Digital Home Thoughts: Nikon D3X: The Budget Buster!

"Nikon has announced the D3X, its latest high-resolution professional DSLR. Sporting an imaging sensor with double the number of photosites of the popular D3, the 24.5 megapixel D3x includes similar features such as a 3.0", 920,000 dot LCD monitor with Live View, 51-point autofocus, EXPEED image processing and HDMI output. To keep up with the demands of stock photography the camera produces 50MB 14-bit RAW files that can be processed to produce 140MB TIFFs. It also supports Nikon’s wireless system and is compatible with Nikon’s new GP-1 GPS unit."

The 24.5 megapixel Nikon D3X is not a replacement for, but a sibling to the award winning 12 megapixel Nikon D3. To double the megapixels, Nikon incorporated a new full frame sensor built by Sony. However, there is a serious drawback to the D3X - the price. At USD $7,999, the list price is $3,000 more than the Nikon D3, forcing pros to pay a lot for those 12 additional megapixels. It is also $5,000 more than the 24.6 megapixel Sony A900, which uses a very similar sensor. I think with our current world economy, this is going to be one tough sale for Nikon. Nonetheless, for those who want it and can afford it, it is truly an outstanding camera.