The Nikon D3: What a camera should be
The Nikon D3 is the camera photographers have been waiting for. The controls and menus are logical, the FX format (nearly identical to 35mm full frame) makes the lenses act the way they were intended, it feels and handles like a camera should, and the viewfinder image is bright, crisp and large. Throw in the large and sharp LCD screen, excellent file sharpness and amazing tone and contrast and the best digital camera just entered the building.
The photo I featured yesterday of the students playing music at the mayor's inauguration has a low-key tonal range that is stunning, there is no banding or noise evident anywhere, and it is sharp. Wow, is all I can say. Once again, this was made in auto color balance mode and not toned in Photoshop.
(Nikon D3, Nikon 300mm f/2.8, 1/60th sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 6400)
If you missed that above, let me restate: ISO 6400. Wow. That is Sun staff photographer Jed Kirschbaum chimping as we photographed the Dixon inaugural in the dark cavern known as the Murphy Performing Arts Center at Morgan State. No grain. No noise. No problems. The D2X in the HI 1 mode, equivalent to ISO 1600, could not match this in any form. This is also in auto white balance mode and untouched. Amazing.
(Nikon D3, DX crop mode, Nikon 300mm f/2.8, 1/80th sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 1000)
A minor drawback, hardly notice during the time I used the D3, is the need for longer lenses. To get the tight image I wanted of Sheila Dixon, I had to change the camera to the crop mode. This adds the 1.5x lens magnification factor, so while using the Nikon 300mm f/2.8 it became an effective 450mm. Nikon calls this mode the DX format (a little confusing), but there is no visible loss in loss in image quality. The size of the file is reduced, but there seems to be no deterioration of the image. Notice the amazing sharpness and fine detail in her eyelashes.
(Nikon D3, Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 @ 112mm, 1/30th sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 1000)
The sharpness and tonal range are once again evident in this slightly overexposed image. One problem I had, which would be no problem once taken into account, was slightly overexposing the take from actual event. With the Nikon D2X slight overexposure can be a killer and cause a huge amount of time to be spent toning the image and attempting to compensate for the error. But only a few seconds of toning in Photoshop and the image look fine. The highlights do not glow, nor do they look solarized by an electrical current.
(This version is toned to look slightly darker to show more of a difference.)
On Thursday I photographed Pearl Harbor survivor Clarence Davis in his Charlotte Hall home.
(Nikon D3, Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8 @ 35mm, 1/30th sec. @ f/6.3, ISO Lo-1)
Before the assignment I made sure to grab a non-DX wide-angle lens to get a true view and not be forced to use the DX mode. With a DX lens mounted on the D3 there will be serious vignetting of the image if used in the FX (full frame) mode. This is the key to most photographers I speak to: getting a true wide-angle lens to perform like it is expected to perform. The look is different, the feel of the image is different and the depth of field is different. If a 35mm equivalent was used in this photograph, there would be more in focus as the depth of field would not fall off as it does.
To my eye, learned in the arcane ways of 35mm film cameras, this is the way it should -- and I want it to -- look. This is what I envisioned, and it feels right. This is also thanks to the rich tonal range and extreme sharpness. This camera really dazzles.
This portrait was made with a Dyna-Lite Uni400JRg firing into a Photoflex white umbrella with black backing. The Lo-1 setting is the same as ISO 100 (it seems impossible to know, and must be due to some technical reason, as to why they do not label it as 100).
The color of the D3, and the way it behaves, reminds me of when I photographed using slide film. Through understanding and using exposure the image can be made to react in an almost predictable manor. Most of the time when I underexposed using slide film I knew what I could expect to see after processing the image. The same for overexposure. With the D3 I see the same possibilities, but with a larger tonal scale with which to work. The guesswork will be taken out of the equation and results will be more predictable. Stability will come to those frustrated with the limitations and quirks of the D2 line of Nikon cameras.
PROS: Great image quality and sharpness with improved color richness and accuracy. Large, bright viewfinder screen. Huge LCD screen. Controls are more fine-tuned.
CONS: Not many. The vertical AF button is in an awkward position. Some of the controls on the back panel are still to far from the grip. All those people with DX lenses will need to consider buying new ones to fully utilize the camera's FX format. With a $5,000 price tag, it is steep even for newspapers.
VERDICT: The camera photographers have been waiting for from Nikon. It can be proudly placed on the same shelf as Nikon's great cameras like the classic F3 or superior F5.
