I shot with the D3X at ISO 6400 in a very dark club, and while the results are not perfect when examined close-up, they are perfectly usable at reasonable enlargement sizes.

As well as it's headline-grabbing megapixel count, the D3x also boasts a 51-point auto-focus system, 920,000-dot 3-inch LCD screen, 50-6400 ISO range and 16-bit image processing.

The D3X has an indicated base sensitivity of ISO 100, sensitivities below this (ISO 80, 64 and 50) are indicated as L0.3, L0.7 and L1.0 respectively.

It's worth mentioning that (like the D3) the D3X's default tone curve is actually quite contrasty and produces (for a pro-level Nikon) relatively 'punchy' out of camera JPEGs, but means the sensor's true capabilities (dynamic range-wise) aren't immediately obvious unless you play around with the picture settings or shoot RAW (see bottom of the page).

With a fast card the D3X delivers very fast write times but the image files, especially the 14 bit RAWs are so large that in fast-paced shooting scenarios, such as sports, you should always have an eye on your image buffer.

I found when you view a picture at 100% size from the D3X, I shoot in RAW in both cameras, the results are simply amazing.

Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL4a, Quick Charger MH-22, USB Cable UC-E4, Audio Video Cable EG-D2, Camera Strap AN-D3X, Body Cap BF-1A, Accessory Shoe Cover BS-2, Eyepiece DK-17, Battery Chamber Cover BL-4, USB Cable Clip, Software Suite CD-ROM *Supplied accessories may differ depending on country or area.

Fortunately the D3x's battery duration is excellent, because I don't think they had anywhere to plug the charger in.

The D3X uses the same EN-EL4a battery as the D3.

The D3x results is are perceptibly superior for landscape and macro photography - which is what I typically shoot - even on just A3+ prints.... so I can imagine that the results would be that much better for larger sizes.

The D3x also has a handy optional time-travel feature, very useful if you're on a tight deadline, but be careful when setting it up because it's quite fiddly, and it's very easy to overshoot by a few millennia.

If, clearly, your advertising or fashion work means that you regularly don't get out of bed for less than £10k, then a body-only D3x is still going to seem like a veritable bargain even at full £6,000 asking price.

Note that the D3X's larger sensor area means that the AF points don't have as much frame coverage as on the D300 and also that the 11 point layout is slightly different.

The D3x also doesn't have a viewfinder grid display, like the new D4 does.

Inheriting the rugged build, weatherproofing, large and bright viewfinder, high-resolution rear screen, dual memory card slots, 51-point AF module, 9-fps continuous shooting speed and dazzling range of customisation options of its predecessor; the new D3S gains a few new features first seen in Nikon’s cheaper DSLRs, such as automatic sensor cleaning, in-camera raw conversion, dedicated Live view and info buttons, a Quiet shooting mode and a stereo microphone input.