fernand garcia , Feb 03, 2012; 11:29 a.m.
hi,i would like To get more info about a Nikon d300,does anybody knows if this body would do great on wedding events,because i have a Fuji s5 pro but I proffered Nikon equipment, but I'm kind of low in money so i found a person that wants to sell me his Nikon d300 with 74k, my main question is that if 74k is a lot shutter counts?? AM I going to have some problems soon with this body..please if anybody knows more about it let me know thank you .....
Dieter Schaefer 
, Feb 03, 2012; 11:44 a.m.
The D300 shutter is rated at 150,000 actuations - so whether you consider 74K high or low is a matter of opinion and expected usage. Also there is no guarantee that it won't fail tomorrow. It may also run without problems up to 300,000 clicks. For low light shooting, I would rather be looking at a D7000 - though the price differential to the used D300 may be substantial and more than you are willing to pay. You don't mention the offer price for that 74K D300 - but I would certainly not pay more than $700 for it.
Sanford Edelstein 
, Feb 03, 2012; 12:36 p.m.
I've always wondered, how do you actually find out how many shutter actuations a Nikon or other camera has?
Matt Laur 
, Feb 03, 2012; 12:41 p.m.
Sanford: the total shutter actuation count is embedded in the EXIF data. There are several software utilities (some free) that will display that info for you. Lots of threads here that talk about the details. Shy of Nikon resetting the number as they service the camera (say, by replacing the shutter), it's about like looking at a car's odometer.
Sanford Edelstein , Feb 03, 2012; 12:57 p.m.
Thanks Matt, I'll check it out. I've read somewhere that there is software or a service available that would alert me if anyone anywhere used my stolen D80 and posted a photo on the web.
Elliot Bernstein 
, Feb 03, 2012; 01:31 p.m.
What is wrong with your S5?
Tom Boston , Feb 03, 2012; 02:04 p.m.
The D300 has a better autofocus system than the S5 which is based on the D200. And the Nikon menu system is more intuitive than Fuji's.
Despite the difference in image quality, I'd prefer the D300 for a wedding because it handles better. At least it handles better for me. I don't trust the D7000's mode dial.
Either camera, D300 or D7000 will work fine at a wedding. Remember that you will rarely go wrong saving your pennies when you buy a body and spending them on lenses.
David Haas , Feb 03, 2012; 04:14 p.m.
I've had a D300 go at 104k shutter clicks - and two others go past that and still work fine. As Matt pointed out - they could go bad at any time. I had a D700 go bad out of the box.
The D300 is a step up from the S5 - in terms of handling, color and low light. Nikon fixed the problems with the D200's dynamic range in the D300 and gave better low light and hi ISO performance to boot.
The D7000 is a step up in terms of image quality from the D300 - but as was pointed out - the dial for mode settings in prone to self adjust from normal use - so you would have to check it often.
Dave
Jerry Litynski , Feb 03, 2012; 07:09 p.m.
"The D300 is a step up from the S5 " If true, Fuji never bothered putting a S6 on the market. For a wedding, the Fuji S5 is tough to beat for overall exposures [...plus blinding speed of autofocus for a wedding is not really a requirement. Just crisp images.]
ross b , Feb 03, 2012; 08:31 p.m.
The D300 will not break at 150,000 shutters snaps by magic or anything. It may last 300,000 or it may break one the next shot. Also the shutter can be replaced. The rest of the camera can be in great shape or not as it's hard to say. There is a lot of stuff in there that can break. I would not buy it myself unless the price was dirt cheap especially since the batteries have been labeled unsafe. However I may be kind of harsh as the camera has no appeal to me anyway.
