Magic Lantern Guides: Nikon D300

Simon Stafford, the Technical Editor to the Nikon Owners’ Club International’s Nikon Owner magazine, tells all about the company’s new semi-pro camera, the D300. He explains how to make the most of the model’s up-to-the-minute attributes, including the 12.3 effective megapixel Nikon DX-format CMOS image sensor with integrated A/D converter and the increased bit precision of selectable 14-bit NEF (RAW) output.

Customer Reviews:

Technical

By Conrad J. Obregon - July 21, 2008

The Nikon D300 is a complicated piece of machinery, with at least 100 top-level options for how it will work, with many sub-options. All these choices mean that one can tailor the way the camera operates precisely to one's needs. It also means that getting exactly what's best for you requires a lot of research. This "Magic Lantern Guide" is designed to ease the process, but if you really want to get the D300 to fit your style of shooting, it still won't be easy.

The book starts with a general discussion and a quick start guide and then goes into detail on the various functions. There is a menu by menu review of each of the options, with the author's recommendation for each setting. The book finishes up with chapters on resolution, flash, lenses and processing.

This book is for the person who wants to understand all the technical aspects of using the D300. For example, almost every book I've read on the D300 tells you how to use long exposure noise... read more

Excellent reference for the non-beginning photographer

By Pastense11 - August 20, 2008

This book contrasts with the D300 Digital Field Guide. The Field Guide is full of lessons about basic photography for the uninitiated (who probably should not have purchased a sophisticated camera like the D300 in the first place). But for everyone else this book is full of details that cover basic operation and then go beyond to in depth explanation of features and functions. The book assumes that you know the basics of photography and then shows you how to make the best use of your marvelously versatile D300. It even explains the "zen" of the Nikon Creative Lighting System by which Nikon has otherwise managed to confuse many a photographer! No it isn't written like story book or a travelogue. It is a no-nonsense, easilly understood operating guide that covers all the bases and more. Buy it!

Not Ready for Prime Time

By R. Hass - November 9, 2008

This is the first of many Magic Lantern camera books I've read over the years that I have been disappointed in. First, there are many, many typos and grammatical errors. Many references to numbered icons (that presumably should have printed with the actual icon) that as an icon number made no sense. This book is a rehash of the D200 book (which is ok) but there are several (incorrect) references to D200 functionality that wasn't rewritten to describe the D300. From an editing standpoint, this book is an embarrassment!

But like all the Magic Lantern Guides, this book does offer a great deal of useable information. In terms of benefit, I'd rate this about half way between reading the Nikon manual and reading a well-written and informative book about this great camera.