Nikon D3S 12.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and 24fps 720p HD Video Capability (Body Only)

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I dont think I need to write much about performance and options this camera has. If your already looking at it then you probably have an idea what this camera is capable of doing. This is a professional camera no doubt about that. And even though its 12 mega pixels it is a top performer. The speed and low light capabilities will amaze you, this camera is FAST. One note about the video feature its only 720p, but if your like me I didnt buy the camera as a video recorder. I bought it as a still camera. The video is just a bonus, and if I was serious about shooting a movie then I would use a real video camera that has a lot more options for shooting video. One thing to consider picking up for this camera is a better camera strap. The strap it comes with is the standard type of Nikon strap and works fine and is strong enough for the camera, but the comfort isnt there. I have found that the Black Rapid straps to be of very good comfort and it places the camera in a more convenient location.

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The Nikon D3s is an amazing camera and I love it. The vast majority of people looking at buying this camera are talking about its ISO and low light abilities. Even though there is alot more to this camera than its amazing new ISO abilities, lets start with its most unique feature and major selling point. How good does its ISO get? How about 12,800! The ISO can be pushed up to 102,400 using the Hi ISO settings. My tests - Nikon D3s combined with the Nikkor 24-70 2.8 Lens. I tested the camera at 400 ISO, 800 ISO, 1,600 ISO, 3,200 ISO, 6,400 ISO, and 12,800 ISO both inside in low light and outside at night. I have also tested the Hi 3 or 102,400 ISO setting The ISO settings look really great up through the 3,200 mark. After that one can a little notice grain/noise up to the 12,800 ISO point. I would not hesitate at all running this camera at 1,600 or 3,200 ISO. BTW - Pictures taken at 12,800 are usable. They look really good. But there is a little noise as I said. The 102,400 setting creates all sorts of noise/grain, but that should be expected. So far the pictures Ive take at the highest setting basically turns this camera into your own "night vision" camera. It can see in very dark surroundings. More on the D3s - This camera is rugged. Over the holidays, I had it outside in snow storms, rain, and sub freezing temperatures. It performed flawlessly. - Info button - New to the D3s and really nice. It displays information such as f-stop, shutter speed, mode, and remaining pictures on monitor/display screen on the back - Live view - there are 2 setting here. One for a tripod and one for handheld use. Turn this on, and you have a view of what you see through the viewfinder on your back monitor. I personally dont use this alot, but can see why others would. - Accurate and fast auto focus using the 24-70 2.8 lens and my 14-24 2.8 lens - HD Video at 720p - Amazing 9 fps. Yes, I tested this, and I love it. I shoot motorsports and was hampered by the slower D2Xs as well as the smaller buffer on the D2Xs - Sensor cleaning - done through the menu system on the back monitor. - Quiet mode (Which isnt that much quieter than the default sound) - 51 point Auto Focus system - FX metering system (remember if you use a DX lens on this camera, the FX sensor with crop your photo. It appears like a gray box inside the vewfinder cropping your edges) My Favorite addition (actually useful and I love it) - The Virtual Horizon. This looks like something you would find in the cockpit of an airplane and not a camera, but here it is in the D3s. It is a line that gives the photographer the correct horizon. Why is this so cool? Imagine anything from nature photography in the mountains (like standing on a slope) to photographing motorsports on a banked oval track (that would be me). Here is the function that allows photos to have proper alignment. I could see this function being used both on a tripod and hand held. *Update on pictures* - Having spent more time photographing in low light, the 12,800 ISO setting is mind blowing. - Pictures outside at night - I took pictures of dark lawns, streets, and some holiday lights. Contrast is good as is saturation. There is some grain/noise, but it is uniform and not that bad. - Pictures in dimly lit rooms - less noise and the colors and saturation are great. These images were sharp too. I toggled between manual mode and program mode to fool with the depth of field and bokeh. The brighter the room, the less the noise/grain. (Again these are ALL situations that would have required a flash with any other camera) - Pictures of stars - Yup. Stars in the sky. I was actually able to hand hold this camera, aim it in the sky and snap a picture of stars. The picture didnt look that great, but considering I did it on a whim it was still really neat. (The camera picked up alot of haze in the sky. I think away from the city, the photos would be a lot better) Ive now taken well over 1,000 pictures with the D3s and it is easily the best camera I have owned. I am really impressed --------------------------- Update on one D3s issue - DPreview forums have reported numerous instances of D3s with a slow focus problem. They say it is a firmware bug. I have NOT had any issues and I am 2,000+ photos into my D3s. That includes many lowlight shoots.

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I upgraded my D700 with a D3s. All I can say is WOW. I love the ergonomics of a pro body. The D700 with grip just isnt the same as a pro body with integrated grip. Its small, feels more balanced and is actually lighter than a gripped body. High ISO on this camera is amazing. I have not hesitated to shoot 3200 and 6400 at weddings. The quality is that good. Most people are waiting for the announcement of the D4 or D800. This camera is in my hands now and performs better than any other tool Ive used previously. Thank you Nikon!

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I have been a Nikonian for a while. I started with a D70, D70s, D200, D300s and now I finally could afford to buy the D3s. The main reason of getting this camera was the low light capability that is reported. I mainly shoot indoor sports (martial arts) and even with the D300s I was never able to freeze the action because to be able to do that I had to push the ISO so high that the noise level of the picture was unacceptable and to avoid that I had to use a flash which limitated my speed to 250 and also disturbed some of the athletes. I first used my new D3s with the 70-200mm f2.8 VRII Nikon lens. The results were beyond my expectations. I was able to shoot at ISO 2500 and at a speed of 400 getting crystal clear and sharp images. Incredibly there is no noise at all at this ISO setting, even less than my D300s at ISO 800. After the competition I went to the mountains to spend a free time with my family and friends and the quality of the images, the saturation of colors, the details are amazing. I got the D3s with the 24-70mm, the 70-200mm VRII and the teleconverter 1.7X. With these I was able to get all the images I wanted and more. Until my D300s I considered myself an advance amateur but now with this gear I can say that I got to the Pro level... My results and the acceptance and demand of my pictures on this last event was more than twice I normally did. In conclusion, this camera yes is expensive but on the other hand you get what you pay for: Pro level and top quality results. At the end it will pay you back your investment in short time

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Update: Images up to ISO 51,200 have very acceptable levels of noise (very little). Worst case, I touched up with Dfine 2.0 (noise reduction software) and they look nearly perfect. I experimented with the movie mode. The camera took some very nice looking videos in extremely low light. I dont know what ISO it used, but it must be hitting ISO 102,400 at times. The video and sound using the internal microphone are really good. I may add an external stereo mic in the future if I shoot video. I should have known, you cant shoot movies in vertical format -- of course -- but I did take some that way before I realized that format doesnt work when you play back on a TV. Ive now got a growing collection of images in various conditions and remain extremely pleased with this camera. ----------------- I received my new Nikon D3S only a couple of days ago, and my early testing of this camera has already proven it to be much more than I expected. I took a few dozen test shots in nearly complete darkness and with relatively little noise the shots look like they were taken in fairly bright lighting. I am very impressed. In fact, I would even say they are unbelievable. I love the new "info" button. I passed over the written material before the camera arrived thinking: who cares. Well, I find it to be an extremely helpful feature. When you press the "info" button, it shows not only the exposure settings, but gives you immediate access to several of the relevant menu options that you can then immediately access and make changes. I find this to be very quick and useful. The D3S seems a bit bigger than my Nikon D2Xs and other professional bodies I use, but it feels like its built absolutely solid. Of course, since the D3S is an FX (full frame) sensor, I have heavier lenses attached and in my bag too. I love the D3S ergonomics and the programmable function and other buttons (programmable AE/AL and Preview button). I hate to fumble with menus in the field (sorry Canon 1ds Mark III and 5D Mark IV and others, but Nikon has you beat here), and the Nikon gives fast access to all the key settings. I havent done extensive image tests yet, but my first impression is the images are superb, color is very accurate and auto focus is very fast and accurate, even in what Id call "no light." I have usable images at ISO 102,400 (an amazing seven full stops better than other pro-bodies I use). At this point, I still cant believe how good images look at ISO 102,400, and images at ISO 51,200 and 25,600 look nearly perfect with either no high ISO NR (noise reduction) or standard NR. Looking at my images at high magnification and they appear much clearer than even higher megapixel resolution bodies I use. I am now finally convinced beyond any doubt that megapixel is more of a marketing ploy than meaningful for professional photographers and other factors are more important. As a pro who uses high end digital bodies, this is my first choice (maybe my only choice) for most assignments. I do a fair amount of studio work and thought I might opt for the Nikon D3X or even a Canon body since high ISO is not important, but this camera is so good I may use it for all my photography work in all conditions. If I really need high-end studio shots, Ill perhaps use my Mamiya with a digital back or even rent a Hasselblad.

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Having shot with Canon for the last 15 yrs, moving over to Nikon was not an easy decision. I had a decent collection of lenses and the 1D Mark II was beginning to show its age. The mark III had its issues and the mark IV had shown promise. Many friends asked why switch now? Simply put, low light is where I shoot most of my jobs. Nikon at the moment has the advantage. Selling my Canon gear was the big question. I ended up selling ALL my gear (1D Mark II, 135L, 28-70L, 70-200L IS, 35L, 85, 100 macro, and 580EX) in 1 week CASH... It covered the D3s, 24-70, and most of the 70-200 VRII. While I waited for my gear to sell, I rented the D3s for a week along with Nikons recent additions -- 14-24, 24-70, and 70-200 VR II. The images from the D3s with the aforementioned lenses were quite simply just amazingly sharp with minimal noise. One can read the many reviews of the D3s out there. Heres what impressed me about the D3s: 1. Ergonomics -- well designed button placements, easy to nagigate menus, buttons for metering/shooting speed/autofocus. 2. Image quality -- AMAZING images at high ISO. Check out Rob Galbraiths images. 3. 9 fps full sized RAW files/11 fps DX files 4. Screen size (a big change from my 1D Mark II) 5. Autofocus is stellar even in low light. Ive not had issues like others have described. 6. I like 2CF cards vs 1 CF and 1 SD. Using Photofast Plus 32GB ($250) and no problems. 7. self cleaning sensor Other things that impressed me about Nikon: 1. 5 year lens warranty vs Canons 1 year 2. 24-70 images are sharper than my 28-70 Canon 3. 70-200 VRII images better than my Canon 2.8L IS Suggestions for improvment: 1. selection of autofocus point with the back button. I think Canons method appeals to me better. 2. Battery life is not the 4000 shots as advertised. Not sure if these are done with jpeg images, but I gotten ~ 1500 shots with 14 bit RAW images, a fair amount of chimping, and occasional video. 3. Focusing on video mode needs improvement. Its clunky and slow. 4. Video -- meh...great in a pinch, but its not a high priority for me. Others Im sure feel differently. Canons got the upper hand for now. I like the direction that Nikon has choosen. Image quality over megapixels. Its a balanced camera with more than enough features for me. If you do advertising or need high resolution, the D3x is for you. This is a professional camera inside and out. Its worth every penny Ive put out for the body and Nikons lenses. I have no regrets! --------------------------- Update Dec 22, 2010: The D3s continues to impress. Took it to the Billabong Pipeline Masters surf competition a few weeks ago. Pared with the 200-400 VR, I was able to get some fantastic images. If I could do things better the "next" time, Id take a 500 or 600 VR. AF was spot on tracking was not a problem in the least. Auto ISO has been a hidden surprise when I moved to Nikon. My 1D Mark II didnt have it, but the new Canon models do. I like Nikons version as it allows me to be in manual mode (allows me to set the shutter and aperture) and the ISO changes to keep the SS and aperture fixed. It allows me to control DOF and stopping motion in sports! This allows me to focus on composition and being a photographer rather than on the technical aspects.

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I purchased this used to replace the one stolen from me, some time back. I have the D4 and many other Pro Nikons Digitals, including many, many Nikon Film cameras from my Nikon F purchased in Japan in 1962 through to my Nikon F5 & F6.I am very pleased with the seller, Mr. Fred J. Eckert and my purchase of his D3s from him! He was a very extraordinary individual and is a "Man Of His Word", very rare today... V/R The PhotogDog Kent M. Whitney

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Its now my backup camera, and has around 500,000 shutter actuations. Replaced the shutter around 300,000, as a precaution, not necessity. Still shooting beautifully.

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Fantastic tried and true sports camera that is still relevant today, especially at current used prices.

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I dont like the quality and photos easily have noise wish to I could sent it back

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