Amateur Photographer Magazine

 Nikon D3 digital SLR product review - taster - INTRODUCTION

Friday 7th December 2007

Barney Britton

INTRODUCTION



It's possible that more has been written about the Nikon D3 before it has actually come onto the market than there has been about any camera before it. There are several obvious reasons for the unusual amount of interest the D3 has attracted. Foremost, it represents Nikon's first foray into the 'full-frame' digital arena, which until now has been dominated by Canon. The bar has been set very high and Nikon will be keen to show that it can offer a high-quality alternative to the well-established '1Ds' line of Canon EOS DSLRs.

Another reason the D3 has attracted attention is that so much about it is conspicuously different from previous Nikon offerings. In the past eight years, Nikon has relied on a two-pronged approach for its professional products, using a single-sensor format (DX) but marketing two different versions of its flagship DSLR chassis – one boasting higher resolution, and the other faster frame capture. Canon was able in the meantime – with the EOS 1D, 1D Mark IIn and 1D Mark III – to offer both high resolution and fast frame rates in the same body, at the same time.

Whatever the logic behind the dual-chassis philosophy, I'm sure many Nikon photographers were more than a little envious of the flexibility offered by the rival system, and it is no surprise that some of them have defected over the past six or seven years.

With the D3, Nikon must tread a rather difficult line between offering a camera that can rival the EOS '1D' series for flexibility and speed, and providing loyal Nikon users with what they have always wanted – a high-quality, high-resolution, full-frame digital camera that isn't astronomically expensive. On paper, the D3 succeeds on all counts. I'm keen to find out whether it can live up to the hype.

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