More camera does not get much - old but good!

In 2008 I had bought the D80 with the 18-135 kit lens, my first digital SLR. I was not sure if I would use such a great system camera at all regularly. 4 years and about 20,000 shots later and 5 lenses in Fotorucksack I know for sure: YES! :-) Therefore had now something new here, of course, again a Nikon. Although Canon has a few attractive cameras in the price range, but I love the Nikon-operation and wanted to use my lenses on. My D80 has always worked well and was a lot of joy, but is known to be the better of the enemy of the good. In my case, I was even a PAAE days using the Canon 7D my son, the direct competitor of the D300s.
What bothered me about my old D80 especially, were the noise performance of more than 200 ISO and the cozy frame rate of 3 frames / second. Too few megapixels, missing video function and lack of LiveView hardly bothered me about it.
To shortlisted were:
- Nikon D7000: in some respects better than the D300 (16 megapixel, true HD video function, double-SD, a little easier)
- Nikon D300s: the best DX Nikon would, but probably already been removed without flood in Thailand
- Nikon D400: not yet announced, possibly coming in the summer after the D800
The D7000 has long been my favorite, but apparently have the new models still backfocus problems. After I did not want the first straight to Nikon service to send a new camera in this price range (and also, because I keep up with my son wants :-)), this alternative arbitration then ultimately out. In the sequel I've waited long enough, I just wanted a new camera NOW: So it was the D300s!
If you keep this eindruchsvolle device in hands, one understands the same, the Nikon classifies the D300s as a professional camera: fits perfectly in your hand (even the little finger is still on the housing), has no superfluous scene modes but a lot of real buttons for frequently used functions. The most one can blindly use, eg AF-S AF-C aud change. Thanks to the small shoulder displays you never ever have to actually get into menu while you shoot - is faster, saves battery and simplifies operation in bright sunlight or if you want to remain discreetly in the dark.
What especially comes in handy for me, are bracketed with me as 3 frames. This way you can very quickly and easily shoot HDR series. So far as I know, is that the only D300s DX DSLR ever, the can.
Autofocus and exposure meter working excellently, whereby one must say that there are many unedlich Varienten to stop this. My favorite solution for exposure is the center emphasize metering, the rest I usually experience plus EV Compensation.
When Autofocus need nat. AF-S (normally) and AF-C (for moving subjects), it's there but a switch at the front left of the lens. In AF-S 3D matrix metering, which is almost always the focus is that you want to have sharp is recommended. For portraits, etc. can be the focus nat. manually close attention to eg place the left eye :-)
Dyeing, sharpness, contrast, white balance and noise performance work as delivered quite well, and you should think carefully about whether you want to engage with the many individual functions here. Much can indeed influence even retrospectively.
Also impressive are the many drive modes that one. On a rotary knob below the ISO / Quality / white balance buttons So very quickly to mirror lock (reduces vibration during long exposures), or even just the opposite, the high-speed mode. On the Internet you will find compreh. Tricks on how to capture not only 7 but even 8 frames per second, without having to buy the battery grip.
Live View and video function for me are rather gimmick because the autofocus is then virtually unusable. For macro photography but Live View has an advantage, you can then check the sharpness in zoomed mode and thereby gains in precision when focusing.
All in all I'm very excited about the D300s. Not only impressed the image quality, but just as important, the ergonomics. And a beauty she is, even if it is no longer dewy and for mountain tours only suitable simply because relatively heavy.