Someone at DPR wrote the framerate of the D3x is 5fps (FX mode) with 12 bits and only 1.8fps with 14 bits (a bit like the D300).
I'm trying to find out if this tru. If you read the specs about the framerate there is an "*" behind the framerate and at the end of the specs it says "12bits".
At least this makes me think, there looks to be some thruth in it.
Top Continuous Shooting Speed at full resolution
FX-format 5 frames per second
CH: Up to 5 frames per second
CL: Up to 4 frames per second
5:4 format
CH: Up to 5 frames per second
CL: Up to 4 frames per second
DX-format
CH: Up to 7 frames per second
CL: Up to 5 frames per secondSingle
I posted this a few days ago regarding this issue. Seems rather sneaky if true.
The performance specs seem to have a number of asterisk tied to it.
High-speed performance meets the most rigorous professional demands
Just like the D3, the D3X achieves a start-up time of 0.12 second and a shutter release time lag of 0.04 second*1*2. It delivers a continuous shooting speed of approx. 5 frames per second in FX format (36 x 24) or 5:4 (30 x 24), and 7 frames per second in DX format (24 x 16)*2*3. Also, the D3X is fully compatible with UDMA, the new-generation high-speed card that enables 35-Mbyte recording equivalent to the D3. The D3X is capable of recording approx. 7.1 MB (JPEG, image size L, NORMAL) of data captured in FX format at speeds of approx. 5 frames per second
*1: Based on CIPA Guidelines
*2: In 12-bit A/D conversion mode
*3: The maximum frame rate can be chosen using Custom setting d2 [Shooting speed]. The rate is tested under the following conditions: focus mode set to C, exposure mode set to S or M, shutter speed set to 1/250 sec. or faster, with other settings set to default. If VR is on when a VR lens is used, the indicated speed may not be attained. The maximum number of shots at the maximum frame rate is determined by the selected image size and quality. The frame rate slows when the memory buffer fills.
I was looking at the specs on the PDF file and this is what's listed:
Frame Advance Rate
• DX format (24 x 16): Up to 5 fps (CL) or 5 to 7 fps (CH)
• Other image areas: Up to 5 fps
Now, I had read somewhere that the 7fps DX speed was only avail in 12bit mode, and that 5 to 7 fps above seems to support it. That would be kind of sneaky if you couldn't use it at 5 FPS in 14 bit mode - Canon can do that, can't they?
"Like the D3, the frame rate of the D3X stays constant when the 14 bit option is selected, up to 5 fps in the case of the new model. To achieve a 7 fps maximum shooting rate in DX Format mode, the camera utilizes 12 bits per colour conversions."
In DX crop mode, shooting rates of up to 11 fps (D3) and
7 fps* (D3X)
increase your opportunities of nailing the precise moment you need. For situations that require full resolution, photographers can shoot in FX-format — 9 fps with the D3 and
5 fps* with the D3X
— and rely on full AF and AE performance. The FX-format empowers you and your editors to crop winning shots as necessary and still be able to enlarge them into commercial-quality prints.
And because the D3 and D3X support next-generation UDMA technology, recording speed gets an extra boost, enabling you to shoot more consecutive shots — pivotal to many professional assignments.
* When 12 bit A/D conversion is used.
Notice the little stars here, seems it won´t give you 5fps in 14bit mode.
i doubt pro's will buy the D3x with the intention of using it as a sports machine gun. This is exactly why there was always a choice... D1h/D1x, D2h/D2x, etc. etc., I wasn't expecting the X to be überfast @ the throat where it swallows those huge files, it was bound to bottleneck there... expect a buffer upgrade...
Well, that kind of sucks if it's true. It's not the end of the world, but dang, you'd think Nikon could at least be on par with Canon after releasing a competing model a year late. At least the AF should work!
