[TWiTCHY]

Yeah there's an instant rebate going on right now for Nikons. It ends January 31st, so you better decide quickly before those prices jump again.

EDIT: BTW, there is an auto-mode on the D300. It's named "P", standing for programmable auto. Basically the camera decides shutter speed and aperture while you choose which combination (wide aperture, fast shutter speed; tiny aperture, slow shutter speed) of the two you'd like to use. All combos give the same exposure, but different DoFs depending on which one you chose.

Just tell your wife to set it to P and flick the dial (can't remember, rear or front dial) to the left until the aperture is at its widest setting.