In December 2008, Nikon debuted the next incarnation of their high-end, professional level D-series cameras, the D3x. And even though externally it has all the appearance of a D3 with the same body, controls, menus and basic components, it is more than a just souped-up clone. The hardware that really makes this camera is brand new! Its full-frame 24.5 megapixel CMOS image sensor produces amazingly detailed, sharp images even at maximum ISO.

But the new sensor does come with a downside or two. Because of the smaller photoreceptors needed to fit 24 million of them on it–read less light gathering ability, maximum default ISO is 1600. Although with boost, 3200 and 6400 are possible and usable, but only for the web and smaller print sizes. Further, due to the huge file sizes even in JPEG, frame rates are limited to a maximum of 5 per second. So, if you require higher ISOs and/or higher frame rates, the 12.1 megapixel D3 might be a better choice.

Rounding out the hardware are the excellent 51-point multi-CAM 3500FX AF system, 1005 pixel metering sensor, 300,000 actuation Kevlar/carbon fiber shutter, EXPEED image processor with 14-bit A/D conversion, 100% coverage Pentaprism viewfinder, and the 3” hi-res 922,000 dot LCD with Live View.

Additionally, with its plethora of settings and configurations, the Nikon D3x can be fully customized to suit the requirements of the job or the photographer’s particular preferences or can just be left at the defaults, which should be good enough for general shooting. One word of caution, though: The D3x is designed for professional production and as such, it is assumed that the images will be finalized in post processing. So, if you need right-out-of-the-camera ready pictures, the camera is capable of delivering, but you’ll just need to adjust the image settings.

So, if only the best will do and you have pockets deep enough, the Nikon D3x is the camera for you.