Nikon
D300S
 vs
Pentax
K-7

Nikon D300S

63
"Although the fine detail of ergonomics can come down to personal preference and hand shape/size, the basics are universal"
dpreview.com | talking about the D300S's feel
"Sophisticated AF system with effective subject tracking"
dpreview.com | talking about the D300S's auto-focus

Reasons to buy the Nikon D300S

Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Lens availability
 Slightly more lenses available
169 lenses
Focus points
 Many focus points
51
Viewfinder coverage
 Great viewfinder coverage
100%
Storage slots
 More storage slots
2
Pentax K-7

62

Reasons to buy the Pentax K-7

Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
93 ms shutter lag
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 131x97x73 mm
Viewfinder coverage
 Great viewfinder coverage
100%

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D300S
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 10.6 EV
Help
 1.6 f-stops more dynamic range
Overall image quality Better image quality 70.0 vs 61.0
Help
 More than 10% better image quality
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Focus points Many more focus points 51 vs 11
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Lens availability Much more lenses available 169 lenses vs 90 lenses
Help
 Around 90% more lenses available
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 787 ISO vs 536 ISO
Help
 The D300S has a slight edge (0.6 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 7 fps vs 5.2 fps
Help
 More than 30% faster continuous shooting
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 15 vs 9
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Startup delay Less startup delay 300 ms vs 600 ms
Help
 2x less delay when turning on
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder 0.62x vs 0.60x
Help
 Around 10% larger viewfinder
Battery life Slightly longer battery life 950 shots vs 740 shots
Help
 Around 30% more shots per battery charge
Nikon D300S Learn more about
the Nikon D300S

Advantages of the Pentax K-7
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 93 ms vs 225 ms
Help
 2.4x less delay when taking photos
True resolution Higher true resolution 14.5 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture around 20% more detail in your photos
Size Smaller 131x97x73 mm vs 147x114x74 mm
Help
 Around 30% smaller
Color depth Better color depth 22.6 bits vs 22.5 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.1 more bits of color
Weight Lighter 750 g vs 938 g
Help
 More than 20% lighter
Thickness Slightly thinner 2.9" vs 2.9"
Help
 Almost the same
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $1,299.62 vs $1,690.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $390 cheaper (more than 20% less)
Pentax K-7 Learn more about
the Pentax K-7
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D300S Nikon D300S
63 vs 62
Explain scores
Pentax K-7 Pentax K-7
Green arrow Too close to call! Snapsort considers these cameras too competitive to make a clear recommendation. 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

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1
votes
by John-Dettinger last month
Nikon D300S vs Nikon D7000

I began photography around 11 months ago. I currently have the entry level Nikon D3100. It has d...

2 people recommend the Nikon D7000:

" I've got the d7000 and im really happy with it. 39 focuspoints are more than enough! The low lig..."

" I don't have experience with either camera... but the stats show that the D7000 is better in eve..."
0
votes
by Katie-Renee-Roloson last week
Nikon D300S vs Nikon D7000

I am looking to upgrade to start a wedding photography business ...

2 people recommend the Nikon D7000:

" surely the D7000 is more up to date and seems to be at least as relyable as the d300s (both shut..."

"I shoot weddings with the D7000 and love it.. use the money saved and put it toward a great lens. ..."
0
votes
by Marcos-Panayiotou last month
Nikon D300S vs Nikon D7000

I would like a camera that shoots sharp both during day and night(both raw and bright light) A c...

One person recommends the Nikon D7000:

" noise reduction at high iso. more true resolution .bigger sensor than other semipro camera"
0
votes
by Sherry-McCollum last month
Nikon D300S vs Nikon D700

I'm an advanced amateur and the most important features in the camera are ease of use and very sha...

One person recommends the Nikon D300S:

"Go for the D300s and spend some extra money on lenses. To get great wildlife shots you'll need a l..."
0
votes
by Saeddo-Fodi last week
Nikon D2Xs vs Nikon D300S

dear sir /madam i want to buy a second body with my nikon d80 but i want it to be better i wa...

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Viewfinder coverage Above average viewfinder coverage Help
100%
Thickness Thin Help
2.9"
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
6,400 ISO
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
3,200 ISO
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
D300S:12.2 MP
K-7:14.5 MP
Movie format HD (720p) video Help
D300S:720p @ 24fps
K-7:720p @ 30fps

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
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the D300S
Compare the D7000 vs the K-7
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
Size Is slightly larger
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D300S
Compare the EOS 7D vs the K-7
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$1,047 with 55-200mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D90 vs the D300S
Compare the D90 vs the K-7
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the D300S
Compare the D5100 vs the K-7
Pentax K-5

Pentax K-5

Entry-level DSLR

$888 - $1,129 body only

$1,033 - $1,283 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Compare the K-5 vs the D300S
Compare the K-5 vs the K-7
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
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D300S
Compare the EOS 60D vs the K-7
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 significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D300S
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the K-7

Nikon D300S Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,649 body only
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Better image quality
Movie format Does not take movies
Lens availability Significantly fewer lenses available
Compare the D700 vs the D300S
Nikon D300

Nikon D300

Pro DSLR

$1,000 body only
Lowest price Slightly cheaper
Movie format Does not take movies
Color depth Worse color depth
Compare the D300 vs the D300S

Pentax K-7 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Pentax K-r

Pentax K-r

Entry-level DSLR

$631 - $649 with 18-55mm lens
Dynamic range More dynamic range
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Viewfinder coverage Significantly less viewfinder coverage
Compare the K-r vs the K-7
Pentax K-x

Pentax K-x

Entry-level DSLR

$675 with 18-55mm lens
Dynamic range More dynamic range
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Screen size Much smaller screen
Compare the K-x vs the K-7

appearance

Nikon D300S Pentax K-7
Nikon D300S Pentax K-7
Nikon D300S Pentax K-7

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