D3 in DX Format

[Snel lenS]

Hi Bro and Sis,

D3 is so amazing of its High ISO performance, i am now save money to buy this machine at year end. Currently i am using a DX format camera and my lens at 200mm actually gives me 300mm, but if i change the camera to D3, it will back to 200mm. The 300mm lens is too heavy for me to travel.

Do possible by switching to DX format in D3, it will times 1.5 even the lens is not a DX lens?


Thanks

[digitalxd1]

Yes it is possible to swich to DX mode on D3.
U will see a black "frame" on ur view finder.
this is similar on Nikon D2X, when u switch from 5 FPS to 8 FPS.

Andree

[Snel lenS]

Thanks Andrea,

Will D3 under DX still gives 1.5x factor to the lens, let say thelephoto 70-200mm VR become 105-300mm?
Because by doing that, i can actually own a 70-300mm f2.8 lens with 70-200 in FX format and 200-300mm in DX format. This great convenient to me. Hehe...

300 2.8 is too expensive for me.

[TMC]

this one could be found in the their specs already. just need to do some more hw.

This will basically be the same thing that you can do with the D2X. x1.5FOV to x2FOV. It just cuts down the area of the FF sensor used to that of a DX sensor.

[satan_18349]

But still the DOF is still different.

[TMC]

true but that is not what the TS is asking.

[lsisaxon]

Originally Posted by Snel lenS Hi Bro and Sis, D3 is so amazing of its High ISO performance, i am now save money to buy this machine at year end. Currently i am using a DX format camera and my lens at 200mm actually gives me 300mm, but if i change the camera to D3, it will back to 200mm. The 300mm lens is too heavy for me to travel. Do possible by switching to DX format in D3, it will times 1.5 even the lens is not a DX lens? Thanks

It's the same as shooting using 200mm on FX then cropping to get a 300mm angle of view. You just lose resolution..

[kennethw]

Another thing to note that if you use DX mode on the D3, you only get 5MP...

[ortega]

shoot first crop later

[apophoto]

That's the beauty of the DX format. It comes in useful as an emergency measure to 'extend' your focal length when you really have a need for the extra reach. You sacrifice some image quality with the drop in mp. There's this other suggestion you shoot ff and crop to the desired image size later. I'm not sure whether it makes a material difference in the end result. I've shot the 70-300 VR at its maximum end on DX setting with my D2Xs with some wonderful results. Naturally a steady tripod is an asset nothwithstanding the VR feature.

[poh6702]

Originally Posted by lsisaxon It's the same as shooting using 200mm on FX then cropping to get a 300mm angle of view. You just lose resolution..

Is this equivalent to "Digital Zoom"?

[Snel lenS]

Haha...so happy to hear that the D3 has this function.

200mm + extender x2 + DX setting = 600mm + 11fps

If i own the D3, i think will bring only
14-24, 70-200VR and 85 1.4 + Flash + Body
for the travel. It is already very heavy. Hence this function is very usefull.

Using FX and chop later will give different angle compared to DX.

[lsisaxon]

Originally Posted by poh6702 Is this equivalent to "Digital Zoom"?

You can think of it this way. Digital zoom basically works the same way.. Take a picture then crop out..

[lsisaxon]

Originally Posted by Snel lenS Using FX and chop later will give different angle compared to DX.

Just make sure you chop the centre portion only lor.. It basically works the same way.. Just that the viewfinder is masked out to give the DX crop.

To give you an idea of how it works, I use the DX fisheye on FX and the area with the image is roughly the region which is being cropped out when in DX mode.

[blive]

Originally Posted by lsisaxon Just make sure you chop the centre portion only lor.. It basically works the same way.. Just that the viewfinder is masked out to give the DX crop. To give you an idea of how it works, I use the DX fisheye on FX and the area with the image is roughly the region which is being cropped out when in DX mode.

Now that is alot of area to crop out.....no wonder FX so exp!

[lsisaxon]

Originally Posted by blive Now that is alot of area to crop out.....no wonder FX so exp!

Now you know.. And especially for semiconductor, the failure rate goes up exponentially with size of the die.