D3x Bodies arrived

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Arkady

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Rob
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...and very nice they are too...huge screen at the back, though that was one thing I barely used on the D2x and the 'Live-View' feature is something I never expect to use either...
More control over colour management - instead of 'Adobe RGB and Colour Mode II', I can fine-tune almost everything in any of the four existing pre-sets and then also save them as additional pre-sets (up to 12, I think) plus the usual additional A, B, C pre-sets for all options banks...
Trying to remember which is which might be fun...

The AF multi-mode looks about right at last - the Auto-3D feature looks good - it stores the colour and shape of the first subject locked on then tracks that 'object' using all 51 AF-points...I couldn't catch it out yet, but it does warn that objects against a similar colour background may confuse it...so desert-camouflaged soldiers against a desert-background then...lol
We'll see...it's supposed to give priority over human faces, so sports should be a doddle...

Haven't yet processed any RAW files as I have to wait until I get CS-4 loaded onto the computer: the older versions of CS don't support RAF/NEF for the D3x yet...? Though I seem to remember that I didn't upgrade my version of CS3 over in Iraq last year when I borrowed someon'e D3 for a shoot... But... since I'm getting a noo 'puta tomorrow and already have the CS4 sat in a box next to me...I'll wait...

Just finished altering up all the custom settings to suit me and hopefully I'll be trying it out in anger this weeked at my home-town's Schutzenfest back in Iserlohn...

I also got a 50mm f/1.4 G lens for low-light stuff, though the D3x has only marginally less low-light capability over the D3...
Plus an SB900 Speedlight, which is HUGE compared to the SB-80 and -800s that I used to use...
The 14-24mm f/2.8 G AF-S ED and 70-200 f/2.8 G AF-S VR IFED are on back-order and I should get them in a couple of weeks...
 
I read half the text then looked at the equipment list on your sig, and thought there was an SB-900 missing :lol:

Enjoy the new toys :woot: Sounds great.

If you're implying that you serve for country, I deeply admire you guys and what you do and the sacrifices you make :notworthy::clap::clap:
 
some people get all the perks! Have fun with it Rob, and dont be afraid to do a review...
 
Will do...next week for the preliminary review and I'll post an AAR half-way through the Afghan Tour as well...
 
OK... did some reportage stuff at the Iserlohn Schutzenfest back home in Germany over the weekend and my only real gripe is the lack of focus-area info on the top LCD screen...
I never realised how many times I checked it before shooting until it wasn't there any more... I used to be able to look at a subject and be moving the cursor to the right AF-Point without bringing the camera up to my eye...can't do that anymore and I find it quite annoying...

I do like the 51-pt AF, though for general stuff I'll be reducing the number of AF points available as it takes an age to scroll across the screen now, whereas two or three pushes on the cursor-dial would do it before...

Image quality is about what you'd expect from a 24Mp chip, so I won't bore you with any images as they'd have to be resized anyway...

Exposure seems to lean towards over-exposure, so I may apply -2/3 stop at a later date after more testing, but since I shoot manual anyway it's a bit redundant...

I've been shooting lossless/compressed NEF/RAW and it seems fine - doesn't take up too much space; about 24Mb per frame, so the two 8Gb cards in each camera will store approx 400 images between them, which is fine...lol Plus I'll carry an additional 2x 8Gb cards and all my 'old' 4Gb cards - about a dozen of them...
So no more need for a portable 'image-tank' HD, thank God...

Not camera-related, but the Nikon Transfer protocol has changed from the old format and I now find it quite difficult to add all my file-info at the transfer stage, whereas it used to be a doddle...too many damn options now...keep it simple, please? There doesn't seem to be anywhere to add basic caption info, though all the other fields are there...

All in all it feels good...crisp release, good AF, even with older lenses and good image quality...
However, unless I was doing group portraits, studio work and weddings for a living, I'd probably buy a D3 if it were my own money I was spending...
 
Rob just download the nikon raw codec if you cant be bothered putting cs4 on it opens D3X raws for viewing only but gives a basic jpeg preview .....but you probably have this already;)
 
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