Nikon D300

The Nikon D300 is an APS-C DSLR released in 2007. Its 12.3-megapixel CMOS sensor sits behind a Nikon F mount, so the camera works with F-mount lenses and slots neatly into an existing Nikon kit.

It appeals to photographers who enjoy classic DSLR handling. Composition happens through an optical pentaprism viewfinder, and the camera is built around stills photography rather than movie shooting.

The body measures 147 x 114 x 74 millimetres and weighs 925 grams, so it is a substantial piece of kit. Anyone coming from a lighter camera will feel the difference on a long carry.

The D300 pairs a 12.3-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with Nikon's Expeed processing. Files at that resolution stay relatively small, which suits routine printing and sharing, but it limits how aggressively you can crop a frame and still have pixels to spare.

Nikon gave this camera a 51-point autofocus system. That many points gives you room to match the active point to your composition instead of relying on focus-and-recompose.

For action, the camera shoots at up to 6 frames per second, a maximum figure rather than a promise of sustained shooting. The shutter reaches 1/8000 of a second, helpful for freezing fast movement or using wide apertures in strong light. Sensitivity spans ISO 200 to 3200, and nothing below 200, which matters for long exposures in bright conditions.

There is no stabilisation built into the body, so camera shake is not corrected by the body itself. Steadier handheld work depends on your technique or on support such as a tripod. Framing is done through an optical pentaprism viewfinder, which shows the scene directly with no display lag.

The Nikon D300 cannot record video in any mode. There is no movie capability to configure here, and no stills feature changes that. If moving images are part of your work, this is not the camera for them.

It does offer a built-in intervalometer, so you can set the camera to capture a series of stills over time automatically and combine them into a timelapse afterwards. Timelapse is therefore the one route to motion imagery from this body, built from individual frames rather than a continuous recording.

For a buyer, the split is clean. Still photographers lose nothing by the absence, but anyone who wants occasional clips alongside their photos will need a separate device.

The feature set sits around the middle of cameras in our database for Features, with a modest score of 54. What the D300 does get right is the practical side: weather sealing helps protect against dust and moisture outdoors.

The 3-inch LCD uses a detailed 922,000-dot panel, and live view is there when you need to shoot with the screen. There is no touch input and the screen does not move, so awkward angles mean adjusting yourself rather than the display.

Flash is covered on both fronts, with a built-in unit and support for an external flash. Wireless options are absent, with no Wi-Fi and no Bluetooth. GPS is also missing, so the camera itself does not tag location data.

Storage and battery earns a modest score of 43, and the reasons are visible in the spec. The camera takes a single CompactFlash card, Type I or II, with no second slot. That means no in-camera backup, so carry spare cards for important shoots.

CompactFlash rather than SD also shapes ownership. You will need CF cards and a compatible reader, which is worth confirming before you commit.

The EN-EL3e battery is rated at 1000 shots, though real endurance varies with how you shoot. USB charging is not offered, so topping the battery up from a laptop or other USB source is not an option.