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Nikon D3 Digital SLR Camera | 
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| Brand: Nikon
Category: CE
Buy New: £2,779.99
New (5) from £2,779.99
Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 59519
Media: Electronics
Fragile: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Display Size: 3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.7
Dimensions (in): 11.1 x 8.5 x 6.2
MPN: VBA180AB
Model: VBA180AB
UPC: 018208913558
EAN: 0018208913558
ASIN: B000VDATG6
Release Date: July 22, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 6-10 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Nikons first ever FX format camera enables photographers who work under extreme conditions to stay ahead of the game. The D3 features a highly sensitive 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor that boasts an extendable ISO range of 200 to 6400 and its Kevlar/carbon fiber-composite shutter and EXPEED image processing engine enable it to shoot at a staggering 9 fps (11 fps in DX Crop mode). The advanced Scene Recognition System delivers superior exposures and is supported by Nikons next-generation 51-point AF system which offers broad coverage and high sensitivity in low light. Selectable Picture Controls streamline in-camera image processing saving time in post-production and a high definition 3-inch LCD screen supports two Live View modes plus an HDMI video output. Protected by a tough environmentally-sealed magnesium alloy body the D3 sets the benchmark for professional action photography.
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| Customer Reviews:
 The Pinnacle March 18, 2008
Martin Turner (Birmingham, England)
61 out of 62 found this review helpful
Spend ten minutes with a D3, and you will be saying one of two things: either "that's really heavy", or "I want one". Nothing could have prepared me for the experience the first time the Nikon reps stuck one in my hands, and I spent four months saying "I'm definitely not getting one", until I finally succumbed. But then, I was used to the D2X.
My staff all said "your cameras are really heavy-- I wouldn't want to carry that around." They favour the D200.
That's about it really: if you want absolutely uncompromising performance up to ISO 6400 with negligible noise, and up to ISO 25600 when needed, and you want it at 9 frames per second, and you want a battery that is good for thousands of shots, and you want it in a rainproof, metal body, and you want faster autofocusing than you've ever seen, then this is the camera to get. On the other hand, if those aren't key issues, and either weight or cost is an issue, then it's better to look at other options, especially the D300, which crams into its diminutive body almost all the power of the D2X, and for much less money.
The D3 is Nikon's first digital camera with a sensor the size of 35mm film. This is often referred to as 'Full Frame', or FF, but Nikon calls it FX, to distinguish it from the APS-C sized DX format. FX and DX each have their own advantages, and its important to understand which is right for you before choosing.
The larger frame size of FX, for the same resolution, means the light sensors are larger, which in turn means less noise. Much less noise, in fact, giving the D3 the previously impossible extended range of ISO 25600 equivalent, which allows what people are beginning to refer to as 'available darkness' photography.
The larger frame size also means that older lenses work in exactly the same way they worked on 35mm, which means they have a shorter apparent focal length than on a DX camera, less depth of field, and a smaller minimum aperture before diffraction sets in.
Taken together, these make FX an excellent choice for weddings, sports and photojournalism -- anywhere where you face low-light, or want to create creamy out of focus highlights.
The smaller frame size of DX, for the same resolution, means smaller sensors and hence more noise, but an apparent increase of 1.5x in focal length (actually, the focal length stays the same, but the angle of view is less, which is the same effect as more focal length), and more depth of field.
These make DX an excellent choice for anything requiring long telephoto, and anything for which depth of field is important.
With all this in mind, Nikon has solidly targeted the D3 at professional sports, news and wedding shooters, though it is an all round performer which will not disappoint in a very large variety of applications. Its resolution is very slightly less than the D2X was -- enough to shoot for a billboard, but not enough to shoot for a truck-side without upscaling. That said, the D3 has so little noise that you can happily upscale even when the image was taken at ISO 6400. The speed of the autofocus is quite frightening, and Nikon has substantially upgraded it, giving 51 autofocus points, and using extremely sophisticated circuitry that actively identifies and tracks moving objects. It also comes equipped with rear-panel 'live-view', which is useful in all kinds of photojournalistic situations, and also in portraiture. The addition of a built in virtual horizon is a neat feature, since you can operate it while looking through the viewfinder. Landscape shooters will like this, although, again, it's the rough and tumble of press shooting which is the real winner. Another bonus for the busy photojournalist is the ability to edit images in camera, cropping, changing the format (though not the orientation), and applying a number of filters. This is ideal if you need to finalise a shot to get off to a picture editor against a deadline, and don't want to spend time in Photoshop.
The D3 benefits from a lot of other refinements -- like replacing those fiddly, easily lost knobs for the extension flash and 10 pin connector with rubber covers that stay on the camera, and an HDMI output. Built in Chromatic Aberration cancellation means that all shots at many focal lengths on most lenses will be crisper. The VGA resolution rear screen is also magnificent
Ultimately, though, its real advantage over other cameras, and the main reason for choosing it over the D300, is its noise performance. This is absolutely stunning, and it really is hard to imagine until you actually try it. The D3 has less noise at 6400 than the D2X had at 800. Suddenly fast shots in dimly lit sports hall become crisp and clear. Candids taken with a flick of the camera take on a studio-sharpness. The Nikon CLS flash system gets an effective power boost which puts the SB-800 on a par with studio-strobes. Apart from architectural photography, where photographers are stacking neutral density filters to filter out the people present in shot, there are few aspects of the art which won't benefit massively from this. It's, quite simply, a different world.
This is a very expensive purchase, particularly if you already have an investment in DX lenses, which either work in crop mode on this camera, or (for the experimental) vignette strongly at most focal lengths. If you are paying this much, you should probably also look at getting the 14-24 mega-wide zoom, or the 24-70 AFS N lenses.
If you are prepared for that, and for the weight, then this camera takes exquisite, breath-takingly sharp images, and does so in conditions that would previously have produced dull, grainy and blurry compromises.
Do yourself a favour, though. If you really aren't in a position to buy this camera, don't pick one up in a shop, don't let anyone let you handle their's, and, don't, on any account, start surfing the web to find out just how good it really is. That way madness lies.
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