Balko Photo

For $5000, one would expect top performance on all levels and according to PopPhoto, one is not disappointed. They made it their Top Camera for 2007.

By going to full-frame, the discussion of megapixels hardly applies. Image quality is top-notch and enough to make high-quality enlargements of up to 14×21 inches (at 200 ppi).

At the PopPhoto labs, at ISO 200, its 2320 lines of tested resolution for JPEGs (an Excellent rating) are almost identical to the much cheaper D300 ($1,800, street, body only), tested in their February 2008 issue.

Color accuracy is high for both JPEG and RAW files. Using noise control at high ISOs, the D3 earns an Excellent image quality rating from ISO 200 to ISO 3200.

Where it shines and earns its high selling price is in low-light situations. “Even at ISO 200, the added light-gathering capability of the larger pixels on the D3’s full-frame sensor beats the D300. Shooting RAW takes advantage of its lower noise and 14-bits-per-color capture. And it gives you much more flexibility, especially when using the supplied Capture NX 1.3 software to convert NEF RAW to 16-bit TIFF files.” from PopPhoto