dSLR Dad

Bjørn Rørslett,Professional Nature Photographer, PhD. Member of NN (Norwegian Nature Photographers) and BioFoto (Association of Nature Photographers in Norway) has just posted his review of the Nikon D3 (order one at Amazon and B&H Photo).

Every one waited for Nikon to move up to the next level of digital sensor size, the “full-sized” FX or 35mm-like solution. Years went by and seemingly nothing happened. We admired Nikon’s clever ergonomic solutions and at least some of us ogled the high-ISO performance of the competition with a little envy. Then, Nikon struck back with a camera advertised to “defy the limitations” no less.

The D3 is not only a 35mm-frame camera, it is so much more and with high-ISO performance unheard and undreamt of as well. With a blazing firing rate up to 9 fps(FX)/11 fps(DX), this is a sports and action shooter’s dream camera come true. But what can it achieve for other fields of photography? In this review, I shall try to elaborate these aspects of this new Nikon DSLR. Consider this more akind to a personal travelogue written as I made myself familar with the D3 rather than a compilation of features…..

You can also skip right ahead to his closing remarks:

….While most people might consider the “full-sized” FX sensor the biggest news with the Nikon D3, I for one am not that much preoccupied with the FX format on its own. The size factor isn’t that decisively great between DX and FX if you have worked with 35mm and 4×5″ cameras anyway. The FX/DX systems see a lot over overlap in their targeted applications. Much more important to me is the concerted and integrated efforts by Nikon to come up with a truly professional camera system. They have added a perplexing diversity of cutting-edge and exciting features to their top-of-the-line model and laid the foundation for a growing line of competent offerings to the professional and keen amateur communities. Yet, at the same time, Nikon has added momentum to their DX line as well by introducing the D300. So you, the end user, can enjoy the best of both worlds.

During the months I’ve spent with the D3 and shot it against my D2X and the D300, I’ve gotten far better insights in the strong and weak points of either format. What you can do with DX can largely also be done with FX. Sometimes the one, sometimes the other format will have the upper hand. Until Nikon comes up with a higher-resolving FX camera to team up as a companion to the D3, the DX system has the edge in sheer basic resolution. As always this has a flip side with it so while a D2X or D300 outresolves a D3, you either get more image graininess(”noise”), or a more restricted coverage from the same vantage point of the camera. If you on the other hand set up the systems so as to provide the same field of view from a given distance, the DX format is given the bad cards because it will have lower detail magnification and thus need the bigger secondary magnification, both of which aspects will potentially adversely impact the final outcome. As always, the underlying factors will determine what you end up with and as a photographer, you have to learn how to play the game to your own advantage.

The ability to shoot under adverse light situations without resorting to the use of a mood-killing flash is perhaps one of the most important characteristics of the D3 concept. As such, it is bound to influence the approaches we follow in our day-to-day handling of photography challenges. Will this also constitute a true paradigm shifting contemporary photography? It’s early days yet so I wouldn’t draw the definite conclusion on this issue just now. But it might well be the case.

So, does the arrival of FX make the smaller DX suddenly obsolete? In an earlier review, I gave the D2X a healthy recommendation as being the flagship of the Nikon DLSRs at that time. Now, nearly three years later, the D2X continues to deliver excellent image quality provided you pair it with top-performing glass. As far as DX is concerned, the D300 continues where the D2X bites the dust in terms of noise performance So these two combines quite nicely. With the D3, I haven’t yet decided whether an FX/DX combination is the most appropriate for me as the basic workhorse setup. Two D3 cameras alone will not be optimal for me, but D3 + D300, or D3 + D2X might be. I need to use these combinations over a longer period of time to finally arrive at a decision. Besides, I will continue to use DX-based systems for specialised applications such as UV and IR photography, no matter what system combination I’ll end up with. And on the horizon one can predict with some degree of certainty there will be a stablemate to the D3 with an elevated pixel count for those admittedly few occasions in which the current D3 won’t cut it. For me the arrival of the D3 is the final nail in the coffin for “35mm” silver-halide reflex cameras. Of that I’m certain.

You can read his entire review here.

Courtesy of NikonWatch.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 31st, 2007 at 7:46 PM and is filed under Cameras, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.