Photography (Nikon)
List Price: $1,699.95
- 3-inch Super-density 920,000-dot VGA LCD; one-button Live View
- Nikon EXPEED image processing; D-Movie HD Video for cinematic 24 fps, 720p HD movie clips
- 12.3-megapixel CMOS image sensor for high resolution, low-noise images
- Body only; lenses sold separately
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D300 makes Quantum leap in priorities this school year Chicago Sun-Times
LAKE IN THE HILLS — The fifth-graders in Jamie Soprych’s classroom at Lincoln Prairie Elementary School already have learned about fairy tales, folk tales and tall tales.
Last week, the students learned about mythology, writing stories and drawing pictures of their own gods and goddesses. Sitting back-to-back on the floor, they read their stories to their partners, trying to guess the other’s god or goddess.
When they finished, they pushed their backs into their partner’s, trying to rise to their feet as Soprych clapped and cheered on students Sofia Nichols and Sarah Tenuta: “Push! Push! Push!”
They lined up, calling out a word that described their god or goddess and peeling off to a different part of the room as the teacher passed, then huddling up in the middle of the classroom for a cheer. Finally, they pushed their desks back to the center of the classroom for a pop quiz.
“If you were to come in as a stranger, you’d be like, ‘What are you doing? It’s so chaotic!’ But it’s not,” Soprych said.
There’s a method to the teacher’s madness.
“It’s kinesthetic, visual and auditory. When you hit all those types, you hit all learners,” she explained.
That method is called Quantum Learning, and it’s one of Community Unit School District 300’s top priorities this school year.
Priority shift
Those priorities — announced by members of the superintendent’s new Teaching and Learning Leadership Team at the District 300 Staff Rally at the start of the school year — include the district’s restructured special education program.
They also include RtI and PBIS, which are intervention programs for students struggling with learning or behavior; and aligning curriculum and testing with the Common Core Standards adopted last year by the state of Illinois.
Quantum Learning is a five-part teaching and learning methodology that addresses all learning styles.
District 300 first offered a five-day summer training in the methodology about 12 years ago, according to Audrey Lakin, the district’s facilitator for the implementation of Quantum Learning.
Then came a different district administration, financial difficulties and a priority shift, Lakin said. The Carpentersville-area school district “never lost contact with” Quantum Learning, she said; it just outsourced its training to National Louis University, on that school’s Elgin campus.
Between 1999 and 2010, about 350 District 300 employees were trained in Quantum Learning, Lakin said.
This summer alone, the district trained more than 100, including staff from every school, she said.
That’s because, the facilitator said, when Superintendent Michael Bregy took charge of the district this school year, he announced another shift in the district’s top priority — back to core teaching and learning.
That included the creation of the Teaching and Learning Leadership Team. It also included a new goal for Quantum Learning.
“Over the next five years, we would train everybody — that’s not just our teachers, but our administrators and our support staff,” Lakin said.
“What we’re trying to do now is implement Quantum Learning so it’s not an intimidating thing. It’s part of the way we do things. It’s not an add-on. It’s a part of the way we do business.”
Putting in practice
The five tenets of Quantum Learning are: “Everything speaks,” “Everything is on purpose,” “Experience before label,” “Acknowledge every effort” and “If it’s worth learning, it’s worth celebrating.”
Those are on display in Lakin’s office, in Bregy’s office, in the front office at Lincoln Prairie and in every classroom at the school.
The Lake in the Hills school has integrated those tenets into its PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) program, which teaches and encourages the behaviors the school expects of its students, according to Principal Trent Halpin. That’s two district priorities in one.
“It’s using strategies to create a culture of learning for all students,” Halpin said.
Each tenet is backed up by a number of strategies summed up in easy-to-remember sayings, such as “Where are you living?” That refers to an illustration of behaviors above and below a line indicating what’s expected of students. And that’s the first strategy District 300 rolled out to all its schools this year.
Staff who attended this summer’s training chose seven strategies to roll out this school year before it started. Every other month, those building teams introduce a new one.
So far, they have included “Where are you living?”; the five tenets; 10-24-7 (repeating what’s been learned 10 minutes, 24 hours and seven days later); and call backs (repeating instructions back to the teacher).
“This is a way to give teachers tools,” Lakin said. “It doesn’t tell them how to teach. It doesn’t tell them what to teach. What it is are ways to help us be more purposeful and — I hate to say ‘better’ — maybe more efficient, as well as effective.”
Fourth-grade teacher Michelle Grossmayer, who attended a Quantum Learning Training 10 years ago and again over the summer, said those tools re-energize her as a teacher. And, she said, they make a “difference in the kids right away.”
“It’s so much positive,” Grossmayer said. “Right now, education is hard. There’s a bit of backlash from people. It just reiterates for me the reason why I’m here and why I love what I do. I’m here for my kids.”
Photography (Nikon)
Price: $2,999.95
- Self-cleaning sensor unit magnesium alloy construction with rubber gaskets and seals
- Self-cleaning sensor unit; magnesium alloy construction with rubber gaskets and seals
- 12.3-megapixel captures enough detail for poster-size photo-quality prints
- 3.0-inch LiveView LCD display; new 51-point AF system
Read more about Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
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Nikon D300 review
Full review at: www.cameralabs.com : A ten minute video tour around Nikon's semi-professional D300 DSLR by Gordon Laing, Editor of www ...
Should I get a new D300 or a used D2xs? Give up some pixels for more robust chassis quality?
I love the robust D2xs but like the extra-megapixels of the D300. The two mentioned nikons are currently about the same price.
I am hard on cameras. Sand and snow mostly. Any thought on these two choice specifically?
If you are taking happy snaps then the D300, if you need speed the D2x. Both are fine cameras.
EDIT: Though the frame rate is advertised higher, the D2Xs will deliver the 5 frames in any shooting mode, 17 RAW, 22 Best quality JPEG's or both. The D300 only advertising 8fps w/ batt pack, in P S or Metered manual, JPEG. Interesting that Nikon's official website doesn't specify the RAW burst capacity.
Not disagreeing, just looked it up out of curiosity.
Personally, I think there are WAY too many features in the D300 to overlook, even though the D2xs is probably still supposed to be "upline" from the D300. I am finding that they are both 12 MP, by the way.
I would not be a huge fan of the live view, but I think it would come in handy for macro or a high-mounted tripod shot.
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Why do people say that you have to give up speed with the D300? It shoots at 6 fps on battery or 8 fps on AC. The D2Sx "only" shoots at 5 fps. It will go to 8 fps if you use a cropped image (6.8 MP image). This is almost a wash as far as I can see. Besides, how much difference is this, really???
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That's 6 fps on the regular D300 battery - not the battery pack. 8 fps with the battery pack or AC power.
How to view live preview of digital pictures on laptop from D300 or D100?
I'm shooting both a D100 and a D300. I would like to know how to allow my clients to see a preview of the picture on my laptop through out the photo shoot.
I'm using Nikon Camera Control Pro 2.0 with my D300 and it works very well. You will see on your PC or Mac what your camera sees. You can also control your camera with the computer. I hope this helps.
http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/ProductDetail.page?pid=25366
How do you set a long shutter speed on a Nikon D300?
I recently got a Nikon D300 camera, and I’m interested in astrophotography, and I need loooong exposure times, such as 10 minutes or more. I know how to set it to 30 seconds, then bulb, is there a way I can program my camera to give me a much longer exposure time?
You may need a remote that will hold the bulb for a specific time.
MC-36
Thats the timer remote that will do it.
Or a
MC-30 (or equivalent) with a clamp, to clamp the button down...
What is the difference between the International Model and the USA model of the Nikon D300 ?
I have found a gray market, Japanese model of the Nikon d300 camera for very cheap but they have told me the only difference is the warranty..is there anything else i should be aware of ?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/518489-REG/Nikon_25432_D300_SLR_Digital_Camera.html#includes
Be aware of bait and switch tactics, even if you're buying from a store front. If it's mail order, I'd steer clear of this deal. Check the contents of the box before you leave the store.
The D300 pixel density is 2.5x than the D700 Since the sensor is physically smaller, which is better and why?
If the sensor of the D300 would have been Full Frame it would be 30.1 Mgp, does higher physical density of pixels better for the image and editing or not?
that depends. in terms of pixel density, there comes a point when it becomes detrimental to the quality of the images that the camera can take. it's true that the image generally becomes sharper with higher megapixels. eventually though, as you cram more and more pixels into the sensor, you'll end up having images that are noisier.
case in point: the canon 50d. at 15.1 MP, it has a pixel density of 4.5 per cm2. at higher iso's, the noise reduction has to kick in so much that you end up losing a lot of detail, thus defeating the purpose of buying a 15.1 mp camera in the first place.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/CanonEOS50D/
hope this helps!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_density
Since the D300 sensor is smaller, each individual pixel is smaller; with a 36x24mm sensor each individual pixel of the D700 is considerably larger than its D300 counterpart. The D700 sensor is 2.3 times larger than the D300 sensor.
Try this analogy: Draw a 1" x 1" square to represent the pixel in the D300. Now draw a 2.3" x 2.3" square to represent the pixel in the D700. In which square can you write the most? In which square can you write the largest? A larger pixel can contain more information. This is why a 6mp D40 will blow away a 12mp digicam in terms of image quality.
Is it true that the D3 and D300 will include Nikon Capture NX?
I just read an article and if I understood it right capture NX will come free with the D3 and D300. If thats truley the case then my debate between the 40D and D300 is over. Anybody know for sure?
No word yet from Nikon ... My reason for choosing a Nikon over a Canon would have more to do with all the Nikon lenses I have.
But before you do anything read what Ken Rockwell has to say about them:
If the live view feature is important to you, then you have your answer:
This refers to the Nikon D3, D300 and Canon 40D and 1Ds Mark III
Nikon has outdone Canon at Live View because Nikon's AF system works two different ways while in Live View, while Canon's does not work at all.
What have being your experiences with the Nikon d300?
I'm considering getting the Nikon d300. I was wondering what users could tell me of their experience.
I still have to write up a standard answer, as more and more people are asking...
I have had mine since December 2007. I got the D200 in January 2006, so I used that for almost two years before getting the D300. As great as the D200 is, the D300 is a phenomenal improvement. The D300 is now $500 more than the D200 and I would say that it is worth every penny of that.
You can read reviews everywhere by now, but the major difference is obviously the switch to the CMOS sensor and the new Expeed processor. Both are great moves for Nikon. The camera has excellent image quality, exceptional low-light performance, and very fast auto-focus. It has many features that make it easier to use faster than the D200. Live view is not something that you will use the same way it is used in a point and shoot camera, but when it is appropriate, it is a major enhancement. I appreciate the ability to show the top LCD info on the reaer LCD. It's much larger and easier to see. If the camera is on a tripod, this feature along with live view really make your life easier. There is an in-camera dynamic range booster called "Active D-Lighting" that helps with unevenly lit subjects and scenes. It's not the same as shooting HDR, but it is a step in that direction. I could go on for an hour about all the features, but it has a 400 page user manual! That tells you something.
See the review in PopPhoto where the by-line says, "...pushed the D300 to new performance records in the Pop Photo Lab." http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/4911/camera-test-nikon-d300.html
See Michael McNamara's editorial on digital surpassing film in the March 2008 issue of Popular Photography and see how highly he praises the Nikon D3 and D300. If people keep saying this kind of stuff about the camera, it's going to start selling at a $200-500 premium...
See the dpreview.com review where the D300 where they conclude, "There's simply no better semi-professional digital SLR on the market."
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond300/
See Ken Rockwell's review where he says, "The Nikon D300 is the world's best amateur camera."
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d300.htm
I must say that I have not read a bad review on the D300 yet. Practically the only complaint I've read is that it is so hard to find something to complain about!
See a few of my samples and while you are here, click on the link to "All public photos tagged D300."
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/tags/d300/
Are the Nikon D200/D300 capable of producing professional pictures or do I need something more expensive?
I want to take up photography for a living and my friends want me to photograph their weddings. Are the D200/300 suitable or do I need to spend loads on the D700/D2X etc?
Stupidity is the virtue of all amateur photographers.
I recently purchased a Nikon d300. I enjoy taking portraits. What lens should I buy on a tight budget?
I have a 55-200, a 35-70, and a 50 mm lens.
I want to take beautiful portraits as well as do some location shooting of bathing beauties and so on.
I have about $500.00 and I want a lens that is going to produce sharp images.
If you want really sharp images, you want a prime lens. I don't know which 50mm lens you have, but let's skip that focal length since you have it covered.
Probably my sharpest lens is the Nikkor 60mm macro (micro) lens. It gives you a "classic" portait length of a 90mm equivalent. (I say that classic is from 85mm to 105mm.) It gives nice bokeh, also. You can get it for about $400.
This may not be the best example for sharpness, because I was not using a tripod (see the other "fake flower" shots for this), but it shows the bokeh on the D300 with the 60mm lens.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/2145982734/
Here it is on the D200: http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=7189769@N04&q=60+AND+d200&m=tags
And the D70s: http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=7189769@N04&q=60+AND+d70s&m=tags
I recently got the 35mm f/2.0 lens and it is very sharp. It is the equivalent of a "normal" lens on the D300.
Here is a totally untouched image to evaluate for sharpness: http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/2181336552/
Slight sharpening applied: http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/2180549371/
Bokeh of the 35mm lens: http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/2179145715/
WIth Active D-Lighting: http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/2199290332/
How do I take apart the Nikon D300 monitor for cleaning?
I got some smudge marks on the inside section of my monitor. Is there a way for me to clean iti?
The smudge marks inside D300 is a problem that's present in many Nikon LCD monitors (from various models). They appear like oil smudges (usually vertical) and sometimes finger prints on the inside of the monitor.
I had a similar problem and the Nikon people (and a lot of people on various forums) thought it to be moisture. They suggested various methods from keeping it in front of a halogen lamp to inside a desiccator, but nothing helps. These actually are smudges !!!
On one forum I found some information about it and it seems the best thing to do is to live with it and get used to it. The marks can be cleaned by the service center but opening and closing a SLR is not a small job and can later cause lot of minor problems elsewhere.
These marks don't usually interfere while the LCD is 'ON' and obviously don't create any problems with the photos.
I suggest that you let them be there and forget about them. Start using your camera more and you'll not notice them at all with time.