White Balance (6.80)

Our white balance testing includes shooting with the camera set to Auto, and after taking a custom white balance reading, under three different lighting conditions. The D300S results were underwhelming, though it’s worth looking at the specific strengths and weaknesses involved. Compared to the Canon 7D, for example, the Nikon auto white balance system was less accurate, particularly under fluorescent lighting, but the Canon disappointed in our custom white balance testing, scoring just 2.10 to the Nikon’s 4.33. The Nikon D5000, on other hand, did well on auto and proved highly accurate after taking a custom white balance reading, receiving the top score in our comparison group. More on how we test color.

Automatic White Balance (9.27)

While the auto white balance system handled daylight quite well, and the D300S was about as flummoxed as most cameras we test when trying to cope with incandescent lights (i.e., your typical tungsten light bulb illumination), and its mediocre color reproduction under fluorescents lowered the camera’s overall score.

Only the Panasonic GH1 had readily visible problems adjusting to daylight illumination. Incandescent lighting is consistently the bane of auto WB systems, and the D300S is no exception. We’ve seen problems handling fluorescent lighting when testing several Nikon cameras, and the D300S maintains this tradition.

Custom White Balance (4.33)

Taking a custom white balance reading brings the incandescent light problem found in shots taken using the auto WB system under control, while producing good results under fluorescent and daylight illumination. However, we expect a very high degree of white balance accuracy from an SLR after taking a manual reading, and while the D300S results are fine, they hardly shine.

When taking both auto and custom white balance performance into account, the D300S lags the field in overall white balance score.