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Examples
Examples are minimally processed except as noted so as to allow the native performance of the camera to be seen. Sharpening is low to moderate to avoid destroying subtleties; every example here can be made to “pop” with additional sharpening. Noise reduction was OFF in all cases, unless explicitly noted.
Worth noting is that the D3x images don’t seem to compress very well, meaning that their information content is very high eg very detailed. The JPEGs here are compromises between reasonable size and quality. The actual pixels crops have been kept to higher quality (JPEG 70 of 100 or higher in most cases).
Click on images to see a larger size and actual-pixels crops.
D3x and optics
An immediate impression of the D3x is that its sensor is so demanding that every optical shortcoming is revealed. The Nikon 14-24/2.8 zoom, which has no optical peers, has its limitations mercilessly exposed by the D3x. Color fringing, though exceptionally well controlled by comparison with other wide angle zooms, is obvious anywhere off-center. For these examples I’ve used the Capture NX 2 Auto Color Aberration feature, as this review is about showing the potential of the D3x.
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Diglloyd DAP is DSLR-oriented, but also contains workflow and other topics. Much of the focus is on Canon and Nikon but also Pentax and Pentax medium format.
Special emphasis is placed on lens evaluation, focusing on Canon and Nikon and Sigma lenses, but with a few others like Rokinon/Samyang.
- Make better images by learning how to get the best results right away.
- Save money by choosing the right lens for your needs the first time, particularly some of the new Sigma Art lenses vs Nikon and Canon.
- Workflow discusses image organization, raw conversion and post processing. Many examples show processing parameters for direct insight into how the image was converted.
- Jaw-dropping image quality found nowhere else utilizing Retina-grade images up to full camera resolution, plus large crops [past 2 years or so].
- Real world examples with insights found nowhere else. Make sharper images just by understanding lens behavior you won’t read about elsewhere.
- Aperture series from wide open through stopped down, showing the full range of lens performance and bokeh.
- Optical quality analysis of field curvature, focus shift, sharpness, flare, distortion, and performance in the field.
Want a preview? Click on any page below to see an excerpt as well as extensive blog coverage, for example on Nikon or on Canon or on Pentax.
D3x + Zeiss ZF 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar @ f/5.6, 1/50 sec @ ISO 80