Nikon
D3000
 vs
Nikon
D300S

Updated (August, 2010): Compare the Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

77
Winner

Nikon D300S
"Most high-end DSLRs feature Magnesium alloy construction but the D300 stood out as a particularly weighty and well-constructed example"
dpreview.com | talking about the D300S's build-quality
"The D300S is not the standout product that its predecessor was and unless you find your clients are clamoring for video footage... that shouldn't take away from an absolutely excellent product - a gently polished and refined update of a product that we considered a benchmark when it was released."
dpreview.com | talking about the D300S's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Nikon D300S

Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.2 EV
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
920k dots
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
7 fps
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Focus points
 Many focus points
51
Nikon D3000

43
Runner-up

Nikon D3000
"User-friendly ergonomics, without sacrificing control"
dpreview.com | talking about the D3000's button-layout
"The Nikon D40 was a groundbreaking camera, not only for Nikon, but for the entire entry-level sector of the DSLR market"
dpreview.com | talking about the D3000's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3000

Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 126x97x64 mm
Thickness
 Thin
2.5"
Weight
 Light-weight
536 g

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D3000
Size Smaller 126x97x64 mm vs 147x114x74 mm
Help
 Around 40% smaller
Weight Significantly lighter 536 g vs 938 g
Help
 More than 40% lighter
Thickness Significantly thinner 2.5" vs 2.9"
Help
 More than 10% thinner
Lowest price Cheaper $676.55 vs $1,699.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,023 cheaper (2.5x less)
Nikon D3000 Learn more about
the Nikon D3000

Advantages of the Nikon D300S
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 11.1 EV
Help
 1.1 f-stops more dynamic range
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Overall image quality Better image quality 70.0 vs 62.0
Help
 More than 10% better image quality
Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
 Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
Movie format Shoots movies 720p @ 24fps vs None
Help
 Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
Focus points Many more focus points 51 vs 11
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 787 ISO vs 563 ISO
Help
 The D300S has a slight edge (0.5 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Cross type focus points Significantly more cross-type focus points 15 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.62x vs 0.52x
Help
 Around 40% larger viewfinder
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 7 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 Around 2.5x faster continuous shooting
Startup delay Significantly less startup delay 300 ms vs 700 ms
Help
 2.3x less delay when turning on
Viewfinder coverage Much better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 95%
Help
 Around 10% better viewfinder coverage
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
 Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
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
Color depth Better color depth 22.5 bits vs 22.3 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.2 more bits of color
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Battery life Longer battery life 950 shots vs 550 shots
Help
 More than 70% more shots per battery charge
True resolution Higher true resolution 12.2 MP vs 10 MP
Help
 Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 225 ms vs 262 ms
Help
 More than 10% less delay when taking photos
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The D300S's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Nikon D300S Learn more about
the Nikon D300S
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D3000 Nikon D3000
43 vs 77
Explain scores
Nikon D300S Nikon D300S
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D300S. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a entry-level DSLR with a pro DSLR.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

NikonD3000
 Nikon D3000 vs Nikon D300S
NikonD300S
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
2
3
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
4
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
3
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
3
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
0
4
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
0
4
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
169 lenses
Thickness Thin Help
D3000:2.5"
D300S:2.9"
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
D3000:3,200 ISO
D300S:6,400 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
D3000:1,600 ISO
D300S:3,200 ISO
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
D3000:10 MP
D300S:12.2 MP
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the D3000
Compare the D7000 vs the D300S
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D3100 vs the D3000
Compare the D3100 vs the D300S
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$869 - $897 body only

$1,099 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D90 vs the D3000
Compare the D90 vs the D300S
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the D3000
Compare the D5100 vs the D300S
Nikon D300

Nikon D300

Pro DSLR

$1,673 - $1,816 body only

$2,639 with 16-85mm lens
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D300 vs the D3000
Compare the D300 vs the D300S
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D3000
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D300S
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D3000
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D300S

Nikon D3000 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$379 body only

$460 - $550 with 18-55mm lens
Live view Has live view
Movie format Shoots movies
Screen size Much smaller screen
Color depth Worse color depth
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the D3000
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Entry-level DSLR

$334 - $595 body only

$449 - $460 with 18-55mm lens
Live view Has live view
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Screen size Much smaller screen
Color depth Worse color depth
Compare the EOS Digital Rebel XS vs the D3000
Nikon Coolpix P500

Nikon Coolpix P500

Super zoom

$339 - $350
Movie format Shoots movies
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Autofocus Slower autofocus
Supports RAW No RAW support
Compare the Coolpix P500 vs the D3000

Nikon D300S Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
True resolution Higher true resolution
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D300S
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 body only
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Movie format Does not take movies
Lens availability Fewer lenses available
Compare the D700 vs the D300S

appearance

Nikon D3000 Nikon D300S
Nikon D3000 Nikon D300S
Nikon D3000 Nikon D300S

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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