# Nikon D3????



## katm288 (Feb 13, 2014)

I've been shooting with a Nikon D7000 for several years.  I have the opportunity to buy a D3 with a low shutter count that was used as a hobby camera. What are your thoughts on this camera?  Help!!


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## runnah (Feb 13, 2014)

How good is the deal?

That's a lot of camera for a hobbyist.


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## sk66 (Feb 13, 2014)

From a D7000 it would be a huge increase in performance for sports/action.... ISO noise wise it will be a little better, but not hugely so. It's still a very fine camera.

But if you don't have the need, or the FF lenses it might be a bad choice...


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## Designer (Feb 13, 2014)

Is it in good condition?  (well taken care of)
What lenses are included?


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## Derrel (Feb 13, 2014)

It's easy to shoot and very FAST-responding. You're driving a Toyota now...the D3 is a Porsche. If the price is good, I'd say, yeah, give it a go, see what flagship-level build and subsystems are actually like.


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## katm288 (Feb 13, 2014)

The deal is great....I have several FX lenses already and I shoot mainly sports.


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## katm288 (Feb 13, 2014)

The D7000 has lots of backfocusing issues when I'm trying to get the perfect shot.


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## Designer (Feb 13, 2014)

katm288 said:


> The D7000 has lots of backfocusing issues when I'm trying to get the perfect shot.



This is probably something that can be corrected.  

wrong focusing mode chosen
bad lens
camera body malfunction


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## katm288 (Feb 13, 2014)

Thank you, Designer!  I'll play with it today to see if one of the three is causing the issue.  It only recently started to do this.


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## katm288 (Feb 13, 2014)

Derrel said:


> It's easy to shoot and very FAST-responding. You're driving a Toyota now...the D3 is a Porsche. If the price is good, I'd say, yeah, give it a go, see what flagship-level build and subsystems are actually like.




Just purchased it....let's what happens.  I think I'll like driving a Porsche for a change.


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## brian_f2.8 (Feb 13, 2014)

You will love the D3 for sports. If you dont mind carrying the D3 around with you for daily shooting in a city, a park, family event then yeah do it. Once you start to enjoy the D3, you will wind up selling the D7000. Why drive your Honda Civic SI when you have a Porsche 911? 

I love my D3 and I use it all the time. However Im awaiting to play with the new Fuji X-T1 for a walk around camera or this new rumor of a new Nikon mirror-less camera.


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## katm288 (Feb 13, 2014)

Awesome, Brian.  I should receive it tomorrow and can't wait to start playing with it!  I'm very excited!!!


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## brian_f2.8 (Feb 13, 2014)

What fx lens do you have? 

I love the D3 with my 50mm f1.8. I also have a 35, 24-70, 70-200, 300mm and a 10.5 fisheye.


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## katm288 (Feb 13, 2014)

I have the 70-200, 80-200, 35, 50...I would love to own the 24-70.  That's my next purchase.


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## brian_f2.8 (Feb 13, 2014)

The 24-70 is really nice. I like this lens a lot. You will really like the wider angle on fx as opposed to dx. The 50mm on the D3 is a great combo. Its still heavy but not that bad.


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## Derrel (Feb 13, 2014)

katm288 said:


> The deal is great....I have several FX lenses already and I shoot mainly sports.



OMG--you should have mentioned that...it's a great camera for "action" work! BIG viewfinder image, far easier to see what';s going on than in the D7100 and similar bodies...much faster, all around handling...just a major upgrade from a consumer-class body.


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## Tailgunner (Feb 13, 2014)

Derrel said:


> katm288 said:
> 
> 
> > The deal is great....I have several FX lenses already and I shoot mainly sports.
> ...



Ditto!

I just switched from a D7100 to a D800 and the larger view finder is awesome! 

Anyhow, If you got a god deal on a low count D3, I say go for it!


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## katm288 (Feb 14, 2014)

It's here!  I'm sooo excited...I'm in love with this camera already! Any D3 suggestions....I'm going from DX D7000 to full frame.  Any suggestions or online tutorials.


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## sk66 (Feb 14, 2014)

Basic setup isn't much different than the D7000... just get to using it and RTM.


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## brian_f2.8 (Feb 14, 2014)

Read the manual! There is so much to this camera. It's a great reason to tell the wife n kids leave me alone I have to learn how to use this. 

I really hope, naw I know you will enjoy this camera.


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## Derrel (Feb 14, 2014)

Nikon D3 User's Guide


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## katm288 (Feb 14, 2014)

Thanks everyone!


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## brian_f2.8 (Feb 16, 2014)

How is it going? What are your thoughts?


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## bigal1000 (Feb 21, 2014)

Go get it............


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## billydoo73 (Feb 23, 2014)

Nice.

The D3 is just a beautiful beast of a camera.  It's my main body for weddings and it takes a beating.  How?

Here is my D3 after it got run over by a car...

Why Pros shoot the Nikon D3 | Chris Bilodeau

Enjoy your new camera!!!


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## katm288 (Mar 1, 2014)

Hi all....I have to say that I fell in love with the camera, however, I had to send it back to the seller.  The sensor was extremely dirty with some sort of oil and yuckiness.  It also appeared that the sensor had a scratch on it. :-(.   I'm reluctant to purchase another d3....


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## jaomul (Mar 1, 2014)

katm288 said:


> Hi all....I have to say that I fell in love with the camera, however, I had to send it back to the seller.  The sensor was extremely dirty with some sort of oil and yuckiness.  It also appeared that the sensor had a scratch on it. :-(.   I'm reluctant to purchase another d3....


Dirt can be dealt with. A scratch is a different story. That's bad luck.
Why would you be reluctant to buy another d3?


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## brian_f2.8 (Mar 1, 2014)

Don't get discouraged by the D3. It's a great camera. I shoot pro sports for clients, not for fun. My images have to compete with others. The D3 is a great because 300k shutter, weather sealing, 9fps, raw files are clean n not 75mb like the D800 and they cost 2k. No need for a D4 or D4s. I need wifi but that's another story. 

Keep looking around for a D3, when you find a good one you will love it.


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## KmH (Mar 1, 2014)

katm288 said:


> The sensor was extremely dirty with some sort of oil and yuckiness.


How do you know it was "some sort of oil"?


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## Gavjenks (Mar 1, 2014)

@OP:The D3 is a great looking camera and I'm sure you will be happy with its many upgrades. I suggest hanging onto the D7000 though, especially on sports shoots, just in case you want that longer reach and higher pixel coverage of the cropped region (with a 36MP full frame this doesn't matter, but a 12MP yes, I would want to bring both bodies)

@Billydoo:


billydoo73 said:


> Nice.
> The D3 is just a beautiful beast of a camera.  It's my main body for weddings and it takes a beating.  How?
> Here is my D3 after it got run over by a car...
> Why Pros shoot the Nikon D3 | Chris Bilodeau
> Enjoy your new camera!!!


And from the article:


> Any other camera body would probably be in pieces.


How could you possibly know anything of the sort? The D7000 the OP had for instance is also magnesium alloy. Or even a tiny plastic Canon SL1 might have survived, because A) The plastics they use are actually debatably as strong as magnesium alloy for certain types of damage, B) A smaller camera has less torque applied to its parts, and inherently higher crush strength all other things equal, C) Maybe the force on the body just simply wasn't high enough to break a lesser camera even if it does use weaker materials, etc.


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## jaomul (Mar 1, 2014)

Gavjenks said:


> @OP:The D3 is a great looking camera and I'm sure you will be happy with its many upgrades. I suggest hanging onto the D7000 though, especially on sports shoots, just in case you want that longer reach and higher pixel coverage of the cropped region (with a 36MP full frame this doesn't matter, but a 12MP yes, I would want to bring both bodies)
> 
> @Billydoo:
> 
> ...



I have to say that I read many of your posts as there is often good info there. Did you ever step back though and think "I don't have to argue every single point"


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## Gavjenks (Mar 1, 2014)

Nope. But it's distinctly less interesting and fun to just go "Yup. Them's a story alright. That sucks." And in my opinion, leads to less being learned usually than actually challenging things, especially things that are not opinions and can be addressed scientifically like this.  Plus, the OP already answered his original question.


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## katm288 (Mar 1, 2014)

jaomul said:


> katm288 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi all....I have to say that I fell in love with the camera, however, I had to send it back to the seller.  The sensor was extremely dirty with some sort of oil and yuckiness.  It also appeared that the sensor had a scratch on it. :-(.   I'm reluctant to purchase another d3....
> ...



It's on older camera and I really want one, however, it was very disappointing when I started shooting and saw the scratch and the dirt (which looked like oil) show up in the pics.  It was cleaned but to no avail.  :-(


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## katm288 (Mar 1, 2014)

KmH said:


> katm288 said:
> 
> 
> > The sensor was extremely dirty with some sort of oil and yuckiness.
> ...




A really good friend of mine cleaned the sensor for me and whatever was on that sensor seemed to smear instead of coming off cleanly.


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## Gavjenks (Mar 1, 2014)

Oh I didn't notice that part.  Kat, that might be why it was such a good deal... I would be quicker to assume that it was cheap BECAUSE it had a scratched sensor, in reality, than to assume that D3s are just generally faulty or something. It almost certainly happened from the user, not the factory.

If you can still afford a more normally priced D3, go ahead and get another one. KEH probably has the best used deals and information on used condition. If not, there are other upgrades you could do in between if you still don't like your D7000 enough to use it.


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## katm288 (Mar 2, 2014)

Thank you, Gavjenks!  I'll keep looking.  I really like the D3.


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## randyphotoforum (Mar 2, 2014)

ISO, AF and DR kill the d7k
the d7k is a plastic toy camera in comparison
the fact that someone told you it's only a little better than the d7k in high ISO is an lol


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