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Nikon D300s and D700 hitting stale status, make way for the next generation
There comes a time when you must clear out the old and make way for the new, and that's exactly what Nikon has in store for its D300s and D700 shooters. According to Electronista, the Japanese camera giant added both of its aforementioned DSLRs to the "old products" section on its motherland site. Given how often we see products get refreshed, it shouldn't come as a huge surprise -- especially when we've seen the D700's expected successor hanging out in the wild many times before. Keep in mind that Nikon recently took the wraps off its D4, so perhaps it's just a good ol' sign the new more-compact flavors are looming just around the corner. Needless to say, we'll let you know as soon as it happens.
Imation Apollo D300 pairs 2TB of storage with USB 3.0 connection for $220
Decisions, decisions. The $200 price range tends to be reserved for happy shiny smartphones in our minds nowadays, but spare a thought for the demure hard drive as well. Imation's just announced an overhaul of its Apollo line of external plate spinners, with the headliner being the Expert D300 unit you see above. Accompanied by its very own detachable stand and backup software, this $220 USB 3.0 drive promises oodles of room and a decent turn of speed as well. Set for an October launch, it'll find lower price points for archivists with needs closer to 500GB or 1TB in size, and there's also a selection of classically minded USB 2.0 HDDs for the more frugal among you -- learn more about them in the full press release after the break.
PhotoTrackr Plus brings geotagging to Nikon DSLRs, leaves your hotshoe open
Oh sure, Nikon's got its own solution for adding native geotagging to your existing DSLR, but the GP-1 dongle definitely has its drawbacks. Aside from sucking down around 4x more power than Gisteq's new PhotoTrackr Plus, it also eliminates the ability to use a dedicated flash in the hotshoe while capturing GPS data. Moreover, it has to warm up every time you turn the camera on / off, and there's just 18 tracking channels compared to the Gisteq's 44. Regardless of the back and forth, we do appreciate the PhotoTrackr Plus' ability to plug directly into the 10-pin terminal that few amateurs even think to recognize, though we do fear that the reliance on Bluetooth could cause issues if you stray too far from the transceiver. Still, this newfangled dongle is far superior to its past iterations, both of which simply logged data as you went and then added metadata after you synced the information with your images via PC; this dongle, however, embeds the data right away into every image. Better still, there's even a price advantage to going third party -- Nikon's aging GP-1 is pushing $200 on many webstores, while the Gisteq apparatus can be procured right now for $179. Take your pic, as they say.
Nikon D300S review roundup: it's awesome, but D300 is better value
You'll know from our Canon 7D review roundup that these semi-pro DSLR reviews tend to take a little while longer to cook than ones for, say, the world's latest, fastest graphics card. That means we're looking at analyses of a shooter that's been out for a while, but boy are they thorough. The D300S (our unboxing can be found here) is Nikon's gentle massaging of the D300 formula for success -- with added 720p video recording and an extra frame for a 7fps burst mode -- and that's borne out by the reviews. You're still getting an outstanding 12.3 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, 51-point AF, and a sturdy weather-proofed body, but question marks remain as to whether the new additions offer enough of an upgrade from the D300. The HD video recording is hamstrung by a mono mic and a frankly silly 5 minute maximum clip length (a limitation not present on direct competitors from Canon and Pentax), but the addition of a second memory card slot (now offering SD as well as CF storage) and a dedicated Live View button along with purportedly improved noise performance could just make the difference for new buyers. Hit the links below for more, including comparisons against the Canon 50D and 7D, as well as the Pentax K-7. Read - dpreview Read - Camera Labs Read - Photography Blog Read - Trusted Reviews Read - Tech Radar Read - ePHOTOzine
Nikon D300s unboxing and hands-on
Nikon's D300s has been filtering out to select retail locations for a few days now, and judging by the box that just arrived on our doorstep, we'd say Nikon (just barely) kept its promise of having these things out by the end of August. The semi-pro body is significantly more sturdy and somewhat heavier than our in-house D90, though the rear LCD sure looks awfully similar. We're planning on giving the 12.3 megapixel CMOS sensor and 720p movie mode a go, but for now, feel free to peruse the gallery below to see exactly what a penny under $1,800 gets you in the DSLR world these days.
Nikon D300s officially announced -- 720p/24 movie mode with autofocus and mic input
Well well, Nikon managed to keep the big secret about the new D300s under wraps even as everything else was leaked in the past few weeks: the new $1,799.95 body will shoot 24fps 720p video with contrast-detect autofocus and offers an external mic input. That's basically every would-be DSLR videographer's major wishlist right there -- sure, 1080p would have been nice, but we'll take better sound over a couple more lines of resolution any day. Other highlights include a 12.3 megapixel DX sensor, 51-point autofocus, and 7fps burst shooting, as well as those dual CF and SD card slots and a 920k pixel screen. Yeah, it's looking like a real beast -- that DX sensor probably doesn't have Canon 5D Mark II fans worried, but if you're looking to get into DSLR video this looks like the new cam to beat. Update: Digital Photography Review has a brief hands-on with the camera, clarifying that the contrast-detection autofocus isn't the quickest, and like we learned with the Olympus E-P1 you'll need to use an external mic when shooting to avoid the ever-present "shhhk" sound. Also of note is continuous shooting, which has been given a boost to seven frames per second -- eight if you have the battery grip -- compared to D300 and that it has the same memory card door as the D700.
Nikon D300S screen leaks out
It's been removed now, but Nikon Rumors says this screenshot from a supposed Nikon D300S was briefly posted on Nikon USA's site earlier today. There's not much to go on here, but that SD icon in the corner seemingly implies the update to the D300 will somehow feature an SD slot -- whether it's in addition to CF as previously rumored is obviously up in the air. Either way, it seems like we'll find out soon enough -- stay tuned.
Do-it-yourself wireless tethering for your DSLR
You know what kinds of projects we especially love? The kind that save you seven hundred bucks, for starters. That was photographer and bon vivant Pete Tsai's inspiration when he bought a $40 wireless USB dongle, a AA battery pack, and an angled USB adapter, with the idea of using it to tether his Nikon D300 to his laptop. According to the modster, Nikon's Camera Control 2 software doesn't seem to have any problem with the device, and the whole setup offers "very fast" transfers (about four seconds for a fine Jpeg, or eight seconds for RAW+ fine). Apparently this bad boy more than does the job of a Nikon's WT-4a wireless transmitter, which sells at around $800. Are you a photographer on a budget? Hit that read link for all the red hot details. [Via Wired]
Samsung's 1080p-blasting A800B and A900 projectors unveiled, plus six more
Good ole' Sammy's announced an octuplet of new projectors, and while we'd like to say they're all special in their own little way, two models definitely catch our eye more. The A800B DLP boasts a 1080p output, 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 1000 ANSI lumens, two HDMI ports, and a variety of other input options. The luxury doesn't come cheap, of course: retail price is $10,000. The other full HD model is the A900, and although we're lighter on details with this one, we do know it's packing 1000 ANSI lumens, only one HDMI port, an impressive 12,000:1 contrast ratio, and what we can only assume is price tag of equal magnitude. As for others, we've got the travel-sized $700 P400 with SVGA output, the L220 (price unknown) and $1100 L300 for bringing VGA / XGA to classrooms, respectively, the XGA-blasting D300 for large venues, and a $1500 A400B for home theaters, which features WXGA, 2500:1 contrast ratio, and 2000 ANSI. We kindly direct your attention to the read link for all the nitty-gritty details.[Via About Projectors]
Nikon's geotagging GP-1 dongle now available
When we asked how you'd change Nikon's 720p-recording D90 DSLR, many of you globe-trotting photogs let out wistful sighs, gazed at the brightest star, and wished with all your might for automatic geotagging of photos. Like some trickster genie, Nikon is granting your wishes, but we're not sure the GP-1 GPS add-on is exactly what you had in mind. It slots into the hot-shoe on most cameras (clipping onto the strap for a few) and uses an unwieldy looking cable to connect to the body of your D200, D3, D700, D90, D300, or D3X. We can't say that we're particularly fond of the device's means of indicating status, either: red blinky light = no satellites; green blinky = three satellites; green solid = four satellites or more. C'mon Nikon, for $240 you couldn't integrate that cable into a hand strap and put more than two LEDs up in there? [Via Gadget Lab]
Nikon D700 previewed, demystified
Now that Nikon has deftly slipped the full frame (FX) D700 into the already tight slot separating its mid-range DX D300 and pro FX D3, we know what you're thinking. Huh? Fortunately, both Rob Galbraith and DP Review have given this a thorough analysis along with a titillating preview courtesy of DP Review. As Rob puts it, "If you own a D3 and a D300, then you have in two separate bodies most of the key bits and pieces that comprise the D700." While the choice between the $1,800 D300 and $3,000 D700 is more clear, prospective $5,000 D3 buyers won't be blamed if they profess a desire to hold-out for the 24.39 megapixel D3X expected within the next 12 months. Read -- Rob Galbraith's take Read -- DP Review preview
Nikon D300 gets reviewed
We've already seen a rather thorough preview of a pre-production model, and gone hands-on with it ourselves, but those still undecided about Nikon's semi-pro D300 DSLR now have yet another bit of info to inform their potential purchase, this one coming in the form of a full review from the folks at Photography Blog. As with others that have gotten their hands on the camera, they found plenty to like about it, with them even going so far as to say that, unless you're a really demanding pro user, "the Nikon D300 could well be all the DSLR you'll ever need." Helping it earn that lofty praise is the camera's solid image quality (including minimal noise all the way up to up to ISO 1600) and high-end feature set, not to mention its "bargain" $1,800 price tag (at least compared to some of its competition). The only drawbacks they found was some ever so slightly sluggish performance, and the lack of a tilt and swivel LCD, among some other minor quibbles. That said, at least at this price point, it sure looks like this one's tough to beat.
Nikon D300 gets the in-depth treatment
We already got hands-on with Nikon's newest baby, the D300, but the folks at Digital Photography Review have gone to the next OCD level with it, busting out 12 pages of pics and impressions from their time with a pre-production model. Nothing too earth-shattering, but lots of potentially useful info for those about to make the $1800 decision.
Hands-on with Nikon's semi-pro D300 DSLR
While we might not spend as much time geeking out over ISOs and shutter speeds as the true photography faithful, even we couldn't help but shiver at the feel of the "click" in Nikon's new D300 DSLR. You have to be pretty serious about your hobby to pick this thing up, or perhaps going pro on a "budget," but there's certainly plenty of quality under the hood and photo-geek sexy on the outside to make it worth your hard-earned Euro.%Gallery-6654%
Nikon officially announces D3 and D300, lenses
Alright, Nikon's two new flagship DSLRs are officially announced. (Better images coming right up.) Here's what you need to know:D3 12.1 megapixel, full-frame friggin sensor! (23.9 x 36mm) Finally. ISO up to 6400 3-inch VGA live view LCD Two (count 'em, two!) CompactFlash card slots for overflow, backup, or copying New EXPEED image processor 9fps in full frame, 11fps in DX crop; 51 point autofocus (with "3D focus tracking") HDMI out with optional cable $5000, November release D300 12.3 megapixel DX (1.5 crop) sensor 3-inch VGA live view LCD New EXPEED image processor 51 point autofocus $1800, November release Lenses AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR %Gallery-6273%%Gallery-6274% Read - D3 press releaseRead - D300 releaseRead - Pro zoom Nikkor lens releaseRead - Super telephoto lens release
Nikon D300 and D3 hits the web
Nikon's big announcements today aren't for a little while, but it looks like the surprise is now spoiled just that much more as the D300 and D3 are starting to show up online. Here are a few links to whet your appetite as the news trickles through.Read - Herald Biz spills the beans (sorry, in Korean)Read - D3 at Let's Go[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Nikon to announce D3 and D300 DSLRs tomorrow?
We don't know for sure what's going to be announced tomorrow, but our ears to the ground over Japan way have it that Nikon's loosing two new DSLRs tomorrow, its new highest-end D3 (presumably replacing the D2Xs) and lower-upper-end D300 (presumably replacing the D200; found specs below). Supposedly this is all going down tomorrow at 1PM JST in Tokyo, so you'll know for sure as soon as we do.D3 Full frame (FX) 12 megapixel Nikon CMOS Live view LCD 9fps in FF mode, 11fps in HSC mode (at 1.5 crop factor / DX size) ISO 200 - 6400 with LO (ISO 100 equivalent), H1 and H2 (ISO 12800 / 25600, respectively) 51 point autofocus system (15 cross sensor) D300 DX format 12 megapixel CMOS (supposedly possibly the same as the D2X) Live view LCD 6fps, up to 8fps with power grip (no HSC mode) ISO 200 - 3200 with LO (ISO 100 equivalent), H1 (ISO 6400) 51 point autofocus system (15 cross sensor) And five new rumored lenses: AF-S 14-24/2.8 G, AF-S 24-70/2.8 G, AF-S VR 400/2.8 G, AF-S VR 500/4 G, AF-S VR 600/4 G.[Thanks, Chet]
