[charlesphoto99]

I actually find that due to the outstanding ergonomics of the D3 I can actually handhold it as low if not lower shutter speeds than the M8. The mirror is very well damped and the shutter release smoother than (my) M8. That said, my M8 at low shutter speeds has been improved by use of the Thumbs Up attachment. I was having a lot harder time at low shutter speeds than my M7 before the addition of that.

The D3 is truly amazing at high iso's. One really doesn't have to worry so much about owning the best super fast lenses anymore. A 24mm f2.8 AFD, 35mm f/2 AFD, 50mm f/1.8 AFD and 85mm f/1.8 AFD and a 135mm DC f/2 can all be had on the used market for about the price of an entry level Leica M lens (or one top line Nikon zoom).

The M8 is a great camera but in my opinion is not so great for event type photography (ie stage type lighting). With the D3 there's no excuse - it always shoots where you need it to shoot.

I recently did a studio headshot for a magazine cover. At one point I turned off my stobes and shot only with the 100 watt modeling lamps at iso 1100. They chose one of those, no questions aksed. I think only I or another photographer could have spotted the difference (other than depth of field) between those and the iso 200 ones.