Nikon D3 Hands-on Review Part II
Reviewed on 5 December 2007
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The long awaited yet expected full-frame D-SLR from Nikon is stunning to say the least. We simply couldn’t keep our hands off it. The new “FX” format (rather than the DX format with 1.5x Field of View crop) designation heralds Nikon’s entry into the full-frame digital SLR market with a 12.1 megapixels 36mm x 24mm CMOS sensor.
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From the outset all controls on the D3 body are the same as those found on the D2X with very minor differences. The D3 boasts to have a 3.0" 922,000 pixels LCD monitor with excellent colour rendition and clarity. It is also the first professional camera to have a Dual Compact Flash Type I or II socket allowing two CF cards to be used at the same time with user definable options: Automatically switching to the second card when the first card is full and continues recording (default), or each photograph is written to both cards at the same time, or the first card to record RAW files while the second card records JPG files.
Other headline features include: The support of DX lenses - viewfinder automatically masks/cropped to adjust Field Of View (only 5.1 megapixels with DX lens though); Auto-focus calibration (fine-tuning) up to 20 separate lens settings; Nine frames per second continuous shooting with auto-focus tracking (eleven frames per second without AF tracking) and the buffer can store bursts up to 74 normal/large JPG files or 17 RAW (uncompressed 12-bit) files before the camera starts to slow down; Live View via its LCD monitor with 2 types of auto-focus;
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Virtual horizon indicator showing whether the camera is tilted left/right (fun); ISO 200 - 6400 (with boost up to amazing ISO 25600).
Ridiculously on a professional D-SLR such as the D3, the lowest officially rated ISO is 200 although an unrated ISO 100 is available as L1.0 setting. Only Nikon engineers will hold the answer to this but in comparison there is really very little difference in noise level between ISO 200 and L1.0 (ISO 100). It is worth adding however that H2.0 (unrated ISO 25600) is ludicrously fun to use for shooting in very low light. The extreme range of the D3’s ISO will go down well with photographers in situations where flash photography is not permitted. Being the first D-SLR to support ISO 25600, how it fared is debatable, but the end result is nevertheless amazing.
While on the subject of ISO settings, traditionally Nikon has been weak on the control of noise under high ISO settings. The situation improved when Nikon changed its D-SLR sensors from CCD to CMOS. However, as the megapixels went up and the pixel-density increased along with it, the old DX-size sensor is beginning to strain to keep the noise down. Our ISO tests have shown that the full-frame FX sensor has kept the noise level well down and the result is in fact very impressive.
The following set of photographs were taken using the D3 on a tripod, using 12-bit RAW converted to TIF afterwards, white balance set at 5000K, aperture fixed at f/11 (using Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens), variable shutter speed according to the ISO setting, High ISO Noise Reduction set at Normal (default). Although the same ISO tests were done on L0.3 (ISO 160), L0.7 (ISO 125) and L0.1 (ISO 100) settings, the difference is less noticeable, but the files are included for reference.
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As with the D300, the D3 now hosts a handful of in-camera photo retouch tools. These tools will definitely prove to be extremely useful for press photographers on the road with a tight schedule. The Auto White-Balance on the D3 is also the best that we have seen on Nikon’s range of D-SLRs, it is surprisingly accurate even under some very tricky coloured lighting conditions. There is of course Nikon’s renown D-Lighting (Dynamic Lighting) which can be in either active or passive mode. Basically it adjusts the background lighting as well as foreground lighting using software algorithm to ensure a more balanced photograph when shooting under difficult lighting conditions.
Interestingly, the box comes with a dual battery charger even though only one battery is supplied. Obviously it makes sense for professional photographers to buy extra batteries for the camera and the extra charge-bay will become invaluable.
As the latest Nikon flagship, the D3 has all the bells and whistles we could possibly have except there is no janitor. What, no self-cleansing for the sensor? This single disappointment is quite a letdown especially when the newer generation of D-SLRs all have some form of self-cleansing dust-off function for its sensor. Even the D300 has such a function, but alas it is not available on the D3. The only excuse that we could think of is that Nikon has to keep something behind presumably for the “D3X” which we may expect to see in a not too distant future with an increase in resolution as well.
In summary, the D3 is a fantastic camera, with well balanced performance, has low noise coupled with a wide ISO range, full-frame sensor and being reasonably priced set this D-SLR firmly in sight of top professionals. We love it.
