Nikon D3S Pro Reviews

With the number of cameras launched every year it's easy for some to get forgotten. Some, however, stand out because of a unique feature. The D3s will be difficult to forget as the first to offer an ISO range that makes almost any lighting condition a shooting potential. It builds on the proven success of the D3, with its 51-point AF system, build quality and sensor, but with the addition of this new ISO range and movie functionality it deserves recognition in its own right. This is a professional camera, designed to be a work tool, but it produces such beautiful images and works so well, it inspires photographers and leaves them drooling at its very sight. We will have to wait for next month's test of its latest nemesis, the Canon 1D Mk IV, to see how the two compare, but the Nikon D3s is one of the finest cameras of our time.

It’s not only the price tag, but its size and weight and – unless you make full use of the increased low-light sensitivity and speed – these factors combined with a complex menu are a lot to reckon with for everyday use. I’ve yet to compare it with its main rival, the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, but I struggle to find anything that I would have wanted improved on the D3s other than the upgrading of the D-Movie to full HD. Indeed, the D3s is as accomplished a pro digital reflex as it comes, and precisely because it’s a professional model, operationally, it won’t suit everybody.

Pros that shoot primarily during the day or under controlled lighting situations probably won't gain a whole lot from owning a D3S, but if you're constantly shoved into unpredictable low-light scenarios where flexibility is key, there's no better body out there in this price range.

I think the D3s is worth every penny. It is a thoroughly inspirational piece of kit to use and that in itself justifies its price tag immediately. Its high ISO sensitivity means you can carry on shooting in the poorest ambient light and without using a tripod. That would count for nothing if the results from using the high ISOs were poor and unusable, but they are not. Yes, there is noise and detail loss at the equivalent of ISO 102,400, but you still get an image – and try getting that sort of speed from film!

So the Nikon D3S is an amazingly capable professional digital SLR, retaining most of what was great about the Nikon D3, and adding astonishing improvements in low-light capability and a larger image buffer size. Enough stayed the same, though, that we've chosen to focus on the video aspect for this report.

A big beast with amazing low light performance, built for the pros with a price tag to match.

The D3s is designed to offer a poised, higher performance professional solution and that it does very well indeed. Once again, like the D3 before it, this DSLR is close to a ten out of ten. However, the few minor niggles (low light AF probably the biggest surprise, and the cost) and the way the market has progressed in terms of HD video mean the Nikon D3s achieves a very creditable 9.

The D3 put Nikon back on track, and people were once again lining up for the brand. In fact, the Nikon D3 was already a beautiful DSLR camera that left very little to be desired. Yet Nikon managed to further improve the camera. That alone is a true achievement. The main focus for improvements lies on the higher ISO sensitivities. This is quite logical, since this will be noticed straight away and numbers do tend to attract the attention.

Nikon D3S is an exceptionally good camera. It inherits everything that was good about the D3, improves on a few things that weren't, gains a few new features, and takes image quality to a whole new level from what was already top notch in its predecessor.

At this price and performance it's a straight shootout between this and the Canon 1D MKIV, which we haven't seen yet. If you're a professional in the market for a new body and are already committed to Nikon equipment, there is no reason not to buy this camera.

I could be wrong, and it will be interesting to see what Nikon comes out with in the next couple of years. For now, if versatility and speed are of more use to you than a little extra resolution, the Nikon D3S will serve you very well indeed.