Nikon D3 user reviews (Body Only)

Pros "The best all-round camera ever"

Cons Resolution lags far behind the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III and Sony's forthcoming 24-megapixel dSLR.

Summary really nice digital camera

Updated on Sep 25, 2009

updated review

Pros Colors, Dynamic Range, detail with the right Lens.

Cons Can't really think of any. Maybe the price could come down a bit.

Summary In the rights hands, the Nikon D3 performs exceptionally. The colors and the dynamic range are simply superb. The D3 is a professional tool for the professional photographer who also posses a certain level of technical prowess to get the most out of this camera system. Blogs are already filled with self-proclaimed experts making such assertions as the Nikon D3 lags behind the Sony?s 24 mega-pixel A900. I can tell you without reservation, that?s simply not true. I tried the A900 and in my opinion, the D3 is a far superior camera in virtually every respect. The Sony will perform admirably if the shooting conditions are ideal however, in challenging lighting situations, the A900 simply cannot produce the level of image quality from the D3. 100% crops from the Sony are just OK. Sony should have concentrated on developing a high quality 12 to 16 mega-pixel FF DSLR instead of a mediocre 24 mega-pixel. Nikon knew what they where doing when they developed the 12 mega-pixel FF D3. There is a considerable amount of latitude when dealing with the D3?s raw image files. If you require large print-outs (within limits of course) the D3?s capabilities is nearly boundless where other systems are very much limited. I hope that Nikon?s variant of the 24 mega-pixel DSLR will be properly designed considering the limitations of cramming all of those pixels even on a 35mm sensor. You folks out here who have a true passion for photography, pro or not pro, don?t get caught up with the mega-pixel horsepower race. The Nikon D3 or the D700 for that matter, will not place any limitations on your creative abilities as a photographer unless your printing requirements exceeds billboard sized prints.

Pros Amazing low light capability, 11 fps is incredible, very similar to d2x so if upgrading there is almost no learning curve, incredible rear display.

Cons should have made their first full frame slr higher resolution, cant see a use for the live view its a total waste to me, the horizon level thing is cool but it should be in the view finder

Summary I recently added the d3 as a backup/second camera to my d2x. After looking at all the reviews and researching everything i could about it i don't regret buying it. the speed and low light ability of the camera are amazing. I was also very happy to see that all my current lenses worked very well with it, all but my 12x24 that is a dx lens. the over all operation and feel of the D3 is almost identical to the D2x so there is almost no learning curve. Some of the new controls are nice like the D-lighting and ability to customize the sharpness, saturation, and contrast but if you are shooting in raw all the time like i do they mean very little to me. It would have been nice to see a higher resolution camera for Nikon's first full frame camera but it is still a very high res, high quality camera. the horizon level feature is cool but should have been put in the viewfinder so it could be used during all shooting conditions, it is totally useless for hand held shooting. over all i am very happy with it and i think it is worth every penny.

Pros Fantastic speed and great colours and lenses

Cons bulky and not inexpensive

Summary A good-all-round camera