![]() ![]() ![]() Some of these are obvious, while others don’t really seem necessary until you try them. You can also download a PDF of the entire 446-page D3 user manual from Nikon’s web site at: įor the purposes of this review, I’ll highlight the features that seem most important to VR photographers. For those interested, a 40-page brochure can be downloaded from Nikon at: There are so many features that it’s pointless to reproduce them all here. The feature list for the D3 camera is a sight to behold. (The D300, which was announced at the same time as the D3, still uses only the smaller DX format.) So far, this is the only Nikon digital camera featuring this. The D3 boasts what amounts to a full-frame 35mm size CMOS sensor, which Nikon calls its FX format. Every Nikon D-SLR since then has maintained this same DX format until now. Nikon’s D1 its first D-SLR released in 1999, had an image sensor that was about 70 percent of the size of a 35mm frame, resulting in a 1.5x focal length multiplication factor. There are also a number of exotic lenses that Nikon has produced over the years, including the 8mm f/2.8 fisheye used by many VR photographers, for which Canon has never offered an equivalent. That was expensive and discouraging for most pros. When Canon updated their lens mount to the EF style in 1987, Canon photographers wound up having to replace most of their FD lenses in order to use the new EOS camera bodies. You can still use most 30≤0 year old Nikon lenses even on Nikon’s newest camera bodies. One of the reasons I’ve remained a dedicated Nikon photographer is the fact that Nikon has retained backward compatibility and consistency with its lens mount. (I own about 20 different lenses.) I have patiently stuck with Nikon over the years because of this. While Canon has had full-frame sensors available in their high end cameras for several years now, the idea of switching systems has never been attractive to me due to my significant investment in Nikon optics. If I had to guess, within 5≡0 years, DX and other reduced-format lenses will be relegated to bargain bins on eBay. While I am not privy to any inside information, it would seem that costs of making good full-frame sensors will continue to drop, so these sensors will likely start appearing in prosumer and even consumer camera models soon. For this reason alone, I never fully converted to digital as have so many of my fellow pros, continuing to shoot both film and digital, depending upon the assignment.Ĭertainly Nikon has offered newer ultra-wide lenses in its reduced-size DX format (such as the Nikkor 10.5mm full frame fisheye, and the Nikkor 12-24mm zoom), but I didn’t like the idea of buying new lenses to replace perfectly good ones I already own, in a format that may only be around for a limited time. Most notable among these was the fact that they didn’t allow me to fully utilize the wide fields of view of my 35mm lenses. Since my first pro digital SLR (a Kodak DCS 460), every digital camera I’ve owned always had serious shortcomings. Finally, I found a digital camera that is actually more capable than my older 35mm cameras, and which can produce equal, if not better quality imagery. The more I used it, the more impressed I was with its capabilities. Within the first two days of the camera arriving, I had little doubt that a D3 would become my next camera purchase. Many thanks to Bill Pekala at NPS for this assistance. Nikon generously loaned Virtual Reality Photography a D3 in February for several weeks, so that we could test it from the unique perspective of VR photographers. The D3 holds great promise for VR photographers, particularly those who have significant investments in Nikon lenses from years of shooting with Nikon’s venerable 35mm systems. ![]() While Nikon has worked very hard to keep up with demand, the cameras are still on back order at many pro retailers. The camera began shipping in November, and most reviews have indicated that it does indeed live up to its hype. The announced specifications for the camera were stunning, and many wondered whether the camera could actually live up to the hype that surrounded it. In August, 2007, Nikon announced the D3, a full-frame professional digital camera that Nikon photographers have been waiting years for. For a comparison of the two models, see the update at the end of this review. Priced about 40% lower than the D3, the D700 offers the VR photographer many of the attractive features of the D3, including a full frame CCD sensor. On July 1, 2008, Nikon announced the D700 a "prosumer" version of the D3. Review by Scott Highton for Virtual Reality Photography (March, 200 8 Case Study: Review of Nikon D3 D-SLR Camera ![]()
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