Product Description

The Nikon D3X-meticulously engineered for professional assignments that demand nothing less than extreme 24.5-megapixel, FX-format image performance. In the studio or on location, the D3X faithfully captures NEF (RAW) files that, when processed, exceed 138 MB. Nikons exclusive EXPEED image processing technologies support extremely low-noise and faster, more accurate 51-point autofocus with 4 Dynamic AF modes, including 3D Focus Tracking. EXPEED also enables fast processing of massive amounts of data, allowing continuous shooting at up to 5fps. A bright 3-inch super-density 920,000-dot LCD monitor offers precise image review, along with 27x magnification for precise focus confirmation in Live View. Responsive handling and more top off the D3Xs professional potency.

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13250 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Nikon
• Model: D3x Body
• Dimensions: 3.40" h x 6.20" w x 6.30" l, 2.70 pounds
• Display size: 3

Features

• Extreme resolution 24.5-megapixel FX-format (35.9 x 24.0mm) CMOS sensor
• Nikon EXPEED image processing technologies; 138 MB processed NEF (RAW) 12 or 14-bit image files
• 3-inch super-density 920,000-dot VGA LCD monitor; 100 percent viewfinder coverage
• Two Live View shooting modes; continuous shooting at up to 5 fps at full FX-format resolution
• Dual CF card slots with overflow, backup and copy options

From the Manufacturer

Nikon is proud to announce the new 24.5-megapixel FX-format (35.9 x 24.0mm) D3X digital SLR camera! Joining the award-winning 12.1-megapixel D3, the D3X brings extreme resolution performance to Nikon professional flagship-level D-SLRs. The D3X was meticulously engineered for professional photographers whose assignments demand nothing less than the ability to capture extreme fidelity, detail and nuance in ways now made possible with the amazing D3X.

Nikon Extreme Digital SLR Image Quality
In the studio or on location, the D3X faithfully captures NEF (RAW) files that, when processed, are approximately 138 MB! Of course, neither a Nikon 24.5-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor nor 138 MB files are of value unless they deliver truly superior image quality. And in this regard, the new D3X exceeds expectations. Like its 12.1-megapixel D3 counterpart, the D3X features Nikon’s exclusive EXPEED image processing technologies teamed with the proprietary Nikon Scene Recognition System to ensure the utmost in image fidelity, low noise, faster, more accurate autofocus and amazing file processing speed that makes continuous shooting at up to five frames per second possible. In addition, the D3X’s ISO sensitivity range of 100 to 1600 (with Lo1, 50 and Hi 2 up to 6400) is mindful of the needs of photographers specializing in commercial, fashion and fine art photography.

Nikon Professional D-SLR System Synergy
Nikon engineers understand that the needs of professional photographers vary with their assignments. Nikon also understands that a photographer's workflow can be seriously impacted by cameras with widely dissimilar handling, which is why the D3X takes its design cues from the enormously successful D3. Logical and familiar control layout integrates with rugged, reliable construction. And like the D3, the D3X features Nikon’s 51-point AF system with 3D focus tracking. A bright 3-inch super-density 920,000-dot LCD monitor offers precise image review, along with razorsharp, 27x magnification for fast, critical confirmation of focus in one of two Live View modes, all of which contribute to the D3X’s professional potency.

More Nikon D3X Highlights

Extreme resolution 24.5-megapixel FX-format (35.9 x 24.0mm) CMOS sensor
Large 5.49µm pixels capture astonishing detail and subtleties with outstanding dynamic range for demanding commercial applications.

Nikon EXPEED image processing technologies
EXPEED extends and assures breathtakingly rich image fidelity and reduces noise, even at high ISOs.

138 MB1 Processed NEF (RAW) 12 or 14 bit image files
Selectable bit depths of 12-bit (4,096 tones) or 14-bit (16,384 tones), both yielding incredible image quality through a 16-bit processing pipeline, for smoother tonal gradations.

Low noise ISO sensitivity from 100 to 1600
Added ISO settings of Lo-1 ISO 50, Hi-1 ISO 3200 and Hi-2 ISO 6400 extend versatility.

Two Live View shooting modes
Two Live View modes add flexibility, and up to 27x magnification in the Tripod Mode, acute focusing accuracy is easily confirmed.

Continuous shooting at up to 5 fps at full FX-format resolution
Commercial image quality teams with speed and handling to create new shooting possibilities--in the studio or on location.

Fast, accurate 51-point AF system
AF system features 4 Dynamic AF modes, including 3D Focus Tracking, for autofocus precision and razor sharpness.

1,005-Pixel 3D Color Matrix Metering II with Scene Recognition System
Two Nikon exclusive technologies provide intelligent auto exposure capabilities along with refined auto white balance detection and faster, more accurate A performance.

3-inch super-density 920,000-dot VGA LCD monitor
Individual factory calibration assures the color accuracy of each D3X monitor for critical image review.

Additional Features

• 100 percent viewfinder coverage
• Nikon Picture Control
• Rugged, durable and precise magnesium-alloy construction
• Dual CF card slots with overflow, backup and copy options
• Virtual Horizon Graphic Indicator
• Up to 4,400 images per battery charge

What's in the Box
D3x body, rechargeable Li-ion battery EN-EL4a, Quick Charger MH-22, USB Cable UC-E4, Audio Video Cable EG-D2, Camera Strap AN-D3X, Body Cap BF-1A, Accessory Shoe Cover BS-2, Eyepiece DK-17, Battery Chamber Cover BL-4, USB Cable Clip, Software Suite CD-ROM

---

Customer Reviews

Not much to complain about (except the price)....
Owned a D3 for one and a half years and traded in for the D3x after trying out the new model for a day. My review is not about price - for the record I think Nikon stretched the barrier on the price point for this which I am not happy about - but as far as performance goes I am happy. The D3x results is are perceptibly superior for landscape and macro photography - which is what I typically shoot - even on just A3+ prints.... so I can imagine that the results would be that much better for larger sizes. Just as many of you, I have also read arguments on the net re the megapixel myth ad nauseam and was half convinced about it but nothing speaks as clearly as prints (and I'm comparing studio shots of the same subject taken with the two different cameras).

Have not tried the D3x for sports photography yet but I suspect that unless you are shooting either motor-sports or winter sports, the moderately slower 5fps in large FX mode compared with the 7fps for the D3 is not going to be an issue.

I also spent a day with the Sony Alpha-900 given that is the only other player in a similar mega-pixel category. The output was all right but overall just not in the same league as the D3x in terms of handling, build quality etc etc (I'm probably biased as I am very familiar with Nikon controls - just found the Sony too 'fiddly' and 'plasticky' and couldn't see myself spending hours with it without getting irritated).

Early days with the camera but so far it feels like one of the best DSLR's I have used especially when the medium format alternatives would involve rendering my large pile of Nikon lenses useless and the replacement cost would be prohibitive. As mentioned earlier the D3x pricing is a different issue altogether and I think that the right price point would have been around $2K lower......will update if and when I discover any shortfalls or glitches.

Truly remarkable.
A little context...I've shot a lot with a D200, even more with a D3, and most recently with the D3x. Most of my work is in fashion, with a small bit of commercial product work here and there.

I must say - the images this camera produces are truly stunning. Paired with a suitable lens, the detail is amazing...and other qualities, the more subjective ones like contrast and color, are hard to describe but are excellent and for my work, exceed the D3's already excellent capabilities.

But all the detail in the world can't help you if you can't count on the camera to deliver the shot...and that's where handling comes into play. The D3 is, IMHO, the best-handling DSLR body in the world - a combination of the autofocus system and the camera controls (and the metering system, but I'm usually shooting in manual so don't rely on it often). The D3x handles identically to the D3x (save for the frame rate), which is exactly what I would have hoped for.

I use this camera mostly at ISO 100; the files delivered are amazingly noise-free. Sure, any camera can deliver at its base ISO...but you truly need to study these files to really understand the cleanliness and enlargement potential.

All in all, this is exactly what I hoped Nikon would deliver. Sure, I'd rather it was cheaper...but if you want the best image quality in digital 35mm format that money can buy, this is it.

Let's Read the D3x Reviews from Professionals not the Non-Owners
$8000 is not a small stack of money especially in today's economy. So how dare Nikon can put up such a price tag? Does they fall into a crack and totally out of the reality?

So far all the reviews on Amazon.com are from the price complainers who would not buy a D3x. However, let's first face the fact that the Canon's flagship, the 1Ds Mark III, also retails at $8000 although they are routinely sold at discount since it has been on the market for a while. But when it came out the price was the same so we can hardly say Nikon is too crazy.

Then there start to merge rave reviews, mostly from pros who have extensive experiences with the Canon 1DsIII. All these reviews seem point to the same observations: the D3x RAW files set a brand new standard for a DSLR and has far passed the 1DsIII quality level.

Let's first look at the professional review site of Lloyd Chambers who has on going exhaustive D3x tests including comparisons with the 1DsIII, D3, A700, and with both the Nikon and the Carl Zeiss lenses:

http://www.diglloyd.com/diglloyd/blog.html

Yes the real reviews on his DAP ("Diglloyd's Advanced Photography") is not free, but from my opinion the $29.99 fee is well deserved. You can also get the DAP and his extensive Zeiss lens review free of charge, if you order a D3x through his links to Amazon, B&H, and Adorama online stores.

Here let us see what Lloyd have found and put out today (all quote from his free blog pages):

"And so I'll repeat what I've stated before: the Nikon D3x offers the finest image quality in a DSLR the world has yet seen. The online bitching and moaning about the price won't change that fact--I don't like it either. But if you need or want the very best DSLR available today, the Nikon D3x is your camera. In fact, I have zero desire to shoot my Canon 1Ds Mark III any more. None at all. It's not about resolution: it's about stunning image quality."

"How well do D3x images scale? The crop below is actual pixels after scaling to 97.5 megapixels (12096 X 8064), using RAW Developer. It has been sharpened during RAW conversion and also in Photoshop CS4. Probably those versed in the finer points of image scaling could do even better, and sometime soon I'll be exploring how well PhotoZoom Pro and Genuine Fractals do scaling of D3x images.

You don't need "faith" with the Nikon D3x: it's offers the finest image quality in a DSLR the world has yet seen."

"In perhaps my most intriguing findings yet on the D3x, I've explored color and noise with the Nikon D3x and Nikon D3 side-by-side, using my reference lens, the Coastal Optics 60mm f/4 UV-VIS-IR APO macro.

The crop below is from the D3x at ISO 1600, downsampled to D3 actual-pixels resolution. Noise?"

Is Lloyd, who reviews photographic products from all the makers, biased or simply over-excited? Let's checkout an independent review on the Luminous Landscapes forum, again from a long time 1DsIII user. The title of the blog was titled "Nikon is NOT on crack - Initial D3x image quality is AMAZING!":

http://luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=30658

where we can find the following quotes:

"I just got out for about 4 hours of serious (landscape and macro) shooting with the D3x this morning, and have been looking at the files for most of the afternoon. The easiest comparison I can make is to the 1Ds mk II (note: NOT mk III), as that is the highest-resolution camera I have a lot of experience with (other than the D3x). I am comparing at ISO 100, converting from 14-bit NEFs (in Nikon Capture NX2) and viewing at 100% on screen (unfortunately, my printer is 180 miles away right now, and I'm on my laptop monitor, NOT my calibrated work monitor, because I am visiting my parents for the holidays). There are two apparent differences - first is the incredible sharpness of the D3x. When I've nailed the focus, the D3x looks very darned sharp at 100% without applying any sharpening - because of the AA filter, the Canon never did that. It would PRINT very sharp, but 100% on screen always revealed a slight blur. There is absolutely no noise in an ISO 100 D3x file, even at 100%, which adds to the impression of sharpness - very slight shadow noise in the Canon files adds a slight haze to dark ones - that is simply not there in a D3x file. The second difference is the dynamic range - the D3x has about a stop more range in the highlights, plus at least an extra stop in the shadows, maybe even 1.5 stops extra in the shadows, all of it very clean. This camera, properly handled, should print 24x36 inches with ease from its base ISO of 100 (I get 16x24 out of the Canon, but don't like to go larger than that).

ISO 400 on the D3x is very usable - it looks roughly like an ISO 100 file from a 1Ds mk II in terms of noise - it may have extra dynamic range, which I wouldn't have seen because my ISO 400 tests were on a very dreary, grey day and would have fit easily within the DR of the 1Ds mk II). This is comparing on a per-pixel basis, so the D3x file still has 3/2 the detail in it, due to the increased resolution... I have even fooled around a bit with ISO 3200 (HI 1.0), which looks awful on screen (although quite good considering that it's ISO 3200 - much better than any ISO 3200 film ever looked), but will make a pretty decent 8x10 print with no trouble, and should even print 11x17 with some careful handling. I didn't buy the camera to shoot at ISO 3200, but it's nice to know the capability is there should it be needed. Those unbelievable ISO 100 files are what I bought the camera for, and it is certainly worth its price for its low-ISO performance! There is something highly unusual in the imaging chain of the D3x to get these results - the sensor may NOT be stock Alpha 900 issue (I suspect it isn't - I don't have a lot of Alpha experience, but the test files I've seen are not anywhere near as clean, even at low ISOs) , and if it is, the AA filter in the D3x is extremely unusual, probably made out of pure unobtainium.

Add that performance to a superb rugged and ergonomic camera body with class-leading AF and metering, and the result is a remarkable machine. Yes, it's expensive, but the only way to get better files is three times as expensive and not nearly as rugged.

-Dan"

"Things like microlenses and AA filters are getting better - the D3x seems to have an AA filter that few if any cameras can match (the amount of detail per pixel is remarkably high). I've used a variety of digital setups and film formats over the years (from the original Canon D30 - not 30D, the original 3 MP D30!) to the D3x for the past couple of weeks. My serious photographic work is fairly traditional landscapes, including quite a bit of work much closer in than many landscape photographers work.
Subjectively, here's how a list of cameras I know well come out (when I say low ISO film, I mean Velvia, Extachrome 100, Tmax 100, etc - not Tech Pan or other exotic ultra-fine definition films). When I'm comparing film to a digital setup, I'm referring to film scanned at 4000 DPI on a Nikon 5000 or 9000 (a consumer flatbed wlll have significantly less resolution, and an Imacon may do somewhat better, although the Nikons manage to scan grain, so an Imacon can't be that much better, except perhaps in dynamic range and other non-resolution factors). I shoot everything serious in RAW at maximum bit depth at or near base ISO, and I have rarely used any film faster than ISO 100. This is a rather random sampling of cameras I have owned or used extensively over the years.

Canon D30 (3 mp) - less resolution than low-iso 35mm film, but noise less than grain on 35mm film (overall IQ fairly similar to good 35mm film) - prints 6x9 inches very comfortably, 8x12 in a stretch. Dynamic range of low-DR slide film at 5-6 stops (nail exposures and be careful with subjects).

Sony 6 mp CCD (was in a ton of DSLRs for a while, still in Nikon D40) - resolution more or less equivalent to 35mm, prints a little bigger than I've ever been comfortable with from 35mm due to noise advantage, especially in its newer incarnations (8x12 easily, 11x17 possible). Dynamic range better than most slide films, not close to print film (in the range of 7 good stops).

Nikon D200 (10 mp) - resolution significantly better than 35mm (between 35mm and 645). Overall image quality approaching 645 (which I'd say still has the edge). Prints 11x17 easily, but 16x24 is a big stretch (I've done it, am not terribly happy with the results). Dynamic range similar to 6 mp sensor.

Canon EOS 1Ds mkII (16.7 mp) - resolution nearly equivalent to 645 film, with overall image quality probably slightly to somewhat ahead of 645. The first digital camera I have used that really plays in medium format (film) territory. Dynamic range improved over any previous digital camera I had used by at least a stop (8 or more really good stops in a raw file). Prints 16x24 fairly easily, but gives up before 24x36.

Nikon D3x (24.4 mp) - resolution well into medium-format territory, close to 6x9 cm scanned film (much sharper per pixel than 1Ds mkII due to improvements in sensor/AA technology). Overall image quality significantly better than scanned 6x9 cm Velvia! Dynamic range appears to be over 9 stops, maybe 10, while remaining completely noiseless. The only files I've seen that are definitively better are scans from large-format film. Prints 24x36 inches (a 25x enlargement) very comfortably, even examining the print from a few inches away. Files appear sharp and detailed on screen at 100%

I'm sure that MF digital is even better than the D3x (although I'd be surprised if the 30ish mp variety were a big jump). 60+ MP MF digital would be approaching well-scanned 4x5 film image quality very closely, if it carries at least the same amount of information per pixel as the D3x. The few Hasselblad H3D II/31 files I've seen are in a similar league to D3x files, with the Hasselblad's edge being roughly the resolution difference (20%). I have not seen a Hasselblad file with enough subject dynamic range to make a meaningful DR comparison (it's certainly not less than the D3x, and could be significantly more).

-Dan"

So, if someone thinks the D3x price is too high, probably he or she does not need the tool of such caliber. Let's stop rumbling with empty hands and wait for some real Amazon D3x users to express their findings.