Nikon D3 Tips, Tricks and Camera Settings
Posted by David Chin on February 25th, 2008 in MiscellanyThis is a compilation of tips, tricks and recommended settings for the Nikon D3, and is based on various discussions in forums and other D3 sites.
How to calculate the equivalent ISO - On the D3, ISO values above 6400 are represented in the EXIF as a specific number of stops above ISO6400. The formula to use in calculating the equivalent ISO for say, 0.3 over 6400 is given by the formula 6400 * 2^0.3 = 7879.32425 (thanks to Andrew DB’s post), which is approximately ISO 8000. You can always use Google Calculator to help you with the calculation - to find out what the equivalent ISO for 2 EV above 6400 is, just enter 6400*2^2= in the Google search box, like this, and the answer is ISO 25600.
Want to know whether your old Nikon / Nikkor lens is compatible with the D3? - This post by LilKnytt has a link that points to a Nikon Lens Serial Numbers site where you can determine the year of manufacture and type of your lens by serial number, and other lens construction details and features. Basically, if your lens is an AI Nikkor lens or a lens type manufactured after the AI series, you can use it on your D3 (but check your manual first). AI Nikkor lenses (see this Nikon Camera and Lens Compatibility Chart for details) were manufactured in 1977 to mid 80’s. In conclusion, it’s reasonably safe to assume that any lens manufactured by Nikon on (as long as it’s an AI lens - designated as Type Ai lens at the Nikon Lens Serial Numbers site) or after 1977 is compatible with your D3. Of course, this summary is still subject to speculation, because if you look carefully at the Compatibility Chart, you’ll notice that pre-AI lenses CAN be mounted on the D40 / D40x, so who knows?
UDMA CF Cards? - The Nikon D3 is able to take advantage of the blazingly fast write speeds of UDMA CompactFlash cards such as the SanDisk Extreme IV which utilizes Mode 3 to achieve I/O speed of 40 MB/s. Pradipta shares a link to a a site explaining the specs behind UDMA cards.
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Tags: SanDisk Extreme IV CF