dslr.ws

Go now to Rob Galbraith’s site to see the best collection of pre-release Nikon D3 sample photos anywhere on the Interwebs.

He has full resolution images ranging from ISO 200 to ISO 25600, from three different photographers. These are real-world images, some with post-processing done, some with no processing done (some have been sharpened, noise-reduced with Noise Ninja, or otherwise adjusted.)

Interestingly, one of the cameras shows a number of defects:

Photos from this preproduction D3 body show quite a few dead pixels and/or minor sensor defects, which may be visible in this photo as brightly-coloured dots or short lines.

Unfortunately, that camera is the only one from which samples above 3200 ISO are available, and there’s only one image each for 12800 and 25600 ISO.

Also note that these are probably not sRGB profile images, so unless your web browser supports color profiles, the colors won’t look right in your browser, and you should open the images in something like Photoshop. Thanks, Rob and the photographers involved, for giving us mere mortals a slightly better glimpse at this fabled new Nikon D3. Everyone seems to love it so much, I’m hoping it’ll turn out to also cure cancer and bring peace to the Middle East. I hope my expectations aren’t too high.

Happy pixel peeping!

Christian Handl attended the Nikon Solutions Expo in Vienna a few days ago and had the opportunity to shoot with a Nikon D3 and a Nikon D300, and without any restrictions on what he did with the images. He’s now posted a comparison between those two new Nikons and the Canon 5D.

It’s pretty preliminary, a Nikon expo isn’t really the right venue to do a comprehensive camera comparison, obviously, but he still has some interesting results. He rates the high ISO performance of the D3 as good — and very good when compared to Nikon’s past cameras — but not that mind-blowing when compared to Canon:

The propagated fantastic high ISO-performance is actually very good, but for a Canon photographer less of a sensation, with a maximum of 1 Aperture advantage over the Canon 5 D, I would say after the first comparisons. But in other words, for a Nikon photographer an improvement of 3-4 steps to the D2X, which is a very impressive difference.

The D300 shows slightly higher noise levels than the 5D.

However, he reports much-improved dynamic range in the Nikon D3 over the 5D:

Most surprised me the far greater dynamic range, here are the differences in my recordings to the Canon 5D very large, the cameras were in similar light (same flash unit and similar ISO from 250 to 320) to allow a good comparison. While the black clothes of the model in the 5D were only partly illuminable, with the D3 even the seemingly blackest parts of the dress showed structure without disturbing noise. Very impressive, and in everyday life in many photographic situations more important than MP. If these observations can be confirmed in further tests for me that would be the main reason to consider a change. But Canon will also not sleep, and let’s see how well the successor of the 5D is made.

Looking at the sample images that he’s basing that on, however, I’m not sure that it’s warranted. He photographed two models with both the D3 and 5D, and shows improved shadow detail in the D3 photo. However, the models are turned differently between the two shots, and in the D3 image the model’s dress has much more light on it than in the 5D shot. Naturally, that leads to more details in the dress than in the 5D’s shot. Both images show shadow areas, but the Canon 5D shots appear to be in much deeper, darker shadows than in the D3 image, so I’m not sure that it’s a valid comparison.

But we’ll have to see. I wouldn’t be surprised to see better shadow detail — I don’t really have any expectations either way — but I don’t think that Christian’s impromptu test really sheds much light on it (no pun intended.)

He hopes for lighter fast lenses for the Nikon, stating that Canon has the advantage in that area at the moment:

[W]ith the increasingly restrictive rules for flights, a photographer has to be careful with the hand luggage weight. Here my Canon equipment with 5D and 40D has some advantages. What is also sorely lacking in Nikon, are lighter Pro Series optics with aperture 4 as it is at Canon. Here I can choose from 17-40 L, 24-105 IS L and 70-200 IS L and the 100-400 IS USM 4-5,6 is on the 40 D a very workable Tele optics, with effective 640 mm. Since Nikon has really nothing comparable to offer here (the 80-400 has slower AF and old IS/VR, but Nikon reps are hoping that it will be updated). Hopefully in the future more new lenses are added which can cope with the high demand of that sensor, many old lenses will not shine very bright, I fear.

In the end, while not the most breathlessly thrilled Nikon D3 preview I’ve read, it’s still very positive, and he clearly thinks the camera is going to give Canon a run for its money.

Normally all of this information comes out at once: camera names, specs, price, ship dates, etc. Nikon seems to enjoy trickling out little bits of information over time. I guess if I wanted to teach them a lesson I wouldn’t keep posting when they’re announced — and, to be honest, I’ve posted some Nikon rumors about these cameras. I guess I can forgive myself, especially with the D3, since it’s a fairly major camera.

Anyway, the new details announced by Nikon Japan says that the Nikon D300 will go on sale on November 23, and the Nikon D3 will go on sale on November 30. The new 500mm and 600mm lenses will go on sale in January, while the other new lenses will be on sale on November 30th along with the D3 (and the WT-4, as well.)

Also, the first 300,000 buyers — how many are they planning on selling, exactly? — will get CaptureNX for free.

All of you web sites that get these cameras when they come out (and earlier) for review purposes (i.e., not me) better hurry up with your reviews. I want to read about these guys. No, I’m not going to dress up as a D3 for Halloween, I’ll leave that to somebody more obsessive. I’ll just sit on the sidelines and wait for reviews and sample photos.

A sports photographer who switched to Canon years ago had a chance to try out a Nikon D3 at a baseball game recently, and was absolutely blown away by it. He posted his thoughts over at the DPReview forums, here are some highlights:

• The camera “FEELS” great in your hand. The controls are really well placed (as they have been in most Nikon Cameras). The Auto focus was SPOT on and VERY VERY fast (even under night time baseball lighting)
• The image quality was BY FAR the BEST I HAVE EVER SEEN in a digital camera. The detail in the images was STUNNING.
• The camera was set for iso 2000 when it was handed to me, and I must be honest and say that they looked BETTER then the iso 800 I was shooting with my Canon Mark II. The color was pure and rich. Just for fun, I turned up the iso to 3200 and to my astonishment, it still looked BETTER then my 800 iso on my Mark II. Both in color and in noise.
• The noise is NOT ONLY very low, BUT, the quality of what noise there is (unlike the D2H) was pleasing. One of the problems I had with the D2H was not only the amount of noise, but the QUALITY of it.
• The tone range (dynamic range) seemed better then anything I’ve ever used
• The Auto-Focus was better then any Nikon or Canon I have ever used. I turned quickly and shot a player on the run in the outfield (it’s DARK OUT THERE) and fired away. It was spot on — tack sharp. How sharp you ask? well I cropped it down to about 15% of the image zoomed in, and I could see the threads on the players uniform. VERY VERY impressive.
• Finally, the level of detail that the camera captures goes FAR BEYOND anything I have ever experienced in ANY digital camera.

He finishes up by wondering if he might be switching back to Nikon some time in the near future.

There’s also a followup post from the second chance he had to shoot with the D3, this time during a daytime game:

• At night, at very high ISO the dynamic range was very good, BUT, after shooting it today, in bright sunlight, I was shocked at just how good it was.
• The autofocus was outstanding in daylight.
• The 600 lens was sharp, and it was nice to be able to shoot a pitcher with a 600 again. Shooting him with a 400 just doesn’t look the same. For those who don’t understand the difference, its really about depth of field and compression. The 600 looks much nicer, but I digress.
• The images had a really nice creamy quality to the out of focus background, and the images were tack sharp. How sharp? Like nothing I have ever seen before. Every hair on the back of a players neck (yes those little almost white hairs) can be seen and counted. Every eyelash, perfectly defined in a way I have never experienced before.
• Just for fun, I also shot into the fans (the upper section) and there were about 30 people in the frame. I zoomed in, and sure enough I could tell what time it said on one man’s watch. UNREAL… The level of detail (I’ve come to understand pixels aren’t everything –– it’s about detail) is extraordinary.

Wow, the D3 is really generating some excellent buzz from people who have had a chance to use it. I’m really looking forward to some detailed full reviews, and to see what Canon comes back with in response. One awesome camera like the D3 will have to force Canon — and the rest of the DSLR pack, I suppose — to really come up with some compelling cameras in the near future.