Hands-On With the Nikon D3 DSLR

I had a meeting with Nikon yesterday and had my first chance to see and handle the D300 and D3. I didn’t really get enough time with the cameras to form a real impression. But I did get to play with the D3 a bit and they showed me the camera’s Liveview LCD display and two of the new Nikkor lenses, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED Zoom and the AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED Zoom. My first impression of the D3 is BIG.

It’s not too big or heavy, but it did surprise me. For a pro body, mass is usually a good thing, adding stability. However, at 2.73 pounds the D3 is about two-tenths of a pound heavier than the newest Canon EOS-1D bodies. Add a pro telephoto Nikkor lens and you’re going to need some muscles to carry this thing around.One thing I’ve always liked about Nikon DSLRs is the big, bright, sharp LCD display. The new D3 is no different, and it now has Liveview. The D3 has two Liveview modes, Handheld and Tripod. The display is big and beautiful and had a useful composition grid overlay when they showed it to me.

Hands-On With the Nikon D3 DSLR