Hands-On With the Nikon D3 DSLR

2007 PhotoPlus Camera Reviews Events Nikon Uncategorized

I had a meeting with Nikon yesterday and had my first chance to see and handle the D300 and D3. I didn’t really get enough time with the cameras to form a real impression. But I did get to play with the D3 a bit and they showed me the camera’s Liveview LCD display and two of the new Nikkor lenses, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED Zoom and the AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED Zoom. My first impression of the D3 is BIG. It’s not too big or heavy, but it did surprise me. For a pro body, mass is usually a good thing, adding stability. However, at 2.73 pounds the D3 is about two-tenths of a pound heavier than the newest Canon EOS-1D bodies. Add a pro telephoto Nikkor lens and you’re going to need some muscles to carry this thing around.

One thing I’ve always liked about Nikon DSLRs is the big, bright, sharp LCD display. The new D3 is no different, and it now has Liveview. The D3 has two Liveview modes, Handheld and Tripod. The display is big and beautiful and had a useful composition grid overlay when they showed it to me.

Nikon D3 Liveview in Tripod Mode

I didn’t get to shoot any samples with the D3, and shooting conditions at tradeshows are always very poor, anyway. But they shared some interesting image quality-related tech details with me. Pixel size is one of the main issues with digital camera image quality. And while Nikon has done a wonderful job with the smaller, DX sensor, you can only do so much. As the size of the pixels decrease, image quality becomes a challenge and there are theoretical limits to how small pixel size can go before image quality becomes too much of a problem. Currently, a lot of software noise reduction is used to improve image quality with the APS-sized sensors on most digital SLRs. But the D3 uses a full-frame sensor, the same size as a 35mm film frame. Nikon calls this the FX format. The result is a 12-megapixel sensor with pixels that have over 50% more surface area than the D2X had. And the new camera also has noise reduction that happens right on the sensor, before the data reaches the processor, as well as optional 14-bit processing.

I tried the new Nikkor AF-S 14-24 and 24-70 AF-S lenses on the D3 and both are very nice. There was no perceptible distortion with either one and the AF performance was quick and accurate. And remember, the D3 is a full-frame sensor camera with no digital crop factor. So a 24-70mm lens is really a 24-70mm lens. For everyone that owns old Nikkors, you can rest assured now that your lenses will still have the coverage that you bought them for.

My time with the D3 was very limited but I am impressed with the professional feel of the body. Actually, I wouldn’t expect anything less. I’m more impressed with the image quality details they shared with me. Of course, we need to do a full test and review of the D3, and they assured me we will be getting one for review. I’m looking forward to getting it in the studio to shoot tests and playing with it in the field to see how the real world performance is.

Nikon Review Page >>
Nikon D3 Press Release >>
Nikon D3 Specs >>
Nikon Cameras Forum >>
PhotoPlus Expo Tradeshow Coverage Page >>
PhotoPlus Expo Photo Gallery >>
All 2007 PhotoPlus Expo Articles >>

Nikon D3 Liveview in Tripod Mode

Nikon D3 Liveview in Tripod Mode

About the author: Photo-John

Photo-John, a.k.a. John Shafer, is the managing editor of PhotographyREVIEW.com and has been since the site launched back in 1999. He's an avid outdoor enthusiast and spends as much time as possible on his mountain bike, hiking or skiing in the mountains. He's been taking pictures for ever and ever, and never goes anywhere without a camera.


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