Nikon D3x DSLR Review
The Nikon D3x digital SLR is not a camera for the faint hearted. Or, to be more accurate, those without deep pockets. With a street price of $8,000 for the body only it’s going to set you back financially for sure. But if you can afford it, you will be getting what is probably the best DSLR available today.
Price: 
Features:
Performance:
User friendliness:
Overall Rating:
This is the third full frame digital camera to break the 20 mega pixel barrier. Now we’ve all been told that mega pixels are not everything and great cameras with lower ratings can produce incredible photos. True enough. But mega pixels do count and the more there are the better results you will get in terms of picture quality. But is the price tag worth it, especially when the competition is much cheaper? The Canon EOS-1D Mark III sells for $6,500 (body only) and the Sony Alpha 900 has a street price (body only) of $3,000. The answer is a qualified yes. Qualified because the camera is so good, it’s a joy to use. But at the same time, whether it’s worth the price is something that each person is going to have to judge for themselves.
The picture quality is truly stunning. The 24.5 mega pixel CMOS sensor means that even at the lowest sensitivity setting of ISO 100 the camera gives you an incredible 3180 line result! Although the Sony 900’s 24.6 mega pixel sensor gives 3230 lines at the same setting, the Nikon D3x seems to produce the better photographs.
As for color accuracy, let’s be realistic about this. It’s a matter of subjectivity. How accurately a color is captured depends on the eye of the viewer as much as the sensor of the camera. Having said that, everyone who saw photos taken with the D3x said that the color accuracy is the best of any camera they have ever seen. That’s probably as good a test as any.
Noise? What noise? At most settings, there may not be much to choose between the Nikon and its competitors from Sony and Canon. But get into low light conditions with ISO settings of ISO 6400 and above, and the Nikon is by far the most silent.
Not that many people will go down as low as ISO 50, but the Nikon does offer that option and the results again are excellent.
The camera also captures RAW images at 14 bits color. This means that the gradations between shades are much smoother.
As for the look and the feel of the camera, it’s what you would expect from Nikon – smooth, clean and very professional looking. Feature wise, it has everything you could possibly want all set up in the normal Nikon format. If you have used a Nikon before, getting familiar with the D3x will be a breeze.
So it comes down to the same old question – is it worth the $8,000 plus price tag? If you have the money ready and you ware not going to sacrifice something else to pay for it, then go ahead. It’s a purchase you won’t regret. But if the price tag causes you the hesitate, then maybe you should look at a cheaper option that will give you results that, to most people, will appear as good but will leave a few thousand dollars left over in your pocket.