Nikon D300 Design

Nikon D300 Design

Roll-over the various controls and features with your mouse for a brief description.

Front View. Though the control locations are nearly identical to the D200, most of the buttons on the Nikon D300 have been rounded into circles, and all edges are slightly more curved. The bottom right of the image above shows a new tapered corner that makes holding the D300 by the lens much more comfortable. There's a leather-textured rubbery grip surface left and right of the front panel that helps grip the camera better. The left side (when held) also has a nice lip to help hold the D300 while inspecting images or diving into the menus.

Left View. Here on the left of the Nikon D300 you see the camera strap eyelet, which Nikon moved back from its position on the D200. They've also created a single door to cover the connectors, instead of two.

Right View. Nothing new from this angle, but the CF card door is still properly springloaded for easy and flop-free card changes.

Top View. Though the buttons are restyled, they're in the same postitions as on the D200. The one major addition is the Live View mode (Lv) on the drive mode dial. Note the large monochrome Status LCD.

Back View. The D300's Playback button replaces the Bracket button on the Nikon D200, and the five buttons left of the LCD jumped around a bit. Mainly to get a zoom in and out button, the Menu button moves up; and the OK button replaces the D200's Enter button (only the name has changed). On the LCD's right, the AF-area mode switch no longer includes the Group dynamic-AF option, and the memory card latch is cosmetically different. The 3-inch LCD is just a bit bigger than the D200's 2.5-inch screen, but the D300's screen is of significantly higher resolution. You can see the plastic screen cover snapped in place (while it's missing in the User Report's image). The LCD itself is reinforced with tempered glass, making this screen cover less useful (hopefully).

Bottom View. The serial number and compliance logos have been moved over to make room for the battery pack's contact cover.