Nikon D3x

	Playback Summary
• High resolution LCD allows for handsome image playback • Extraordinarily in-depth information displayed with the pictures • Adequate printing controls • Decent editing modes, with some interesting features • Unimpressive image organizing/editing software
	Sample Photos	Page 8 of 18	Hardware

Playback Mode (8.00)

The three inch, 920,000-dot LCD makes for crystal-clear image review. Nikon still uses the slightly obtuse method of requiring the user to hold down the zoom button on the left of the screen before being able to zoom in on an image, but it's a system that's familiar to Nikon shooters. With FX format images, you can zoom in up to 27x on large images, 20x on medium and 13x on small. Once you're at the desired level of magnification, the rear dial on the camera will scroll between images at the same zoom level. Zooming out takes you to thumbnail views of either four or nine images at a time.

Pressing the up and down buttons on the joystick changes the information shown during playback. The sequence starts with file information, highlights, RGB histograms, three pages of shooting information, a fourth page with copyright info and GPS (if these two options were selected) then an overview. For the overexposure highlights, the camera can be set to show the highlights of RGB, or each of the channels individually.

In one of the more elaborate levels of customization we've seen, you can set which image will be shown next after you delete a picture. It can show the preceding image, the next one, or base it on the direction you were browsing when you made the deletion.

The slideshow controls are quite basic. The only choices are how long to show each image, and if you want attached audio memos to be played too. While the slideshow is playing images can be skipped with the left and right buttons, and the displayed information changed with up and down.

In-Camera Editing (4.50)

While these aren't the worlds most elaborate editing tools, they're pretty broad, especially considering that this camera is designed for professional users who will undoubtedly have access to other software. When retouching a photo with the D3x's editing controls, a second copy is always made, so it's impossible to damage your original.

The retouching options are D-Lighting (dynamic range optimization), red eye correction, trim, monochrome (black and white, sepia or cyanotype), and skylight or warm tone filter effects. You can also color balance an image along either the green/magenta or blue/amber axes.

There's also an image overlay function, which will combine two RAW files, with the gain on each set from 0.1 to 2.

Once you're done editing an image, you can use the side by side display tool to compare the original and retouched photo at the same magnification level.

Software (5.00)

Even though the D3x is a high-priced piece of hardware, it still ships with the same Nikon software you'll find bundled with most of their cameras: ViewNX and Nikon Transfer. Both of these are competent enough, and they feel faster than many of the bundled pieces of software from the competition. The two applications are present for both Mac and PC, but don't follow the standard interface conventions of either platform.

Software
	Nikon Transfer Nikon Transfer is for getting photos from point A to point B, whether that be on your computer or online. You can set where on your machine images get saved, specify renaming functions if desired, send them to a backup destination as well, and upload them to Nikon's My Picturetown online service. Given the depth of control and options here, it's one of the better pipeline tools we've seen bundled with a camera.
	ViewNX The included file viewer is a bare-bones affair. In ViewNX's favor, it's speedy to open images, and can show some information you can't find through Photoshop, like focus points. Its editing tools are minimal, though, limited to just sharpness, contrast, color boost and D-Lighting, and some RAW functionality. In no way is it a substitute for a proper image editing application.

Direct Print Options (3.50)

The D3x uses both types of standard printing controls, PictBridge for connecting directly to a printer, and DPOF for marking files on a memory card for service bureau output.

Direct Print Options
	PictBridge You can set number of copies, print size, border, cropping, and time stamp to be used when outputting to a PictBridge-compatible printer over USB. You can also make index prints.
	Direct Print Order Form (DPOF) There are fewer choices with DPOF than PictBridge. You can only select number of prints for each photograph, and whether to imprint them with shutter speed and aperture, or date.