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

Nikon D300
Winner
Nikon D300

57

vs
Nikon D3100

46

Nikon D3100
Runner-up
 
 
 
 

Reasons to buy the Nikon D300

Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
922k dots
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.62x
Live view
 Has live view
Preview your photos
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
 

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3100

Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 24fps
Live view
 Has live view
Preview your photos
Movie continuous focus
 Movie continuous focus
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
Badge
 Autofocuses shooting video
Contrast detection
 
Differences | Recommendations | Similarities | Competitors | Appearance | Discussion

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 Significantly 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
Battery life Longer battery life 1000 shots vs 550 shots
Help
 More than 80% more shots per battery charge
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
 Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 227 ms vs 279 ms
Help
 Around 20% less delay when taking photos
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
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
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
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
Size Smaller 124x96x73 mm vs 147x114x74 mm
Help
 Around 30% smaller
True resolution Higher true resolution 14.2 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture around 20% more detail in your photos
Weight Significantly lighter 505 g vs 925 g
Help
 Around 50% lighter
Lowest price Cheaper $372.99 vs $1,823.08
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,450 cheaper (4.9x less)
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The D3100's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Nikon D3100 Learn more about
the Nikon D3100
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D300 Nikon D300
57 vs 46
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.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
169 lenses
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
D300:300 ms
D3100:400 ms
Thickness Thin Help
2.9"
Built-in flash Each has a built-in flash Help
External flash not needed
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
D300:6,400 ISO
D3100:12,800 ISO
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
D300:12.2 MP
D3100:14.2 MP
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
3,200 ISO
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Autofocus Lacks video autofocus Help
D300:None
D3100:Contrast detection
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
67.0
Low light performance Above average noise at high ISO Help
D300:679 ISO
D3100:919 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$328 body only

$449 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
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$547 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 D3200 vs the D300
Compare the D3200 vs the D3100
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$595 - $805 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 T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$549 body only

$595 - $599 with 18-55mm lens
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
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 D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$600 - $899 body only

$740 - $1,099 with 18-105mm 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 D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm 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
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$540 body only

$638 with 18-55mm lens
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D300
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D3100

Nikon D300 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,300 - $1,697 body only

$2,227 with 85mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Color depth Better color depth
Battery life Slightly shorter battery life
Compare the D300S vs the D300
Nikon D200

Nikon D200

Pro DSLR

$1,081 body only
Color depth Better color depth
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay
Screen size Much smaller screen
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Compare the D200 vs the D300
Nikon D600

Nikon D600

Pro DSLR

$1,997 body only

$2,397 with 24-85mm lens
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Much better image quality
Lens availability Significantly fewer lenses available
Focus points Fewer focus points
Compare the D600 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.