Nikon D3 12.1 MP Digital SLR Camera - Black (Body Only)

It is sharp and exact which is why I buy Nikon. It takes perfect pictures every time. It is fast and reliable great for shooting wedding and sporting events. The extra long battery life makes it a winner.

Outstanding! Great camera, especially if you do sport or event photography....great speed and low light capability.

By far the best camera I've ever had. Excellent Features, Fast Focusing. Great qaulity pictures, does everything I needed to do. Great low light photography & excellent camera for the money. Just love it.

This camera is all I thought it would be and then a whole lot more. After having it for only three weeks I went and shot an event and was so pleased how many grab pictures where actually very sharp.
I can't wait for High School football to start!

I am a professional wedding and portrait photographer. We started with medium format film cameras and progressed to the Fuji S2, Nikon D200, D300, D300s and now the D3. We have been using the D300's for quiet a while and they have served well. I bought the D3 only for the high ISO capability but I had no idea how much better this camera is.

The focus system is much faster and much more accurate. I always use single point focus because the D300 multiple point focus was never as accurate as I demanded. The D3 multiple point focus is incredible. The camera is so accurate that it brings out the pixels because they are so defined so now I need higher resolution!

The mirror reflex is quieter and faster and the trigger is so sensitive and responsive that when you touch it, it is focused and fires instantly. The write speed seems to be faster with RAW, I am pretty sure they use the same system but if I fire 20 shots in a row the D3 is still ready to go and my D300 is still writing.

The camera is significantly heavier but in comparison to the D300 the D300 feels like a toy. I personally am willing to carry the extra weight to get that unique shot so that is not an issue.

Keep in mind that this is full frame so if your lens has a "DX" logo on it you will have to use the D3 in DX mode which is only 5mp. I am so used to not having the side trigger and wheels that I don't think I will ever use them. I personally don't feel that it is awkward to use the camera vertically and use the main trigger and wheels.

For dark situations there is no camera that will focus in the heavy dark. The D3 does NOT have a focus assist beam so you will need a SB800 or 900 to assist you. These two flashes have the option to put out the assist beam only and not fire the flash. I have an SB600 and I just cover the flash area or turn it to 1/64 depending on the situation. I will say that the D3 does focus fast in very dark situations and all it needs is a little contrast to focus, a lot less than the D300.

The additional screen on the bottom is nice giving you easier access to some controls. Also the light meter is oriented on the right side vertically in the view finder so that takes some getting used to vs the D300 and pretty much any other Nikon lower models where it is on the bottom center.

The camera will continuously fire much faster than the D300 but it is too much for my industry. The good thing is you can set the firing speeds for Low Continuous and High Continuous so you can slow it down if you need to.

They say that this is a photojournalist camera and not a portrait camera but I disagree. The portrait industry is moving into a photojournalistic style and we require the same level of speed, quality and reliability that the D3 offers. We are in the business of capturing moments and the D3 will make sure you get them. I bought this camera in 2012 when the D4 has come out and I have no regrets. This camera will separate you from the pack of amateurs claiming to be professionals. I am not saying the camera will make your photographs better than other photographers you still need the skill. So if you have the skill and you feel limited by your camera that is a good sign to upgrade to this tool.