Product Listing

Preview - Nikon D3 and Nikon D300

By Justin Ong, Adrian Chan & Ng Chong Seng - 24 Aug 2007

A Whole New Equation

A Whole New Equation

Responsible for all the data processing and high speed shooting is the EXPEED image processing concept and this will eventually make its way into all future Nikon digital compacts and DSLRs. Using EXPEED as a foundation, image processing engines and systems will be optimized for every particular model offering specific user characteristics and a variety of applications. The D3 offers 12-bit or 14-bit A/D conversion and 16-bit image processing, producing wide colour gamuts, very high performance and wide dynamic ranges on the images shot.

Throw into the equation three hot new features: Nikons new Picture Control System and the Scene Recognition System to improve the accuracy of the AF, the Auto Exposure and AWB. And then there is the new Active D-Lighting whereby the value is chosen prior to shooting the picture. Active D-Lighting is combined with exposure compensation to increase the range from "highlights" to "shadows" (as if it is increasing the dynamic range). The advantage of using Active D-Lighting is that it maintains proper contrast by preventing the image from looking flat. All are designed to expand your creative horizon as a photographer.

In response to feedbacks, the new Nikon D3 employs a new high density 51 point AF system with 15 cross type sensors and a new "3D tracking" mode, which consistently responds to a subject's movement in real time to ensure that the subject is always in focus.

To check your progress, the D3 has a new 3-inch VGA TFT LCD monitor with 920,000-dot, offering a 170-degree viewing angle to complement the use of the new Liveview technology when the D3 is held at unconventional shooting angles. Now you can focus in on your subjects in two distinctive modes: handheld using all the 51 point AF system or the Tripod Mode for more precise focusing of still subjects.

As a professional camera with fast shooting and writing speed, and the ability to capture data in RAW NEF, it's a good thing Nikon loaded the D3 with two UDMA card slots, which means to say you can simply throw in two 8GB Lexar Professional UDMA 300x CF cards and let your shutter finger run wild.

Aesthetically and physically, the new D3 is marginally bigger and a tad heavier than the D2XS, but thanks to the handiwork of designer Giugiaro, the D3 manages to feel very ergonomically designed and manageable. The command dials, multi selector and grips are all in the right places for good handling.

Like its stable mate the D300, the D3 also offers HDMI output to HDTV's to playback your shots and this is where you can see if the hot new VIRTUAL HORIZON feature really helps you to keep your camera level prior to sensor exposure. Looking and behaving like its counterparts commonly found on aircrafts (and in movies), the horizon gauge is located in the SETUP sub menu and it assists you in ensuring your camera is completely level at times when you need it to be so. You can also plug in an external GPS module to record the exact locations of your shoots as well. Nikon has also improved the voice note taking controls, which now allow editing and erasing of those important .WAV files when you change your mind.

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