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Written by Sacha Fernandez
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Friday, 24 August 2007 |
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I thought I would compose a pre-emptive post, in lieu of my fellow editor Chris' preview of Canon's 40D which was announced or should I say leaked by Amazon.com on Sunday 19th August. First of all I must declare I am Canon cameraman through and through, but Nikon's announcement of the D300 and D3 had me and most camera enthusiasts gob-smacked. Today I am going to focus on the D300 which will go up against Canon's 40D.
Nikon was already thought of being as easier to use from a user perspective, a more intuitive menu system. As well, build quality was thought to be superior as were ergonomics. Performance can be added to the list now with a 12.3 megapixel sensor. Canon executives may be a little uncomfortable as their full frame 5D only sports a 12 megapixel sensor. Low light enthusiast will be overjoyed with Nikon D300's iso performance. ISO ranges from 200-3200 but an added bonus of boosts which extends the ISO range from 100-6400. Those are some impressive numbers, though I am confused with the 100 and 6400 boost levels which I suspect are enhanced as opposed to actual ability to shoot say at iso 100.
While they have been beaten in introducing live-view, Nikon seemingly does it better introducing two modes which caters for shots taken hand-held and for shots composed on a tripod, pretty neat I must say. Live-view will be enhanced with a 3-inch LCD with 922000 pixels of resolution. A massive leap forward in resolution when compared to Canon's offering.
Again auto focus is improved upon with 51 points which is up there again with the pro bodies, Canon's 40D only has 9 points, wow!. Sport shooters will be in their element now with the D300 supporting 8 frames per second with an optional Multi Power Battery back. Even without said battery pack you can achieve 6 fps. At 8 fps those who went out and spent up big on Canon 1D Mark III will be cringing.
Those are just the highlights. In essence Nikon D300 matches Canon's 40D and raises it a couple notches. Scouring forums, there are some who are now contemplating the unthinkable in switching camps. But numbers are numbers, we will have to wait until sample shots are produced from both systems.
So who do I think is the winner. Actually it is neither Canon nor Nikon, actually you are the winner. Nikon has reinvigorated a somewhat staid and predictable dslr space. For so long Canon rested on their laurels with incremental upgrades which maximised revenues, rather than giving loyalists revolutionary new products. Now with competition, expect Canon to respond with their next release. I would like to think that within the next 3 months we will hear a big announcement about a 5D replacement. Let the games begin!Discuss this article on the forums. (0 posts)
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 23 September 2007 )
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