Telescope Wide Angle Eyepiece

Nikon D300 - Come, See and Capture

The Nikon D300 digital camera is also known as the ND300 and was launched in August 2007. This semi-professional digital SLR camera was launched along with the Nikon D3 FX camera. The ND300 is similar to the Nikon D3 FX, but is a higher speed camera with a better image resolution and a DX censor instead of a FX one. It is more compact than the regular D3 FX. A successor to the popular D200, it has the reputation of being the ultimate in DX format performance.

In fact, the Nikon D300 got rave reviews from some of the leading magazines like Shutterbug, Outdoor Photographer and the UK based magazine What Digital Camera. Post launch, the camera was conferred the title of The Official Camera of The Year by Popular Photography, a widely read magazine.

The Nikon D300 is packed with various features. The camera is driven by Nikon’s exclusive EXPEED Image Processing System. It features a new 51-point autofocus (AF) system and two new LiveView shooting modes. With a high-resolution 12.3-megapixel CMOS sensor, the camera captures high quality pictures. The D300 can shoot at a rapid six frames per second or at an incredible eight frames per second powered by its optional MB-D10 multi-power battery pack.

Equipped with the new Active D-Lighting mode, the camera allows you to make highlighting and shadow corrections in real-time. Its 3-inch LCD monitor has a wide viewing angle of 170 degrees, which makes it very easy to compose pictures in LiveView mode.

Its built-in ultrasound cleansing system helps to minimize sensor dust. Other features include advanced focusing modes, including single and continuous servo focusing modes. The focusing modes have a single area, a dynamic area and group dynamic area AF. The camera comes with an HDMI port that lets you connect the D300 directly to your HDTV.

All these features are housed in a robust magnesium alloy body with excellent ergonomics. With its functional design, the camera allows the user to take pictures with greater accuracy and comfort. All these features make this camera a favourite with both amateurs and professionals.

The standard accessories with the D300 include an EN-EL3e rechargeable lithium ion battery, an EG-D100 video cable, a LCD monitor cover, a DK-5 eyepiece cap, a DK-23 rubber eyecup, a MH-18a quick charger and a UC-E4 USB cable.

About the Author

Jason Dion is an avid photographer and has authored many a paper on photography. With experience in both black and white and colour photography, She has done stints as a wildlife photographer and fashion photographer. She likes to write on the latest developments in analogue and digital cameras such as the Nikon D300 cameras.

Is this telescope Good Value and what will i see with it?

$99 dollers?

Orion SkyScanner 100mm TableTop Reflector
Great beginner's telescope! Big enough to find and observe objects in the night sky, but small enough to easily store in a closet or display on a desk
A REAL telescope with 100mm parabolic primary mirror optics - no plastic lenses as found in some other telescopes made for beginners
See hundreds of craters on the Moon, detail on Jupiter and other planets when viewing from relatively bright city locations
Perfect for wide-angle, low-power viewing of the Milky Way and other deep sky objects when viewing from relatively dark skies
Collects over 200 times the amount of light your unaided eyes can!
Includes two 1.25" eyepieces: 20mm (20 power) and 10mm (40 power), and EZ Finder II reflex sight

I would like to suggest that you join a local astronomy club or astronomical society BEFORE you spend your money on a scope. There are many different kinds of scopes and what is perfect for one person is not perfect for another. Everyone has their own set of eyeballs and no two are the same. If you join a club, you can attend a few of their star parties and try out members scopes to see what works best for YOU, before you buy a scope. The members can also help you when you get your scope and show you how to get the most out of your new scope as well as to help teach you where the treasures in the sky are located. Most clubs have loaner scopes and extensive libraries that you can gather more information from too. Most clubs will have monthly membership meetings with informative presentations given by members and by guest speakers. You can really learn a lot from these clubs and an added plus is all the great new friends you make there too. Go to this site to find a club in your area. http://www.astroleague.org/societies/list
This only has clubs that belong to the National Astronomy League, so there are many more which do not appear on this list. Continue searching google if you don't see one in your area here.

There are several different kinds of telescopes and all of them have some excellent features. Refractors and Reflectors, plus Schmidt-Cassegrain, APO refractors, Mac-Cass, and many more. There are also several mounts to chose from and the mounts are just as important, if not even more important, than the scope is. All of the different scopes and mounts have some features that some people like and do not like. No two eyeballs are the same and the perfect scope for one person might be completely wrong for another person.

There is no one scope that is "better" than another ---except for the junk scopes out there which are all just a waste of money. Never, ever buy from Walmart, Costco, Target, or any other discount store like that. Junk scopes are flooded into the market from those stores. You will be buying nothing but bad optics and plastic.

If you are new at this, then stay away from anything used from any site. If you don't know what you are buying and who you are buying from you will most likely be getting someone else's headache---with no warranty either. Some great deals on used equipment are out there, by people who know how to use and take care of scopes, but if you don't know what you are doing, you might be spending a lot of money on worthless junk. One improper cleaning can destroy a scope. Buyer Beware.

I recommend: http://oriontelescopes.com/

Orion is the very best for value and for customer service too. I have 3 of their scopes and I will only buy from them from now on. My first scope was a manual controlled scope and I am very glad that it was because it forced me to learn where things are in the night skies. Go-To type scopes can be frustrating to use. If you do not have them aligned exactly perfect, they do not find the targets. If you are a beginner, you will be frustrated unless you spring for a GPS Go-To. An object locator is just that---it will locate objects for you (must be aligned first) but an object locator is not a tracking motor. It will not keep the scope on the target.

The Orion site has some excellent diagrams and explanations of all types of scopes and mounts.

Things to consider are size--can the user lift and transport the scope to the viewing site easily? Does it fit in your car? If not, then it will gather dust in a closet. I recommend a carrying case too so it is protected in storage and transport. Can the viewer reach all the knobs and buttons? I have a long tube large manual refractor and it is very difficult for me to reach the knobs when I am pointed to Zenith. I am not a tall person.

Take your time in making your decision.

Some people will suggest that you purchase binoculars. Not a bad idea but don't buy anything less than 10x50 and you must have a tripod too or you will not be happy with your astronomical views because they will be too shaky from your movements. Even your pulse will make them shake. Personally, I prefer a scope to binos because if binoculars are not aligned properly at the factory, then you get double images and distortions that can't be fixed. Most of the cheaper binoculars are not properly aligned. That is not as important for terrestial viewing, but it is a killer for astronomical viewing. Binos can also be bumped out of alignment and become useless for astronomy.

When you buy, go Orion and you wont be disappointed. Don't try to learn everything all at once or you will be overwhelmed and discouraged. Patience is the key to Astronomy.

You will need a good star chart program too.

http://www.stellarium.org/

This is great freeware that you can download. Tell it where you are and it will tell you what you see. Ask it where something is and it will show you.

I wish you all the best! Enjoy!