Nikon D3x

	Design & Handling Summary
• Very large and heavy body, which is expected, but well balanced and proportioned • Excellent build and button quality • Customized shooting banks via the menu system • Virtual horizon is interesting tool but a little gimmicky • In-depth manual with well-written explanations
	Controls	Page 11 of 18	Speed & Timing

Handling (7.00)

The D3x is a substantial camera, and is designed for tripod use. It's 6.3 inches wide, 6.2 inches high and 3.4 inches deep (159.5mm x 157mm x 87.5mm) and weighs an intimidating 43 oz (1.22kg) without lens or battery. To put it bluntly, this is a tank. It's big, heavy and tough, with a magnesium frame and weather-sealing. It's obviously not designed to be thrown in a backpack for a weekend at the beach, but rather optimized for a studio environment. 

The D3x in both horizontal and vertical positions

The camera can be held in either portrait or landscape mode, with a shutter release and two control dials for each orientation. The side controls can be locked, so that you don't accidentally hit them when shooting in landscape orientation. Considering how much care was taken to optimize the camera for shooting in both orientations, it's unfortunate that the information on the color LCD doesn't rotate with the camera.

Controls (10.50)

Nikon's higher-end cameras, like the D3x and D700, have slightly different control schemes than their less expensive SLRs. Rather than a mode dial, they have a mode button, which is controlled using the rear and front control dials. There's also a dedicated dial for "release mode" which sets single, burst, Live View, self-timer or mirror up modes. Three of the more commonly altered settings (ISO, quality and white balance) have their own small, dedicated LCD on the rear of the camera with small buttons to control each beneath the display.

Back Controls
	Playback Enters playback mode.
	Delete For removing images in playback mode.
	Menu Takes you to the menu system.
	Thumbnail Zooms in and out during playback.
	Protect Protects an image during playback, displays shooting information otherwise.
	OK Accepts the current selection in menus.
	ISO For adjusting the ISO.
	Quality To change image size and compression.
	White balance Lets you alter the white balance.
	Microphone To attach voice memos to your photos.
	AF area select Changes the autofocus area.
	Multi selector and focus selector lock The the multi selector is used to browse menus and options, and has an outer ring to lock the focus selection.
	AE/AF lock Locks auto exposure or autofocus.
	Autofocus on Turns on the autofocus. Has an identical button for the same function while holding the camera vertically.
	Rear command dial For altering settings. Has an identical dial for the same function while holding the camera vertically.

Top Controls
	Release mode dial Changes between single shot, continuous low speed, continuous high speed, Live View, timer or mirror up modes
	Release mode lock This needs to be pressed to shift the release mode dial.
	Bracketing Turns on bracketing.
	Flash mode Lets you alter the flash setting.
	Command lock Locks the exposure value.
	Metering selector Changes the metering mode, can only be shifted by holding down the center button and rotating the ring.
	Diopter adjust Pull out and twist to alter the diopter on the viewfinder.
	Mode button Hold down this button and rotate the command dial to change shooting mode.
	Exposure comp Lets you adjust the exposure compensation using the rear dial.
	Power switch with shutter release Two very useful controls; one turns on the camera and the other takes photos.

Unsurprisingly, the controls are highly customizable. During playback, the button at the center of the joystick can be set to bring up thumbnail view, a histogram or magnified view. In Live View you can use it to select the focus point or magnify the view.

The function button on the front of the camera can be set to depth of field preview, flash value lock, AE/AF lock, AE lock only, AE lock until pressed again or a photo is taken, AE lock until pressed again, AF lock only, Flash off, bracketing, Matrix, Center-weighted or Spot metering, Virtual horizon, Playback or else access the top item in My Menu. If you hold down the Function button and use the rear dial, you can choose the image area (FX, DX or 5:4), invoke a 1 EV change in speed or aperture as appropriate, choose the lens number for non-CPU lenses, select focus point, select a shooting menu bank or the area for dynamic AF. While the depth of field preview button defaults to its stated function, it can be programmed in the same way as the function button, except you can't use it to change focus point selection. The AE/AF lock button can also be set to handle the vast majority of these functions, expect focus point select or the 1 EV change.

The virtual horizon tool shows a simulated level, to help with aligning your camera. It displays on the LCD, as shown below, and through the viewfinder using using the exposure compensation axis. While it's a nice touch, it's not very precise, and goes away as soon as you half press the shutter button.

Virtual Horizon

Menu (8.00)

If you've used a Nikon SLR before, you'll feel at home with this camera's menu system. It's very similar to the others, just astonishingly detailed at points. There are five primary menus, each with multiple options, and then the customizable My Menu.

Menus
	Menu overview The menus are all very clear and easy to read on the 920,000-dot display, and each menu has a different color header bar. The only problem we had is that some menus contain a large number of options, so scrolling through them all takes a long time. A tabbed menu system would be easier to navigate.
	Playback Menu For deleting images, changing the playback folder, and basic playback mode settings.
	Shooting Menu This menu contains many of the settings also controlled by buttons on the camera, as well as other tools including Active D-Lighting and vignette control.
	Custom Setting Menu This menu contains a wide array of customizability options regarding the way the camera handles and displays information.
	Setup Menu Slightly boring but necessary controls for language, LCD brightness, video output mode and the like.
	Retouch Menu If you want to tweak the photos in playback rather than on a computer.
	My menu You can either specify 20 of your chosen options, or else let the menu populate itself based on your recently changed settings.

There are two "Bank" systems of settings. The Shooting Menu bank lets you store all your Shooting Menu settings in one of four banks, which can be named to your specific needs. This lets you have an "indoor weddings" shooting bank, for example, or a "studio lights" bank, and switch between them easily. The Custom Setting menu has the same option, with four banks of settings that can be easily alternated.

Manual & Learning (6.00)

The D3x has an excellent manual, though it's approximately the same size as a Tom Clancy novel. Clocking in at over 475 pages, it contains detailed descriptions of every one of the multitude of options and settings in the camera. The table of contents and index are both exhaustive and well laid out. For the most part, the writing explains complex tools and settings well, and in unambiguous language, with well chosen supporting diagrams.

Nikon D3x Manual