
D3X: On Assignment
Four of the world's top professional photographers worked with the D3X on a variety of assignments.
For stu dio s hoo ting, th e D3X' s
re solu tio n is ama zing , riv alin g
di gital medium –form at camera
offerings. Tonal gradation is very
smooth and even, and
the color rend er in g
is per fect for fa sh io n
and beauty. It is always
thrilling for me to see
the range of colors in
my mind realized in the
nal result, and the D3X
did exactly that.
This camera really
impressed me during our
beach shoot. The beautiful
tonal gradation allowed
me to experiment freely
in difficult light without
wo rr yin g abou t losin g
detail in the brightest and darkest
areas. As I shot that day, I realized
that with this D3X, the challenges
of harsh co nt ras t, back lig hting
and sudden lighting and weather
changes that once made location
shoot in g difficu lt for fa s hion
photographers are now diminished
signicantly. The fast autofocus and
incredible frame rate also gave me
the ch an ce to catc h
the perfect moment in
ways that a mediumform at camera could
not.
On e of the bigges t
advantages, however, is
the incredible versatility
in every kind of weather.
Even whe n sh ootin g in
the rain, the D3X's brilliant
autof oc us was a lways
sh arp a nd prec ise , and
the camera's agility and
rugged bu il d made it
much easier to handle
than a medium-format camera. No
matter what the conditions were –
hot sun, strong wind or even hard
rain – the Nikon D3X performed!
S t u di o w o r k i s a g a m e o f
millimeters: the slightest move can
dramatically change an image and
ruin what you have envisioned.
The D3X gives me the mobility of
a 35mm D-SLR, which opens up
co mple tely ne w opp or tun itie s
for photographers in my line of
work. Without being restrained by
a camera stand, commercial and
product photographers can now
handhold the camera to freely seek
an ideal perspective. This can save
hours of setup time, as mediumformat stands and accessories are
cumbersome and require numerous
tedious adjustments.
Fo r me, how ev er, the bigge st
surprise of the D3X was the
image quality. As a studio still life
photogr apher mak in g my liv ing
wi th expen sive med ium-forma t
digital equipment, I was skeptical
ab o u t wh a t any D-SLR could
deli ve r. At th e beginnin g, I was
certain that the D3X images would
be vastly inferior to the medium
format. The price difference alone
between these two systems should
be enough to explain the quality
dierence, I thought.
It did no t take long to discove r
that my presumptions were
completely wrong. The image
qu ality of the D3X is fa r be tter
than I anticipated; it would not be
an exaggeration to say it was fifty
times better than my expectations.
The resolution is impressive,
an d the b oke h rep ro duc tion is
spectacular, especially when using
the PC-E Micro NIKKOR 85mm
f/2.8D. Another benefit I see is the
D3X's ability to focus sharply with
wi de- ang le lens es i n wa ys that
are simply impossible with the
medium format. With all of these
benets, I am certain that the D3X
will make a big splash in the studio
photography world.
The D3X's control layout is virtually
identical to my trusted Nikon D3,
which means that I know exactly
where everyt hi ng is and how it
works so I can get on with the job.
Ho wev er, the h uge in cre ase i n
resolution and detail is
imm ediat ely appa rent
when reviewing the
image on the rear LCD. It
was later, on a computer
monitor, that I discovered
image information that I
simply couldn't see with
my own eyes at the time.
Looking at my files, I
suddenly realized that I've
got the image quality of a
medium-format camera in
the familiar and ergonomic form of
a 35mm D-SLR. I can use my huge
range of NIKKOR lenses – including
many zo om s and VR opt ics – at
focal lengths not available wi th
medium-format systems. I can also
use all my Nikon Speedlights and
other accessories.
Working fast, as time was tight,
I completed the static shots and
sw i tc he d t o 1 2- bi t mode for
the action shots. I had to keep
reminding myself that this was a
24.5-megapixel camera and that I
was able to shoot 5 frames
pe r second, whic h was
ess ent ial to ca tch th at
“magic moment” in the
Turin traffic. Later, I was
shoo ti ng ac ti on sh ot s
at ni ght , wide op en at
f/2 .0 wi th the AF-S VR
Nikkor 200mm f/2G IF-ED
at ISO 800 and ISO 1600.
Despi te the challenging
con d i ti on s, th e s ho ts
were full of crisp detail,
accurate color and incredible tonal
gradation.
The D3X is a camera I could walk
around with all day, tackling any
subject withou t worry ing about
bad weather or poor light. It makes
a perfect companion to my D3.
When Nikon aske d me to take a
D3X camera on my safari in Kenya,
I was at first skeptical. But my
reservations disappeared soon after
I handled this camera. The D3X
maintains the incredible ergonomic
design, ea se of menu
cho i c e s and fantastic
high-resolution rear LCD
as the D3, but the most
important addition is its
24.5-megapixel FX-format
se nso r. T his tran sla tes
int o det ai l, de tail and
more detail. An incredible
am oun t of in formatio n
lies in each full-frame image, but
24.5 megapixels also mean that
photographs can be cropped into
panoramic formats and still retain
amazing detail.
On this trip, I carried an assortment
of len ses, but relied h ea vily on
my two favorite safari lenses: the
AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR
and the AF -S VR Zoom- Ni k kor
200-400mm f/4G IF-ED. The D3X
wo rk ed ex tr eme l y w el l wi t h
each lens despite all the difficult
shooting scenarios that a safari can
present. With the D3X, I
get Nikon's exceptio nal
handling, fast autofocus
and an increased dynamic
range, as well as 5 frames
per second in FX format
and 7 frames per second
in 10-megapixel DX crop
format. Combine these
features with extreme
resolution and NIKKOR optics and I
know I'll be able to get the pictures
I want. I was gre at ly impresse d
with the D3X. From landscape
to wildlife, the versatility of the
camera is truly amazing.
Frank P. Wartenberg
Fashion
(Germany)
Kenji Aoki
Still life
(Japan)
Tim Andrew
(U.K.)
Cars
John Shaw
Nature and wildlife
(U.S.A.)

Nikon Digital SLR Camera D3X Specifications
Type
Type Single- lens reflex digi tal camera
Lens Mo unt Nikon F mo unt with AF c oupling and AF co ntacts
Pictu re Angle Equiv alent to angle p roduced by l ens focal len gth (1.5 times w hen DX format i s selected)
Effective Pixels
Effe ctive Pixe ls 24.5 million
Image Sensor
Image S ensor CMOS se nsor, 35.9 x 24.0 mm ; Nikon FX for mat
Total Pix els 25.72 millio n
Dust-r eduction S ystem Image D ust Off ref erence da ta (optional C apture NX 2 so ftwar e required)
Storage
Image Si ze (pixels)
File For mat 1) NEF (RAW): 12 or 14 bi t, lossless c ompress ed, compres sed, or unco mpressed
2) TIFF (R GB)
3) J PEG: JPEG- Baseline compliant with fin e (appro x. 1:4), nor mal (appr ox. 1:8), o r basic
4) NEF (RAW ) + JPEG: Single pho tograph r ecorded in b oth NEF (RAW) a nd JPEG form ats
Pictu re Contro l System Four s etting op tions: Stand ard, Neutr al, Vivid, Mon ochrome; e ach option ca n be adjuste d
Stor age Media Compa ctFlash (Ty pe I/II, comp liant with UD MA); Microd rives
Double S lot Slo t 2 can be used for ov erflow o r backu p storag e or fo r separa te stor age of NEF (RAW)
File Sys tem Complia nt with DCF 2. 0, DPOF, Exif 2.21, an d PictBrid ge
Viewfinder
View finder S LR-type w ith fixed ey e-level pen taprism
Diopt er Adjustme nt -3 to +1 m
Eyepo int 18 mm (-1.0 m-1)
Focus ing Screen Type B Bri teView Clear M atte VI sc reen
Frame C overage
Magnification
Reflex Mi rror Q uick-retur n type
Dept h-of-field Pre view When C PU lens is at tached, l ens apert ure can be s topped do wn to value selected b y user
Lens Ap erture Instant-r eturn ty pe, with dep th-of-field pr eview but ton
Lens
Compatible Lenses*
2) DX AF Nikk or: All func tions suppo rted exce pt FX-form at (36x24)/5 :4 (30x24) image si ze
3) AF Nikkor other t han ty pe G or D*2: All functio ns suppo rted e xcept 3 D Color Matrix
4) AI-P N ikkor: All fu nctions sup ported e xcept auto focus and 3D C olor Matri x Metering II
5) No n-CPU AI Nikkor : Can be used in exp osure m odes A and M; electro nic range finder
Shutter
Type Elect ronically c ontrolled v ertical-t ravel foc al-plane shu tter
Speed 1/8,00 0 to 30 s in step s of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV; Bulb
Flash Sy nc Speed X = 1/250 s; flas h synchro nization at up t o 1/250 s
Release
Relea se Modes 1) Si ngle-fram e [S] mod e, 2) Cont inuous Lo w-speed [CL] mod e, 3) Con tinuous Hi gh-speed
Frame A dvance Ra te • DX forma t (24 x 16): Up to 5 fps (CL) o r 5 to 7 fps (CH)
• Othe r image areas: U p to 5 fps
Self-tim er Elect ronically c ontrolled t imer with dur ation of 2, 5, 10 or 2 0 s
Exposure
Meter ing TTL f ull-apert ure exposu re meterin g using 1,005 -pixel RGB se nsor
Meter ing System 1) 3 D Color M atrix Me tering II (type G and D le nses); Colo r Matrix Meterin g II (othe r CPU
2) Cen ter-Weighted: Weight of 75% given to 12-mm circle in center of frame, diameter o f
3) Sp ot: Met ers 4- mm circle (about 1.5% of f rame) ce ntered on selec ted fo cus poin t (on
Meter ing Range 1) 0 to 20 EV (M atrix or Ce nter-Weighte d Metering) , 2) 2 to 20 EV (Spot Metering) (I SO 100
Exposure Meter Coupling Com bined CPU and A I
Expo sure Modes 1) Prog rammed Auto (P) with fl exible p rogram, 2) Shutt er-Priori ty Aut o (S), 3) Apert ure-
Exposure Compensation ±5 EV i n increment s of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV
Exp osure Lock Exp osure locke d at detect ed value wit h AE-L/AF-L b utton
Exp osure Brac keting E xposure a nd/or flash bra cketing (2 to 9 e xposures i n increment s of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 or 1 EV )
Sensit ivity ISO 100 to 16 00 in steps o f 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV; can be s et to approx . 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, or 1 EV ( ISO
Acti ve D-Light ing Can be selec ted from [Au to], [Extr a high], [High], [N ormal], [Lo w], or [Off ]
Image area L M S
FX format (36 x 24) 6,048 x 4,032 4,544 x 3,024 3,024 x 2,016
DX format (24 x 16) 3,968 x 2,640 2,976 x 1,976 1,984 x 1,320
5:4 (30 x 24) 5,056 x 4,032 3,792 x 3,024 2,528 x 2,016
(appro x. 1:16) compress ion ([Size prior ity]); [Op timal qualit y] compres sion available
and JPE G images
-1
Appr ox. 100% (vertic al/horiz ontal) in FX fo rmat, a pprox. 97% (ver tical/hor izontal) in DX
form at, approx . 100% (verti cal) and appr ox. 97% (horiz ontal) in 5:4
Appr ox. 0.7x (50mm f/ 1.4 len s at infinity ; -1.0 m-1)
(A and M mo des) or value sel ected by ca mera (P and S mo des)
1
1) Type G or D AF Nik kor: All func tions supp orted
Meter ing II
can be u sed if maxim um apertur e is f/5.6 or fa ster; Color M atrix Met ering and ape rture
value dis play suppor ted if user p rovides le ns data
*1. IX-Nikko r lenses can not be used *2. E xcluding AF -Nikkor len ses for F3AF
[CH] mod e, 4) Live View [LV ] mode, 5) Self-tim er [ ] mode, 6) Mirr or-up [Mup] mode
lense s); Color Matr ix Meterin g (non-CPU le nses if user p rovides len s data)
circle c an be change d to 8, 15 or 20 mm, or wei ghting can be b ased on ave rage of entir e
fram e (non-CPU le nses use 12-mm cir cle or averag e of entire fr ame)
cent er focus poin t when non- CPU lens is use d)
equiv alent, f/1.4 lens, at 2 0°C/68° F)
Prior ity Auto (A ), 4) Manual (M)
50 e quivalent) below IS O 100, or to appr ox. 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1, or 2 EV (ISO 640 0 equiva lent)
over IS O 1600
Focus
Autof ocus Nik on Multi- CAM 35 00FX a utofocus sensor module with T TL phas e-detec tion; 51 f ocus
Dete ction Range -1 to +19 EV (ISO 10 0 at 20°C/68° F)
Lens Se rvo 1) Au tofocus: Single-s ervo AF (S); Co ntinuous-s ervo A F (C); F ocus Track ing auto matically
Focus P oint Singl e AF point can b e selected f rom 51 or 11 focus poin ts
AF-A rea Mode 1) Single-poin t AF, 2) Dynamic -area AF [number of AF point s: 9, 21, 51, 51 (3D-Tracking )],
Focus L ock F ocus ca n be lo cked by pressing AE-L/AF -L but ton or by pre ssing shu tter-rele ase but ton
Flash
Flash Cont rol 1) TT L flash control with 1,0 05-pixe l RGB s ensor; i -TT L balanc ed fill-flash and st andard
2) Auto apertu re (AA): Available with SB-90 0, 800 and CPU lens
3) Non-TTL auto (A): Available wi th SB-900, 80 0, 28, 27 or 22s
4) Range-prior ity manual (GN): Available with SB-9 00, and 800
Flash Syn c Modes 1) Fro nt-curta in sync (normal), 2) Slow sync, 3) Rear-cur tain sy nc, 4) R ed-eye reductio n,
Flash- ready Indi cator Lights whe n Speedligh t such as SB- 900, SB -800, SB -600, SB-400 , SB-80 DX, SB-28DX , or
Acce ssory Sho e I SO 518 hot shoe wit h sync and da ta contac ts, and safe ty lock
Sync Ter minal ISO 519 sync t erminal wit h locking th read
Nikon Cr eative Lig hting With Sp eedlights s uch as SB-9 00, SB-8 00, SB- 600, SB- R200, SU- 800 (comm ander only),
Syst em (CLS)
White Balance
White B alance • Aut o (TTL whi te balance wi th main image s ensor and 1,00 5-pixel R GB sensor);
• Se ven manua l modes can be preset with ne -tuning; c olor temp erature settin g; white
Live View
Mode s Handh eld mode: TTL p hase-de tection AF w ith 51 focus ar eas (15 cross-t ype senso rs)
Tripod mo de: Contra st-detec t AF on a desired p oint within a s pecific are a
Monitor
LCD Monitor 3-in., approx. 920k-do t (VGA), 170- degree wide-view ing-angle, 100% fr ame cov erage,
Playback
Playback Function Full-fr ame and thumbnail (4 or 9 images) p layback with pla yback zo om, slide show,
Interface
USB Hi-Spe ed USB
Video O utput N TSC or PAL ; simultan eous play back fr om both the vid eo outpu t and on the LCD monitor
HDMI Output Type A connector is provided as HDMI output terminal; simultaneous playback from both
10-pin R emote Termina l
Supported Languages
Supported Languages Chines e (Simplified and Tradit ional), Dutch, E nglish, Fin nish, Fren ch, Germa n, Italian,
Power Source
Bat tery One Rechar geable Li-ion B atter y EN-EL4a/ EL4, Quick Char ger MH-22/M H-21
AC Adap ter AC A dapter EH- 6 (optional)
Tripod Socket
Tripod So cket 1/4 in. (ISO 1222)
Dimensions/Weight
Dimensions (W x H x D) Appr ox. 159.5 x 157 x 87.5 mm/6 .3 x 6.2 x 3.4 in.
Weight
Operating Environment
Temperature 0-40°C/32-104°F
Humidi ty U nder 85% (no con densatio n)
Accessories
Supplied Accessories* Re chargeab le Li-ion Batter y EN-EL4 a, Quick Charger MH-22, U SB Cable UC-E4, Audio
Main Opt ional Wirel ess Transmit ter WT-4/4A , Magnifyi ng Eyepiece D K-17M, AC Ada pter EH-6 , Capture
Acce ssories NX2 Sof tware, Cam era Contr ol Pro 2 Soft ware, Imag e Authent ication Sof tware
Note: Approx. 0.04 second* shutter release time lag extends to approx. 0.05 second* when VR is on or used together
with either AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED or AF VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED. Release time lag
becomes approx. 0.06 second** in 14-bit A/D conversion mode.
*Based on CIPA Guideline and in 12-bit A/D conversion mode **Based on CIPA Guideline
• CompactFlash and Extreme are registered trademarks of SanDisk Corporation. • HDMI, the HDMI logo and HighDenition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC. • Products and brand
names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
point s (including 15 cro ss-type s ensors); AF fi ne tuning pos sible
acti vated acc ording to subj ect statu s, 2) Manual foc us (M) with elec tronic ran gefinder
3) Auto -area AF
half way (Single-p oint AF in AF-S)
i-TTL fill-fl ash available w ith SB-9 00, 800, 6 00 or 400
5) Red- eye reduct ion with slo w sync
SB-5 0DX is fully ch arged; blinks a fter flash is fi red at full out put
suppo rts Ad vanced W ireless Li ghting, Au to FP Hig h-Speed S ync, Flas h Color In formatio n
Commu nication, mo deling flash and F V lock
balanc e bracket ing: 2 to 9 expos ures in incre ments of 1, 2 or 3
low-te mperatu re polysilico n TFT LCD wit h brightne ss adjustme nt
histo gram display, highlight display, a uto i mage rotat ion, image comment (up to 36
chara cters), and v oice memo inpu t and playba ck
available
the HD MI output t erminal and on t he LCD monito r not available
Can be used to conne ct option al remot e contr ol, GPS Uni t GP-1, or GP S device compliant
with NMEA 0183 vers ion 2.01 and 3.01 (require s option al GPS Adapter Cord M C-35 and
cable w ith D-sub 9 -pin connec tor)
Japan ese, Korean, P olish, Port uguese, Russ ian, Spanish, Sw edish
Appr ox. 1,220 g/2 lb. 11 oz. w ithout ba ttery, mem ory card, b ody cap or ac cessor y shoe cover
Video Cable EG-D 2, Camera St rap AN-D 3X, Body C ap BF-1A, Acc essory Shoe Cover BS-2,
Eyepie ce DK-17, Bat tery Cham ber Cover B L-4, US B Cable Clip, Sof tware Sui te CD-ROM
*Supplie d accessor ies may dif fer dependin g on countr y or area
Printed in China Code No. 6CE80121 (0811/A)K