Nikon D3x review

For years, if you wanted a full-frame DSLR your only choice was Canon, whose latest flagship is the 21MP EOS 1Ds Mk III. So when Nikon finally revealed its first full-frame DSLR, the D3, little over a year ago, eyebrows were raised at its 12MP sensor. But it soon became apparent that by limiting the pixel count the D3 achieved unprecedented levels of noise control, and the ability to shoot, for the first time, at an extraordinary ISO 25,600. The superb image quality led some to question the need to ever cram more than 12MPs on a sensor.

But there are those professionals who do demand the extra resolution that can only be achieved by having more pixels, such as studio, commercial, landscape, stock, and various other photographers who need large image files and rarely shoot handheld or above ISO 100. These users have, up until now, used Canon.

Now Nikon has finally turned its attention to these resolution junkies and released a 24MP version of the D3. Some may say it's at least three years too late, but better late than never.

The D3x is identical in almost every way to the D3 except for the sensor, and for two consequences of those extra pixels: a more restricted ISO range and slower burst speed.

Oh, and there's one more very big difference of course, the whopping £6,000 price tag. This is almost double the current street price of the D3 and £1,000 more than its direct rival, the Canon EOS 1Ds Mk III. It's also three times the current price of the 24MP Sony Alpha 900, upon whose sensor the D3x chip is based.