How much dynamic range does the Nikon D300S offer?

According to measurements carried out by DXO Mark, the sensor in the Nikon D300S provides a maximum of 12.2 EV of dynamic range (DR). DR is defined as the ratio between the highest and lowest brightness a camera can capture. A value of 12 EV or above is considered excellent.

High dynamic range of a camera sensor is particularly desirable for scenes with a mix of very bright and very dark parts, such as in some landscape photography settings. It helps to avoid that highlights get washed out or that detail in shadows is lost.

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Nikon D300S to those of several similar cameras. The reported DXO values are indicators of the sensor's imaging quality (higher is better). In addition to dynamic range (DXO Landscape), the listing also covers color depth (DXO Portrait) and high-ISO noise (DXO Sports). Larger sensor cameras tend to outperform cameras of the same generation that are equipped with a smaller imager. On the other hand, larger sensors are more expensive and require bigger and heavier lenses than smaller light receptors.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Nikon D300S	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	720/24p	22.5	12.2	787	70
2.		Canon 7D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.0	11.7	854	66
3.		Nikon D3S	Full Frame	12.1	4256	2832	720/24p	23.5	12.0	3253	82
4.		Nikon D90	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	720/24p	22.7	12.5	977	73
5.		Nikon D200	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.3	11.5	583	64
6.		Nikon D300	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	none	22.1	12.0	679	67
7.		Nikon D500	APS-C	20.7	5568	3712	4K/30p	24.0	14.0	1324	83
8.		Nikon D700	Full Frame	12.1	4256	2832	none	23.5	12.2	2303	80
9.		Nikon D3000	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.3	11.1	563	62
10.		Nikon D3100	APS-C	14.2	4608	3072	1080/24p	22.5	11.3	919	67
11.		Nikon D7000	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/24p	23.5	13.9	1167	80

In the United States, the D300S was initially launched in July 2009 at a price of $1,799.

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Camera to camera comparisons

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