Nikon D3X 24.5MP full frame pro DSLR officially unveiled today

[DPNow]

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Not one of Nikon's best kept secrets, it was a case of when, rather than if, but the new full frame 24.5MP Nikon D3X DSLR has been officially launched today. We have the details for you.

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[Ian]

I find it quite perplexing that Nikon has decided not to provide a self-cleaning sensor for the D3X. After all, the D700 has this.

Also, does the original D3 still have a raison d'etre any more?

Ian

[Xtack]

The D700 inherited quite a bit of the internals from the D300. I think both the D3 and
D3X have their own raison D'etre.
D3 caters for the sport/action/photojournalism shooters and D3X would be used more by Landscape/nature photographers, Studio camera and situations where the camera is sitting on the Tripod. Same as the case of the Canon 1D / Ds MarkIII

D3X/D3 not having the sensor cleaning mechanism like the D700 did not come as a surprise to me at all. Nikon has done this in the past as well. Example that comes to mind is from the film era.

Take a look below listing advantages of F4 over F90x and vice versa. F4 and F90x for their era were the parallels of the D700 and the D3/D3X.
The primary advantages of an F4 over the F90x

Interchangeable viewfinders (right angle, waist level, reflex prism, etc.)
Mirror lockup
Conventional (traditional) controls
Slightly higher continuous frame rate (5.7 fps versus 4.3)
100% view in viewfinder
The advantages of the F90x over the F4

Faster and better autofocus mechanism
Lighter weight
More sophisticated matrix metering

and yet both F4 and F90 sold well.

The current economic climate will have an effect on the Nikon D3/D3x sales with the later's introductory sales being low. For Nikon D3x to justify the high price, its native image quality (sensor detail resolving power and sharpness) will have to be at par/better than the Canon 1D Mark III

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Xtack

The D700 inherited quite a bit of the internals from the D300. I think both the D3 and
D3X have their own raison D'etre.
D3 caters for the sport/action/photojournalism shooters and D3X would be used more by Landscape/nature photographers, Studio camera and situations where the camera is sitting on the Tripod. Same as the case of the Canon 1D / Ds MarkIII

D3X/D3 not having the sensor cleaning mechanism like the D700 did not come as a surprise to me at all. Nikon has done this in the past as well. Example that comes to mind is from the film era.

Take a look below listing advantages of F4 over F90x and vice versa. F4 and F90x for their era were the parallels of the D700 and the D3/D3X.
The primary advantages of an F4 over the F90x

Interchangeable viewfinders (right angle, waist level, reflex prism, etc.)
Mirror lockup
Conventional (traditional) controls
Slightly higher continuous frame rate (5.7 fps versus 4.3)
100% view in viewfinder
The advantages of the F90x over the F4

Faster and better autofocus mechanism
Lighter weight
More sophisticated matrix metering

and yet both F4 and F90 sold well.

The current economic climate will have an effect on the Nikon D3/D3x sales with the later's introductory sales being low. For Nikon D3x to justify the high price, its native image quality (sensor detail resolving power and sharpness) will have to be at par/better than the Canon 1D Mark III

Hi Xtack - welcome to DPNow

I do think that Canon will be quietly pleased that the D3x doesn't have a self-cleaning sensor. I'm also sure that some potential D3x owners may be put off by it, too.

Ian

[Xtack]

Originally Posted by Ian

Hi Xtack - welcome to DPNow

I do think that Canon will be quietly pleased that the D3x doesn't have a self-cleaning sensor. I'm also sure that some potential D3x owners may be put off by it, too.

Ian

I agree with you that not having a self-cleaning sensor will be a dampner for many potential D3x buyers, but I don't think this is a deal breaker. D3x would be a choice for the serious professional in certain niches. Such a market sees self cleaning sensor as a deal sweetner. The deal breaker would be if Nikon image quality is inferior to Canon yet being priced at the same levels.

A price of $1000 over the D3 would have rocketed it to the top of the charts. Nikon's launch of this model was pretty muted.

Xtack