Features and specification
The D3 probably has every bell, whistle and doohickey that you can think of to put on a DSLR. Let’s start with the basics first.By not stuffing the D3’s sensor with as many pixels as physically possible, Nikon has managed to keep noise well under control. In fact, you could say that if there is one defining feature that D3 owners will boast about it will be that their images at the base ISO 200 setting are beautifully smooth and noise free, and that they can shoot at a top ISO setting of 25,600. Admittedly at this setting noise starts to be a problem, but it’s better than no pictures at all, and shooting at ISO 3200 yields images that are more than acceptable – they’re damn good!
As we say, the base setting for the sensor is ISO 200, which can be reduced to ISO 100 via a custom setting, but landscapers may want to have a hefty ND filter in their bag.
By choosing a modest resolution (for these days anyway), Nikon has ensured that its flagship DSLR can shoot quickly. The D3’s top frame rate in full-frame mode is a cracking nine frames-per-second (fps). Only the Canon EOS-1D MkIII beats this, and it isn’t full frame, instead having a 1.3x crop factor. Add to this argument that the D3 shoots at 11fps in cropped mode (engaged in the camera’s menu or automatically when a DX lens is fitted) and we think that Nikon just has the edge here. Although the burst rate of Canon’s EOS-1D MkIII is higher: we got 35 full-frame JPEGs at 9fps before the buffer started to fill up, although this cleared completely in 14 seconds.
Like many new DSLRs, the D3 sports a Live View mode that lets users compose on the viewscreen rather than through the viewfinder. Every manufacturer seems to be implementing this differently; the best we’ve seen is Olympus’ E-330 which used a separate sensor in the viewfinder to allow full-speed AF. Nikon’s interpretation isn’t bad, but it’s not quite as slick. Live View can be activated from the drive mode control on the top-plate, which is quicker than delving around inside a menu. There are two modes: tripod, in which AF is possible through contrast detection, although this is very slow and suited more to studio still life; and handheld, in which AF is the usual phase detection type, however the mirror has to drop down while focusing takes place. In both modes focusing is initiated with the AF-on button.
You can also connect the D3 to an HD TV via an HDMI cable for upscaling to 1080i resolution. Live View mode can be used this way too.
Nikon has also jumped on the HDR bandwagon with its D-Lighting feature. This attempts to compress extremes of highlight and shadow and can be set to either work on JPEGs as they are shot or be applied to images after capture through the image-editing menu. This latter method has a much more pronounced effect. Also available in the Retouch menu are commands for eliminating red-eye, applying filter effects, cropping and converting to monochrome, amongst other things.
Extra niceties include an artificial horizon that tells you if you’re holding the camera level. I found this useful as I’ve long since admitted I can’t hold a camera straight to save my life. It takes the form of an aircraft type instrument on the rear LCD screen or a bar chart on the top LCD and in the viewfinder. The only thing really missing is some kind of anti-dust system: D3 users will have to clean their sensors the old-fashioned way for the time being.
Performance and image quality
What many will be wanting to know is what benefit the D3’s full-frame sensor will have over the D2Xs’ DX-sized senor, even though the two cameras have more or less the same pixel count. Well, look at the results produced by the D3 and it won’t take you long to realise that this is a far superior camera.
Images are free from noise and artefacts, and when viewed in Photoshop at 100 per cent they don’t have the obviously digital look that cameras with more crowded sensors often display. Many problems with digital capture come from having pixels too near each other on the sensor – giving them more space to breathe in the D3 is paying dividends. In fact the results from the D3 stood up well when compared to the Canon EOS-1Ds MkIII, which has nine million more pixels. Obviously the maximum size of the image is much smaller, but at ‘normal’ working print sizes the level of detail captured by both cameras is much the same. And crucially the Nikon is over £2500 cheaper.
When using Canon’s full-frame DSLRs we have seen that some lenses perform better than others. This may well be true of the D3 too; only time will tell. However, the two optics we used performed excellently all over the frame. The 24-70mm f/2.8G ED N and 80-200mm f/2.8G ED N zooms produced images free from fringing and blurring at the edges of the frame – two problems we have seen on the Canon EOS 5D and EOS-1Ds MkII with some optics.
To take advantage of the D3’s full frame, either lenses from the 35mm film world or new FX format optics must be used. Mount a DX lens and the camera will automatically revert to a cropped sensor mode, blanking off parts of the scene in the viewfinder and capturing with only 5.14 megapixels. But at least this means owners of DX optics don’t have to go out and buy a load of new glass straight away.
What is truly impressive is the Nikon D3’s autofocusing system, which seems to be able to track moving objects with an almost psychic accuracy. Nikon says that the D3’s AF uses colour information as well as contrast to achieve correct focus, although this can be turned off if the camera is struggling – for instance, when a subject and background are of similar colours.
