D3 owners thread.

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Name
Andy
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Cant find a d3 thread so I have started one.

Just upgraded so would really appreciate any tips and suggestions you may have.

So far I am loving the auto iso setting, being able to dial in a min shutter speed and the camera being able to cope with previously unthinkable iso rates is amazing:)
 
I will only drop into this thread briefly.

I hate all of you.

;)
 
I just leave my auto iso at 3200. at the max 3200 only requires a small nr with lightroom.
 
I think there are times when it could be useful, such as shooting an indoor event with variable lighting conditions but there is no way I would just "leave" it set to auto iso.
 
Interesting, I've been playing with auto iso for a few weeks now... and I rather like it too!

I'm all for learning as many tips and tricks as I can with my D3 so I'll be watching this thread (y)
 
I have the iso sensitivity settings placed on top of my menu so can switch off the auto iso and ammend minimum shutter speed and new iso value with minimum effort
 
Auto ISO is very useful when you want a particular shutter speed and a certain aperture - e.g. 1/800th @ f/2.8 - say for shooting sport - put these setting into manual and let the ISO control the exposure. Works very well.
 
mjjiva said:
I have the iso sensitivity settings placed on top of my menu so can switch off the auto iso and ammend minimum shutter speed and new iso value with minimum effort

I like this. Thanks for sharing.
 
Top tips:

1. Keep up to date with latest firmware - AF at first was awful, on latest firmware it's pretty good

2. Don't try a D3S - you really will get jealous
 
Good idea starting this thread. I suppose the reason for there not being one was because there were not as many people with a D3 as say with a D90 or D300. I had never used the auto ISO with my D300 but I tried it when I got the D3 in some very gloomy weather before Christmas and it performed very well. Would not leave it on though.
 
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I'm sure the D3s is wonderful - but if you don't need/want video (that's me) then you'd be paying a lot for something you don't want. Interestingly in the latest edition of Nikon Pro Magazine - almost all the fantastic pictures are taken with the D3s - but almost all at 200 ISO!! The high ISO is a marketing thing now - yes - the D3 made a huge difference - but how high do you really have to go??
 
I'm sure the D3s is wonderful - but if you don't need/want video (that's me) then you'd be paying a lot for something you don't want. Interestingly in the latest edition of Nikon Pro Magazine - almost all the fantastic pictures are taken with the D3s - but almost all at 200 ISO!! The high ISO is a marketing thing now - yes - the D3 made a huge difference - but how high do you really have to go??

Good point, I need the higher iso for my newspaper work, situations where I cant use flash etc.

Portraits and other planned shots have strobes etc.
 
That's what I use the D3 for too - I work freelance on press jobs all the time -and it has made a life changing difference - but - as I say - how high do we need - often when the light gets that low the quality of the light is also pants.
 
I use to shoot with the upper limit at 1600 as at this iso thte images are very clean above this noise does start to creep at close inspection, now that lightroom 3 is here I have no hesitation in bumping the iso upto 3200 and maybe 6400.
 
as for the d3s , yes it is a stop or 2 better than a d3 but I don't shoot many images above iso 1600 so will not notice any difference with the d3s as for the video , in the d3s it's very much in it's infancy and has been bettered by the likes of d3100 and d7000
 
as for the d3s , yes it is a stop or 2 better than a d3 but I don't shoot many images above iso 1600 so will not notice any difference with the d3s as for the video , in the d3s it's very much in it's infancy and has been bettered by the likes of d3100 and d7000


Yeah. I sued to think that until I got the D3S......
 
Couple of things that really stand out for me on the D3s, never had to clean the sensor which I was forever doing on the D3. The extra buffer on sport events is very usable in high speed raw frame rate. As for video... never used it.
Both cameras are mega and certainly changed the way we think about things.
I've had many cameras but just can't bring myself to take anything other than a D3/D3s out when it counts.
 
The higher buffer should have been available as standard on the D3 - instead of an expensive mod. I've not had mine done. Just have to remember to switch to jpeg for those rare occasions.
 
HERE is a pic of the D3 that I would like.

Beats all of yours.

Interestingly or co-incidentally , it's an Alpina?

Am I missing summat?
 
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Although i think it is the other way arount - it owns me. I just do what it says.:):)

just a beginner though :cool:

rayprocter.smugmug.com if you want to see pics. viewer password is Oyster.

so how can i tell that i have the latest firmware? And how would you update? or do i have to read the manual for that (yawn..).

PS Video - isn't that what a D7000 is for?

1086869601_shwb8-L.jpg



Cheers

Ray
 
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Can't wait for the D3x owners thread, top of the pyramid, just higher than this one (2 users max?) :LOL: :notworthy:
 
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Although so how can i tell that i have the latest firmware? And how would you update? or do i have to read the manual for that (yawn..).

It's in the camera's menus. Check numbers for A and B.

Setup menu.
 
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I'd be interested to know where the D3x sits in terms of sales compared to the other pro bodies in recent years.

But back on topic, somewhere in here someone mentioned auto ISO. Best feature ever made if you shoot in varying light. Superb, and compliments the crazy high ISOs of the D3/D3s perfectly!
 
Cant find a d3 thread so I have started one.

Just upgraded so would really appreciate any tips and suggestions you may have.

So far I am loving the auto iso setting, being able to dial in a min shutter speed and the camera being able to cope with previously unthinkable iso rates is amazing:)


Ohh I can do all that on my D90 :wave: :nuts:
 
I hope auto iso isnt like my d300s. You set it to cap at 1600 and you go outside on a glorious day at 11:59am and it always selects iso1600!!! completely useless.

Fortunatly ISO is a little button on the top so easy to adjust manually.
It sounds like there's either something wrong with your camera or you don't fully understand how the Auto ISO function works.

If you set it properly, it will always give you the lowest ISO setting for your given shutter & aperture, so if it's giving you 1600 then it's because that's the lowest ISO that will give you the correct exposure based on your other settings. But it's not just the ISO you need to set to fully make the most of it, you need to set the min shutter speed as well for it to have to drop to before it ups the ISO. So if it was giving you ISO 1600 in the middle of the day I'd say more than likely you had the min shutter speed set too high in the Auto ISO setting.

Two experiments to try:
Try putting the camera in aperture priority mode, setting the min shutter speed in the Auto ISO menu at 1/50 second and the max ISO at 1600. Then look through the viewfinder as you point the camera inside and then out the window, you'll see the ISO value go up and down as the light levels change.

Or, put the camera in manual, with AUTO ISO on. Then change the shutter speed and aperture and the ISO will constantly adjust.

I use auto ISO almost 100% of the time on my D3s and it works in exactly the same was as the D300. It's far from useless, it's actually a very very powerful feature once you get to grips with it, so well worth playing around with it :)

The best thing about it is it will adjust the ISO range to settings you can't normally select as it goes up in small increments, i.e. ISO 720
 
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