The D3's low noise signature is perhaps it's most appreciated feature - especially for those of us who shoot it extensively underwater. Now comes the D3x, with roughly double the size of the sensor. We all know the key issue this raises - more but smaller pixels crammed onto a sensor of the same physical size as that of the D3 are theoretically bound to make for more noise. The only question is ... how bad is it?

With early adopters like myself having gotten the camera only yesterday (December 20, 2008), we don't have any answers to this question in the real world of underwater photography. However, we can make a few simple tests above water to get preliminary answers.

First, let me say that I DID NOT try to judge how much better the D3x was in terms of sharpness or resolution. Everybody and their brother will be doing this over the weekend, and I can assure you that casual inspection of side-by-side images made with both cameras, the same lens, etc. etc. showed that the resolution of the new sensor has ... well ... significantly higher resolution than that of the D3. I'll let the real camera geeks tell us just how much higher, but it's enough for me to a) feel good about paying a ridiculous price for the camera, and b) want to preferentially shoot this camera underwater, if the noise signature can be tamed. Note the word "tamed". More about this later.