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2024-03-28 03:24:58
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Sheer magic

I commented yesterday on the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, and after shooting the Nikon D3 later that day after the 1DsM3, my perceptions have only been reinforced further. The D3 offers, by far, the best image quality ever seen in a DSLR. Its images have a dimensionality, smoothness and transparency that simply isn’t there with the 21MP Canon EOS 1DsM3 (though Canon’s 10.1MP EOS 1DM3 is a lot closer, a camera I recommend for those sticking with Canon).

Like magic, the D3 also overlooks the faults of mediocre optics and makes them worth shooting again; this is not true of the EOS line. Go figure—maybe it’s only “big fat pixels”, or maybe it’s Nikon electronic magic or a “killer” sensor, but it is the case that many of Nikon’s older AI-S lenses perform visibly better on the D3 than on any previous Nikon DSLR. Such lenses include the 24/2 AI-S, the 28/2 AI-S, the 35/1.4 AI-S, and a variety of others. Keep that in mind if you want to build a lens collection—lots of used equipment can be had for very reasonable prices. Of course, my preference remains with the Zeiss ZF Lenses, for a variety of reasons, but the performance gap narrows with the D3 magic.

If you’re “on the fence” about the Nikon D3 vs the Canon EOS 1Ds mark III, absolutely and unequivocally get the D3 unless you really need megapixels (detail). The Nikon D3 is The Poor Man’s Medium Format Digital Back (see my reviews). You heard it here first. What remains to be seen of course is whether Nikon can maintain D3 quality in a 20+ megapixel DSLR. In the meantime, there are not many subjects that demand more than 12 high-quality megapixels, so consider your needs carefully and take the extra $3K and put it towards Zeiss ZF Lenses or the Coastal Optics 60/4 APO macro. Get Zeiss ZF lenses at B&H Photo.


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Sony WH-1000XM5 Noise-Canceling Wireless Over-Ear Headphones (Black)
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