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i know that many of you have emailed me asking when i was going to post my d3 review, and here it is. i am so grateful to nikon for the opportunity to use this amazing gear and i'm extraordinarily happy to be a part of the nikon family.
this is a freaking fantastic camera.
i had always been a canon user and always a manual shooter. i loved aperture priority but was never able to achieve consistent results from the canon A settings. with this d3 i can shoot in aperture priority with ease, getting very solid results. the exposure compensation is nearly flawless and very intuitive to use.
the much-talked-about high iso performance is EXCELLENT. |
| for example. iso 2500. almost straight out of the camera with just a little sharpening for the web. |
also iso 2500. tone cooled down just a tiny bit in raw conversion (i lowered the color temperature in capture nx) and sharpened for web.
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| iso 2500. straight out of camera file, sharpened for web. |
you can also see that the auto white balance is simply stellar. i'm amazed by the dynamic range of these files, i am noticing much less blown highlights and more details in the deepest blacks of the images.
iso 5000.
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i cannot say enough about the white balances in this camera. this is STRAIGHT out of the camera. no photoshopping at all save a tiny bit of sharpening for the web.
iso 200. cloudy white balance.
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the focusing is tack-sharp and extremely fast. the lenses are sharp, precise, and delicious - the 14-24mm 2.8 is buttery smooth all the way across the glass. the huge lcd screen is sharp and startlingly accurate. what blows me away the most is this camera's capability to capture light and the delicious tonal and dynamic range of the images. i'd always been a fan of canon's files but they simply can't compare to what this camera can do.
the only down side to this camera is that it's SO responsive that i end up firing off far too many shots in a row because it's so quick!
if you have ANY questions or want any more clarification just leave a comment and i'll reply! |
** responses to comments **
stephen: the camera is heavy! it truly is. i was a 5d girl for so long with tiny light lenses and no camera strap and the d3 is very different. i have a camera strap on for the first time since shooting the 1d and i don't like it as much but i need it. i will not carry both bodies on me, but it's not a weight thing - i have always been a single-body shooter.
paul : i don't have any custom settings set, no. i generally am a center-focus-and-compose girl unless i'm shooting at a very shallow depth of field. if i'm doing that i'll use another focus point so i don't lose focus when i recompose.
stephan : i will get the full res version up as soon as i get home; not a problem!
jr: i use the sb800 flashes. i am currently crazy about my new 85mm 1.4 lens and the 70-200mm 2.8. both are incredibly sharp and fast. i also love the 14-24mm 2.8, it's a great wide lens with super sharpness and clarity.
john: no, no burning. the light on the table tapered off really quickly and made for some really cool natural vignetting. |
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