Description
October, 2009.
How times change, the gouging is gone, and so are the backorders. The price has
now dropped below $5000. My opinion on the Nikon D3 camera remains unaltered in the months since I first got my hands on it, and it's as
superb as ever, but now, with the introduction of the D700, I would have a
difficult time spending roughly the $5000 it now sells for, when the D700 is selling for $2450.
Agreed, the D3 has a superior build, and shoots 9 fps vs the D700's 8 fps with battery pack, but I don't see it being worth the added $2550
price tag unless you're a professional shooter who uses the camera daily.
This camera has extraordinary image quality, combined with continuous shooting at up to 9 frames-per- second and low-noise performance at up to ISO 6400, results in unparalleled pro D-SLR versatility. A fast and accurate 51-area
AF system becomes even more intelligent with Nikon's exclusive
Scene Recognition System. The SRS now obtains additional data from Nikon's famous 1,005-pixel RGB 3D Color Matrix Metering II, assuring even more accurate exposures and white balance detection.
Precise image review and menu access comes to life with the D3's bright, tempered glass-protected, wide angle, 3-inch, 920,000-dot VGA TFT LCD monitor.
Add a rugged self-diagnostic
shutter, tested to a market-leading 300,000 cycles, housed in a magnesium alloy chassis that is comprehensively sealed against dust and moisture, and the D3 becomes yet another example of legendary Nikon durability, all adding up to uncompromised professional digital imaging.
Nikon D3 40 page Brochure in PDF Format
Features
Nikon's original FX-format
- CMOS image sensor with 36.0 (H) x 23.9 (V) mm image size; 12.1 effective megapixels
- Compatible with three image-sensor formats – FX format (36 x 24), 5:4 (30 x 24) and DX format (24 x 16)
- Sensitivity range ISO 200 to 6400 at normal setting for exceptionally high-quality images; can be set to ISO-equivalent 25,600
- Incorporates Nikon's original EXPEED digital image processing concept
- Nikon's original Scene Recognition system, utilizing the 1,005-pixel RGB sensor, greatly improves autofocus, auto exposure and auto white balance performance
- New 51-point autofocus system features 15 cross-type sensors that maximize the potential of lenses with apertures as small as f/5.6
- High-speed continuous shooting at approx. 9 frames per second [FX format (36 x 24)/5:4 (30 x 24)]/approx. 11 fps [DX format (24 x 16)] *1
- Newly employed Picture Control System enables creation of desired picture with preferred tones
- Accurate focal-plane contrast AF*2 available with built-in Liveview mode
- Wireless Transmitter WT-4*3 (optional) realizes wireless connection of cameras with a PC, enabling thumbnail display of images taken with up to five of them, and downloading of images selected
- CF card double slot accepts two CF cards
- Quick response with approx. 0.12 sec. startup time and 37 ms Shutter-release time lag
- Viewfinder with approx. 100% frame coverage and approx. 0.7x magnification in FX format
- High-definition (920,000 dots), 170˚ viewing angle, 3-inch VGA
LCD monitor with tempered glass
- Active D-Lighting optimizes tone reproduction in both shadows and highlights
*1 With Continuous-servo AF, S or M exposure mode, shutter speed 1/250 sec. or faster; other settings are set at "Default".
*2 When Tripod mode is selected.
*3 Specifications differ depending on country or area.
Reviews
Most Excellent (and then some), May 23, 2009
By FrontPage (Baltimore, MD United States)
Pros:
Image quality
Full frame 35mm film-size sensor
Low digital noise, even at high ISO (ASA) ratings
Two SD card slots
Three image modes (24x36, 5x4, and DX)
Even faster high speed shooting at DX mode
Incredibly manageable noise at ISO 6400, even ISO 8000...
Excellent image quality with Jpeg settings on Large size and Basic compression
Efficient battery use
Consistent exposures
Precise interval timing at a host of rates
Cons:
Shutter sound catches attention
No self-cleaning sensor (which is a dust-attractor)
Heavy body (some colleagues bemoan this - yet they won't part with theirs)
Eats up CF card space, especially with Raw and TIFF writing
Difficult to shoot with Nikon DX cameras
The DX lenses are made to smaller image sensors which can lead to vignetting.
Professional price tag
You've read how fast the camera is, how the focus works, and much else on other concerns, so I just wanted to point out the things I enjoyed or wanted changed with the D3. The main thing to keep in your arsenal is a can of compressed air; the full frame sensor loves to catch dust, especially when you have to change lenses all the time. I now use my other pro camera - the Nikon D2HS - as a lens holder. The image quality isn't even in the ballpark with the D3, so I want the best images possible, especially in low light conditions. Otherwise I need to keep changing lenses which can expose the camera's innards to dust or micro metal (a natural occurrence whenever anyone changes lenses on any camera with the metal mounts). But I heard that Nikon didn't have a vibration mechanism to clear off particles for build reasons.
The other pain is that the D3 has the full frame sensor. We have a mix now, of DX lenses (for those cameras with the smaller sensors) and FX lenses (and older film lenses, some of which I never let go of). You can't use, say the 9mm DX fisheye lens without seeing major vignetting, making you have to set the camera to the DX setting (which does yield a lower image size).
I used to rarely shoot at sensitivity ratings of anything higher than 800 ISO unless I couldn't manage an image otherwise. While I still bristle for a moment when I set the D3 at ISO 3200 (I still like going a smudge less, to ISO 2500) I now shrug and know that the image I get will do just fine. I've simply grown up with digital cameras since those days in the 1990's with the Nikon N90 was morphed into the Kodak NC2000. Imagine the images they made when your card size was 128MB! Blech.
But I also had the Nikon F5 film camera in my hands back in the day, having to give it up for the Nikon D1 body, the first production pro Nikon digital camera. So much has changed since then, including my experience and feelings about that age-old preference between film and digital cameras. I understood then that digital photography was a necessary evil in order to get something posted or printed quickly, as opposed to taking film to the one-hour lab. So I will make a "film vs digital" stand at this point, with this camera, with no regrets: With the Nikon D3, I will say that I prefer the D3 to the film F5 camera, hands down. I also prefer the D3 to film, so digital to me is no longer evil. Ask me to elaborate and I will, but not in this review.
This is a professional camera at a professional price. Heck, I sure didn't buy it for myself, and our staff only gets one D3 per staffer. So even large businesses may bristle at the price. This camera spoils me. I want images that are this nice all the time. You can't shoot more than 38 pictures in a film camera. And even with film rated at ISO 1600, I truly believe that the D3 can match or beat film quality (noise vs grain structure). While I haven't found anyone who has, I think it's high time we start comparing film to digital images.
Nikon D3 Digital Camera Gets Top Rating, January 7, 2009
By David Saffir (www.davidsaffir.com)
I've been using the D3 for several months now. It is arguably the best camera Nikon has ever made.
Image quality is superb, and the balance between sensor resolution and noise control is near-perfect. Ergonomics are the best of any camera body I've used, quick and intuitive.
One company (DXO) has published test results for image quality among digital cameras and rated this camera very highly.
Autofocus is greatly improved, as is the on-camera flash control system. The SB 900 flash, by the way, is a world-class tool that can easily replace studio strobes in many applications.
Battery life is so good I sometimes forget to charge them up.
Overall, the Nikon D3 camera is pretty much a must-have
Nikon D3 12.1MP FX Digital SLR Full Frame Digital Camera