Canon 40D vs. Nikon D300 - Part 1

These two cameras are the most preferred semi-pro digital SLRs. Both of them are great cameras, it is hard to decide which one to buy. I don’t know which one i’ll choose if i decide to change my camera. Each one of these cameras have their own advantages. Nikon D300 has a wider ISO range which is from ISO 100 to ISO 6400 also it is faster than Canon 40D a little bit (start up time etc.). In addition D300 has relatively better auto focus system and faster transfer speed. But is is $500 more expensive than Canon 40D. What makes the situation more complicated is the tiny differences between them. It looks like D300 has better technical features. But 40D is quite good too, for example, it has a good autofocus system also and maybe you don’t even understand which one is better when you are using these cameras. 40D has ISO speeds up to 3200 not ISO6400 like D300 but how many times will you use ISO6400 and i can’t even imagine level of noise in ISO 6400 while i’m not happy with the results of ISO 1600. What i’m trying to say is; technical and performance differences between these two great cameras are so so tiny. and the question is; is it worth to buy D300 and paying $500 more?

I couldn’t find the answer. You decide which one has a better price/performance ratio…

General Features
Name of Model: Canon 40D Nikon D300
Number of Model: EOS 40D D300
Camera Category: Pro SLR Pro SLR
Price: $1200.00 - 1300.00 $1700.00 - 1800.00
Tripod Mount: Yes Yes
Tripod Mount Material: Metal
Weight of Camera: 844 grams

29.5 oz

 825 grams

28.8 oz
Size of Camera: 146 x 108 x 74 mm

5.7 x 4.3 x 2.9 inches

 147 x 114 x 74 mm

5.8 x 4.5 x 2.9 inches
Image
Resolution of Images: 3888×2592, 2816×1880, 1936×1288 4288×2848, 3216×2136, 2144×1424
Ratio: 3:2 3:2
Megapixels: 10.10 12.30
Type of Sensor: CMOS CMOS
Type of Sensor Filter: RGBG RGBG
Focus
(AF) Auto Focus: Yes Yes
Type of Auto Focus: AF-dedicated CMOS Sensor, 9 cross-type AF points 51 point TTL phase detection with 3D focus tracking by Nikon Multi-CAM 3500DX
Minimum Auto Focus Illum: 0.0625 0.0625
(MF) Manual Focus: Yes Yes
Display
Viewfinder (Optical & LCD)) : Yes Yes
Type of Optical VF: SLR; eye-level pentaprism, interchangeable screen, 95%, 0.95x, 22mm relief, -3.0 to +1.0 diopter SLR type; eye-level pentaprism, 100%, 0.94x, 19.5mm eyepoint, -2.0 to +1.0 diopter
Optical Viewfinder Accuracy: 101% 97%
LCD Viewfinder Accuracy: 95% 100%
Size of LCD: 3.0 inches 3.0 inches
LCD Resolution: 230000 (pixels) 921600 (pixels)
Playback Zoom: 1x - 10x 1x - 27x
Exposure
ISO: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400
Maximum ISO: 3200 6400
WB (White Balance) Settings: Auto, Cloudy, Flash, Daylight, Fluorescent, Tungsten, Custom and Kelvin 2800K - 10,000K Auto, 6 presets, manual
Manual WB (White Balance) : Yes Yes
Maximum Shutter Time: 30 30
Minimum Shutter Time: 1/8000 1/8000
Exposure Adj Range: 2.0 EV 5.0 EV
Exposure Adj Step Size: 0.33 EV 0.33 EV
Metering: 35-zone Evaluative, Partial, Spot (3.8%) and Center Weighted 3D Color Matrix Metering II, Spot and Center Weighted
Aperture Priority: Yes Yes
Shutter Priority: Yes Yes
Manual Exposure: Yes Yes
Self-Timer: 10,2 seconds 2 to 20 seconds
Flash
Internal Flash: Yes Yes
Flash Modes: E-TTL II Front-Curtain Sync, Red-Eye Reduction, Red-Eye Reduction with Slow Sync, Slow Sync, and Rear-Curtain Sync
Flash Guide : 13 Meters 13 Meters
External Flash: Yes Yes
External Flash Connection: Hot Shoe Hot Shoe and Sync Terminal
Image Storage
Memory Type(s): Compact Flash Type I, Compact Flash Type II Compact Flash Type I, Compact Flash Type II
Format (Uncompressed): RAW and sRAW (14-bit CR2) NEF (RAW)
Format (Compressed) : JPEG JPEG
Connectivity
Ext. Connections: USB 2.0 USB 2.0
Other Connections: N3-type push-in terminal HDMI Out, DC In, PC Sync, 10-pin Expansion Terminal
Software: EOS Utility 2.1,Photo Stitch, ZoomBrowser EX 5.8, Digital Photo Professional 3.1 and ImageBrowser 5.8 PictureProject CD-ROM
Video Out: Yes Yes
Video Usable as Viewfinder: Yes Yes
OS Compatibility: Windows XP/Vista, Mac OS X. Windows XP/Vista
Performance Timing
Start-up: 0.4 sec. 0.3 sec.
Shut-down: 0.3 sec. 0.3 sec.
Play , Record: 0.3 sec. 0.1 sec.
Shutter Lag (Auto Focus): 0.128 sec. 0.227 sec.
Shutter Lag (Manual Focus): 0.078 sec. 0.054 sec.
Uncompressed Format Cycle Time: 0.23 sec. 0.39 sec.
Cycle Time at Maximum Resolution: 0.28 sec. 0.39 sec.
Cycle Time at Minimum Resolution: 0.20 sec. 0.39 sec.
Continuous Mode: 6.40 fps 6.12 fps
Download Speed : 3102 KB/sec. 8765 KB/sec.
Power
Battery Form Factor: Proprietary BP-511/A, BP-512; BG-E2N Battery Grip Proprietary EN-EL3e and optional MB-D10 battery pack
Battery Type: Lithium-ion rechargeble Lithium Ion rechargeable
Batteries Included: Yes, 1 x Proprietary BP-511A Lithium-ion rechargeble Yes, 1 x Proprietary EN-EL3e Lithium Ion rechargeable
Battery Charger Included: Yes Yes