Nikon D3 Review
 

Well folks - got my hands on one at last, :eek: To all who are used to the D2 series weight, heft, ergonomics - very much the same. Controls are in the expected places so swop over has no nasty surprises bar one that annoys me. I always carry a spare battery - EN-EL4a with compartment cover fixed on. Batteries are interchangeable - great - compartment covers - which look identical are NOT. Very small fractional difference but D2 series compartment covers do not fit D3.

Rear LCD now a great 3" and superb view BUT - it does not come with any protection so only time will tell if it scratches!! Menu similar to D300 with several new additions.

You no longer have a grid you can superimpose - instead you have an artificial horizon to tell you the camera is level - I like the grid so time will tell - I hope I can rely on you all to tell me if my horizons start to wander out of true!! :o

Viewfinder is brilliant - no other description full 100% - bright and a joy to look through.

One problem is a load of DX lenses although it automatically detects them. But it chops itself down to DX format and reduces itself to 5.1mp - mind you it does then accelerate from 9fps to 11fps - still we'll see - it certainly makes my D70; D200; D2H redundant so I'll be offering some bargains shortly. D2X - I'm not too sure because I like it so much

Have loaded the latest firmware updates and tomorrow I start shooting - Please watch for the posts and let me know what you think. I'll continue to report back on this thread over the near future to keep you up to date.

Thanks for the initial review, Andy.

Hope you enjoy your new camera and please report your first shooting and subsequent assignments.

Nice one Andy
Good luck and enjoy

Mostly just jealous except 'weight/heft' cures that pretty rapidly. You can buy self adhesive protective film to protect the LCD before it scratches; can't find/remember make, but should be on lists - use the sheet you cut to size.

Good suggestion, Chris.

Well recommended.

First shot posted - Link Here: http://www.worldphotographyforum.com...1851&nocache=1

- used a Nikkor 35-70 f2.8 which I think will be its "walk about" lens. AF is fast and dare I say a bit of an animal - - I think I would be unsure about using other make lenses as it may rip the guts out of them. It is set to auto at the moment with the 51 sensors on - very very fast and accurate. Following some house martins who nest with us each year is easy and spot on. Weight is fine but with the 70-200 f2.8 or 80-400 lenses it is not something to lug about all day - so I guess I start weight training today.
The full frame format is great - WYSIWYG in the viewfinder - 100% - no more 98% or 95% - full 100% - takes me back to my film days and my stolen F2AS. More to follow.

Nice one Andy!
A cracking camera, superb spec' and nothing but superb reviews I've read. From what I've read about the camera, the 12 megapixel sensor (which some slated as not being high enough!) delivers results far in excess of what's on paper.
I've not tried one, but I would be interested to see how lightening quick that Continuos AF is. I've heard it's even quicker than D2 series and my D1h cameras. (I still think the F5 film is quicker AF than the D1h,but that's another story)
Interesting you should mention the Nikkor 35-70mm f/2.8. I opted for the sigma 24-70 f/2.8 because of the crop on the D1h.....Nice and bright the sigma is, but the build quality is cr@p and the zoom action is dire around the 24-35 range.
Wishing I had a full frame D3 with a REAL lens on it!...in a way,kinda wishing I had gone for the 35-70 Nikon, and relied on the 15-30 Sigma (which I think is an excellent full frame lens) more for the wide shots on the DX cropped D1h :(

Keep us posted on the D3 Andy :)

I'm jealous


P.S all my lenses are full frame. You can have the 24-70 if I can have the D3! LOL :p

P.P.S I've heard whispers of a proposed D3h....anyone know more????!

I have read with interest peoples opinion on the D3 and possible other cameras in the series, D3H / D3X. I personally believe these people are on a flight of fantasy clutching to the former camera designations. Until Nikon launch anything near the D2X with DX sensor I shall not be tempted.

However I read with interest Andy's experience with Nikon's new flagship body. Hope to read more in the coming days / weeks.

I have to say that I love my D2X as well, It is interesting that Nikon offer 3 downloadable picture controls for the D300 and the D3 and they are the settings for the D2X. On the D300 I use the D2X settings almost exclusively. I have downloaded both sets but for the time being I am using the D3's own settings. As for D3H's & D3X's - I'm not bothered - on the D2 series Nikon quickly brought out firmware upgrades that increased the functionality of the D2X to D2Xs standard - I assume they will continue the pattern.

FX format -

I'm old enough to remember and have owned a Canon Demi - a film camera that shot half frame 35 mm film. I got 72 instead of 36 shots. Now a days it's Compact Flash cards. The D3 has two slots that can be set up in various ways - one backs up the other or one acts as overflow or one stores RAW the other JPEG - I am using both slots - shooting RAW & Large JPEG - no compression and Optimal Quality. I have a 16Gb card in slot one and a 12Gb card in slot two - set as overflow. Picture count shows 524. Set to small jpeg alone and you are into thousands.
On the D3 the FX format is immediately noticeable when transfered to Photoshop - pictures are sharper, clearer and detail is superb especially in shadows. They are a lot easier to edit if you are working on the small details - I'm going to do a side by side comparison with some D2x shots and will report back because they do seem clearer than the D2X.

In many ways I agree with Stephen - As a D2X owner I was not really bothered but the opportunity arose to be able to afford D300 and D3 so I took it. AF and follow focus are definitely better with both D3 and D300 than the D2X or D200. They are faster and more responsive - as I said before its an animal on both.

More to follow - Andy

I am sure focus is quicker with advances in the field of microprocessing but just how quick do it need to be. My D2X can track a FAST jet at 650mph no problem and take a series of shots all in focus. In my field the D3 is no better than a D2X however wedding photographer would really benefit from full frame, excellent low noise and low light focus performance. I am sure there are other fields that the D3 will be better than a D2X but for me, D2X is probably still the best and in its fourth season.

Well I bit the bullet too. I got the D3 for it's ISO capability, the other features I thought were just cream on the top. But it's surpassed all my expectations... and by a BIG margin.

I shot a cycle event last Sunday in the pouring rain for the latter half and would not have got some of the shots in the darkness on any other camera. Yes I used flash, until it short circuited in the rain!!

Also shot a local event on Tuesday evening, again rain but the sky was black. I dialled in ISO 1600 just to get a high enough shutter speed... I know it's lit up with flash but just look at the detail in this shot:

Hmmm I'll post it in the gallery and see if it looks as it should...

http://www.worldphotographyforum.com...00&ppuser=2776

I agree Derek - the D300 is almost as good with high ISO but the D3 has the edge - This is a D300 - ISO 3200 shot -http://www.worldphotographyforum.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=29680&cat=500&ppuser=2724
- D3 still to be tested by me in this area but all reports suggest it will be better and your cycling shot holds the promise. By the way Derek - you've kept very quiet about the new camera.
Stephen I think the D3 AF secret is that the sensor now has some "intelligence, subject recognition" built in. I think this is what may make it appear more responsive.

[quote=andy153;28981]By the way Derek - you've kept very quiet about the new camera.[quote]

For a reason Andy, I wanted to have a chance to compare it against the D300 and see if I had made a big mistake - i.e. is the D300 more than good enough for what I need?

I love the D300 and it's performance is outstanding, but it is no match for the D3 in a few key areas.

I have done direct comparisons against shots at ISO 1600 on both (as I had to shoot the D300 at that ISO at another cycle race a couple of weeks ago) and the D300 is very good/acceptable until you start doing crops of the original image. This is where the D3 scores, I've done very large crops and still had really top quality prints at A4 and this is just not possible with the D300. I've used ISO 6400 on the D3 and sold A3 prints.

Andy is right about the AF, not only is it blisteringly fast, but very, very accurate. I can't wait to go back and do another Kite shoot and directly compare it to the D300 shots I took, but it is very noticeably quicker to 'snap' on.

The colours/contrast/overall images out of the camera are just superb. This is the first camera where I just crop and upload the majority of my images as no other corrections are necessary. OK I'll play with them before printing, but for web viewing they are the best I've ever seen straight from a camera.

So is it worth it? does it justify the huge price tag over the D300?

Well I'm happy - even if I'm living off cerials for the next year... ;)

As with Andy, I'll post more when I've had a chance to take some landscapes/other types of shots. I'm looking forward to swapping stories with you on the Anderton meet?

Just curiosity but as the D300 is already cropped I wonder how much of an advantage the D3 has? If you were say taking a picture of a bird with a 400mm lens on both and then cropped the D3 image to the same size of print at what size would you see any real difference? A4?, A3? Would it be just noise or dynamic range or detail or what?

Found and ineresting comparison between the Nikon D3 and Canon 1Dmk3

Nikon D3 vs Canon 1Dmk3


Nikon D3
300mm f/2.8 lens at f/2.8, C-Focus, Center Point Only
latest firmware v1.11

Nikon D3 Overall Average:
48% Out of Focus



Canon 1D MK3
300mm f/2.8 lens at f/2.8, AI Servo, Center Point Only
latest firmware v1.2.3, sub-mirror fix performed

Canon 1D MKIII Overall Average:
31% Out of Focus


The photographer concludes with:
Does this mean that overall I like Canon 1D MKIII better than Nikon D3?
No. It simply means that Canon still outperforms Nikon in this autofocus category. The Canon 1D MKIII is a great camera. However, my time with the D3 has led me to seriously question whether I would stick with Canon in the future. I really like the Nikon D3. Some advantages of the Nikon D3 over the Canon 1D MKIII for my type of photography are the increased iso range, the increased resolution of the lcd screen, and the ease of setting custom white balance.

Yes I saw this comparison as well, my thoughts are that people who change systems because of a perceived advantage one way or another are silly because the manufacturers will keep leapfrogging each other first one way then the other. Nikon advantage now, next year who knows? If you put a pile of A3+ prints on the table I don't think any one could tell you which camera took what from the top cameras of most makes. Canon, Nikon, Sony, I bet you could not tell and name with certainty. What it does do is force each manufacturer to keep pushing the performance envelope which is good for us lot! The downside is the necessary investment in research will force many manufacturers out of business.

Hi again - been lugging the "beast" round some more so time to report back again. So far I have been using three lenses only - the 12-24 Sigma; the 35-70 f2.8 and the 70-200 f2.8 VR Nikkors - this coming weekend will see a run out with the 105 micro Nikkor. I have put the 18-200 DX Nikkor - my favourite lens on a D300 or D2X etc but I refrained from "pulling the trigger" - not because I doubted the lens could perform ( I've had it a while and it's very good) but because of what happened in the viewfinder. It shrank to half size with a greyed out section round the bright section.
Now I wear specs and I use magnifying viewfinder lenses on some of the DX bodies - but seeing what was left in the D3 viewfinder was both a shock and very difficult to use - so I'm afraid that the use of DX lenses on the D3 is out for me. My last dozen or so posts LINK HERE :

http://www.worldphotographyforum.com...00&ppuser=2724

are all D3 shots - mainly snaps to find out how it works - and it is a steep learning curve - The shots on the lake are with the 70-200 and I've used Ken Rockwells suggestions for wrap around, follow focus and he is spot on with the speed and accuracy LINK HERE :

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d3/af-settings.htm

These settings work - just as he describes. Now back to shooting - more to follow.

Believe it or not, our camera shop had a book full of A3 prints comparing camera results....yes, there was a difference (mainly due to lenses used though)...very subtle, and it gave our photo lab technician a headache too!