According to Thom Hogan, both Nikon USA and Canada have moved the D300s to the archive or retired list. With the rumors of an imminent Nikon announcement and earlier rumors of a D9300 body, could we finally see a D300 / D300s replacement?
D300 / D300s Retired?
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Fred Kingston
Senior Member
I love my D300... My D600 has been real lonely lately... 
See if you can follow my reasoning here, 'cause this has always bugged me:
GM makes Cadillacs, right? Great car...no question. But...not everyone wants or can afford a Cadillac. That's why GM also makes Chevys, Pontiacs, etc.
Honda made a great motorcycle called the Goldwing. Started with the 1000cc, went to an 1100cc, then 1200 and then the 1500. But Honda stopped making the 1100 and the 1200. Why? Not everyone wants or can afford the more expensive 1500. There was nothing wrong with the 1100 or 1200...so why discontinue making them? Surely there's still a market for the smaller displacement Goldwings.
Well, it's the same with me about camera models. Nothing wrong with the D200, the D300, the D7000, or even the D7100. All great cameras, that do what they're supposed to do. Oh sure, there were upgrades to the sensors, and some other bells and whistles, and blah blah blah. I still think there's a market for those cameras, and to discontinue them because a newer model comes online with the latest and greatest, does a disservice to the buying public.
I'm well aware of marketing pressures and such; I'm just not convinced that it's necessary to always be "upgrading" a product (no matter what it is) all the time. And there's a big difference between improving something and changing something just for the sake of changing.
Hopefully y'all understood what I rambled on about here. Rant over.
GM makes Cadillacs, right? Great car...no question. But...not everyone wants or can afford a Cadillac. That's why GM also makes Chevys, Pontiacs, etc.
Honda made a great motorcycle called the Goldwing. Started with the 1000cc, went to an 1100cc, then 1200 and then the 1500. But Honda stopped making the 1100 and the 1200. Why? Not everyone wants or can afford the more expensive 1500. There was nothing wrong with the 1100 or 1200...so why discontinue making them? Surely there's still a market for the smaller displacement Goldwings.
Well, it's the same with me about camera models. Nothing wrong with the D200, the D300, the D7000, or even the D7100. All great cameras, that do what they're supposed to do. Oh sure, there were upgrades to the sensors, and some other bells and whistles, and blah blah blah. I still think there's a market for those cameras, and to discontinue them because a newer model comes online with the latest and greatest, does a disservice to the buying public.
I'm well aware of marketing pressures and such; I'm just not convinced that it's necessary to always be "upgrading" a product (no matter what it is) all the time. And there's a big difference between improving something and changing something just for the sake of changing.
Hopefully y'all understood what I rambled on about here. Rant over.
I agree with you buddy! I'm loving the D300, and I think it's still an awesome camera even with other upgraded models for sale! Not everybody wants or needs all the upgrades, and prefers the pro quality build the D300 has!
I could probably buy a D4s if I really wanted to but the camera I have does what I want...
The shutter they say will do the job for 150,000 movements, Less then 40,000 at this stage..
Will I rush out and buy the so called replacement for the D300 if it ever becomes a reality????Highly unlikely...
Should I upgrade in the future, The d300 is worth more to me then what I could get for it....
The shutter they say will do the job for 150,000 movements, Less then 40,000 at this stage..
Will I rush out and buy the so called replacement for the D300 if it ever becomes a reality????Highly unlikely...
Should I upgrade in the future, The d300 is worth more to me then what I could get for it....
I believe Canon has been working on a pro Dx, Nikon must counter. Nikon is also behind the times in the mirrorless world. I think Nikon will announce something significant in one of those areas. It will either be a pro or a mirrorless Dx body. If they don't they will continue the fall. If the D7200 is the only Dx announcement this year, they are doomed in the Dx format. The D7200 would have to carry forward all the pro qualities the D300 initiated in order for Nikon to remain relevant in the Dx format. The D800 upgrade is a given expectation.
Jack I completely understand your point but If you did not have a financial limitation and is getting 3x the income that you get right now, would you say the same thing?
I know what the limitations of the D300s and the impact of what could happen if Nikon do not update their products.
There is also good in change, otherwise we won't see progress. How many house holds in Canada and in the US are still using picture tube computer monitors or Projector TV screens? I am assuming not too many. Just my two yens.
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Jack I agree that upgrading just TO upgrade isn't wise. The pro build, uncompressed NEFs and uncompromising quality of the D300 is what kept me with mine for over 6 years. It still is one of the best bodies Nikon ever made (along with it's sibling the D700). But to Glenn's point, when I started to see that newer bodies had capabilities that the D300 didn't, I reached a decision point. If a D800-like DX body would have been introduced at 18-24 MP, I would have moved in that direction. As it is, in order to have the capabilities the new sensors provide with the controls I expect, my only option was D4 or D800.
I sincerely hope Nikon wakes the hell up and realizes that there is a market for another matched DX & FX body combo. It is amazing to me that the D300 / D300s has been popular for as long as it has (I bought mine when they first came out in the fall of 2007) as well as the price and strong demand that the D700 commands on the used market.
I sincerely hope Nikon wakes the hell up and realizes that there is a market for another matched DX & FX body combo. It is amazing to me that the D300 / D300s has been popular for as long as it has (I bought mine when they first came out in the fall of 2007) as well as the price and strong demand that the D700 commands on the used market.
Yes, I would! What if GM stopped making smaller and cheaper cars and just made Cadillacs? What if Ford stopped making the Ford Focus and just made Lincolns? Don't you get my point? Not everyone can afford the higher end cameras. Not everyone cares that camera "A" has a better sensor thane camera "B". Not every photographer wants to be a pro....some actually just like taking pictures for the hell of it!
And another thing.....this fixation that some have with ISO numbers borders on obsession! I get the feeling that people become spoiled with the ISO capabilities of some cameras, as if it's the be all and end all of what the camera can do. So my ISO limit is 800.....so what? As long as I stay within that limitation, I'm quite happy with the results I get from my shots.
Believe it or not, I have experienced that with my old D300. The answer is at ISO 200 and the proof is here. :triumphant:
I completely get your point Jack just like what I previously mentioned.
Companies have the option to make products to target various groups based on their budget just like with cameras and cars. Whether you like it or not, companies will add or remove other features to entice sales. That is just the nature of the beast. You just cant expect them not to improve and change their products, otherwise they will be doomed. Over the years, I've been reading complainers about the D300(s) replacement, which implies to me that there is a strong demand to have that particular model improved.
Wait a minute: why "9300"? Do we already have D9299?
About D300/300s replacement: I think D7000 was (approximately) that. So, it's more likely we could have an entirely new sub-category (D9xxx), like mirror-less DX with the flip-screen, two card slots and all current connectivity options... And, maybe (maybeeeee!) 4K video, woaaaah!:excitement:
About D300/300s replacement: I think D7000 was (approximately) that. So, it's more likely we could have an entirely new sub-category (D9xxx), like mirror-less DX with the flip-screen, two card slots and all current connectivity options... And, maybe (maybeeeee!) 4K video, woaaaah!:excitement:
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Just this week I was caught in an unexpected situation where I had to dramatically raise my ISO. I take photos of the local high school drama productions, and ISO 2000 is where I had my camera set. Guess I'm old school (35mm) in that I don't want to use auto-ISO. In any case, there was a lighting glitch so they proceeded without any spotlights. Instead they dimmed the house lights, and although they had a few stage lights on, it was very dark to photograph--way too dark for ISO 2000.
Initially I raised my ISO to 5000, but it wasn't enough. Then I bumped it up to 6400. I really don't like using such a high ISO but was really glad the D610's sensor is so good at ISO 6400. At times my Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 just hunted and hunted. Finally I had to switch to manual focus, but even then it was so dark I didn't have the focus set perfectly. A few photos came out slightly soft.
While I prefer using the lowest ISO possible and generally try not to go above ISO 1000, there are times when necessity dictates using ISO extremes that are beyond my normal preference. So I'm glad I have a camera that is capable of responding with terrific results!
While I prefer using the lowest ISO possible and generally try not to go above ISO 1000, there are times when necessity dictates using ISO extremes that are beyond my normal preference. So I'm glad I have a camera that is capable of responding with terrific results!
I have experienced similar situations that required using ISO 4000 even with a single SB900 since the venues are just too dark. shooting anything less will give you a much darker background.
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In all honesty, as much as I love my D300 the main reason I chose it was because of economics. If I could have gotten a 7100 for the same price or even a few dollars more, I would have been all over it.
Although I don't mind the low ISO capability since I don't really shoot much at low light and if I do I have tripod, but I do find myself wishing for a few extra megapixels at times when I'm needing to crop.
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