Nikon-D3x

Pre-takeoff Checklist

2009-02-21T02:07:00.000-08:00

I've made a new blog with tips and resources for all Pro model Nikon users. First post there is a 4-point checklist for setting up your camera before you go to an event or go out on a trip. Go get it!

Edmund

Instant Review: Nikon D3x. This Camera Just Works

2009-02-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

Nutshell Summary: As a professional field camera, the D3x combines superb best-of-class image quality, professional action-focus abilities, and a robust design. All that's left to scream about is the price.

Although I once had a D1x, long, long, ago, Ive been shooting Canon and and MF of late, and I've been very pleasantly surprised by the no-fuss handling of the D3x: Focus is excellent, images are consistently sharp., although the AF system will sometimes seize on a high-contrast detail behind the main subject.

Exposure is also consistently very good, with occasional slight over-exposures. As a result, Jpeg images are very usable, a recourse to exposure correction by means of the NEF Raw files is usually not necessary. In fact, the excellent usability of Jpeg as a kind of "Digital Slide Emulsion" has surprised me.

I consistently shoot at ISO 1600 in the street. I wouldn't go higher, but this seems to be the appropriate sensitivity for this camera in the field, minimizing camera shake that would destroy the benefit of the high-rez sensor.

Batteries last forever. The finder is very good, the back screen sufficient for judging composition and exposure. The center button on the joystick can be conveniently mapped to 100% enlargement during preview. The camera ergonomics are good but not perfect —a fast settings bank selector would be one obvious improvement.

So far, I haven't been able to find a fault with anything this camera can do — although some things it cannot do, eg. video. However many reviewers have focused on the price as the weak point of this product. But there's a solution to that too: The D3 offers a substantially cheaper yet very capable alternative to the "x" as well as reasonably priced backup. The D3 may be the better choice for many pros who need fast focus and superlative high-ISO capture.

I will write more about the D3x. Just not today.

Review: Thom Hogan's Nikon D3 To Go

2009-02-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

Nutshell summary: A hugely useful resource, that will guide you to your own customized D3 or D3x setup. Cogently explains the complex AF system of the D3/D3x.

If you want to learn your Nikon, really learn it, Thomas Hogan has something for you. For the D3 and by implication the D3x there's a package consisting of a booklet —reviewed today— and a CD.

"Welcome", says Thom, "to the concise version of the Complete Guide to the Nikon D3 ... the main eBook stripped to the bare essentials".

The booklet, D3 to Go, is a guided tour of the trees rather than a map of the forest. But it's still darn useful. The BIG clearly labelled diagrams of every button, control and LCD panel are a relief for middle aged eyes. They're also a quick way to figure out what a cryptic display means.

Then there's the obligatory a guide of the menus, an explanation of the Custom settings with details on the way the settings banks are configured by default. Did you know that Bank D is set up for sports photographers?

For every feature of the camera, Thom tells you not only what settings are available, but which are advisable. In particular, the recipes for Nikon autofocus, especially "The Pro Approach to Autofocus" are priceless. There's also a discussion of flash setup.

Sometimes, Thom does score a miss. In the depth of field tables the distance units are not specified. Pray tell, are those meters, Monsieur Thom, or feet, Esquire Thom? And, no guide to the PictBridge printing system, although this is definitely something you use in the field. Then the typesetting is really amateurish, it shows up worst in the TOC and index. Surely, Thom could hire some help here to design templates; would he have his wedding shot by his cousin?

Let's not waste more time finding minor faults with this very deserving Guide. This one comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I'll review the eBook when I work up the courage to load the CD. Although I love books I do hate reading them on screens.

Edmund

Kick Off!

2009-02-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks! This is my new Nikon D3x blog. I've had the camera for a couple of weeks, coming from Medium Format (Mamiya AFDII / Phase P45+) and Canon. So far the D3x has held up perfectly, but there is a definite learning curve when coming to a Nikon pro camera. In the beginning I'll describe the tools and resources I'm using to learn my way around my new camera; this may help all photographers wrap their hands around a D3, D3x, D700, D300 or the consumer models: Nikon cameras all share the same control layout, menus and handling.

Edmund.