NIKON D300 WITH 18-200mm F3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR LENS.
Definitly going for a look.
Usage: general amateur stuff and a bit of landscape for work.
The sad bit its €2299.00 and I will still need memory etc.
Dealer has a great reputation on used gear but nothing grabs my attention right now.
I was going to get a D80 but why stop there.
I thought wait and get a D3 but I cant really justify that much.
Prices over here will seem expensive but Duty will eat up any savings on import plus warranty hassles and risk put me off. I dont mind paying the bit extra to deal with a good local supplier. He offers free lifetime professional lens cleaning to his customers.

Any opinions please?<ul><li><a href="http://www.connscameras.ie/flat_areaEQLproductsAMPCategoryIDEQL158_entry.html">Conns Cameras used stock</a></li></ul>

the D300 is very close (closest in Nikon history) to a D3.

Get it and enjoy.

By the way, the 18-200 is a nice lens, but you would be better off with a smaller (say 18-50 or so) range lens and a 70-200/2.8 (or similar), IMO.

Then again, you will be spending more money and having to lug more gear. It really depends on what you are trying to do with the D300.


Oh, and you can buy those two for about $2200 in the US, combined (D300 and 18-200), or about 1375 Euro.

For the 900 Euro savings, you can buy a ticket to NY and stay for two days! : )
Cheers and enjoy!

Mike S

I wont get to NY without her and she will spend the 800 while there so its actually more expensive. If I left her here she would punish me by going out and spending €800 (F1 experience talking). I am just making myself sick thinking about things like that.
I am not lucky enough to walk through customs with a brand new camera and get away with it. I am one of those people with a large beacon on top of my head... stop me I am lying.
I can claim the VAT back so 21% off, anyway I am lazy.
With you on the 18-50. Thats part of why I want to go talk, feel and push the deal. I think the 200 end would be summertime on the Shannon.
Typically I have no specific lens requirement, rather a little of all but I am frustrated with "Toy cameras"

Thanks for the encouragement.

Yes I bought it, with the 18-200, money decided.

Glass will be my next project.

Will post pics once I learn how to turn it on!

I had the D80 and D200 and now have a D300 and D2x...

D300 is a great body but not without it's flaws...I'll come back to this....

It's substantially larger, heavier and more robust than the D80. Good for some, not for others. I prefer a heavier body. Frankly, no comparison to the D80, the D200 would be a closer comparo. It excels in it's handling of noise at higher ISO's. Far better than all prior Nikon bodies but not as good as the D3. High ISO sensitivity, CAM3500 and removable battery pack are the reasons this camera is in my bag.

IQ is outstanding..12mp for the D300 versus 10mp for the D80.

CAM 3500 AF system totally rocks. My keeper rate has skyrocketed. So much so that culling images is frustrating..they all look good. I use the 9pt, and 21 pt most often. The 3D 51pt Dynamic is freakish as the AF points track a moving subject across the VF, but I still don't get that much use out of it for my style of shooting.

Auto White balance is fantastic.

The build quality is far better then the D80.. D80 is no slouch, but it lacks the weather sealing and magnesium body of the D300.

Customization of buttons and dials on the D300 is outstanding. The rear LCD kills that which is on the D80...no comparison.

Burst rate on the D300 is 8fps with the MB-D10 or if you do the "secret frame rate setting" with no grip...but now that everyone had blabbed about it on the web, Nikon is sure to disable it with the new firmware. I believe 3.5fps for the D80.

Add in picture control settings, much better ergonomics, far better battery management (takes the EN-EL4 battery as well) and some revised button positions and it is a fantastic body..

There are some known issues with the grip and battery reporting a false dead battery and locking up AF when using long lens. Apparently Nikon is issuing a firmware update to address this..but so far nothing. The shutter release is poorly calibrated. It is either on or off and a gentle press usually fires off multiple frames if you in CH. Getting just one frame is nearly impossible without switching to CL or S shutter advance.

So...what to do.. If you are looking for an excellent dSLR, and don't mind pre-owned, the prices on the D200's are outstanding. I practically gave mine away when I bought the D2x and D300. If you want top-notch quality and technology, the D300 is it. With or without the MB-D10. If the choice is budget driven, get the D200. No budget? D300 and D2x. or D3 if you are a FF fan. For all else, the D300 will be outstanding.

Now, the 18-200? Not a fan of that lens. It isn't the sharpest..a victim of compromises to achieve the extended range. It suffers from barrel creep that is a PITA. Lens choices are extensive.