A month after Nikon's announcement, samples from the new flagship D3 continue to appear from various sources. Here's a rundown of the latest links.
For those wanting to use a little bandwidth, digitalreview.ca has posted some full-resolution images and a few slightly crops between ISO 4000 and ISO 8000. The Canadian website describes these images as combing from a batch of “initial-production” samples of the D3, which were supplied by Nikon at a Toronto Bluejays game.
A set of more covertly shot samples was posted on the Chinese forum Xitek, which shows the full range of sensitivities from ISO 100 to ISO 25600, with noise reduction both off and on.
Nikon-sponsored wedding pro Cliff Mautner posted a blog about using a D3 for a recent wedding, to stunning results. Though the images speak for themselves as a testament to the photographer's ability, the glowing report of the D3 is certainly encouraging.
Aside from samples, a number of user reports are now available as well. Photoshop guru Scott Kelby recently posted a blog about his experience using a D3, and, like all other such reports, the write-up is incredibly enthusiastic. Kelby has also just posted a follow-up Q&A about the D3.
In addition, sports shooter Ed Betz, who switched to Canon after the introduction of the unsatisfactory Nikon D2H, has been posting his thoughts on the D3 on the DPR forums, to much controversy. You can read some of Ed's earlier impressions here.
The Japanese site DC Impress Watch has posted their hands-on preview of the D3, along with a sound clip of the D3's shutter/mirror action.
