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

As manufacturers continue to entice us to pay for ever more pixels, the old technology drops in value, leaving those of us who know what's really important for great photos with bargains to pick-up. I bought a secondhand D3, with 33,000 shots under its belt, from a photojournalist who'd used it for three years and who now wanted to 'upgrade' to a D800. I paid just over a grand for it and haven't regretted going for a 12MP camera that's been in heavy use at all. The D3 is an ergonomic masterpiece that's built to last and takes stunning photos. I have a D7000 and D5100 and this D3 just 'smokes' them in terms of performance and ease-of-use. The D3 has all the major controls on its body just as 35mm film cameras did and I seldom need to delve into the menu system. But what makes this camera such a joy to use is the way it feels in the hand: comfortable and intuitive in a way that makes taking pictures an extension of one's own body. The only downside I've found thus far is that the sensor seems to pick up dust more than my other camera bodies which have sensor cleaning mechanisms; clearly this is a new technological innovation that actually works.

So, if you have a grand to spend, don't buy an up-market DX camera like the new D7100 which I'm sure is a fine camera, buy a second-hand D3 instead and experience photographic bliss! You won't miss the pixels because 12MP are enough to out-resolve all but the very best lenses: when I pixel-peep files produced by my D3, I reach the lens resolution 'floor' before I start to see the image pixels. The quest for ever more pixels is, frankly, just hype: don't fall for it.

An excellent portrait camera that disappoints press photograhers. You would expect the pushed ISO limit of 6400 to perform as well as on D3 or even D3S. Nowhere near - full of noise. Nonetheless superb for well lit portraits. I'm more of a press photographer so sent it back and bought a D4. That's another story.

Oh dear oh dear. At the latest look, 5 of the 8 readers of this review didn't find it helpful. Perhaps they didn't see what they already wanted to. The D3S and D4 are exceptional all-round cameras. The D3X is good for portraiture or landscape and not much else - and I have owned and worked with all three.

although its a little bit old...well its good value for the money..some scratches on the battery holders too...some rubber grips were that makes me happy...