OK, I'm basically drooling over the D3 and D300...and I'd be a much happier camper I could save some $ and get the D300. But my decision is really hanging on the D300's high ISO performance...so all of you super smart and lucky people who purchased yours early and have already received yours, please post some more shots and share your experiences with the D300. Thank you so much!!!

Not that Ken Rockwell is very respected but he does provide usefull information. He shoots like most amatures/non pros/non wedding but he is very detailed in his opinion on gear. He says the 300 is basically blurring the images softening them to make high iso's look smoother. He said the D200 is sharper than the D300 at high ISO's because of blur added by in camera. www.Kenrockwell.com You can be sure Nikon will make the D3 a much better performer than the D300. It is not as close as the D200 is to the D2X.

The important thing about the D300 is that it has the same autofocus as the D3.

All the talk about the D300 is killing me... I'm dying for the D3... I knew it would be easier getting ahold of a D300 before a D3... but this is awful waiting - I have been waiting for three years for a D3 to be announced... *sigh*

Samples Samples Samples!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!

I'm not sure if you saw this or not, but I posted this in the thread I started about getting my D300.

This was taken at ISO 3200, 1/10sec. shutter speed, f/4.5 with our new 18-200 VR lens.

Everything we shoot with nowadays is better than hi ISO film.

But if you want silky smooth iso 6400 + the D3 is the only way to go right now.
I have some files from a D300, and compared to a Canon 5D I would say it is about equal up to 800.
1600 gets a little 'grainy' and I mean grainy... like film. 3200 is great for a Nikon but just below a Canon 5D at that ISO.



Samples are worthless though IMO. You just need to get your hands on one, shoot it the way you normally shoot and see how it looks. I've seen some awesome stuff and some terrible stuff from folks with that cam - it all comes down to who is operating it.

But again, D3 will kick the pants off of anything at HI ISO right now. So if you have the funds, just go for it. It will be worth it.

Sorry for the threadjack but it drives me nuts when someone looks at a picture I've taken and says, "Man, that's a good picture, you have a great camers."