Editor's Choice 2008: Professional D-SLRs

Nikon finally takes the leap to a "full-frame," 35mm-sized image sensor, ending Canon's long monopoly and setting new standards in high-ISO sensitivity, shooting speed, autofocus capability, image processing, and more. We think both location and studio photographers will flock to the Nikon D3, as will many others who want the most powerful D-SLR money can buy.

Professional D-SLR of the Year: Nikon D3

For years Nikon insisted it would never make a digital SLR with a 35mm-size sensor and that the APS-C-sized image sensors in all its D-SLRs were up to any foreseeable task. Nikon doth protest too much, we thought, and then suddenly there was the Nikon D3 -- a camera whose image quality alone vindicates full-frame capture. The D3's 12.1-megapixel sensor has twice the surface area of the one in the 12.3-megapixel Nikon D2Xs, which means its individual pixels are twice as big. That improves the camera's light-gathering capability, which is unprecedented. With the switch to CMOS and improved image processing, the efficiency of bigger pixels results in far better high-ISO photos and a top sensitivity of ISO 25,600, at least two stops better than any other D-SLR.

The D3's top firing rate is also extraordinarily fast: nine to 11 frames-per-second depending on settings. That's two to three times faster than any other full-frame model. And the D3 also has 51 focusing points, the most in its class, 15 of which are the more reliable cross-type -- just one piece of what is arguably the world's smartest autofocus system.

The D3's three-inch, 920,000-dot LCD screen is to our eyes the sharpest in any "flagship" D-SLR, and its Live View autofocus is actually the first in its class. Other D3 features absent in its rivals include dual UDMA-compatible CF card slots that can be set for either overflow or backup, in-camera correction of chromatic aberration, and an onscreen "virtual horizon" that serves as an electronic bubble level.

The level of control offered by the D3 is simply awesome, but let's stop with the specs. Something about the Nikon D3 -- its huge, bright viewfinder, that brilliant LCD, and a prodigious responsiveness -- makes you feel that you're really in touch with your subject. It actually makes you think you're taking better pictures.

At a Glance: Nikon D3

Other Top Professional D-SLRs:

Mamiya 645AFD III

Mamiya deserves great credit for building the first medium-format digital camera with an integrated image sensor, the 22-megapixel Mamiya ZD we featured here three years ago. Though that camera has a much bigger chip than any 35mm-style D-SLR, it's similar in form and handling. But you can't shoot film with the ZD or upgrade its sensor. You can't even buy one in the U.S. The next best thing -- or an even better thing if you want to shoot film with the same camera -- is to mount Mamiya's 22-megapixel ZD back on the new Mamiya 645AFD III, a significantly upgraded model. You get the same number of pixels as with the ZD, and they're twice as big as those in Canon's 21-megapixel EOS-1Ds Mark III. The pixels' larger size helps the sensor gather light with less noise, and the resulting smoothness is enhanced by the unique optical qualities of medium-format lenses.

The 645AFD III inherits its basic body shape and finder design from the previous AFD II, but eliminates the latter's metering pattern and exposure compensation dials by moving those functions to its top-deck LCD screen. It also gains a faster, quieter AF motor; three selectable AF points; a more comfortable, molded silicone grip; and a better-damped mirror mechanism, which lessens the need for mirror lockup.

The bigger story is really Mamiya's new partnership with Phase One, which has its own version of the 645AFD II called the Phase One 645. In response to Hasselblad's decision to "close" its H3D/II system to other manufacturers' digital backs, the two companies have committed to an "open system" compatible not only with Mamiya and Phase One backs (up to 39 megapixels) but also with those from Sinar, Leaf, and others (via adapter plates). In addition to Mamiya's 14-lens lineup, the Phase One and Mamiya cameras accept (with adapters) Hasselblad V-series and Pentacon lenses.

At a Glance: Mamiya 645AFD III