Nikon D3S

Read the in depth Review of Nikon D3s - A killer professional body and the low-light champ Digital Cameras. Know detailed info about Nikon D3s - A killer professional body and the low-light champ configuration, design and performance quality along with pros & cons, Digit rating, verdict based on user opinions/feedback.

The Nikon D3s is the successor to the Nikon D3. The camera is not much of a change from the previous model except for higher ISO settings and the addition of a new video mode. Nikon users will stil…

When the Nikon D3 was launched in August 2007, it had an immediate impact on the DSLR market, and not only in the professional sector. The D3 was Nikon's first DSLR with an FX (full frame) CMOS sensor, but its major selling point, in the minds of many photographers at the time, was its unparalleled image quality at high ISO settings. With the D3, photographers could shoot at ISO settings up to 6400 without a significant penalty in noise, and in a pinch, even go up to ISO 25,600 (equivalent) - unheard of at the time. This versatility, coupled with a very capable AF system and rugged, weatherproof build, did much to reverse Nikon's declining fortunes in the professional DSLR market. Professional Canon users, many of whom were disillusioned by the seemingly endless problems that plagued the flagship EOS 1D Mark III at the time, flocked to the D3 in large numbers. In the process, Nikon mounted a formidable challenge to Canon in the sports and action segment of the pro marketplace.

The Nikon D3S is the best low-light camera ever - period. Offering an incredible ISO range of 100 to 102,400, you really can use the D3S hand-held in the dimmest of lighting conditions, for both still images and 720p video. Pros will also love the 51-point AF module, 9-fps continuous shooting speed, large high-resolution LCD screen and weatherproofed body. Which is just as well - as they're probably the only ones who can afford the eye-watering £4199.99 / €5100.00 / $5199.95 price-tag. Zoltan Arva-Toth finds out if the new Nikon D3S is also the best ever DSLR camera...

When the Nikon D3 was launched in August 2007, it had an immediate impact on the DSLR market, and not only in the professional sector. The D3 was Nikon's first DSLR with an FX (full frame) CMOS sensor, but its major selling point, in the minds of many photographers at the time, was its unparalleled image quality at high ISO settings. With the D3, photographers could shoot at ISO settings up to 6400 without a significant penalty in noise, and in a pinch, even go up to ISO 25,600 (equivalent) - unheard of at the time. This versatility, coupled with a very capable AF system and rugged, weatherproof build, did much to reverse Nikon's declining fortunes in the professional DSLR market. Professional Canon users, many of whom were disillusioned by the seemingly endless problems that plagued the flagship EOS 1D Mark III at the time, flocked to the D3 in large numbers. In the process, Nikon mounted a formidable challenge to Canon in the sports and action segment of the pro marketplace.

The Canon 1D Mark IV and Nikon D3s are the two latest powerhouse DSLRs from the respective manufacturers.  As a quick rundown on the spec sheet, the Nikon D3s offers a 12.1-megapixel FX format sens…

The Nikon D3s shoots at up to 11 frames per sec, at up to ISO 102,400, but is it the ultimate DSLR?

Ever since Nikon entered the full frame game with the D3, low light photography took a different turn, now with the introduction of the D3S, Nikon claims to have provided "Night Vision" to their flagship model, the new D3S with an unbelievable ISO range of upto 12800, extendable to ISO 102,400. But does the camera truly live upto the hype that surrounds it? Lets find out. The body of the D3S is built like a tank, very sturdy, weather sealed and also quite lighter than what I expected. My D700 with a battery pack weighed more than the D3S's bigger body. Well a lot of that can be attributed to the extra battery that the D3s doesn't have to deal with. Yet the battery life of the D3S is a little over an amazing, 4000 photographs. The buttons are well spaced and I tested the camera in very cold weather here, about 3 degrees, so had to use it while wearing thick gloves. Well, I must praise Nikon for the button alignment and size since I was comfortably able to use it wearing my gloves on, which is quite painstaking with many other cameras I have tried before, a pointer to the fact that this body is targeted towards professionals who might take it to extreme conditions.. The dedicated buttons, and battery opening knobs are all noticeably larger as. Picture quality is immaculate, thanks to the re-engineered full frame sensor(12.1MP). Nikon has been quite clear in their approach of keeping pixels larger in size rather than larger in number, which I believe is a very smart decision. Their show stealing headline of ISO 12800 is amazingly noiseless at higher ISOs and at 12800,the camera truly lives up to all the hype surrounding it. This takes indoor event photography, night snaps at higher shutter speeds and action photography to new heights of convenience. A very usable image at ISO 12800 means, much more usable images at all ISOs lesser than it. Check out the sample test shot above, clicked at ISO 12800. Speed has been one of the highest points of the Nikon D3. The D3S is no exception. It can shoot at 9fps, and when in crop mode can go upto 11fps. Very handy for action work and wildlife. The D3s has seriously expanded the buffer size as compared to the D3, with twice the capacity of the D3. Now, 36 14bit Raw files can be shot consecutively with no delay, and 124 Jpegs in the same way. The super-quick MultiCAM-3500 AF system seems to have minor tweak as well, allegedly. The 51 point auto focusing system is precisely responsive and nails focus so fast that its quite impossible to miss your moving subject. Nikon's proprietary D-Movie mode which is a major addition in this model, captures smooth 24fps video at 720P and saves files up to 5minutes long/2GB in size, as Motion-Jpegs (MJPEG) format. The inbuilt microphone is excellent though only mono, it might catch focusing noise given out by certain lenses, so an external mike attachable to the hotshoe will be a good idea for stereo sound recording. Also, it's possible to pull still images back out from these movie files too, though only at their native 1280x720 resolution of course. I wish this camera had Full HD 1080 though 720 P is perfectly usable HD footage. Nikon's argument is that that this was all down to file size. At 720p, with the compression the camera is using you will get five-minute bursts out of the allocated 2GB continuous shooting space. If the camera were to shoot Full HD then this would be significantly less.So in essence, the D3S is a stills camera that is to be the very best at ISO, and the movie feature is an extra functionality. But there has been some impressible upgrades as well. the much criticized rolling shutter issue is better controlled. Looks like the built in rolling shutter correction algorithm is doing its job, but yet the issue has not vanished. What is impressive though is the 24 fps smooth playback and auto-focus feature that works while filming. That is a very useful feature. The D3S uses contrast detecting to ensure that the auto-focusing while shooting actually works. The dedicated Live video button is a blessing. Also, for those shooting under incandescent light there is also a flicker reduction mode, to reduce the irritating ‘flicker'. The quiet shutter mode is an excellent add-on and a nice touch, especially useful to the wildlife photographer to break peace with a loud clank of the shutter. At $5200, Nikon's flagship model is a very well engineered, well thought out, smart camera. A 4.8/5. If it had 1080p video(Yes I am greedy), the its a 5/5 from me! No regrets though

This is the third round of examining the high ISO results from the Canon 1D Mark IV and Nikon D3S.

We all know that the Canon 1D Mark IV and Nikon D3S are geared toward sports photographers.  While the cameras have found their way into many other photography niches, at their core, these cameras …

In the first comparison of the Canon 1D Mark IV and Nikon D3s, we looked at JPEG image samples that came straight from each of these cameras; however, I promised to deliver images processed from th…

The latest iteration of Nikon's professional DSLR camera adds D-Movie video recording at up to 1280 x 720-pixel resolution.The D3s is the latest professional FX model in Nikon's DSLR line-up. A small step forward, rather than a major upgrade to the previous D3 series models, the D3s introduces a new sensor and adds a couple of new features but is otherwise almost identical. The most important additions are video recording and sensor-shake dust reduction technology.

In Part 1 of this series, I provided an introduction to this autofocus evaluation, as well as a brief overview of the Canon 1D Mark IV AF system.  If you have not read part 1 of this series, you ca…

If you want to test the mettle of a camera intended to satisfy a craven need for speed, take that camera to a hockey game, one of the world’s fastest sports. That’s one of the tests to which I put the Nikon D3S, a brute of a camera that seems to adapt to any shooting or lighting conditions with ease. The D3S is the latest in Nikon’s pro line of D-SLRs, priced for pros (list: $5199.95, body only) and those who want both an uncompromising facility for capturing the decisive moment and the ability to customize their camera to the nth degree.