Nikon D3X DSLR officially announced

Nikon D3X- prosumer or just pro?
Nikon D3X- prosumer or just pro?

Nikon has officially announced the arrival of its eagerly awaited 24.5 megapixel DSLR the Nikon D3X.

Last week, we reported that Nikon had premiered the cam in its official magazine so an official announcement was inevitable.

With a suggested RRP of just under £5,500, this is camera that sits firmly in the professional category – and Nikon are pushing hard on the versatility of the D3X.

The camera boasts a specially developed FX-format CMOS image sensor with 12-channel readout, gapless micro lens array and on-chip noise reduction which apparently 'delivers class-leading levels of continuous shooting speed and noise management at higher sensitivities without sacrificing detail.'

Sensor chip

This chip is already receiving a lot of attention due to its similarity with the Sony Alpha DSLR-A900's sensor.

The nitty gritty facts are that the Nikon D3X supports an ISO range from 100-1600 extendable down to ISO 50 and up to 6400 equivalent with up to 5fps continuous shooting at full resolution, or 7fps in the 10MP DX-crop mode.

As well as improved low-light performance, the camera has a Live View function that is designed for studio work where a viewfinder is impractical, can start up in 12 milliseconds and has a 40ms shutter lag.

Those who pick up the camera may need a bigger memory card, with RAW images coming in at 50MB a time.

Long wait

"This is the camera that many professional photographers have been waiting for," said Robert Cristina, Professional Products and NPS Manager at Nikon Europe.

"Just as the D3 has become the professionals' camera of choice in sports photography, the D3X's extremely high imaging resolution will raise the bar for commercial, fashion and stock photography.

"The results speak for themselves: this is without doubt our highest-quality camera to date."

The Nikon D3 has proven to be a massively popular camera – and Nikon will be hoping that the D3X can carry on the success.

Patrick Goss

Patrick Goss is the ex-Editor in Chief of TechRadar. Patrick was a passionate and experienced journalist, and he has been lucky enough to work on some of the finest online properties on the planet, building audiences everywhere and establishing himself at the forefront of digital content.  After a long stint as the boss at TechRadar, Patrick has now moved on to a role with Apple, where he is the Managing Editor for the App Store in the UK.