DSLRUsers.com

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:59 am**

Hi all,

Thought you might be interested in my thoughts on the Nikon D3... I have had one to use for the past two weeks to evaluate and torture test. The mini review rather basic...... three letters..... WOW! I am seriously impressed.... it rocks at everything.

From 100 through to 6400 ISO the colours and the tonal range remain pretty consistent.... noise just starts to kick in about 3200 but it is no worse than I have been getting out of the D200 at the 400-800 ISO range. I did a head to head with the new "oops, can we have that back please" Canon 1D MkIII last week and putting the images side by side, the 1D MkIII at 3200 looked similar on noise as the Nikon D3 at 12,800 ISO. Wow.

Was out for three hours last night shooting guys on bikes jumping rocks alongside the Yarra.... black and white setting at 12,800. The images look as good on the screen as T-Max 400 film and the incredible part is that it is SHARP at this level.... there is hardly any softening within the noise reduction process.

My thoughts on the high ISO performance is that is is useful out to 3200-6400 ISO for magazine editorial work.... 12,800 ISO for newspaper reproduction and 25,600 if your a private detective trying to take photos by moonlight of a cheating spouse!!! The last setting is really only going to get used for evidence gathering by police, ASIO and defence forces. The camera is about as noisy at this level as the D100 was when you put it to the max.... worth noting though, despite the noise and banding, it does maintain a lot of detail.

The other fun aspects of the camera are the speed (nine frames per second has been more useful than I anticipated if you can cope with editing them afterwards), the AF performance (particularly in low light) and the metering (and again, the low light ability of the meter is excellent). You now get matrix metering with all lenses, including my 24mm f2. Another fun feature is the built artificial horizon, useful for leveling the camera... I have set this up onto the function button so I can check the camera is level when I am lying on my side to make a photo. Pushing the Func button momentarily turns the meter bar graph in the right of the frame into a mini level.... get a zero and the camera is level.

The dual card slot works a treat and means that you can keep shooting through a card change without having to stop.... I shot 1600 JPEGs on two cards without opening the CF slot a couple of weekends ago and then the next day went out and another 600 exposures and the battery still had over a third power left.

The other awesome aspect is the LCD screen... it is excellent. I have used the live view for a few photos athough my complaint with this is that it makes for a noisy shooting cycle... if you are trying to shoot sureptitiously with it at a wedding then you are better of just shooting at eye level.

The other aspect of this camera that will raise a few complaints is the AF points, they don't cover enough of the image.... even I feel it could go wider and I am a conservative in my AF use.

Anyway, thats enough about the D3.... will get you some photos as soon as I am allowed to... Nikon are not letting me post anything for the moment. Throw questions at me if you want and if I can answer them I will.

cheers for now, Ants

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:08 pm**

Sounds like an overly impressive unit from Nikon (was doing to use the E word but not sure if the filter was still in place).

Hopefully they'll continue to build on from this unit and keep it up. Damn I miss the Nikon.

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:10 pm**

PiroStitch wrote: Hopefully they'll continue to build on from this unit and keep it up. Damn I miss the Nikon.

You can come back to the flock whenever you feel like it Wayne!

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:27 pm**

That sounds awesome. Hopefully I can pick one up in the first round offers :wink:

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:29 pm**

Ants, didja get to play with the new Nikkors alongside the new body? 14-24 & 24-70. It seems like these two were tailor made for the D3.

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:34 pm**

Sounds so superly cool!!!
Thanks for sharing

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:40 pm**

Onyx wrote:Ants, didja get to play with the new Nikkors alongside the new body? 14-24 & 24-70. It seems like these two were tailor made for the D3.

No... at the moment there are only six D3 cameras in Australia and I don't think they have that many lenses to go around them.... I told them I was content to use the lenses I normally work with and the results I am getting are still very impressive.

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:42 pm**

Speaking of the take me back 1d mk IIIs, check out this article.

Did the QC people from Nikon transfer to Canon or something?

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 1:25 pm**

How are the ergonomics , still world class ? Any differences with the handling compared to the older range ?

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 1:39 pm**

Hi Craig, Yes, the camera feels great in the hand, both in the horizontal and vertical position. I think some of the buttons have been shifted slighty but over the past week everything has just felt good... this is even after walking with the camera in hand for six hours at a time.

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 4:54 pm**

I have a photographer friend who has had a small play with a D3, and he only had 3 words to say afterwards - I want one!!!!!!
Me Too!!!!!!!!!

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:25 pm**

Sounds like you are putting it through its paces Anthony.

What sort of file size are the images being produced (both RAW + JPG).

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:41 pm**

I'm really inerested in 9FPS..... That's what will get me!

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:13 pm**

Willy wombat wrote:What sort of file size are the images being produced (both RAW + JPG).

For the moment I am only able to shoot JPEGS with this camera.... there is no RAW conversion software about for it which does make life more challenging, particularly if you just like shooting one frame to capture a moment and then worrying about the white balance and exposure tweaking afterwards. I have been shooting everything as a Large Fine JPEG and getting really nice looking 6.8 MB files out of the camera.
One thing that is impressing me is that the images donn't really require a lot doing to up. You might apply a hint of curves or levels just to tweak the white and black points but on the whole the camera is doing an excellent job. Can't wait for them to release some RAW software though.

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 8:08 pm**

do you anticipate getting your hands on a d300 at all ? and given the d300 shares some features...

how effective is the AF in live-view tripod mode ?
is the new AF a big step up or pretty much the same ?
is the new metering a big step up or pretty much the same ?

are there any bugs in there you've uncovered from using it ?

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 8:31 pm**

will the D3 hide unsightly harsh shadows?

or auto correct the focus error in my technique?

will it process my pics quicker?

will it pose my subjects?

will it come with a 200mm f2 bolted to the front?

have a faster synch speed, about 1/500s?

oh, and most importantly, will is also visualise the shot for me? :lol:

if not, well,... um, happy with me D1

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:30 pm**

Antsl
This is high praise for a new camera coming from you and I have faith in your opinion. But please....don't tell me we to have put up with another non compatible NEF file! What a PITA that is! When the hell are Nikon and Canon going to get wise and switch over to ADOBE DNG or some other format so that photographers don't have to stuff around with new software/plug-ins and other time and money wasting stuff?

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:03 pm**

Rooz wrote:do you anticipate getting your hands on a d300 at all ? and given the d300 shares some features...

how effective is the AF in live-view tripod mode ?
is the new AF a big step up or pretty much the same ?
is the new metering a big step up or pretty much the same ?

are there any bugs in there you've uncovered from using it ?

I have had a 5 minute look at the D300 but I am not getting the camera to play with at this stage. Nikon have loaned out three cameras to three photographers about the country to test in advance of the launch.... A Sydney photographer and myself are busy working with the D3 while a photographer over in Perth is testing out the D300. The results of our testing will be on showe in Sydney when the cameras are introduced to the media at a show and tell. The guy with the D300 is really wishing he had the D3 to work with, but someone had to do the D300. Like me, he is another professional photographer who for the past couple of years has been working with the D200 simply because the jump in image quality between this camera and the D2X was not sufficient to warrent paying three times the price for the pro body.

From the five minutes that I did get with the D300 I can tell you that the noise is far better controlled at the higher ISOs than what has been available for now.... this being said, the D3 will out pace the D300 by a good two or three stops in low light performance.

The Live View mode is useful although I find that it can be rather noisy for some environments... I used it the other night at a heavy metal event and I was more worried about the lenses have elements shaken out of the mounts rather than the crowd hearing the mirror flap up as I hit the AF button while in Live View mode. I would really love it if the camera did focus hand held in Tripod mode but sadly, this is a slow process. Focussing in tripod mode is reliable but slow and the camera really requires things to be hald stil.

Aside from the 51 AF points being rather close together for my liking the AF does work very well....I was at the Bendigo show on the weekend and tried tracking a joyride that was sweeping past at about 90kilometres an hour.... the camera actually coped ok although a sports photographer would probably have achieved better. The AF system even works well in very low light.... make that very, very low light. It is more than acceptable for what I am doing!

The metering on this camera is excellent... I normally have a quiet distrust of most metering systems, simply because if the scene can be catagorised into a computer profile to be compared by a matrix metering then obviously it has been done before... and who wants to do that! I try to challenge the metering if possible. This being said, the meter has been working extremely well including in some very low light situations.... at points where my hand-held Minolta meter tells me to get off the grass!

As for bugs..... I thought the Virtual horizon was faulty for a while until I discovered I was looking in all the wrong places! Aside from that, this camera is performing very well.... I do not imagine they can do much more to tweak up the production cameras when they become available later next month.

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:08 pm**

Oz_Beachside wrote::D will the D3 hide unsightly harsh shadows?.... Just a little

or auto correct the focus error in my technique?.... Yes

will it process my pics quicker? ..... Yes

will it pose my subjects? ..... I think your doing that ook for yourself!!

will it come with a 200mm f2 bolted to the front? .... yeah right... some of want a 24mm 1.4 bolted on the front!

have a faster synch speed, about 1/500s? ....No, but you can borrow my Blad!

oh, and most importantly, will is also visualise the shot for me? ... ummm... no

if not, well,... um, happy with me D1 .... you just saved yourself the price of the 200mm f2!!!!

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:17 pm**

Matt. K wrote:Antsl
This is high praise for a new camera coming from you and I have faith in your opinion. But please....don't tell me we to have put up with another non compatible NEF file! What a PITA that is! When the hell are Nikon and Canon going to get wise and switch over to ADOBE DNG or some other format so that photographers don't have to stuff around with new software/plug-ins and other time and money wasting stuff?

Hi Matt,
My hunch is that a new RAW convertor will become available for Photoshop CS2 and CS3 users about the same time that the D3 hits the market. I am not the expert on RAW file formats and the DNG system but I am guessing Nikon prefers to handle the data their way. I am sure they have learnt from their mistakes a year or so that most people like to have a choice in how they process thier images..... here's hoping!

At a guess I am guessing this camera will be of interest to you and your guys.... its rugged, fast and the images out of it a brilliant ..... did you get over to see the Nikon people at the expo in Adelaide?

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:33 pm**

Antsl
I guess you know that Hasselblad RAW files convert directly to DNG and Leica offers RAW ADOBE DNG files straight out of the camera? So there may be hope yet!
I did'nt make it to the expo. I prefer to wait awhile and then inspect things slowly and in a quite envirnment.

Regards!

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:41 pm**

Hi Matt, The only RAW files I ever get to play with are the Nikon ones and I only ever convert them using Adobe Camera RAW.... it is the only software I have! Will take your opinion on this subject

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:06 pm**

Antsl wrote:
if not, well,... um, happy with me D1 .... you just saved yourself the price of the 200mm f2!!!!

well then, at 92cents to the USD, might just have to call BH and get me one!!!

Posted: **Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:33 pm**

Oz_Beachside wrote::D will the D3 hide unsightly harsh shadows?

or auto correct the focus error in my technique?

will it process my pics quicker?

will it pose my subjects?

will it come with a 200mm f2 bolted to the front?

have a faster synch speed, about 1/500s?

oh, and most importantly, will is also visualise the shot for me?

if not, well,... um, happy with me D1

Your D1 can do all that? :O

Posted: **Thu Nov 01, 2007 12:12 am**

Antsl wrote: a photographer over in Perth is testing out the D300...... The guy with the D300 is really wishing he had the D3 to work with, but someone had to do the D300. Like me, he is another professional photographer who for the past couple of years has been working with the D200 simply because the jump in image quality between this camera and the D2X was not sufficient to warrent paying three times the price for the pro body.

Can you say - is that 'Marli" (Justin) with Circlework in WA? As he shoots some great stuff....

Posted: **Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:00 am**

i got my pricing for the d3 today and it will come as a *good* surprise to everyone here

i can't tell anyone the price, but it's certainly a LOT less than the numbers that have been floating about recently.

I was told stock will be available end of Nov/ early dec. Here's hoping.

Posted: **Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:39 am**

B&H have it lited at $4999 USD, at at todays 92cents, thats AUD 5400, not bad starting point for RRP.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/518490-REG/Nikon_25434_D3_SLR_Digital_Camera.html

Posted: **Thu Nov 01, 2007 9:14 am**

who wrote:Can you say - is that 'Marli" (Justin) with Circlework in WA? As he shoots some great stuff....

..... it is not Justin

Posted: **Thu Nov 01, 2007 9:21 am**

Oz_Beachside wrote:B&H have it lited at $4999 USD, at at todays 92cents, thats AUD 5400, not bad starting point for RRP.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/518490-REG/Nikon_25434_D3_SLR_Digital_Camera.html

It's about $1k more. Don't forget we have to pay GST + delivery... which makes it more even.

Posted: **Thu Nov 01, 2007 9:43 am**

D3 $6950
D300 $2625
14-24mm F2.8 $2350
24-70mm F2.8 $2265

Prices from http://www.cameras.net.au

Posted: **Thu Nov 01, 2007 9:58 am**

In regards to the RAW files, Nikon will release an update to CaptureNX in conjunction with the release of the D3/D300. In some parts of the world, at least the USA, they will bundle Capture NX for free initially with the D3/D300. I suspect we won't be that "priviliged" in Aus.

Nikon's position is that they release an SDK for processing the RAW file. As long as you use that, you will not have any problems. Obviously that does cost the software companies and there is a time delay to market as they upgrade their software.

thanks for giving us the update, I'm looking forward to actually holding one in my hands

but I won't be one of the early adopters.

cheers,

André

Posted: **Thu Nov 01, 2007 10:05 am**

http://www.daveblackphotography.com/wor ... 1-2007.htm

somew new reviews... (if it hasnt already been posted somewhere else)

Posted: **Thu Nov 01, 2007 11:31 am**

shutterbug wrote:D3 $6950
D300 $2625
14-24mm F2.8 $2350
24-70mm F2.8 $2265

Prices from http://www.cameras.net.au

yes, i noticed that. the d300 is $1799USD at BH. we are getting tooled here, no doubt about it. looking forward to DD and Poon's pricing. also keeping in mind that D-D have the 40D listed at $1500. thats more than $1k cheaper than a d300.

Posted: **Thu Nov 01, 2007 12:04 pm**

Rooz wrote:
shutterbug wrote:D3 $6950
D300 $2625
14-24mm F2.8 $2350
24-70mm F2.8 $2265

Prices from http://www.cameras.net.au

yes, i noticed that. the d300 is $1799USD at BH. we are getting tooled here, no doubt about it. looking forward to DD and Poon's pricing. also keeping in mind that D-D have the 40D listed at $1500. thats more than $1k cheaper than a d300.

considering the 40d is a modest improvement upon the 30d (from what my canon friends have told me)

and the d300 is a leap and a bound ahead of the d200, more or less a d2x without the (compulsory) vertical grip

hasn;t it always been some long ongoing argument that the d200 and 30d aren't really worthy of comparison? 30d having consumer build etc, d200 being more semi pro?

but yes, it will certainly be interesting to see what poon & dd's offerings will be. if poons pricing is anything to go by, i suspect we'd be getting them for in between the price of B&H and B&H plus shipping (does that make sense... y'know... in between what the price of something from B&H would be and what the price would be if you get it shipped). i predict the $5500-$5800 mark.

Posted: **Thu Nov 01, 2007 12:22 pm**

Actually, I'm pleasantly surprised by ECS's launch prices as reported by Shutterbug.

The D3 comes in under what the D2Xs launched at, and the D300 about the same as the D200 launch price. In spite of the short term strength of the Aussie dollar....

Posted: **Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:32 pm**

PiroStitch wrote:Speaking of the take me back 1d mk IIIs, check out this article.

Did the QC people from Nikon transfer to Canon or something?

Wayne,

I'm not sure it is a QC issue or simply Canon taking a risk that no-one would notice. Canon were told about the problems BEFORE the camera was released (described here) but released it anyway. There are a lot of unhappy people.

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Thoughts on the D3

Thoughts on the D3