dSLR Dad

It is hard for me to believe that I’m still writing this post, even in March. The Nikon D3 is now in stock and shipping at Amazon (or the dSLR Dad Amazon Storefront). While your at it, why not pick up the fantastic Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens (available at Amazon and B&H Photo), shown on the camera. As always, these links help to support this site. Many thanks to all of you dSLR Dads who have done so. You have made it possible for me to start to make some real improvements to this site in the coming year. I greatly appreciate your support.

Of course, if you are going to buy it from Amazon, I highly recommend trying out the Amazon Prime service. You get a year’s worth of free 2-day shipping. Perfect for when you first buy a camera and don’t want to have to worry about getting everything in one shipment. As always, you have one month to evaluate the service before you fully commit to the $79 fee.

This is the kind of ‘review’ I love to bring to you dSLR Dads. Michael Reichmann has posted his detailed insight into the Nikon D3 and Nikon D300 over at the Luminous Landscape. What makes this article completely different and refreshing from all of the others is the focus on how these cameras compare from the Canon perspective. He also makes it perfectly clear that this is not a typical test report with an abundance of side-by-side comparisons at ISO 3200 with 100% crops. That really doesn’t matter. What does matter is how does a photographer use these new tools for photography.

In this essay I look at the new Nikon D3 and D300 though the eyes (mine) of someone who has been shooting with Canon cameras for the past 8 years. Prior to 1999 I used Nikons, shoot film, and used them to make a living in photography for some 30 years. I also used (and still do) Hasselblads and Leicas, and as a magazine reviewer have probably tested and shot with almost every major camera system available since the mid-1960’s. But for several decades prior to the advent of digital, Nikons were my 35mm tool of choice….. (more…)

Moose Peterson, wildlife and landscape photographer extraordinaire, has launched a new section of his site devoted to the Nikon D3. As a Nikon Legend Behind the Lens, he has had the opportunity to shoot extensively with the D3 over the last month.
I really enjoyed shooting with the Nikon D3, know you will as well! This is just a user report based on my first month of shooting with the D3. (more…)

You dSLR Dad’s have probably seen Dave Black’s work before in from the Olympics and in the sports page. An interesting twist from your typical Pre-release Nikon D3 first look, he has been hired by Nikon to produce the images for Nikon’s D3 brochure, catalog and public relations pieces.

This month’s Workshop at the Ranch article New Nikon D3, details his coverage of both Pro and College football games.

His On The Road series, Traveling with the New Nikon D3, concludes:

Any photographer regardless of their chosen field will find the D3 a quantum leap of technology and quality. The nature/landscape photographer will have greater dynamic range, the wildlife photographer will now have 9 frames/second of continuous shooting, the wedding photographer will now be able to capture moments during candle lit ceremonies, portrait photographers will be able to use soft available light more readily and sports photographers will freeze the action in even the poorest lit venues. And we will all have more clarity, more shadow detail and more quality in our pictures. I have full confidence in this piece of equipment as being one of the most significant breakthroughs in the industry.

Wedding Professional Cliff Mautner has been one of the lucky one’s who have received a prototype Nikon D3
for testing. He was confident enough to use it during an actual wedding shoot. You can checkout his first impression and sample photos here.

Once again, this is the kind of “review” I prefer to link to on dSLR Dad. One in which a photographer uses the camera in a situation they’re getting paid for. If you wondering if he likes it, his review starts with:

My first impressions, as expected, were mind blowing. To be brief, I’m stunned at how responsive this camera is and I didn’t believe there was much room for improvement to the way the D2xs handled. I was clearly wrong. The Focus, feel of the shutter, focus point selection, enormous LCD, auto white balance, dynamic range, color rendition, and a few other things have all been written about and touted, but nothing prepared me for the incredible quality of the files out of camera. In addition, the high ISO performance, which was also talked about, is nothing short of revolutionary.

I’m beginning to see a trend here, all of the Nikon guys really like this camera…..

dPreview has posted it’s updated full preview of the Nikon D3. You can check it out here.

Nikon has posted D3 and D300 full resolution jpeg sample photos on their website.

Download the D3 samples here.  Sample #3 is at ISO 6400.  All I can say is, impressive.

The D300 images are available here.

Moose Peterson is a fantastic wildlife photographer.  Besides being an instructor at this weeks Digital Landscape Workshop in Great Lakes, MI, he is also trying out the new Nikon D3.

The camera just rocks! If you shoot with a D2Xs, getting comfortable with the D3 takes seconds. The large viewfinder and FX sensor is just to die for. Shooting again with a 14mm at 14mm brought tears to my eyes…..

You can read is full post here.