innerimager
Member
I remember when it came out and the most common critique was how overpriced it was, and certainly hard to justify the $3000 increase from the D3 (which I shot for several years). So I sold that D3 to buy a D800E which is now in the hands of RobSteve of this forum. (Traded for his noctilux plus lenses+cash). I didn't love the 800E. Mostly I missed the lovely bright viewfinder of the D3 with the illuminated focus points. I also found it tough to get best IQ as camera shake was so tricky and I find it harder to steady a smaller lighter camera.
But I was left without an f-mount body and lot's of lovely f-lenses. Started looking for used D3S and found I could get a used D3X for LESS than a used D3S. The situation had reversed, now getting a D3X was no longer an extravagance. I really wanted higher resolution. I don't shoot very low light or sports like I used to, and I went for a nearly unused D3X bought on this forum. I love it. The files are extraordinary at Iso 100, and testing at 1600 was much better than I thought it would be. I get the feeling that the 24MP sensor is sort of a sweet spot, offering extremely good resolution while being more forgiving of camera shake then the D800. Having been an early adopter of many bodies over the years, it's a great change of pace to find joy in an "outdated" body!
But I was left without an f-mount body and lot's of lovely f-lenses. Started looking for used D3S and found I could get a used D3X for LESS than a used D3S. The situation had reversed, now getting a D3X was no longer an extravagance. I really wanted higher resolution. I don't shoot very low light or sports like I used to, and I went for a nearly unused D3X bought on this forum. I love it. The files are extraordinary at Iso 100, and testing at 1600 was much better than I thought it would be. I get the feeling that the 24MP sensor is sort of a sweet spot, offering extremely good resolution while being more forgiving of camera shake then the D800. Having been an early adopter of many bodies over the years, it's a great change of pace to find joy in an "outdated" body!