Nikon D3x Review
Image Quality
All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 24.5 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 9Mb.
We were stunned by the level of detail delivered by the D3 on test last year; so, given the asking price and pixel count, is the D3x really twice as good? For the purposes of the images displayed here we were shooting large size, fine quality JPEGs. There's plenty of detail and subtlety of tone from the D3x when shooting portraits. For landscapes the Nikon's Picture Control setting of vivid delivered colours closer to those before us than leaving it on its default setting, which by contrast delivered rather flat results. In comparison with the D3, viewing images from that and the D3x side by side, the former's images are noticeably smoother and as we mentioned at that time of our initial review, more film-like while the D3x's do reveal more clearly defined detail – particularly on close ups – when viewed at 100%.
In terms of light sensitivity, with Nikon DSLRs currently leading the field when it comes to performance at ever-increasing ISOs, we were expecting the imagery from the D3x to continue the run of clear, grain free results provided by its D300, D700 and D3 brethren – despite the fact that, though this is the flagship model, its maximum setting isn't the highest in the range. Though noise is visible in shadow areas and detail softening at its expanded ISO 6400 equivalent setting compared to lower settings, this is still beats results at ISO 1600 from consumer-level models. Though it's not until ISO 1600 that you notice detail becoming smoother to limit the appearance of grain, stick to ISO 400 or below if you want to avoid noise entirely.
Noise
There are 8 ISO settings available on the Nikon D3x. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting, with JPEG on the left and the RAW equivalent on the right:
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ISO 50 (100% Crop) |
ISO 50 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 100 (100% Crop) |
ISO 100 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 200 (100% Crop) |
ISO 200 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 400 (100% Crop) |
ISO 400 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 800 (100% Crop) |
ISO 800 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 1600 (100% Crop) |
ISO 1600 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 3200 (100% Crop) |
ISO 3200 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 6400 (100% Crop) |
ISO 6400 (100% Crop) |
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File Quality
The Nikon D3x has 3 different JPEG file quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality JPEG option, and also offers TIF and RAW formats too. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.
| 24.5M TIF (73.6Mb) (100% Crop) | 24.5M RAW (29.48Mb) (100% Crop) |
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| 24.5M Fine (9.57Mb) (100% Crop) | 24.5M Normal (6.59Mb) (100% Crop) |
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| 24.5M Normal (3.74Mb) (100% Crop) | |
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Sharpening
Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images at the default setting are just a little soft and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. Alternatively you can change the in-camera sharpening level if you don't like the default results.
| Original (100% Crop) |
Sharpened (100% Crop) |
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Night Shot
The Nikon D3x's maximum shutter speed is 30 seconds and there's a Bulb mode for even longer exposures, which is excellent news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 1/2 second, aperture of f/3.5 at ISO 1600. I've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like.
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Night Shot |
Night Shot (100% Crop) |
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Picture Controls
Nikon's Picture Controls, similarly to Canon's Picture Styles, are preset combinations of different contrast and saturation settings. The available Picture Controls are Standard, Neutral, Vivid and Monochrome. The following series demonstrates the differences.
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Neutral |
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| Vivid |
Monochrome |
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D-lighting
D-lighting is Nikon's dynamic range optimisation tool that attempts to squeeze the full dynamic range of the sensor into JPEGs. The D3x has Active D-lighting, which works "on the fly", before the in-camera processing engine converts the raw image data into JPEGs. The available settings are Off, Auto, Low, Medium, High and Extra High. In the field, I found that the Auto setting usually produced excellent results, with no major blown highlights or blocked shadows seen in the pictures. The following examples demonstrate the effects of the varius D-lighting options.
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D-lighting - Off |
D-lighting - Low |
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D-lighting - Normal |
D-lighting - High |
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D-lighting - Extra High |
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Sample Images
This is a selection of sample images from the Nikon D3x camera, which were all taken using the 24.5 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.
1/125s · f/16 · ISO 100
66mm
Download Original
1/125s · f/16 · ISO 200
70mm
Download Original
1/125s · f/16 · ISO 400
70mm
Download Original
1/125s · f/22 · ISO 800
70mm
Download Original
1/30s · f/4 · ISO 1600
70mm
Download Original
1/80s · f/4 ·
70mm
Download Original
1/160s · f/4 ·
70mm
Download Original
1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
14mm
Download Original
1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
14mm
Download Original
Sample RAW Images
The Nikon D3x enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Nikon RAW (.nef) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).
1/160s · f/8 · ISO 100
70mm
Download original
1/250s · f/5.6 · ISO 400
70mm
Download original
1/80s · f/11 · ISO 200
24mm
Download original
1/1000s · f/5.6 · ISO 400
70mm
Download original
1/125s · f/8 · ISO 100
70mm
Download original
1/1600s · f/4 · ISO 100
70mm
Download original
1/160s · f/16 · ISO 200
52mm
Download original
1/125s · f/5.6 · ISO 1600
58mm
Download original
1/60s · f/8 ·
70mm
Download original
1/100s · f/1.4 ·
85mm
Download original
1/2000s · f/1.4 ·
85mm
Download original
1/30s · f/2.8 · ISO 800
85mm
Download original
Sample Movie & Video
As of February 2025, we are no longer providing full size sample images or videos for download.
Please contact us if you have any feedback on our new policy.
Product Images
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Front of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera |
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Isometric View |
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Isometric View |
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Rear of the Camera |
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Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed |
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Rear of the Camera / Main Menu |
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Rear of the Camera / Info Screen |
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Top of the Camera |
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Bottom of the Camera |
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Side of the Camera |
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Side of the Camera |
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Side of the Camera |
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Battery Compartment |
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Battery Compartment |
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Memory Card Slot |
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Top of the Camera |
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Top of the Camera |
Conclusion
It's fair to say from our findings that the Nikon D3x is pretty much a re-badged D3 with twice the pixel count but a slower continuous shooting speed; therefore the D3 remains alongside it as a valued component of the range in its own right. It's worth noting too that no other Nikon DSLR currently comes close to matching the D3x's pixel count – indeed the D3, D700 and D300 all offer a 'mere' 12 megapixels, modest by comparison. There are also a couple of things that, despite the level of excellence on offer, the D3x obviously omits however: namely any form of built-in image stabilisation and, unlike Canon for a change, there's no dust prevention/sensor cleaning offered on powering the camera down either. Playing with the camera over a test period of a couple of weeks (and having VR optics supplied instead of having to buy them) it's easy to overlook this and move on, but over time I'm not so sure.
That said, in the area of scrutiny that accounts for the most – namely the images themselves – the level of 'improvement' from one DSLR to the other is not overly dramatic. The D3 is still clearly a very good camera – and whether that slight edge of extra detail justifies another couple of grand spend has to come down to personal choice and experience. If, clearly, your advertising or fashion work means that you regularly don't get out of bed for less than £10k, then a body-only D3x is still going to seem like a veritable bargain even at full £6,000 asking price. As it is when compared to a medium format camera/ digital back set up which you would have formerly needed to achieve such a high pixel count. Moreover, for such a high end camera the D3x is surprisingly intuitive to use, controls feels just right, are clearly marked, reasonably sized and the camera responds instantly to each button press or rotation of command dial. As should be, it provides the photographer with their own virtual 'wingman', leaving the user to get on with the business of taking photos.
| Ratings (out of 5) | |
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| Design | 4.5 |
| Features | 5 |
| Ease-of-use | 4.5 |
| Image quality | 5 |
| Value for money | 4.5 |
Review Roundup
Reviews of the Nikon D3x from around the web.
dpreview.com »
Ever since the simultaneous announcement of the Nikon D1H and D1X back in 2001 Nikon's professional D 'single digit' series has been split into two - the X series designed for high resolution applications such as fashion or landscape photography and the H series for high speed sports type photography (lower resolution but faster continuous shooting). When the Nikon D3 was announced in August 2007 it did not carry an 'H' in its name but was clearly designed for speed. So the question wasn't if, but when, Nikon would launch a high-resolution counterpart. It arrived, after more than a year of eager anticipation, in the shape of the Nikon D3X in December 2008.
Read the full review »
bythom.com »
It's going to seem a bit surreal, but here's the bottom line: I'm (still) not able to recommend the best DSLR currently made to most of you reading this.
But, first things first: if you haven't read my D3 review, do so now. I'm not going to repeat anything I wrote there. Since the D3x differs from the D3 only in the imaging sensor and internal imaging chain, all the comments about camera features, handling, and non-image related performance such as autofocus will be the same with the D3x.
Read the full review »
luminous-landscape.com »
I am convinced that by just about any measure (except price) this is the most outstanding 35mm format DSLR yet. Build quality, image quality – you name it. No, it's not the fastest shooting, and no it doesn't have cleanest high ISO capability of any Nikon – its sister the D3 wears that crown. But other than with these specialized capabilities there's hardly a camera on the market that can touch the Nikon D3x in overall goodness – except when it comes to price.
Read the full review »
neocamera.com »
The Nikon D3X is the flagship Digital SLR from Nikon. It boasts a 25 megapixels image sensor, the highest resolution among full-frame models, with 5 FPS output and a sensitivity range extensible to ISO 50-6400. As expected from a professional camera, the D3X has a 100% coverage viewfinder, weather-sealed body and dual-control dials.
Read the full review »
Specifications
Type
Single-lens reflex digital camera
Lens Mount
Nikon F mount with AF coupling and AF contacts
Picture Angle
Equivalent to angle produced by lens focal length (1.5 times when DX format is selected)
Effective Pixels
24.5 million
Image Sensor
CMOS sensor, 35.9 x 24.0 mm; Nikon FX format
Total Pixels
25.72 million
Dust-reduction System
Image Dust Off reference data (optional Capture NX 2 software required)
Storage Image Size (pixels)
- FX format (36 x 24): 6,048 x 4,032 (L), 4,544 x 3,024 (M), 3,024 x 2,016 (S)
- DX format (24 x 16): 3,968 x 2,640 (L), 2,976 x 1,976 (M), 1,984 x 1,320 (S)
- 5:4 (30 x 24): 5,056 x 4,032 (L), 3,792 x 3,024 (M), 2,528 x 2,016 (S)
File Format
1) NEF (RAW): 12 or 14 bit, lossless compressed, compressed, or uncompressed
2) TIFF (RGB)
3) JPEG: JPEG-Baseline compliant with fine (approx. 1:4), normal (approx. 1:8), or basic (approx. 1:16) compression ([Size priority]); [Optimal quality] compression available
4) NEF (RAW) + JPEG: Single photograph recorded in both NEF (RAW) and JPEG formats
Picture Control System
Four setting options: Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome; each option can be adjusted
Storage Media
CompactFlash (Type I/II, compliant with UDMA); Microdrives
Double Slot
Slot 2 can be used for overflow or backup storage or for separate storage of NEF (RAW) and JPEG images
File System
Compliant with DCF 2.0, DPOF, Exif 2.21, and PictBridge
Viewfinder
SLR-type with fixed eye-level pentaprism
Diopter Adjustment
-3 to +1 m-1
Eyepoint
18 mm (-1.0 m-1)
Focusing Screen
Type B BriteView Clear Matte VI screen
Frame Coverage
Approx. 100% (vertical/horizontal) in FX format, approx. 97% (vertical/horizontal) in DX format, approx. 100% (vertical) and approx. 97% (horizontal) in 5:4
Magnification
Approx. 0.7x (50mm f/1.4 lens at infinity; -1.0 m-1)
Reflex Mirror
Quick-return type
Depth-of-field Preview
When CPU lens is attached, lens aperture can be stopped down to value selected by user (A and M modes) or value selected by camera (P and S modes)
Lens Aperture
Instant-return type, with depth-of-field preview button
Lens Compatible Lenses*1
1) Type G or D AF Nikkor: All functions supported
2) DX AF Nikkor: All functions supported except FX-format (36x24)/5:4 (30x24) image size
3) AF Nikkor other than type G or D*2: All functions supported except 3D Color Matrix Metering II
4) AI-P Nikkor: All functions supported except autofocus and 3D Color Matrix Metering II
5) Non-CPU AI Nikkor: Can be used in exposure modes A and M; electronic rangefinder can be used if maximum aperture is f/5.6 or faster; Color Matrix Metering and aperture value display supported if user provides lens data
*1. IX-Nikkor lenses cannot be used *2. Excluding AF-Nikkor lenses for F3AF
Shutter Type
Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter
Speed
1/8,000 to 30 s in steps of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV; Bulb
Flash Sync Speed
X = 1/250 s; flash synchronization at up to 1/250 s
Release Modes
1) Single-frame [S] mode
2) Continuous Low-speed [CL] mode
3) Continuous High-speed [CH] mode
4) Live View [LV] mode
5) Self-timer mode
6) Mirror-up [Mup] mode
Frame Advance Rate
• DX format (24 x 16): Up to 5 fps (CL) or 5 to 7 fps (CH)
• Other image areas: Up to 5 fps
Self-timer
Electronically controlled timer with duration of 2, 5, 10 or 20 s
Exposure Metering
TTL full-aperture exposure metering using 1,005-pixel RGB sensor
Metering System
1) 3D Color Matrix Metering II (type G and D lenses); Color Matrix Metering II (other CPU lenses); Color Matrix Metering (non-CPU lenses if user provides lens data)
2) Center-Weighted: Weight of 75% given to 12-mm circle in center of frame, diameter of circle can be changed to 8, 15 or 20 mm, or weighting can be based on average of entire frame (non-CPU lenses use 12-mm circle or average of entire frame)
3) Spot: Meters 4-mm circle (about 1.5% of frame) centered on selected focus point (on center focus point when non-CPU lens is used)
Metering Range
1) 0 to 20 EV (Matrix or Center-Weighted Metering)
2) 2 to 20 EV (Spot Metering) (ISO 100 equivalent, f/1.4 lens, at 20°C/68°F)
Exposure Meter Coupling
Combined CPU and AI
Exposure Modes
1) Programmed Auto (P) with flexible program
2) Shutter-Priority Auto (S)
3) Aperture- Priority Auto (A)
4) Manual (M)
Exposure Compensation
±5 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV
Exposure Lock
Exposure locked at detected value with AE-L/AF-L button
Exposure Bracketing
Exposure and/or flash bracketing (2 to 9 exposures in increments of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 or 1 EV)
Sensitivity
ISO 100 to 1600 in steps of 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV; can be set to approx. 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, or 1 EV (ISO 50 equivalent) below ISO 100, or to approx. 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1, or 2 EV (ISO 6400 equivalent) over ISO 1600
Active D-Lighting
Can be selected from [Auto], [Extra high], [High], [Normal], [Low], or [Off]
Autofocus
Nikon Multi-CAM 3500FX autofocus sensor module with TTL phase-detection; 51 focus points (including 15 cross-type sensors); AF fine tuning possible
Detection Range
-1 to +19 EV (ISO 100 at 20°C/68°F)
Lens Servo
1) Autofocus: Single-servo AF (S); Continuous-servo AF (C); Focus Tracking automatically activated according to subject status
2) Manual focus (M) with electronic rangefinder
Focus Point
Single AF point can be selected from 51 or 11 focus points
AF-Area Mode
1) Single-point AF
2) Dynamic-area AF [number of AF points: 9, 21, 51, 51 (3D-Tracking)]
3) Auto-area AF
Focus Lock
Focus can be locked by pressing AE-L/AF-L button or by pressing shutter-release button halfway (Single-point AF in AF-S)
Flash Control
1) TTL flash control with 1,005-pixel RGB sensor; i-TTL balanced fill-flash and standard i-TTL fill-flash available with SB-900, 800, 600 or 400
2) Auto aperture (AA): Available with SB-900, 800 and CPU lens
3) Non-TTL auto (A): Available with SB-900, 800, 28, 27 or 22s
4) Range-priority manual (GN): Available with SB-900, and 800
Flash Sync Modes
1) Front-curtain sync (normal)
2) Slow sync
3) Rear-curtain sync
4) Red-eye reduction
5) Red-eye reduction with slow sync
Flash-ready Indicator
Lights when Speedlight such as SB-900, SB-800, SB-600, SB-400, SB-80DX, SB-28DX, or SB-50DX is fully charged; blinks after flash is fired at full output
Accessory Shoe
ISO 518 hot shoe with sync and data contacts, and safety lock
Sync Terminal
ISO 519 sync terminal with locking thread
Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS)
With Speedlights such as SB-900, SB-800, SB-600, SB-R200, SU-800 (commander only), supports Advanced Wireless Lighting, Auto FP High-Speed Sync, Flash Color Information Communication, modeling flash and FV lock
White Balance
• Auto (TTL white balance with main image sensor and 1,005-pixel RGB sensor);
• Seven manual modes can be preset with fine-tuning; color temperature setting; white balance bracketing: 2 to 9 exposures in increments of 1, 2 or 3
Live View Modes
Handheld mode: TTL phase-detection AF with 51 focus areas (15 cross-type sensors) Tripod mode: Contrast-detect AF on a desired point within a specific area
LCD Monitor
3-in., approx. 920k-dot (VGA), 170-degree wide-viewing-angle, 100% frame coverage, low-temperature polysilicon TFT LCD with brightness adjustment
Playback Function
Full-frame and thumbnail (4 or 9 images) playback with playback zoom, slide show, histogram display, highlight display, auto image rotation, image comment (up to 36 characters), and voice memo input and playback
Interface USB
Hi-Speed USB
Video Output
NTSC or PAL; simultaneous playback from both the video output and on the LCD monitor available
HDMI Output
Type A connector is provided as HDMI output terminal; simultaneous playback from both the HDMI output terminal and on the LCD monitor not available
10-pin Remote Terminal
Can be used to connect optional remote control, GPS Unit GP-1, or GPS device compliant with NMEA 0183 version 2.01 and 3.01 (requires optional GPS Adapter Cord MC-35 and cable with D-sub 9-pin connector)
Supported Languages
Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish
Battery
One Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL4a/EL4, Quick Charger MH-22/MH-21
AC Adapter
AC Adapter EH-6 (optional)
Tripod Socket
1/4 in. (ISO 1222)
Dimensions (W x H x D)
Approx. 159.5 x 157 x 87.5 mm/6.3 x 6.2 x 3.4 in.
Weight
Approx. 1,220 g/2 lb. 11 oz. without battery, memory card, body cap or accessory shoe cover
Environment Temperature
0-40°C/32-104°F
Humidity
Under 85% (no condensation)
Supplied accessories*
Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL4a, Quick Charger MH-22, USB Cable UC-E4, Audio Video Cable EG-D2, Camera Strap AN-D3X, Body Cap BF-1A, Accessory Shoe Cover BS-2, Eyepiece DK-17, Battery Chamber Cover BL-4, USB Cable Clip, Software Suite CD-ROM
*Supplied accessories may differ depending on country or area
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