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Nikon D3 : Specifications and Opinions

Nikon D3

The Nikon D3 is a reflex camera with FF (1.0x) sensor and 12.1 megapixels manufactured from 2007 to 2009 (discontinued). The range of sensitivities, including ISO extension, is 100 - 25600 ISO and it has a continuous shooting (burst mode) of 9 FPS x 22 RAW / 130 JPEG. The average price was 4100 €;

78 users have given it an average vote of 9.5 out of 10

Sensor
Format	Fullframe, 36 x 24 mm (image ratio 3:2, crop factor 1.0x in comparison with FF)
Resolution	12.1 megapixel (pixel pitch 8.49 μm)
ISO sensitivities	100 - 25600
File formats	RAW, JPEG
Esposure
Shutter speeds	30" - 1/8000
Exp. compensation	+/- 5 stops at 1/2 steps
Exp. modes	P, S, A, M
Metering modes	Multi-Area, Semi-Spot, Spot
Features
Mount	Nikon F (click here to view all compatible lenses)
Stabilization	No
Autofocus (AF areas)	51
Continuos shooting	9 FPS x 22 RAW / 130 JPEG
Pre-Burst	No
Live View	Yes
MLU/SS	Yes, Mirrok Lock Up
Video mode	No
WiFi	No
GPS	No
Camera body and built
Touchscreen	No
LCD	3.0", 640 x 480 pixels, fixed
Viewfinder	Optical, coverage 100%, 0.70x
Flash	No
Storage	CF
Storage, Slot 2	CF
Battery	Nikon EN-EL4, 20.90 Wh
Weather sealing	Yes
Weight	1300 g
Dimensions	160 x 157 x 88 mm
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Reviews

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Blue1707

sent on February 24, 2024

Pros: Purity of 8.5 µm pixels, reliability, ergonomics, robustness, image and mechanical quality, lightweight files, speed

Cons: 12 MP, tricky AF point control in portrait position, heft, no video, no IBIS, portability

Opinion: It might sound crazy, but I bought a 2007 camera in 2022 with 12 MP. It's a bold, reliable, really loud and heavy but precise, bulky though beautiful, top ergonomic camera with below 8000 shutter actuations and in pristine condition. No vibrational sensor cleaning, no video, slow life view AF, just 1470 g pure photographic full frame ergonomic 8.5 µm pixel power and ISO up to 6400 machine that will never let you down. The camera responds fast with high precision and the ergonomic design helps with direct access. Of course, don't expect clean ISO 6400 and above, cropping the heck out of 12 MP pictures and video at all. The size can be an issue, but somehow it helps for a steady camera position. It was built for speed and that shows even today: responsive operation and a quick, precise shutter with up to 9 frames per second. The precision and speed of the AF is more than enough for all but the most demanding purposes, everything you use just works. Focus on what's important, the composition and the decisive moment, the D3 does everything in the background, instantly, reliably and without fiddling. Used wisely, the results are great even by today's standards and for me there is always something special in the colors, the sharpness, the feather-light raw files and the printed photos. There are a lot of better and more modern cameras out there, but this gem is an all time star, a true legend and one of it's own. I might have to replace my DSLRs with mirrorless options in future, but this beauty will stay until my last breath. It's that good. Still.

The following opinions have been automatically translated with Google Translate.

Pkkleopard

sent on January 28, 2026

Pros: File quality up to 6400 iso, construction, ergonomics, battery life, speed of use, optical viewfinder, low light AF, current price (01/2026)

Cons: None (maybe just shutter noise in certain situations)

Opinion: The progenitor, when it all began... It was 2007 and Nikon presented its first FF, the D3. 19 years have passed since that wonderful moment and today I am here to exalt its praises with love and a touch of melancholy, because products like this are no longer seen: too many market logics, cost reductions and a market increasingly saturated with machines that do many more things than they need. She didn't, she only did what was needed and still today is needed by a professional photographer. Of course, he doesn't make videos... In fact, it's a camera, and what a camera! When you pick it up you fall in love immediately, everything is in the right place and nothing out of place: it is perfectly balanced with any pro lens, from fixed to zoom, and the viewfinder is a bright window on reality. It makes you want to photograph and for a long time because the battery is infinite. It generates addiction using it, even more so looking at the raw files that churns out that wonderful first Nikon FF sensor (I want to point out, not Sony): what you find yourself working on Lightroom is something incredible, the colors are pastel and the grain very analog, there are no problems in recovering lights and shadows at practically any ISO speed up to 6400, I wouldn't go beyond that, but in any case between 6400 and 12800 a nice BW is enough and the fear passes. The Nikkor D series are the death of him, the combo is almost unique and perfect even if this is a personal taste. He never misses a beat despite his now primordial AF (reference of the time, and if it was good at the time rightly so it is also good today). Today it is very difficult to find in good condition but if you find it you can take it home with a ridiculous and fully unjustified monetary outlay because it is worth much more. We must accept its shortcomings because there is not even a shadow of defects. It was and still is an object for conscious photographers and remains a cornerstone of digital photography. Lucky is he who has it, hold it tightly and use it with joy!

Cabriniv3

sent on January 12, 2026

Pros: Poetry in its purest form

Cons: Nothing

Opinion: My first FF, later I had many other cameras, arriving at the mirrorles both Nikon and other brands, I say that the Z do not reach the level of this dated reflex, but it is still ahead. I say this because in the new ones they have put a lot of stuff crippling the files that to date I find damn unnatural both in colors and in artificial sharpness. The D3 is so natural and returns in every light situation such a beautiful file that you would spend hours looking at it, even in bad photos... I always wonder why, everything is beautiful and in order, I call it magic. Then, from F4 to F5, I have always loved the professional cameras, for that feeling and sense of robustness and stability in shooting, balance any lens, the camera with the built-in VR. Grain at 3200 iso that I love, it is distributed on the frame in a filmic way. Manna from heaven camera raw, with super resolusion, enlarges the image like a D850, resampling it, fantastic. I can't find any other words to describe it.

SaroGrey

sent on January 05, 2025

Pros: Solidity, ease of use, it always works.

Cons: Nothing, that's why I don't sell it.

Opinion: I bought a new Nital a little before the arrival of the s version, they were the last available and at a price not to be missed, having the first Nikon FF was a lens not to be missed, I have other more recent nikon digital but every now and then even now you go out with that and you feel you have a hand a piece of history, mine for 16 years and has never reed a photo, it always exposes me as I want and has never shown any hitch, obviously I treat it well and to see it is still very beautiful but since they pay you a ridiculous price I keep it for life and convinced to do it I have just equipped it with three original batteries since the old ones were just gone so for a while they are fine. When someone asks for a camera to start photographing I always recommend a used D3, you get it with two pennies and with all the buttons out you quickly learn everything there is to learn, you use the menu very little and you don't need many apps and other, with that it's almost like shooting with film and you learn much better than with a super technological with a thousand functions that a neophyte will never use. With 3/400 euros you can get the right car to start even if it weighs a little.

Massimo Santabarbara

sent on November 30, 2024

Pros: Although no longer ahead of modern models, it remains one of the most robust DSLRs

Cons: "Low" resolution by today's standards: At 12.1 megapixels, the resolution of the D3 is relatively low by current standards, especially when compared to newer models that offer higher resolutions (20-30 MP). However, it is important to remember that for most professional applications, this resolution is still more than enough. No Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity

Opinion: Despite its "only" 12 MP, the sensor is really of excellent quality and still manages to compete with many modern SLRs today. Personally, I often use it when I want to get warm and enveloping shots, because it has a very sophisticated and intimate rendering, which gives it a unique soul. It is always a pleasure to hold in your hand, despite the weight, it offers a feeling of robustness and safety that is reflected in the quality of the shots, making them truly unique. However, the weight, relatively low resolution by current standards, and the absence of video capabilities or wireless connectivity might be limitations for those looking for a more versatile camera or one with more modern features, but if you keep the ISO below 1000, it can really compete with many more modern cameras. With already 90,000 shots behind her, this beauty is destined to continue to be my faithful companion for loooong time to come!

There are 26 more reviews. Show all »

Photos taken with Nikon D3

In the woods

by Stefano Campo
131 comments, 47484 views [editors pick]

Coot vs. shrimp ......

by Antonello Venturelli
131 comments, 29260 views [editors pick]

Camilla ..

by Sparello Pierangelo
92 comments, 20727 views

HI RES 12.1 MP

Transparencies ...

by Duell
167 comments, 21502 views

HI RES 3.8 MP

"Birds"

by Spartacus
149 comments, 16435 views [editors pick]

Bee-eater ... and dragonfly in flight

by Danilo Bassani
162 comments, 41521 views

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Strange attitude

by Maurizio Pol
66 comments, 15558 views

HI RES 4.8 MP

Wedding parade in the rain

by Andrea Zampatti
84 comments, 23690 views [editors pick]

Alessia ...

by Sparello Pierangelo
67 comments, 16774 views

HI RES 11.6 MP

Snow-covered trees

by MauroRu
51 comments, 2637 views

HI RES 11.6 MP

Ground Zero, Inn

by Brièxit
72 comments, 6558 views

Angela

by Sparello Pierangelo
52 comments, 7735 views

HI RES 7.0 MP

Aurora Storm

by FrancescoGentili
62 comments, 13660 views

Aurora Flakstad

by FrancescoGentili
67 comments, 12417 views

A night at Giau .....

by Maxange
171 comments, 14800 views

HI RES 12.1 MP

Wake up Sleepyhead!!

by Danilo Bassani
73 comments, 12269 views

Balls at Brandenburger Tor

by Brièxit
70 comments, 5354 views

Lotus Flower..

by Mau..
117 comments, 7459 views

HI RES 8.4 MP

Veronica chamaedrys,

by Mau..
133 comments, 6105 views

HI RES 8.7 MP

Curious

by Stefano Campo
52 comments, 8435 views

Stonechat male landing

by Zana08
77 comments, 21414 views [editors pick]

E m o t i o n a l

by Sparello Pierangelo
40 comments, 9735 views

HI RES 8.9 MP

Aquilegia alpina

by Mau..
127 comments, 5549 views

HI RES 8.7 MP

An umbrella in the sun

by Maxange
156 comments, 9722 views

HI RES 12.1 MP

"Chasing" Roiter .......

by Maxange
186 comments, 11064 views

HI RES 11.5 MP

Fox

by Zana08
61 comments, 13163 views

You will always be with us.. Tim.

by Mau..
129 comments, 6080 views

HI RES 8.7 MP

Wedding moments

by Giovanni Tarantini
32 comments, 8615 views

HI RES 10.0 MP

Dawn of Fire ....

by Danilo Bassani
67 comments, 8988 views

The Valley of Paradise

by FrancescoGentili
37 comments, 7197 views

HI RES 4.2 MP

by Ayps
42 comments, 17201 views

HI RES 12.1 MP

Agathea Bleue..

by Mau..
102 comments, 5028 views

HI RES 8.7 MP

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Girl with headscarf

by Leo Maria Scordo
33 comments, 19297 views

Clemantis

by Mau..
90 comments, 4800 views

HI RES 8.7 MP

You can leave your hat on

by Brièxit
49 comments, 3664 views

Heron and cormorant

by Lemure
55 comments, 19373 views

HI RES 3.8 MP

Gladiolus

by Mau..
108 comments, 4021 views

HI RES 8.7 MP

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Reviews » Cameras » Cameras Nikon » Nikon D3

Nikon D3 : Specifications and Opinions

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Reviews

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Photos taken with Nikon D3