
 More than 80% more shots per battery charge
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
Nikon D300 Learn more about
the Nikon D300

Advantages of the Nikon D3100
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 24fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 919 ISO vs 679 ISO
Help
 The D3100 has a slight edge (0.4 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Color depth Better color depth 22.5 bits vs 22.1 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.4 more bits of color
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
True resolution Higher true resolution 14.2 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture around 20% more detail in your photos
Size Smaller 124x96x73 mm vs 147x114x74 mm
Help
 Around 30% smaller
Weight Significantly lighter 505 g vs 925 g
Help
 Around 50% lighter
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The D3100's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $499.99 vs $1,000.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $500 cheaper (2x less)
Nikon D3100 Learn more about
the Nikon D3100
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D300 Nikon D300
59 vs 45
Explain scores
Nikon D3100 Nikon D3100
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D300. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a pro DSLR with a entry-level DSLR.

advice

Need help deciding?

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I am considering either the D300 or the D3100,
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1
votes
by Lance-Villanueva-Ramos last month
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2 people recommend the Nikon D3100:

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1
votes
by Kate-Hughes 4 days ago
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I am a beginner is DSLR photography & have been researching entry level models. I kep coming bac...

One person recommends the Nikon D3100:

" Hi Kate, Since you are a beginner in DSLR photography and it seems you have a budget, I would..."
0
votes
by Larisa-Dragan this month
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0
votes
by Cathy-Bodie last month
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Not beginner, but not novice, want also to use for family gatherings and holidays, night shots, sc...
1
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by Kelly-Charpie last week
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similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
169 lenses
Thickness Thin Help
2.9"
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
D300:6,400 ISO
D3100:12,800 ISO
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
3,200 ISO
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
D300:12.2 MP
D3100:14.2 MP
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
67.0

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the D300
Compare the D5100 vs the D3100
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$333 body only

$489 - $500 with 18-55mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the D300
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the D3100
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D300
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D3100
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$699 - $700 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes much higher resolution photos
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Compare the D3200 vs the D300
Compare the D3200 vs the D3100
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D300
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D3100
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the D300
Compare the D7000 vs the D3100
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$1,047 with 55-200mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D90 vs the D300
Compare the D90 vs the D3100

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
Compare the D300S vs the D300
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,620 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Focus points Significantly fewer focus points
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D300

Nikon D3100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D3100.

appearance

Nikon D300 Nikon D3100
Nikon D300 Nikon D3100
Nikon D300 Nikon D3100

discussion

Showing 2 comments

7mgoulding7 (3:35 PM, August 27, 2011)
Wtf d300 is obvioisly way better
 
Chanchinkang (0:26 PM, April 08, 2011)
D300 has better versatility and has 51 pt auto focus tracking. Speaks alot about its ability in sports or wildlife photograph.