Nikon D3, D300 first look

Wow...what more can I say? I was lucky enough to attend the Nikon product launch last night where I got to play with all the latest Nikon COOLPIX range (very nice) and...drum roll please...the new Nikon D300 and D3 digital SLRs.

The launch was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Sydney's Circular Quay. The SLRs were mounted on tripods on the terrace and pointed towards the harbour bridge and opera house. A perfect setting for testing out new cameras.

However, attached to the cameras were some pretty hefty lenses (600mm f/4 VR on the D3, from memory), and I'd challenge any camera not to look great under those circumstances, and of course, it did look fantastic.

Unfortunately, because the terrace was obviously dark, the cameras were mounted in tripods, and there were 150 other people trying to play, it was difficult to get a really good look at the cameras, but we saw enough to be convinced that these two models will do nothing to harm Nikon's reputation for excellence.

No pricing was available as this is not scheduled for release until November, but the D300 will come in at under $3k (expect street prices around $2900).