Nikon Announces New D3 Digital SLR

Dubbed "Nikon FX" to differentiate it from the smaller "Nikon DX" sensors used in the company's DSLRs to date, the new sensor has an area of 36 x 23.9mm - about the same as a frame of 35mm film (hence "full frame"). It is still possible to use DX format lenses with the Nikon D3, but if you do so the camera will automatically set itself to the "DX Crop" mode, reducing sensor resolution to account for the smaller image circle of a DX lens. Resolution is twelve megapixels ordinarily, and 5.1 megapixels when in "DX Crop" mode. The Nikon D3 can shoot full-res photos at an impressive nine frames per second for 20 Raw or 64 JPEG Normal photos - just a hair behind the 10 fps to 30 Raw / 110 JPEG frames of Canon's EOS-1D Mark III. Bump the resolution down to the 5.1 megapixel "DX Crop" mode, and you can boost this to ten frames per second (with auto exposure limitations) or even to an incredible 11 frames per second (with further limitations to auto focus as well). The cropped area of the image is automatically masked out in the viewfinder when using "DX Crop" mode.

That's not the only trick the camera has up its sleeve though. The Nikon D3 combines modern CMOS sensor technology, a new image processor dubbed "Expeed", a large light gathering sensor area for the resolution, and a resultingly large pixel cell size (relative to, say, Canon's just announced 21 megapixel EOS-1Ds Mark III which has essentially the same sensor size). Add all that up, and you get the promise of relatively low noise at higher sensitivities than competitors - and based on the maximum ISO sensitivity limit in the D3, it look like Nikon is ready to deliver on that promise. Most SLRs max out at ISO 3200 or perhaps ISO 6400 - but with the Nikon D3 you can manage ISO sensitivities in a staggeringly wide range from ISO 100 to ISO 25,600. (Yes, you read that right - no typo there!) Of course like most SLRs, the ISO sensitivity is normally locked to a smaller range where image quality is least likely to be affected by noise - and on the Nikon D3 that range is ISO 200 to 3,200.

With the D3, Nikon becomes the latest manufacturer to support a "live view" function in a digital SLR - letting you preview the frame to be captured in the LCD display rather than having to hold the viewfinder to your eye. That LCD, by the way, should be easy on the eye with a diagonal of three inches, 640 x 480 pixel (920,000 dots) of resolution, and 170-degree wide viewing angle. Nikon's live view functionality has two operating modes. In "Handheld" mode, autofocus is allowed by dropping the mirror briefly to allow light to reach the camera's TTL phase detection autofocus module - the downside being an interruption to the live view while focusing is happening.. In "Tripod" mode, the camera uses contrast detection autofocus from the image sensor, allowing for autofocus to occur without interruption to the live view - and usefully, also allowing for the AF point to be set anywhere in the image area.

Speaking of autofocus, that's another area of improvement in the Nikon D3. A new Multi-CAM 3500 FX autofocus system has 15 cross-type sensors and 36 linear sensors, for a total of 51 autofocus points. 3D Focus Tracking is possible across all 51 points, with the camera automatically switching between focus points to follow your subject. A new Scene Recognition System is described as a "world's first" by Nikon and is said to recognize the scene being photographed, then use this information accordingly when calculating exposure, autofocus and white balance. An Active D-Lighting system corrects for shadows and highlights to produce more appealing images. There's also a new Picture Control System with four basic presets - Standard, Neutral, Vivid and Monochrome - which the user can then tweak to their taste, adjust imaging parameters such as saturation, brightness, sharpening and tone compensation. Up to nine different customized presets can be stored in each D3 body, and up to 99 can be stored on a CompactFlash card - enabling easy sharing of settings among multiple cameras (or for that matter, easy sharing of cameras between multiple photographers).

There are enough standout features on the Nikon D3 that a full discussion is rather beyond the scope of this news article. Briefly though, other features of note include the camera's general speed - undeniably swift with a claimed 0.12 second startup time and a 37 millisecond shutter release lag. There's also dual CompactFlash slots with the ability to copy files in-camera, write to both cards simultaneously or consecutively, or even place Raw and JPEG files on separate cards. An HDMI connection (cable not included) allows for the Nikon D3 to be connected directly to a high definition display. Some features are a little more exotic - for example, a Virtual Horizon function that indicates (in both LCD and viewfinder) whether the camera is true and level, based on information from a built-in digital level sensor, or in-camera correction of chromatic abberations based on information on the lens in use. Others are features you expect to see on a camera of this level, such as dust and water proofing measures, a magnesium alloy body, tempered glass over the LCD display, and a shutter mechanism rated to last to 300,000 releases.

The Nikon D3 digital SLR goes on sale from November 2007, priced at just under $5,000.
provided by Imaging Resource.