Nikon D300 Complete Manual page 47

• Get new cards. If you don't already have UDMA-enabled
CompactFlash cards, you should get some. Otherwise you
won't get the full benefit of the D300's speed.
• Look for the small differences. Picture Controls take over
for Image Optimization. A few Custom Settings are
changed or have different options. Note the 14-bit
capabilities but also note the performance implications.
• Test the image quality. You've got a lot of image quality
options to deal with. But in particular you want to find a
Picture Control that works for you (if you're a JPEG/TIFF
shooter), and find the ISO values that are usable for your
form of work (which also requires you investigate the
noise reduction settings).
If you're coming from a D40, D40x, D50, D70, D70s, D80,
or any of the D1 series bodies:
• Be prepared to be overwhelmed. The D300 is a highly
complex camera and has far more options than these
camera bodies; the D300 even has a deeper feature set
than the professional D1 series. You've got a lot of options
to learn about (which is probably why you purchased this
eBook).
• Learn the new autofocus system. The D300 has Nikon's
most capable autofocus system yet. But it has a great deal
of complexity to it, and there are a lot of things that you
need to learn to maximize your use of it. If you're coming
from the old CAM900 and CAM1300 systems, the D300's
autofocus system will seem quite foreign to you.
Be prepared to find matrix metering differences. The D300
•
integrates far more data than any of these older cameras,
and it has a tendency to "just do the right thing." You'll
find that you're using exposure compensation less often
and differently than before. Flash exposures will also be
different for you, especially those coming from the older
bodies.
Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the Nikon D300
V1.02
Page 47