After playing with my D3X for a few weeks it is clear that it's noise characteristics are different to my D3. The question that comes to mind is, when do I shoot with my D3x and when should I pull out my D3.

There has been lots of pixel peeping noise analysis of the D3x but I think these have missed the boat. Pixel peeping a full resolution D3x file will almost always show more noise than pixel peeping the D3. To answer the "which camera do I take" question I believe you need to compare output when it is re-scaled to the same output size and outputted as sRGB jpegs.

I took a series of shots with both the D3 and the D3x at iso 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 in RAW. Since the images were shot at night, I used a flash as the main light source - this explains why the background gets lighter as the ISO goes up. I cropped the same portion of all images and re-sized the D3x images to the same resolution as the D3. For context, here is the original image. The rectangle shows the crop section.

Now, on to the analysis. The crops have no noise reduction applied.

ISO 100

ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 1600

Conclusions

In looking at these images, it is clear that both cameras are extrordinary (but we knew that). The D3 is arguably a bit better at ISO 800 and is significantly better at 1600. So, for me, the D3x becomes my main camera and the D3 comes out when I need either a high frame rate or IS0 800/1600. If I'm able to shoot at ISO 100 to 400, the D3x is absolutely amazing. Here is a shot of my daughter and a 100% crop of her eyes.

I hope folks find this useful. With all the back and forth about the D3x, this has certainly answered some questions for me.

To contact Jon send an email to jon@mccormackmedia.com