CamerasOnly - Digital Photography Blog: Nikon D3: A Professional Photographer's New Best Friend

Pre-order the Nikon D3 now at RitzCamera.com

The new Nikon D3 digital SLR is available now for preorder at RitzCamera.com. This camera is already being sought out by professionals wanting to take advantage of the latest digital technology, so if you want to get yours AS SOON AS it's available from Nikon, order as soon as you can.

Ritz will pay your sales tax and shipping on this camera -- and most other photography products -- which could save you hundreds of dollars immediately over many other retailers.

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As expected, and hot on the heels of Canon's recent announcements for the Canon EOS Mark III and Canon EOS 40D, this morning Nikon has announced the long-awaited Nikon D3 SLR digital camera.

With "rumors" of this camera's imminent release circulating for years, the D3 is finally scheduled to ship in November 2007. The D3 DSLR is slated for the professional photographer, and with the ability to capture shots at 9 fps in full FX-format (11 fps is possible with the 5.1-megapixel DX format) this new Nikon camera is especially suited for sports photographers and photojournalists. Normal setting can reach ISO 6400, but the camera can be set to hit an amazing ISO-equivalent 25,600; for sports photographers, high-quality poster-size enlargements are now possible even for night games.

With the Nikon D3 clearly being the new flagship of the Nikon DSLR's, there are almost too many features to describe here. Some of the major selling points are:

12.1 effective megapixels, and the first Nikon DSLR to use the FX-format CMOS image sensor with 36.0mm (Horiz) x 23.9mm (Vert) image size. Two other images sizes are availble: 5:4 (30mm x 24mm) and DX-format (24mm x 16mm) for faster image capture and recording.
At the high-quality image setting, light sensitivity ranges from ISO 200 to ISO 6400; for extremely low-light conditions, the D3 can be set to ISO-equivalent 25,600.
An extremely high-definition (920,000 dot), 3-inch VGA LCD monitor covered with tempered glass and with a 170-degree viewing angle.
Nikon EXPEED image processing technology, to maximize throughput of image processing, compression and storage.
High-speed, 12-channel readout allows continuous shooting at approximately 9 fps (frames per second) in full FX format and 5:4. For an extra turbo-charged burst, the Nikon D3 provides continuous shooting at 11 fps in 5.1 megapixel DX format.
Light weight and strong, magnesium alloy is used for the chassis, the exterior cover, and the mirror box. O-ring seals are used at vital locations to keep out dust and excess moisture.
New 51-point auto-focus system with 15 cross-type sensors.
A CF double slot accepts two CompactFlash memory cards... why waste time changing memory cards?
Quick response with 0.12 second startup time, and a 37 ms shutter-release lag time.

This top-of-the-line camera is designed and built for professionals. As of this writing, the final pricing has not been set. But with a price tag in the thousands, this is not a digital camera for taking shots at little Johnny's next birthday party (unless you want to snap the best birthday photos you've ever taken in your life). For the pro, though, the Nikon D3 DSLR will be the camera to own for 2007.

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