Well, there is a lot of chatter on the D3x. A lot of uproar on several forums about the price point being unjust, while several fan boys (read post here for starters) are happy and gaga over it.
I am very sure that the D3x is a very good camera – a very good competent one (although this camera is not a revolution like the D300/5DII, it is an evolutionary design). Plus the fact that Nikon makes very good lenses as well (no questions about it). So, here are a few of my thoughts on the subject of if this is a great camera or a good buy?
- I am sure the new “young” executives at Nikon are reaping tons of money from their new strategies on introducing several cameras to cash in growing consumerism jumping into photography. I have a feeling that they know something about the “time window” available – and need to churn out as many cameras as possible within this window. This is exactly why the D3x is priced that high. There are people out there (fan boys) who will buy it regardless. It is this market that Nikon wants to sell this camera to.
- The D3x in several ways *should* have been what D700/D3 should have been in the first place. If 12MP is the most optimal resolution for a DX format sensor, the 25MP seems to be the most optimal resolution for a FX sensor (I am not an expert in these things…but, somehow – this line of thought makes sense). It is only a matter of time that we will see a D700x.
- The D3x is a lone competitor in the “land of nowhere”. The future of photography is video (as the trend indicates). The RED Scarlet DSMC camera announcement is a killer camera not just for photo journalists and media companies – but also for sports photographers, weddings and several other things. The very serious still photography enthusiasts are already using 50+MP MFDBs. So, the D3x is not even skimming the low end of these things (both in terms of quality of the images as well as cost). The cheapest MFDB is still in the $15-20k range. So, who really is its competitor? The Canon’s flagship 1Ds or 5DII? Not really – both of them are way cheaper than the D3x aint it? so is the Sony A900…..
- If i was looking to upgrade from a DSLR to MFDB, is the D3x a good buy at 8k? Nope. I would rather get the MFDB instead.
- What about sports? I would wait for the RED DSMC or just get 5D II (for the HD Video)
On an another topic, i recently heard from one beginner sports photographer “The other photographer was shooting with a fast lens, the flying ball was much clearer in his image than coming from my lens/camera”.
After asking for more details and thinking over – this statement is in fact true. The light conditions (evening game under flood lights) maxed out the ISO and prevented shooting at high shutter speeds (needed at least 1/1000 sec to freeze the fast ball). So, in a manner of speaking – the “fast” lens – would have helped get a “sharper” image after all!
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