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Nikon D3 files (through ISO6400)

billh

By billh
in Digital Forum

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Guest malland

Guest malland

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Yup, not too shabby, as Imants says. The trouble is that dazzling technology and extensive advertising leads to rampant consumerism, and makes people buy cameras of a type that many of them don't need. I have this reaction because I like the "35mm aesthetic" and these cameras produce a look more simlar to scanned medium-format film.

 

When I saw the Nikon announcement of the D3 and the D300 I was attracted to the latter, particularly because, among other things, of LiveView: having used the Ricoh GR-D for a year I like shooting by framing with the LCD because it leads me to a "looser," more fluid shooting style. Contradictorily, I also like the D300's announced 100% viewfinder. I was interested in using a couple of my old Nikkor lenses manually on the D300.

 

Consequently, a fortnight ago, when I was in Tokyo — a city where there are still large camera stores with knowledgeable sales staff — I went to Yodobashi Camera to look at the D200, which has virtually the same size and shape as the forthcoming D300. I thought that I could handle the weight because it's only 50-80 grams heavier than the M6 that I used to shoot with before I got the GR-D. But what I found is that the right-hand grip of the D200 is huge: even though I have long hands I found the grip uncomfortable — what do people with small hands do with these cameras?

 

Looks like I'll continue using small-sensor cameras: while at Yodobashi Camera I found that the new Ricoh GX100 was on sale until August 31 for about $100 off, and bought one. It's a brilliant camera, with a "stepped" zoom lens, which allows you to step from 24 to 28, 35, 50 and 72mm EFOV by using a rocker switch; and the cameras starts up with whatever focal length you last used. For people who don't particularly like zoom lenses it's like having a camera with five prime lenses.

 

The reason I've been using small-sensor cameras, in addition to their small size,is that they can "draw" in a way similar to 35mm films like Tri-X and HP5 — and I like the 35mm aesthetic — rather than the large sensor cameras, like the Canon 5D and the Leica M8, which draw more like medium-format scanned film. And the huge depth of field of small sensor cameras is good for street photography, as in my series of 18 pictures from Tokyo below — the Tsukiji fish market pictures were taken with the GR-D and the rest with the new GX100:

 

 

—Mitch/Bangkok

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Guest malland

Guest malland

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Imants:

 

Now you're talking, mate! (But I haven't been able to figure when I'll have the occasion to write, "Well, we saw a couple of sheilas...")

 

—Mitch/Bangkok

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sdai

sdai

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I'm sure Nikon is able to impress some folks who really cares about extreme high ISO ... interestingly, not many people paid attention to the ISO 200 shots, what about resolution, detail, color rendition, etc.?

 

Everything is a compromise, and comes at a price ... I hope Leica could put more effort into ISO 100-400 .. a great ISO800-3200 would be icing on the cake but not important.

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Guest stnami

Guest stnami

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extreme high ISO!!
,,,, I'd be happy if I could take all my photos with my eyes closed

 

Well, we saw a couple of sheilas
..."........................using the word sheila here these days will only get you a smack from the kisser as oppossed to a smack on the kisser
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Guest stnami

Guest stnami

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thought about it............................ next image!!!!!!!!!...................erase................next.............a keeeper,,nah ,,,,,,,,,,next......

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sdai

sdai

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thought about it............................ next image!!!!!!!!!...................erase................next.............a keeeper,,nah ,,,,,,,,,,next......

 

format ... LOL

 

My gut feel is, the new Nikon will disappoint two major groups of photographers:

 

1. Landscape and fine art photographers ... due to its lack of detail and resolution.

2. Street and documentary style photographers ... due to its lack of noise and grain.

 

You won't like it ... Im ... because of the time you'll waste on injecting "impact" into these otherwise flat dumb images. ;)

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Guest stnami

Guest stnami

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.............trouble is that all this stuff is big, there is no such thing as a small DSLR, even the small stuff is bulky. I just bought a dozen Pentax D10 for a learning institution (value for money is important to them) today, they took a lot of space up

 

flat stuff is always hard work....... look at our earth for example

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sdai

sdai

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.............trouble is that all this stuff is big,

 

That's absolutely true ... just take a look at the number of folks on dpreview who ask Nikon to put a FF sensor into the D300.

 

Canon has just changed their DSLR division manager and the new guy was in charge of their projector business before. The first thing he works on is unquestionably the 5D upgrade but based on something I've read ... he also vows to build a full frame DSLR every hobbyist can afford. I'm assuming that thing can't be big just for the sake of corner cutting then ... ;)

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ddp

ddp

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Impressive throughout the range. I can certainly justify the expenditure in my department for the D3, no question. Anyone who used a Y2K D1 and remembers the horrific magenta issues the camera had, knows how far Nikon has come to date.

 

Based on the skin tones, color and file detail from the basic samples I have seen from the D3, it would appear Nikon has improved their line further.

 

For many corporate & press guys - I'm sure Nikon will be fine.

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jrc

jrc

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.............trouble is that all this stuff is big, there is no such thing as a small DSLR, even the small stuff is bulky. I just bought a dozen Pentax D10 for a learning institution (value for money is important to them) today, they took a lot of space up

 

flat stuff is always hard work....... look at our earth for example

 

Actually , I have a Pentax K10 and a Leica M8 sitting right here, the Leica with a WATE and the Pentax with the SMCP-DA 21mm f3.2. Eyeballing it, I'd say that the Leica takes up more space. The Leica body itself is shorter by about an inch (~2.5cm), but with the WATE mounted, it's notably deeper than the Pentax with the 21. The length is just about identical -- I can't make out which might be longer than the other..must be within a couple of mm. I have the Leica grip on mine, and with that, the Leica is heavier; with it off, the Pentax seems heavier.

 

I also have a D2x, and that's larger (way larger) than either the Pentax or the Leica, in every dimension including weight. If a hard-core Leica user decided (eew) to try a DSLR, they might want to take a look at the K10. The shooting experience is not that much different, and the Pentax prime DA limited lenses are good and fairly fast. The Pentax is weather sealed, has sensor-based image stabilization, auto-focus and has a small built-in pop-up flash. The IS lets me handhold down to 1/8, which I can't do with the Leica, and I can sometimes get a decent 1/4. The sensor is not as good as the Leica's IMHO, with more noise at every stop. (This wasn't a test, just an eyeball evaluation.)

 

JC

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sean_reid

sean_reid

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Actually , I have a Pentax K10 and a Leica M8 sitting right here, the Leica with a WATE and the Pentax with the SMCP-DA 21mm f3.2. Eyeballing it, I'd say that the Leica takes up more space. The Leica body itself is shorter by about an inch (~2.5cm), but with the WATE mounted, it's notably deeper than the Pentax with the 21. The length is just about identical -- I can't make out which might be longer than the other..must be within a couple of mm. I have the Leica grip on mine, and with that, the Leica is heavier; with it off, the Pentax seems heavier.

 

I also have a D2x, and that's larger (way larger) than either the Pentax or the Leica, in every dimension including weight. If a hard-core Leica user decided (eew) to try a DSLR, they might want to take a look at the K10. The shooting experience is not that much different, and the Pentax prime DA limited lenses are good and fairly fast. The Pentax is weather sealed, has sensor-based image stabilization, auto-focus and has a small built-in pop-up flash. The IS lets me handhold down to 1/8, which I can't do with the Leica, and I can sometimes get a decent 1/4. The sensor is not as good as the Leica's IMHO, with more noise at every stop. (This wasn't a test, just an eyeball evaluation.)

 

JC

 

Sure, but for a fair comparison, imagine the M8 with a Zeiss 21/4.5 or CV 21/4.0P.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

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