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Nikon D3S reviews
You can find here the most interesting reviews / ratings from the well-known expert sites about the Nikon D3S Camera. Here are the reviewers:
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- 16 February 2010 - |
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- 4.5 |
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- 06 February 2010 - |
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- 4.5 |
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- 03 February 2010 - |
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- 5 |
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- 19 January 2010 - |
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- 4.5 |
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- 10 November 2009 - |
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- 0 |
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- 27 October 2009 - |
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- 0 |
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- 14 October 2009 - |
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- 0 |
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- 14 October 2009 - |
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- 0 |
DPReview 's conclusion / rating - 16 February 2010 |
“ Judged on its own merits, the Nikon D3S is an absolutely outstanding camera. It offers exceptionally good image quality across an extremely wide range of ISO settings, and its key systems (AF, white balance and metering) are at least on a par with the best available in other cameras from rival manufacturers. Add its full weatherproofing, excellent battery life and rugged construction into the mix, and you have a truly 'go anywhere' camera. Video might not necessarily be a 'deal breaker' function for the majority of DSLR users at the moment, but however you feel about it, it's nice to have, and works (reasonably) well.
You may be able to sense a 'but' coming, and here it is. My problem with the D3S isn't what it can do - which is in all respects exemplary - but what it can't. Even when the D3 was announced in 2007, some commentators expressed surprise that Nikon didn't go with a higher resolution sensor. Almost three years later, and 12 million pixels looks even more conservative alongside newly-minted competitors like the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. Nikon's view is that in this section of the marketplace, better image quality at high ISO settings is worth a penalty in resolution. Anyone that shoots regularly in low available light would probably agree, but it can't be denied that this extra high-ISO boost answers a criticism of the D3 that no-one really had. After all, it's tough to argue that the original D3 wasn't good enough at high ISOs...
We've seen from the samples in this test that the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV actually matches the output of the original D3 pretty closely up to its maximum ISO setting of 25,600. Although it's great that the D3S gives cleaner images at even higher settings, I suspect that most people don't need to shoot much higher than ISO 3200 most of the time, let alone ISO 102,400.
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. Be sure to check out our samples gallery to judge for yourselves... ”
Complete review here
LetsGoDigital 's conclusion / rating - 06 February 2010 |
“ However, these are just trivial things on an otherwise very impressive and excellent professional DSLR camera. I even dare to say that this is the best digital SLR camera at this moment. In any case, the best that Nikon has ever built. Thanks to the D3, many photographers made the switch to Nikon, either having stepped over to Canon before or not. And I actually think that the Nikon D3s will make more photographers want to make the switch. People are lining up for Nikon again!... ”
LetsGoDigital's rating: |
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- 4.5 |
Complete review here
PhotographyBLOG 's conclusion / rating - 03 February 2010 |
“ If you've read the entire review, you'll know by now that the 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. The build quality is excellent, and so is the handling. The camera is about as rugged as it gets, and the ergonomics is first class. The viewfinder is among the best I have used, and the AF system is extremely versatile. The Nikon D3S takes just about any F-mount lens you can dig up, and will let you use them as if they were designed specifically for this camera. There is a multitude of ways to check and modify settings, and you can set up the camera to work just about any way you like it.
If I had to come up with a slogan for the Nikon D3S, it would be something like "hand-held photography anytime, anywhere, without flash". About the only time you would put it on a tripod is when you deliberately wanted to use a slow shutter speed. And while you might still opt to use a flash for fill or creative lighting effects, you certainly do not need one just to take a sharp photo in a dark place.
So, is the Nikon D3S the world's best digital camera then? Well, statements like that are always controversial to say the least, but for most intents and purposes; yes, it is. Avid landscapists, professional fashion, commercial and stock photographers might look for a higher-resolution offering, while street photographers will almost definitely opt for something smaller and more discreet. The Nikon D3S would not be my first choice if I went on a strenuous hike either - but for most other areas of still photography, the D3S is the best tool available today, bar none. Video is a slightly different thing, as there are cameras out there that can record Full HD footage while allowing a greater degree of control - but you can definitely get high-quality results with the D3S too.
All this goodness obviously has to come at a price - and it does. The eye-watering price tag of £4199.99 / €5100.00 / $5199.95 means that for most of us mortals, the Nikon D3S will remain nothing but a large chunk of solid unobtainium - however, those who can cough up the asking price will be rewarded with a camera that almost never feels lacking, and will serve them for years, if not decades, to come... ”
PhotographyBLOG's rating: |
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- 5 |
Complete review here
Pocket-lint 's conclusion / rating - 19 January 2010 |
“ Like its forbear, there really is so much kit within the D3s we could write for another week, but we’ve covered the key areas here and major changes from the D3. In terms of the performance and poise, the D3s is even better than the D3, which was this reviewer's top DSLR when it was introduced. However, the market has moved on since August 2007 and there is a far larger choice of cameras now offering similar attributes.
Some may also ask why the resolution is limited (again) to 12.1-megapixels and others may also ask why the HD video feature is not 1080p, as with the latest Canon EOS models? The answer to the former is simply the better dynamic range afforded by fewer and larger pixels allows for enhanced detail (and sensitivity), so that still adds up in our book.
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... ”
Pocket-lint's rating: |
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- 4.5 |
Complete review here
ePhotozine 's conclusion / rating - 10 November 2009 |
“ It would not be fair to say whether the Nikon D3S is worth £4200 body only on the basis of spending a single wet evening with it. I will say, however, that it is a thoroughly inspiring piece of kit to use and its high sensitivity means you can carry on shooting in the poorest 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!
Of course, the D3S is not a one-trick pony and with its impressive list of features and robust build, it has excellent all-round appeal.
Anyway, we will be fully testing it as soon as we get a sample. Speaking for myself, even after one night, I handed the camera back to those nice Nikon people with considerable reluctance... ”
Complete review here
PhotographyBay 's conclusion / rating - 27 October 2009 |
“ The coolest thing about this camera in my opinion is the high ISO picture quality. A full frame sensor combined with low megapixels and good algorithms to keep the noise down allows photographers to record images that simply are not possible with other cameras. One photographer remarked about the D3s, “I took better photos, and it wasn’t because I became a better photographer... ”
PhotographyBay's rating: |
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- 0 |
Complete review here
Amateur Photographer 's conclusion / rating - 14 October 2009 |
“ Nikon is adamant that 12 million pixels is enough for most professional, non-studio based photographers. Judging by the 10.1million pixel resolution of the EOS-1D Mark III, Canon is in agreement. However, Nikon's main aim with the D3s has been to make it more versatile in low light. On the face of it, it appears to have achieved that, but I look forward to testing the camera more fully when a full-production model becomes available... ”
Amateur Photographer's rating: |
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- 0 |
Complete review here
DPNow 's conclusion / rating - 14 October 2009 |
“ Some of the external features of the D3s, like the AF-ON button (above), and the battery compartment, have been redesigned so that gloved users can operate the camera more positively. With press photographers in mind, Nikon has added an in-camera RAW editing function to enable users to tweak their RAW files and generate JPEG versions for convenient in-the-field workflow. Although the previous customised RAW setting can be applied repeatedly, there is no option to save custom RAW settings and recall them later. The D3s gets a 3.5mm external stereo microphone socket and to make space for this, the standard HDMI port has been replaced by the mini-HDMI variety.
With its enhanced 9fps high speed shooting and low light shooting capabilities, Nikon looks set to further consolidate its strength in the press and sports professional category. Nikon UK revealed figures indicating that 63% of photographers in these categories were now using Nikon compared to just 19% using Canon... ”
Complete review here
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