NIKON D3

Nikon's groundbreaking professional digital camera redefines the market.
Jan 21, 2008
David Schloss, Technology Editor

Nikon photographers didn’t just treat the announcement of company’s D3, the latest professional digital camera to come from Japan as if it had been created in a factory in Japan.

And for good reason. Nikon loyalists waited countless years while less devoted shooters flocked to Canon, demanding a full-sized sensor instead of the DX sized imager found inside Nikon’s D2 and D1 lines. While Nikon’s always made some of the world’s finest cameras, Canon took the time to grab a dominant position in the professional camera space. Canon converts bragged about the quality of the images from their 1D series bodies, especially when it came to high-ISO performance.

The Nikon D3 evens the playing field—and some would argue gives Nikon the advantage again—with its 12-megapixel full-frame sensor and the system’s focus on high-ISO images.

We’ve put the D3 through its paces since our review unit arrived over a month ago, shooting in just about every type of lighting situation. We’ve also been shooting with the Canon 1Ds Mark III (to be featured in an upcoming review) and while comparisons are inevitable, I think it’s important to point out that these cameras are targeting slightly different markets.

We’ve done noise tests on both cameras and both perform very well at low ISO and have one relatively obvious conclusion. The D3 produces less noise at high ISO than does the 1Ds Mark III (but only slighty), but the Mark III also generates tremendously fewer pixels in an image. These images are so radically different in their basic creation that it’s really comparing apples to oranges.

But for those who left the Nikon camp because Canon produced lower-noise images at high-ISO and have missed being Nikon shooters, it’s time to come home again. (For those who love their Canon gear, it’s safe to say that you can still enjoy the low-noise images you’ve come to know.)

Just as a side note here: the Canon 1D Mark III and the Canon 1Ds Mark III leave a huge gap in terms of resolution. The 1D is a ten megapixel body that features a sensor smaller than 35mm. The 1Ds Mark III has a 21-megapixel full frame sensor. I’m relatively confident that Canon will release something between those two ranges and that will be bod to compare against the D3 in terms of ISO noise at a comparable sensor size.

Now let’s get back to the D3

Noise Worthy

At Nikon’s factory tour in Japan, the company couldn’t stop talking about the high-ISO features of the Nikon D3. The camera does, after all, have an astounding 25,600 ISO. That’s enough to create images (albeit grainy as hell) in extremely low light.

But more importantly the D3 produces images Nikon claims to be mostly noise-free at ISO up to 3200 and usable at 6400; without a doubt their claims are accurate.

For many years when trying to summarize the difference between Nikon and Canon to photographers I mentioned how Nikon’s UI was more advanced but the Canon bodies produced less noise. This is no longer the case, as Nikon’s D3 seems to be the current reigning champ in this regard. (While, to be fair, Canon’s improved their UI significantly.)

In all manors of light settings the D3 produced very low noise images. This is such a change from the D2X that it’s as if we were looking at a whole new platform, not just a new body. For photojournalists, wedding and event photographers (and really anyone who shoots under available light) the D3 is an excellent camera.

The ability to do auto-ISO in-camera (where the body picks the best shutter speed for the given lighting, boosting the ISO when needed) also is a great advantage. We wish that the D3’s auto setting would allow us to set a preference for how it should lean, in much the way that Program High and Program Low does. We’d like to be able to prioritize toward slower speeds and lower ISO or toward higher speeds and higher ISO, as we switch between subjects. (The slower speeds helping wedding shooters, for example, while the higher-ISO preference would help sports shooters.)

On the flipside, the D3 is more sensitive than most cameras (and I don’t mean that from a “you didn’t buy me flowers” sort of way) and the lowest setting (without going to a custom mode) is ISO 200. That’s too sensitive for f/2.8 lenses in bright daylight; it’s going to mean that a lot of photographers who want to shoot wide open are going to have to buy some nice neutral density filters.

What A Body

It’s a bit odd to talk about a camera’s features before talking about the camera itself, but loyal Nikon shooters will be instantly familiar with the D3. It’s remarkably similar to the D2X and the control layout feels like every body since the F5.

We let a long-time Nikon shooter (but not a pro) use the D3 and he reported that he was immediately able to work with the camera. The body has connector jacks for shutter release, for USB 2.0 and for HDMI output—a nice touch since the camera has such a high-resolution sensor and creates stunning images on an HDTV. (Although I’ve never seen a photographer connect into a TV for playback.)

The gigantic VGA resolution LCD screen provides incredible resolution and makes the live view mode more usable compared to other systems. We’re not much for the on-screen focus systems on pro cameras (that’s what the high-quality viewfinder is for after all) but it is incredibly useful during macro shots and the like. Also handy, is the built-in level— a tool that shows whether or not the camera is even with the horizon, which is super-useful for tripod shooters.

Under the card slot are dual CF ports, a feature that’s much more handy than you’d think. While other cameras have a single CF and an SD slot, the dual CF ports allow for more useful shooting tricks without having to bring both an SD and a CF card reader on assignment.

In fact, the camera has just a few issues when it comes to form and function. The first (for photographers with small hands like myself) is the main hand grip. The triangular shape juts into the palm a bit—our large-handed testers though felt perfectly comfortable with the body.

For those who are left-eye dominant the focus-selector switch is still placed right under the tip of the nose, making accidental mis-focusing a distinct possibility. I have a whole collection of images mis-focused by my nose.

Finally, the top left selector dial, the one that is located where the old film cameras used to place their ISO dial, is much handier for selection than the nubbin-buttons on the Canon system, but we feel that Nikon might have mis-judged just how handy these are. Instead of putting ISO, Quality and White Balance up there, those are still below the lower LCD screen on the rear panel. That means that it’s necessary to pull the camera away from one’s face in order to change these (most often used) settings. Personally, I’d rather have fast access to the ISO button with my left hand and have to hunt for the strobe controls and other settings Nikon’s put up there.

The largest drawback of the D3 though isn’t a design choice, it’s an internal issue. While the D300 provides for automated sensor cleaning, the D3 does not. I asked the Nikon officials in Japan about this on our Nikon-provided factory tour, and was told that (and this is a rough translation) the sensor is very large, and that Nikon felt they had more work to do to provide this feature in the D3. With Canon shaking their 21-megapixel sensor around to remove dust with the same alacrity as Nikon’s own D300, this omission seems a bit conspicuous.

The Need for Speed

The D3 isn’t just a pretty camera, it’s also damn fast, spitting out 9 fps at its full resolution and 12 fps at 5mp. There are going to be a lot of sports shooters who will be able to shoot with the Nikon platform for the first time since the days of the F5. It’s actually astounding how fast the system is, it feels finally as fast as the F5 and the 1/8000th of a second shutter can really keep up with high speed shooting.

To illustrate exactly how fast this is, I shot my wife running at me full-speed in a parking lot, then made a quick animated GIF out of it. (http://www.nyack.org/abimation.gif) It’s a cute example of the speed of the camera.

This is, of course, partially because of the size sensor Nikon decided to go with. At 12 megapixel this camera captures images just a tad bit bigger than competitor’s photojournalist-based cameras and decidedly smaller than the biggest sensor available in the class. It will be interesting to see how these differences play out over time, and what the next camera speed-bumps bring.

Software Woes

For Mac OS X Leopard users, the D3 has been a bit of mixed blessing. Nikon’s capture NX mostly does not work with the new operating system, and many photographers have been posting about issues they’ve had getting the gear to work.

Currently Aperture does not support the D3 and so many shooters have been going to Lightroom or CS3 for their Nikon use. This eliminates the ability to do some lens-specific and camera-specific things that are built into NX.

Overall

The Nikon D3 is one of the best cameras, ever. It’s a prime example of what camera companies can do when they really listen to their customers. The D3 has not only filled a void in the lineup but seems to be a leap-frogging of Nikon’s own technology. Unlike most cameras in the system that are evolutionary, Nikon’s D3 is really revolutionary—if only in that it includes features that even Nikon said weren’t necessary a few years ago. (Anyone remember the “benefits” of shooting the DX sensor and lens combinations?)

For those that switched to another system, it’s time to reevaluate your choice, inventory your lenses and your shooting styles and see if you’re ready to go back to Nikon. For new shooters it provides a clear growth path from the company’s excellent pro-consumer models into a pro space.

And for the photographic industry at large, it means that there’s once again more competition in the market place, as Nikon resumes its position of driving the high-end rather than watching someone else set the benchmark.