3200 reasons to love the d300

[MattyO]

Really Really Really Impressed with teh d300

Pitch black racing at barbagallo raceway.... armed with a d300 sb800 and a 300 2.8 vr

ISO3200 f2.8 1/80s + fill flash



Lens flare from the lights didn't phase the lens or camera! Really impressed with how they turned out!

enjoy!

[sirhc55]

You have a very good reason to be happy with these pics - all factors considered, the result is excellent.

[MATT]

Nice.. the D300+300 2.8VR look a lovley combo.. Was the any noise removal?

MATT

[kiwi]

woohoo, gotta love these at ISO3200 and so unusual to see night racing shots. Did you need to do any NR PP ? Or did you just use the in camera NR ?

[Pehpsi]

I'm extremely jealous...Great shots BTW.

[Flatpick]

They are very good, have'nt tried mine at 3200 yet!

[dawesy]

That's it, I have to pull my finger out and get my camera trackside... then the long lens lust will begin

Great shots in tough light, nicely done! Any idea how much the flash was contributing? Even the background seems to have exposed OK. I'd love to see how they turned out without it for comparison.

Cheers.

[Jeff]

Thats impressive well shot.

Jeff

[adame]

Fantastic mate, cant be all the equiptment with all the great photos youve been turning out latley has to be the nut behind the wheel.

[phoenix]

I love seeing shots like these. It's making my decision to get a D300 that much easier. Low light photography is essential for some of my stuff, and i just can't wait till i get to snap a few shots. Nice work!

[Glen]

Very impressive Matty, so rare to see night shots in this country. No objection by race officials to the SB800 in drivers eyes?

[MattyO]

i have turned off all in camera noise reduction, and i have done some in photoshop tho.

but still... this is exactly what iso3200 is needed for to make light when you have one!

since iso3200 f2.8 is pretty sensitive, even at 300mm there isn't much flash required and i doubt it would distract the drivers!

[kiwi]

Yip, in these shots youve retained the sharpness and removed the noise, great job, I think you're right with the workflow with NR off and doing it in PP. Seems to retain much more sharpness this way

Again, great technique here Matty and a lesson to us all. Thanks.

[surenj]

Awesome shots as usual... keep em coming....

[sheepie]

Now that's just showing off!

Agree that the equipment is pretty cool, but it still takes a certain amount of talent to get shots like this - Love your work - well done

[phoenix]

So you actually used the flash for these shots? Is that frowned upon?

[Yi-P]

Very nice shots, the d300 is shining bright on your hands

Yip, in these shots youve retained the sharpness and removed the noise, great job, I think you're right with the workflow with NR off and doing it in PP. Seems to retain much more sharpness this way

Again, great technique here Matty and a lesson to us all. Thanks.

No, I didnt take the shots. I wish to have a 300/2.8 VR and D300 combo... but I don't.

[dodge]

Nice work Matty..well done

[Shorty]

Love that first pic - that is stunning!!

Shorty

[Grev]

i have turned off all in camera noise reduction, and i have done some in photoshop tho.

but still... this is exactly what iso3200 is needed for to make light when you have one!

since iso3200 f2.8 is pretty sensitive, even at 300mm there isn't much flash required and i doubt it would distract the drivers!

I tend to turn it all off in my D300 as well, and I do see good results at those iso levels when you expose it right.

[PiroStitch]

great work and iso3200 is bloody impressive!

heh you made the first driver look like he was possessed with red eyes.

[DVEous]

... Obsolete ...

[gstark]

Make it 3199 reasons to love the d300.
I find the C/S/M autofocus switch at the front in a really bad spot,

Er, why is this a bad spot? It's the same spot as it has been for ... yonks. While I could say that my D70 has it in the same location, I won't, but instead I'll tell you that my F80 from 1989 also has it in the same location. I'm not quite convinced that this is an issue with the D300.

[DVEous]

... Obsolete ...

[sirhc55]

Adam - with respect, I have tried to knock this switch and find it virtually impossible to do when holding the camera in a shooting position. If your switch is being displaced it could be a faulty unit as I find that you need to apply a fair amount of pressure to move it when actually trying to change its position.

[gstark]

... I'm not quite convinced that this is an issue with the D300.

Gary, with all due respect, just because something isn't an issue for you, does not mean it isn't an issue for others.

I'm fully aware of this.

But please don't shoot the messenger. I was merely highlighting the fact that this location and setting nhas been in use for something approaching 20 years. I'm not sure of the actual physical count, but I'm sure that we have at least 5, and maybe 7, bodies here with this setup, and in regular use by two different people, with no issues.

In 2½ years of using a D70S, it was never a problem... so I don't know what it is, but on the D300, I am knocking this to "C" all the time.

Dunno... maybe the switch actuator paddle is slightly larger, maybe my D300 switch isn't as stiff and rotates easier, or both?

As a point of interest, a number of people have commented on this switch being "faulty" on the D200. The reality is that on the D200 the detents between settings are regarded as "soft", and in the D300 this has been rectified by Nikon. Certainly, in a direct comparison between my D200 and D300, there is a very noticeable difference in the feel of this switch's operation.

[Pehpsi]

I'll be happy to take it off your hands and test it for a few months!?!