Nikon D300 Price Watch

The prices of most digital cameras trend downwards over time, and the same price drop should occur in the case of the Nikon D300 digital SLR camera.

I'm not planning for any scheduled updates, but do check back here from time to time for the latest price on the D300 and accessories.

The D300 is available as a body only, or as a kit (outfit) with either the Nikon 18-135mm AF-S or Nikon 18-200mm VR Nikkor lens.

Remember to check the price for the kit and compare that to the individual prices for the body only and lens. Most of the time, buying the kit saves you money, but it's sometimes cheaper to buy the body and lens separately.

Click on the links to access in-stock and availability information.

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Nikon D300, body only: $2,469.00 ($140.66 price drop since the last update).
Nikon D300 with 18-200mm VR lens: $2,299.95 ($0.73 price increase).
Nikon 18-200mm VR lens only: $1,299.00 ($139.05 increase – note that the newer version of this lens, the Nikkor 18-200mm VR II, costs only $734.54).
Nikon D300 with 18-135mm AF-S lens: $2,499.95 ($500 decrease).
Nikon 18-135mm AF-S lens only: $489.00 ($108 price reduction).

Battery options and accessories for the D300

Nikon EN-EL3e Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery: $41.95. One unit of the EN-EL3e is already provided in the box, but you might want to purchase additional batteries so that your D300 continues to have a backup power source during extended shooting sessions.

Nikon MB-D10 Multi Power Battery Pack: $249.00. This vertical grip takes one Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL4a, EN-EL4 or EN-EL3e or eight AA-size batteries.

When the EN-EL4a, EN-EL4 or AA batteries are used in the grip, you increase the D300's maximum continuous burst rate from 6 fps (frames per second) to 8 fps. Note that this increase in burst speed is NOT possible with the EN-EL3e battery in the grip.

Nikon EN-EL4 Rechargeable Lithium Ion battery. This is an older model which offers a rated capacity of 11.1 volts / 1,900 mAh: $99.95.

The newer Nikon EN-EL4a Rechargeable Li-Ion battery has a higher rated capacity (by 30%) of 11.1 volts / 2,500 mAh: $105.00.

Bill has some advice on why it's best not to get third-party / knock-off batteries for Nikon's professional cameras, and the amazing number of shots he gets from a single charge.

Bob Elkind weighs in one why it's a better idea to purchase the EN-EL4A battery instead of the EN-EL4. Also, it's best to buy batteries from stores with high turnover of stock.

For AA batteries, IMEDION or Sanyo Eneloop NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries are your best bet, as they retain the charge for a very long period of time.

UDMA CF / CompactFlash memory cards generally give the fastest write speeds and performance. Refer to Rob Galbraith's card write speed tests (done on a Nikon D3X) to get an idea of the relative write and read speeds of the various brands of cards available on the market.

At the time of writing, the four fastest CF cards are SanDisk Extreme Ducati 4GB, SanDisk Extreme IV 2GB, SanDisk Extreme Ducati 8GB and SanDisk Extreme IV 45MB/s Edition 16GB.

Newer, faster and higher-capacity UDMA CF cards are now available. Some examples are Lexar Professional Series UDMA 16 GB 300x, SanDisk 60MB/s Extreme and 90 MB/s Extreme Pro series cards.

Good luck shopping for your D300!

Price History Archive / Trend

Monday, January 11, 2010
Nikon D300, body only: $2,609.66
Nikon D300 with 18-200mm VR lens: $2,299.22
Nikon 18-200mm VR lens only: $1,159.95
Nikon D300 with 18-135mm AF-S lens: $2,999.95
Nikon 18-135mm AF-S lens only: $597.00

Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Nikon D300, body only: $2,499.95
Nikon D300 with 18-200mm VR lens: $2,599.95
Nikon 18-200mm VR lens only: $999.95
Nikon D300 with 18-135mm AF-S lens: $1,849.99
Nikon 18-135mm AF-S lens only: $599.95

Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Nikon D300, body only: $1,468.95
Nikon D300 with 18-200mm VR lens: $2,029.95
Nikon 18-200mm VR lens only: $618.88
Nikon D300 with 18-135mm AF-S lens: $1,749.95
Nikon 18-135mm AF-S lens only: $290.91

Sunday, January 25, 2009
Nikon D300, body only: $1,468.95
Nikon D300 with 18-200mm VR lens: $2,029.95
Nikon 18-200mm VR lens only: $629.99
Nikon D300 with 18-135mm AF-S lens: $1,749.95
Nikon 18-135mm AF-S lens only: $319.98

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
Nikon D300, body only: $1,468.95
Nikon D300 with 18-200mm VR lens: $2,029.95
Nikon 18-200mm VR lens only: $618.88
Nikon D300 with 18-135mm AF-S lens: $1,747.58
Nikon 18-135mm AF-S lens only: $298.95