Nikon magazine confirms 24.5MP D3x

Nikon has inadvertently filled out details of the D3x ahead of its official launch, courtesy of an early look at the company's own Nikon Pro magazine. True to expectations, the pro DSLR is mostly a resolution upgrade over the stock D3 and jumps from 12 megapixels to 24.5. It also gains a new 16-bit EXPEED image processor that should improve color performance over the 14-bit standard version.

The higher resolution comes with sacrifices, according to the publication. The maximum frame rate of the D3x drops from 9FPS to 5FPS in continuous shooting at full quality. It also narrows the ISO range considerably from the maximum ISO 25,600 to 6,400 due largely to the inherent increased noise from a higher-density sensor. Users can extend the frame rate to 7FPS by using a DX format crop at 10 megapixels, however, and can also push light sensitivity down to ISO 50.

Autofocusing, metering and other core functions are said to be identical to the regular D3.

The pricing and release window for the D3x is still an unknown, though the magazine's mention lends support to beliefs that the top-end camera could be announced as early as December 1st. The camera's cost should also float significantly above that of the regular D3.