It looks to me as if Nikon is back in the game, but does it have a real contender? Does the D3 meet, let alone exceed the high standard of excellence established by Canon in 2002 with the introduction of the full-frame EOS-1Ds? The first question will be answered by the marketplace, and is in no small part dependent upon whether Nikon can win back the multitude of pro photographers who sold a lifetime worth of lenses and loyalty when Nikon failed to accept the full frame protocol. The second question I will attempt to answer.

The D3 has positioned itself as a pro camera. It is both priced and marketed to be used by those relatively few whose livelihood depend on consistently creating the best possible images of a war, sporting event, or fashion spread. After all, it has been said we are only as good as our last assignment.

The two things that someone who makes a living in photography looks for in a new camera is quality and “what can this camera do for me?”

Quality

Don’t let anyone who makes a living designing and selling cameras fool you. It’s all about real estate. All other things being relatively equal 12 mpx on a DX chip is not the same as 12 mpx on a full frame chip. The big camera companies may want you to think that small is good when it comes to sensors, but it has more to do with expense in manufacture. Quite simply, a bigger sensor costs more. So, thank goodness for 4/3 chips and inexpensive cameras, but thanking goodness doesn’t increase the resolution or quality.

Instead of trying to see how many mpx can fit on the head of a pin, Nikon has used less mpx in the D3 in order to achieve more speed and less noise. The 12.1 mpx full-frame CMOS chip with a built-in fixed low-pass filter is a complete redesign that exhibits exceptional light transmission properties, even in low light situations. The pixel pitch is 8.45 µm, which is 15% larger than other cameras. This translates to ISO settings from 200 to 6400, expandable from 100 to 25600, compared to 200 to 800 on the D2Xs.

Equally important it means high-quality images at very low levels of light. The result is a camera that can expose at 11 fps with an imperceptible shutter lag of 41 milliseconds and a startup time of 0.12 seconds and still produce images that can be printed 24” wide on an Epson 7880 large format printer with Kodachrome-like results.

While I had the D3 on loan from Nikon I received an assignment from a local production company. They were mounting a musical entitled “Dorian – The Remarkable Mister Gray” based on Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. In the production there is a picture of the protagonist, Dorian, which remains present on the stage throughout the play. For the image to be seen from the audience it had to be printed 4-foot x 6-foot. The photo of Jerome Michael Bailey was made with using the full-frame FX mode (figure 1).

Figure 2 is an unsharpened enlargement of Dorian’s eye. By that I mean unsharpened in the camera, in Lightroom, in Photoshop – unsharpened.

So, the first question has been answered, even if you didn’t see it whizzing past. At 12.1 mpx the Nikon D3 is capable of producing images of superior quality. On to the second question.

What Can this Camera Do for Me?

It’s a given that a camera can record an image – but what other features and options are available to make a camera more versatile? Even if a pro has no use for a particular function they know that a year down the line it may be just what they need to complete an assignment.

Live View

An example on the D3 would be Live View. Live View allows you to frame your subject on the LCD screen in situations where it would be difficult to use the viewfinder. If you find yourself holding the camera low to the ground you can make use of the 170-degree viewing angle of the 3-inch high-definition VGA LCD screen. This is precisely what I found myself doing while photographing in an antique store using a Lensbaby selective focus lens (figure 3).

Wireless Transmitter

Every photographer must determine which features will be most useful for the assignments they receive. For me, wireless transmission using the optional WT-4 to upload images to a computer for viewing or printing, or to control the camera from a remote computer location, is an invaluable function for the commercial photographer. In the age of digital this should be standard on any camera intended for pro use. In a studio environment the art director or client can be viewing thumbnails on the screen while the photographer is still photographing. The AD can see what the photographer is seeing and make on the spot corrections. The photographer can check lighting on a computer screen without having to take the card out of the camera and load it into an image editor.

The application for law enforcement surveillance is obvious. I predict a new round of house-cleaning in Congress as law enforcement agencies attempt to justify the cost of a new D3 in their annual budget.

Virtual Horizon

Another feature of the D3 which a photographer may not need today but will be pleased to have tomorrow, is the horizontal tilt meter aka Virtual Horizon. The horizontal tilt meter can be enabled through the menu, in which case an airplane cockpit-style circle with a floating horizon appears on the monitor. It can also be assigned to a function button on the lower right side of the lens. If the latter is chosen the tilt meter appears as an analog scale in the viewfinder and on the top control panel. In either case, the applications for this are in both architectural photography and landscapes in which the horizon is visible. It would be nice for architectural photographers if future models included a vertical tilt meter as well.

Dual CF Cards

The D3 is the first camera, to my knowledge, to have dual CF card slots. These can be configured in one of three ways. 1) When the first card runs out of storage space the second card takes over without a pause, 2) One card can write RAW files while the other writes JPEGs, 3) The second card creates a simultaneous back-up. Images can even be transferred from one card to the other.

HD LCD Monitor

I’ve already mentioned the 3-inch high-definition VGA LCD screen. What I didn’t say was that the LCD used in the D3 (and the D300) has 1920 columns x 480 rows which add up to 921,600 dots, four times the number of dots found on other cameras, including the D2X. The pixel array has also been changed to use “stripe array,” instead of “delta array” as used on other cameras. Stripe array is the same array used on a computer LCD screen, a simple RGB layout with all rows the same. Delta array uses an RGB pattern on one row and an offset BRG pattern on the next row.

The result of increased dot count and stripe array is a high definition screen which can be used to accurately view and preview images for sharpness and focus, both in Live View and image preview. There has never been anything this good on a DSLR.

There are numerous other features, including the ability to connect to a GPS via an optional adapter cord and a 60 second voice memo. All of this sounds great on paper but anyone can read the specs on the promo sheet. So, it’s time to change hats and turn to the Sergio Leone method of reviewing a camera.

The Good

This camera is designed for action. Indeed, if it had a middle name it would be Nikon “Action Jackson” D3. If photographing sports is your thing then run, don’t walk to the nearest store and buy a D3.

It’s not just the new EXPEED image processing system which allows the D3 to capture and process massive amounts of data at high definition. It’s not just the 9 fps in full frame capture mode and 11 fps in DX mode it’s the 51 points 3D tracking that makes this the king of sports. To test this I first photographed the Les Schwab Invitational High School Basketball Tournament.

I used 51 point AF, 3D Color Matrix II metering, Shutter Priority set at 1/125 second, and the default advance speed of 5 fps on Continuous Low (Cl) advance mode. I also used ISO 800, JPEG Fine, and DX. I used DX mode to gain some reach on the 24-70mm lens which Nikon sent – a little short for photographing down a basketball court.

Overall I was quite pleased with the results. Exposure was spot on, and I was able to capture all but the most difficult photos, and some of that was my own inability to keep up. In fact, I returned with a much higher percentage of in-focus perfectly exposed images than I have with any other camera. And at ISO 800 and DX mode the noise is almost imperceptible. Don’t get me wrong, though. There is noise but I wouldn’t hesitate to use these action photos in a high-quality glossy publication. (Are you listening, Sports Illustrated? Photographer for hire.)

This time I started with 51 point 3D tracking, 11 fps on DX with Continuous High (Ch) release mode, 3D Color Matrix II metering, and the shutter speed set at 1/250. 1/250 or faster is necessary in order to use 11 fps.

Hockey makes basketball look slow, especially when the players are whizzing past at arms length from where you are standing. I was pleased at how well the predictive focus worked once the main subject was identified in the viewfinder.

The 11 fps was another matter. I found it too fast. I was blazing through my card and every other image was so near the one before that I decided to switch back to 5 fps Cl to keep from running out of card space – if I wanted video I would have brought a camcorder. As it turned out, I made almost 900 images in a sport that is only 45 minutes long compare to 630 images made during 4 hours of basketball!

Once again, I came away with a higher percentage of useable images than I am accustomed to – making it extremely difficult to edit down to one for this article!

When photographing sports I like to keep the shutter speed above a minimum, usually 1/125 of a second (unless I’m going for a panning effect which I often use at horse races). The D3 (and some other Nikons including the D2X) has a lock feature which is accessible on the left side of the pentaprism. In both Manual and Shutter Priority modes this allows you to lock the shutter speed so you don’t inadvertently move it to a lower speed. In Aperture Priority it allows you to lock the f/stop. Having experience accidentally moving the shutter speed while working fast I found this to be a welcome feature which I used during both the basketball and hockey games.

And it is little things like this which make the D3 a pro level camera. Of all the camera companies Nikon seems to understand that a pro needs to be able to see and quickly change critical settings on their camera. Things like ISO, mirror lock-up, advance mode, AF/MF, image quality (RAW, JPEG, TIFF), metering mode, and yes, shutter speed lock . . . these need to be one touch accessible as they are on the D3, not buried in a hierarchy of menus.

Another feature of the D3 which has more to do with Nikon’s long-term commitment to the pro is backward compatibility with older lenses. If you have almost any Nikon lens dating back even as far as the early 1970s it will work on this camera. Not all the functions will be accessible but you can mount the lens and start photographing. This is also true of the current generation of DX lenses. Even though the DX lenses will only allow you to photograph in the smaller format (23.7 x 15.7 mm) you don’t have to sell them on eBay and buy a second set of lenses in order to use this camera.

And there is another plus to this: When using one of the five new ED lenses designed to cover the Nikon full frame FX format you are able to switch to DX mode, albeit at slightly lower resolution. For me that meant I could photograph both the basketball tournament and the Winter Hawks using a 1.5x magnification to increase the focal length of the 24-70mm lens. It also meant I could switch back to FX mode to photograph the portrait of Dorian Gray.

The Bad

Okay. So there is no perfect camera. At least I’ve never found one. Even my Leica M7 has its weaknesses. There were a few things I didn’t like about the D3. The first was the menu hierarchy. Though the D3 is not menu driven like some cameras, it still took me a while to learn how to navigate through an extensive array of menu items to find and change even basic things. However, after using the camera for about two weeks the functions and features I habitually use started to fall into place, so this wasn’t so bad after all.

The second has to do with mirror lock-up. Mirror lock-up is an invaluable function on any SLR or DSLR. It allows long-exposures to be taken without mirror vibration, usually but not always on a tripod. Simply put, you lock up the mirror, wait for the camera to stop vibrating, then release the shutter, usually through a cable release. Without a cable you could still take advantage of the lock-up function by using the self-timer: Lock up the mirror, set the timer on 2 to 10 seconds, and release the shutter with your finger. Most cameras work this way.

On the D3 the self-timer and mirror lock-up reside next to each other on the release mode dial which means you can’t use one while using the other. This may have been expedient for Nikon but it is poor design.

Be that as it may, the third ‘flaw’ is far more serious. For anyone who has ever photographed fast moving sports you already know that there is little time to perfectly frame an image. More than any other type of photography, except perhaps war photography, you rely on the balance of your camera to assist you. With the D3 I consistently found that I was framing too low – lots of foreground and the occasional cutting off of players heads. This usually indicates that the balance on the camera is off, causing the lens to tilt down.

In a situation like this it is entirely possible that the problem is not the camera but that the lens is front heavy. This was not the case. The two lenses Nikon sent me to work with, the AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED and the AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, are both superior optics and perfectly balanced.

The problem which I finally identified was the forward curve of the battery compartment underneath the camera. With my left hand on the zoom ring the compartment pushed against my wrist rolling the supporting hand and the camera forward, causing me to aim low while zooming out when the action was at its peak.

Of course, this would not be a problem if you have the time to frame your subject. But when the players are swirling around you the camera finds its own level. Once I recognized what was causing the problem I was able to compensate, but it still took effort on my part.

And the Ugly

There ain’t no ugly. The good is real good, and the bad ain’t so bad. This is a fully featured pro camera in the venerable Nikon tradition. It looks to me that Nikon is not only back in the game but has a winner.

Nikon D3 Specifications

Price (body only): $5,000

EFFECTIVE PIXELS: 12.1 mpx (12.87 total mpx)

IMAGE PROCESSOR: Nikon EXPEED

A/D CONVERSION: 14 bit

IMAGE SENSOR: 36 x 23.9 mm CMOS sensor

IMAGE SIZES:

FX format (36 x 24 mm)
L, 12.1 mpx (4256 x 2832)
M, 6.8 mpx (3184 x 2120)
S, 3.0 mpx (2128 x 146)

DX format (24 x 16 mm)
L, 5.1 mpx, (2784 x 1848)
M, 2.9 mpx, (2080 x 1384)
S, 1.3 mpx (1392 x 920)

5:4 format (30 x 24 mm)
L, 10.0 mpx (3552 x 2832)
M, 5.6 mpx (22656 x 2120)
S, 2.5 mpx (1776 x 1416)

FILE FORMATS: NEF (12 or 14 bit, lossless compressed, compressed, or uncompressed); NEF + JPEG; TIFF (RGB); JPEG

MEDIA: Type I or II CompactFlash (CF); Microdrives.

STORAGE: Double Slot with dual modes: overflow, back-up, RAW on 1 / JPEG on 2; 36 characters of text can be input and stored in EXIF header.

AF AREA MODE: Single point AF, Dynamic Area AF (9 points, 21 points, 51 points, 51 points + 3D-tracking); Automatic-area AF.

ISO: Default: ISO 200 - 6400 in 1/3, 1/2 or 1.0 EV steps; 100 - 12800 in 1/3, 1/2 or 1.0 EV steps; Boost: ISO 25600.

SHUTTER: 30 to 1/8000 sec in 1/3, 1/2 or 1.0 EV steps; bulb; X-Sync 1/250 sec.; Bulb

RELEASE MODES: Single frame; Continuous Low (Cl), 1 - 9 fps; Continuous High (CH), 9 fps (9 - 11 fps with DX format and a shutter speed of 1/250 sec.).

MONITOR: 3.0”, 922,000 pixels (VGA), low temperature polysilicon TFT LCD with 170° viewing angle; 100% frame coverage, and brightness adjustment.

LCD LIVEVIEW: Handheld: Phase-detection AF with 51 focus areas (including 15 cross-type sensors); Tripod: Contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame.

COMMUNICATIONS: FTP and PTP/IP file transfer with optional Wireless Transmitter WT-3 (IEEE 802.11 b/g)

POWER SOURCE: One rechargeable Lithium-Ion EN-EL4a/EL4 (included dual battery charger MH-22).

DIMENSIONS: W x H x D: 159.5 x 157 x 87.5 mm / 6.3 x 6.2 x 3.4"; Weight without battery, memory card, body cap, or accessory shoe cover: 1240 g (2.7 lb).

PRICE (body only): $5000

CONTACT: Nikon, (800) NIKON-UX, www.nikonusa.com.