Nikon
D300
 vs
Nikon
D700

Updated (February, 2012): Compare the Nikon D300 vs Nikon D800

Nikon D700

100
Winner

Nikon D700
"It has the same ultra solid feel as its bigger (and smaller) brother, and the same magnesium alloy body and soft rubber grips front and back."
dpreview.com | talking about the D700's build-quality
"Class-leading high ISO performance, usable up to ISO 12800"
dpreview.com | talking about the D700's iso-noise

Reasons to buy the Nikon D700

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
2,303 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
80.0
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.72x
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Focus points
 Many focus points
51
Nikon D300

76
Runner-up

Nikon D300
"High ISO 3200 perfectly usable (if slightly softer due to NR), ISO 6400 usable for small output"
dpreview.com | talking about the D300's iso-noise
"The body is constructed from magnesium alloy, soft rubber is used on the grips both front and back as well as environmental seals on compartment doors."
dpreview.com | talking about the D300's build-quality

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
Thickness
 Thin
2.9"

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D300
Lens availability More lenses available 169 lenses vs 121 lenses
Help
 Around 40% more lenses available
Viewfinder coverage Much better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 95%
Help
 Around 10% better viewfinder coverage
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 6 fps vs 5 fps
Help
 20% faster continuous shooting
Startup delay Less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
Size Smaller 147x114x74 mm vs 147x123x77 mm
Help
 More than 10% smaller
Weight Lighter 925 g vs 1,074 g
Help
 More than 10% lighter
Lowest price Cheaper $1,672.81 vs $2,749.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,077 cheaper (around 40% less)
Thickness Thinner 2.9" vs 3"
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D300 Learn more about
the Nikon D300

Advantages of the Nikon D700
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 2,303 ISO vs 679 ISO
Help
 The D700 has excellent image quality 1.8 f-stops higher ISO than the D300
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 80.0 vs 67.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
Color depth Better color depth 23.5 bits vs 22.1 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.4 more bits of color
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Help
 Around 2.5x larger sensor
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.72x vs 0.62x
Help
 Around 40% larger viewfinder
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The D700's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 12 EV
Help
 0.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 197 ms vs 227 ms
Help
 More than 10% less delay when taking photos
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The D700's boost ISO is 2 f-stops better
Nikon D700 Learn more about
the Nikon D700
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D300 Nikon D300
76 vs 100
Explain scores
Nikon D700 Nikon D700
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D700.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

NikonD300
 Nikon D300 vs Nikon D700
NikonD700
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
6
6
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
3
8
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
3
8
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
5
7
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
5
5
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
5
7
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Focus points Lots of focus points Help
51
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
922k dots
Cross type focus points Many cross-type focus points Help
15
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
D300:300 ms
D700:400 ms
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Weight Heavy Help
D300:925 g
D700:1,074 g
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
D300:12.2 MP
D700:12.1 MP
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Movie format Do not shoot movies Help
No movies
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
D300:147x114x74 mm
D700:147x123x77 mm
Built-in flash Each has a built-in flash Help
External flash not needed
Thickness Thin Help
D300:2.9"
D700:3"
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
D300:6,400 ISO
D700:25,600 ISO
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
D300:3,200 ISO
D700:6,400 ISO
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
D300:6 fps
D700:5 fps
Shutter lag Significant shutter lag Help
D300:227 ms
D700:197 ms
Battery life Few shots per battery charge Help
1000 shots

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Focus points Has slightly fewer focus points
Compare the D7000 vs the D300
Compare the D7000 vs the D700
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,400 body only

$2,799 - $2,839 with 24-105mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Focus points Has much fewer focus points
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D300
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D700
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the D800 vs the D300
Compare the D800 vs the D700
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$869 - $897 body only

$1,099 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens
Movie format Records lower quality movies
Weight Is slightly lighter
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Focus points Has much fewer focus points
Compare the D90 vs the D300
Compare the D90 vs the D700
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the D300
Compare the D5100 vs the D700
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens
Movie format Records lower quality movies
Storage slots Has more storage slots
Compare the D300S vs the D300
Compare the D300S vs the D700
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Focus points Has significantly fewer focus points
Dynamic range Has slightly narrower dynamic range
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D300
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D700

Nikon D300 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D300.

Nikon D700 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3S

Nikon D3S

Pro DSLR

$5,197 body only
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Battery life Much longer battery life
Size Much larger
Viewfinder size Slightly smaller viewfinder
Compare the D3S vs the D700

appearance

Nikon D300 Nikon D700
Nikon D300 Nikon D700
Nikon D300 Nikon D700

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

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