Nikon D300s

Could you use such a photo camera? Have a look at Lexar’s latest photo competition, ‘Take the Next Shot’ sweepstake competition on their Facebook page. You could win a Nikon D300s with 16-85mm VR zoom lens or a Canon EOS 7D with an EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens.

I just updated the tests/reviews in the database of the SLR photo cameras, mostly for the Pentax and Samsung cameras (and some Nikon, Sony, Canon, too).

The Nikon D300s has just been made available that we already offer you the opportunity to see its interest by checking the original/full user manual.

Download the Nikon D300s user manual.

• D300s User manual in English (10.3 MB, PDF file)
• D300s User manual in Spanish (en Español, 11.0 MB, PDF file)
• D300s mode d’emploi en français

It was expected, after the arrival of the Nikon D300s, the older D300 is being removed from Nikon web sites one after the other. You have to admit that the Nikon D300s is a better D300 than the D300…

You wanted to know even more about the Nikon D300s? It’s time to dig into the presentation videos to be found on the Internet: 6 videos right now.

In English

(more…)

Nikon D3000

The Nikon D3000 is a new entry-level 10.2 Megapixel DX-Format DSLR, the Nikon D300s is a bit higher located, replacing the current D300, and bringing video to the enthusiast SLR photo camera.

Nikon D3000 feature set:

• 10.2 Megapixel DX-format (APS-C) sensor
• Ultrasonic dust reduction system on the sensor
• Sensitivity: 100-1600 ISO + Hi (ISO 3200 equivalent)
• Shutter speeds: 30s – 1/4000s (and B mode)
• Continuous shooting: 3 fps
• Auto focus: 11-point AF
• Metering: 420-pixel 3D Color Matrix Metering II
• Active D-Lighting Image enhancement, for good low light and high light rendition
• Nikon Guide mode: provides in-body user assistance
• In-camera image editing (Trim, D-Lighting, Color Balance, Filter Effects, Monochrome, Stop Motion, Color Balance, NEF (RAW) processing, Quick retouch, Small picture, Red-eye correction, Color Outline, Miniature Effect, Before and After)
• Viewfinder: 95% coverage, with 0.8x magnification (Eye-level pentamirror single-lens reflex)
• Built-in Flash: GN 12 (@ ISO 100)
• Flash sync speed: 1/200s
• 3.0″ LCD screen (230,000-dot VGA)
• Memory card slot: for SD/SDHC
• 485g

The Nikon D3000 is going to be the smallest DSLR made by Nikon. Small is beautiful, small is strong selling argument for entry-level.

See also the Nikon D3000 slideshow.

Nikon D300s

Nikon D300s feature set:

• 12.3 Megapixel DX-format (APS-C) sensor
• Ultrasonic dust reduction system on the sensor
• Sensitivity: 200-3200 ISO + Lo-1 (ISO 100 equivalent) + Hi-1 (ISO 6400 equivalent)
• Shutter speeds: 30s – 1/8000s (and B mode)
• Continuous shooting: 7 fps
• Movie modes: HD 1280 x 720/24 fps VGA 640 x 424/24 fps QVGA 320 x 216/24 fps (sound with built-in microphone & optional external stereo mini-pin jack (3.5mm diameter))
• Auto focus: 51-point AF (&5 cross-type zones)
• Metering: 1005-pixel 3D Color Matrix Metering II
• Active D-Lighting Image enhancement, for good low light and high light rendition
• In-camera image editing (Trim, D-Lighting, Color Balance, Image Overlay, Filter Effects, Monochrome, NEF (RAW) processing, Red-eye correction, Resize, Edit Movie)
• Viewfinder: 100% coverage, with 0.94x magnification
• LiveView, with specific modes for hand-held and tripod
• Built-in Flash
• Flash sync speed: 1/250s
• 3.0″ LCD screen (920,000-dot VGA)
• Memory card slot: for SD/SDHC and for Compact Flash I (no type II, no MicroDrive)
• HDMI output, USB Hi-speed
• 840g

You will notice the arrival of dual card memory slot capacity (SD + CF), but this comes with the loss of thick CompactFlash (type II) compatibility. You can now forget about MicroDrives (but they are quite old now).

Of course, nobody can miss the presence of HD video capture, with contrast detection AF. This has the potential to make this camera able to really do some video in a usable way even though this is still a promise to be confirmed by facts.

Thanks to NR, the Nikon distributor who leaked the information by bringing an unofficial Nikon D300s to the event and the readers that were present at the now-famous NPC meeting (in Manilla, Philippines) we are now having a full collection of pictures of the upcoming Nikon D300s.

Nikon D300s, from the audio-mike side

In a meeting of NCP, a Manilla Nikon distributor had the Nikon D300s with him.

Nikon D300s - really!

The photo is not very good, but the D300s mark is visible. Little more details on PinoyPhotography.

All my informers repeat it now: the Nikon D300s and Nikon D3000 will be officially launched next week.

According to the official Best Buy twitter feed, the Nikon D300 is now being delisted from the catalog of this line of photo shops, in preparation of the arrival of the Nikon D300s which should replace it.

Again, here are images of the Nikon D300s.

for me, what looks really interesting is that the picture quality allows to evaluate what this is in a pretty precise manner.

According to me, following my own pro experience in developing products for the largest public market, there are a few signs that will not lie: These images are authentic. On the opposite, it is quite possible that this is not a functional model. I would tend to believe that this is a finished mechanical model built to evaluate the assembly result of mechanical parts. Everybody can judge that the work is quite advanced even if the surface finish of the mold for injected plastic parts is still to be perfected (the surface appearance is not as homogeneous as you could wish on a finshed product even if the grain is nearly final and part-to-part adjustments are nearly perfect -see the flash cover).

Contrary to previous pictures which showed quick and dirty work on the mold of the frontal part (specifically, aroudn the holes for the audio microhpone jsut under the D300s marking), we are in the final stage. Unfortunately, it is impossible to ttell if these images have been shot recently or not. Supposedly, this happened only a few days ago (just before being leaked on the Internet), we can assume that Nikon only has a few weeks of work before getting a mechanical body fully ready for mass production. This would lead to an imminent launch, probably at the end of August to catch the attention of photographers just out of Summer vacations.

We will soon see a Nikon D300s.

Source: NR

NikonRumors has shaken our little world of Internet digital photography by presenting what could well be Nikon’s marching order for the coming year (and a little more). Hold on! There are a lot of details for a single post on a Czech forum:

August 4, 2009

• Nikon D3000
• Nikon D300s with Full-HD movie 24 fps, improved AF, self timer + mirror-up, cf + sd-slot
• AF-S DX 17-65/3.2-4 G VR with 72(!) mm filter

October 15, 2009:

• Nikon D700x with 24.5 MP, Full-HD movie 24 fps, improved AF and self timer + mirror-up
• AF-S Nikkor 24-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR (The FX-dream-walk-around-lens?)
• AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II (What everybody waited for! 82 mm filter, 1530 g)
• AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G
• AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G (No VR?)

Q1/2010:

• AF-S Nikkor 14-28mm f/3.5-4.5G ED
• AF-S Nikkor 120-450mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR II (Replacement for 80-400? 82 mm, 1480 g)

Q2/2010:

• Nikon D4 with 15.7 MP, improved 1 EV, Full HD-movie 30fps
• Nikon D400 with 13.8 MP, improved 1 EV, Full HD-movie 24fps

Q3/2010:

• AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4G VR (On the waiting list for many!)
• AF-S Nikkor 400mm f/5.6G VR (Have been missing a long time!)
• AF-S Nikkor 70-240mm f/3.5-4.5G VR (The missing medium size telezoom!)
• AF-S Nikkor 105mm f/2G DC (A small surprise. No VR?)
• AF-S Nikkor 24-85mm f/4G VR
• AF-S DX Nikkor 60-95mm f/2G VR (The DX dream-telezoom!)
• AF-S DX Nikkor 17-60mm f/2.8G VR (Replacing 17-55 with addition of VR)
• Nikon Coolpix P1DX with DX 12.3 MP stabilized sensor, 28-85/3.5-5.6 zoom (comparable to FX, actually 18-56), 2.9 inch 920k-display, movable upwards for macro.

Q4/2010:

• Nikon D4X with 30.2 MP with 1 EV improved sensitivity

So, is it for real? Is it a leak? Or is it merely a tediously built list of relatively good expectations/wishes? Hard to say. I would just remind you that this is clearly classified as a rumor.

As always, I recommend not to make your purchase decisions based upon rumors, but based upon the existing cameras and lenses. The best equipment is always the one you use (compared to the one you dream about). Your dream does not produce photos, but your camera will.

Thanks to Mash.

Impossible to know if this is real or fake. This photo comes from Nikon Rumors and it is supposed to show the next SLR camera from Nikon, a replacement for the Nikon D300 under the name of Nikon D300s.

Nikon D300s - Real or fake?

Without being able to show the exact contents, we can tell that the next news press conferences organized by Nikon will happen on July 30, and August 4. I wouldn’t believe they are ready to predict Lottery results. So, you can figure out what is coming.