Introduction - Nikon D300 Complete Manual

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Introduction

You've purchased a Nikon D300 and are looking for help in

getting the best possible pictures from it. Or perhaps you're

considering purchasing a D300 and want to know how it

works and what it is capable of. Welcome. You've come to

the right place.

First a little background for the newcomers: I've been using

Nikon cameras most of my life and for the last dozen years

have spent much of my time creating articles, books, and a

Web site explaining the nuances of these cameras to others—

successfully, I think (I hope you'll agree by the time you finish

reading this work).

You probably fall into one of three categories:

1. You've never used an SLR

Previously, you probably used either a 35mm or

digital point-and-shoot type of camera. Those all-

automatic, all-in-one cameras are small and

convenient, but tend to be somewhat slower to shoot

and limited in control.

You probably decided to try a D300 to get away from

one of those two traits: you're hoping that the

autofocus is fast and accurate, that there's no delay

between pressing the shutter release and the time the

picture is taken, and that you can buy accessories that

allow you to take pictures you can't with your

compact camera.

I'll cut to the chase: you'll be happy with your D300

SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex. That may not mean a lot to you yet; the key point

is that an SLR uses a mirror relay system (the "reflex" portion of the name) to let you

see exactly what the lens is zoomed and focused on. Yes, there used to be a TLR

(Twin Lens Reflex), which is a system where you look through one lens via a mirror

system, and a second lens is used for taking the picture. The old Rolleiflex and

YashicaMats are examples of a TLR.

Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the Nikon D300

type of camera before.