Nikon Announces the D3s
Nikon has announced their newest pro body, the D3s, and it’s quite an update if you ask me. Lots of ISO (up to ISO 102400), movie recording, a self cleaning sensor, a new 1.2x crop mode and a quite shooting mode top out the list of new features.
The Sensor
That said, the big news from the D3S is high ISO performance. The D3s expands the base sensitivity of the sensor a full stop on the top end, from ISO 6400 to ISO 12800. Further in addition to the normal H1 and H2 expanded modes, Nikon has added an H3 expanded mode equivalent to ISO 104,200.
While there isn’t much to go on yet, the fact that Nikon felt comfortable expanding the expanded range form 2 to 3 stops may say a lot about the sensor’s performance. At least if H3 isn’t just a bullet point to gain some photographic bragging rights.
Expanded ISOs are little more than mathematical manipulations of underexposed images at the highest normal ISO. The camera simple exposes the image with the shutter and aperature of say ISO 25600, but the sensor is actually recording data at ISO12800. The resulting data is then multiplied by 2 to produce the proper exposure. Therefore, for every expanded ISO stop you loose one stop of dynamic range.
If the H3 really is achievable with similar DR characteristics to H2 on the D3, the new sensor very well could be a game changer.
H2 on the D3 and D700 is only good for 6.33 stops of dynamic range, if the D3S can hold the same for H3 (6 stops) and keep a nearly linear performance curve similar to the D3 (nearly linier from ISO 800 on) that would push everything up nearly 2 stops all the way to ISO 800. That could mean as much as 14 stops of dynamic range at low ISOs.
In addition to crazy high ISO settings, D3S introduces the self cleaning sensor to Nikon’s FX pro body. Quite honestly, I think it’s about time too. In my experience self cleaning sensors on Canon’s platform is that I don’t have to clean my sensors nearly as often. I know Nikon users have been living with out thsi feature for quite some time, especially those using pro bodies, but I think it’s something they’ll appreciate.
Movie Recording
Movie mode, it probably goes with out saying, Nikon needs video in their SLRs to compete with Canon. The EOS 5D stole the thunder from the D90, and has been gobbeling up sales for HD video cameras as well as still cameras ever since. The EOS 1D and 1Ds mark 4 are expected to bring high definition video to Canon’s pro bodies with at least as much flexability as the EOS 7D has, if not more. Simply put, video had to be in the D3S, even if it was a token gesture.
That said, Nikon is not nearly as aggressive with video as Canon has been. The D90 and D300s have many limitations to what and how they can record. Like the D90 and D300s video is limited to 720p24, lower resolutions of 640×424 and 320×216 both at 24 FPS are also available.
However, unless Nikon has changed things consierably in the D3S I also expect clip lengths to be limited to just a few minutes as well, just like in the D90 and D300s.
That said, I haven’t been able to find any information yet on whether other frame rates can be selected, if the 24 FPS mode is NTSC compatible (i.e. 23.976 FPS) or real 24 FPS (both are options on the Canon EOS 7D), what the maximum clip length is or what level of manual control is available while recording.
Along with the new video options, comes a new live view button in order to make live view more accessible.
That said, I’m still disappointed to see that Nikon wasn’t ready to up the usability level and add a second multi-controller that was easily accessible from the vertical grip in much the same way as the controller on the MB-D10 is. It’s one of the biggest annoyances I have with pro bodies from both Canon and Nikon, it’s more difficult to change AF points when using the camera’s vertical grip. I had thought that maybe with the MB-D10 on a D300 or D700, Nikon was going to make the leap there but I guess not yet.
Other new features include on demand grid lines, a useful feature if I ever seen one, and a new quite shutter release mode (something Nikon shooters have been envious of Canon shooters for a while).
Overall the D3s looks like an very nice upgrade for the D3.
The new high ISOs are very impressive, at least on paper. Personally, if I was shooting with a D3S I don’t think I’d even need to use the upper expanded range, as ISO 12800 is more than enough for anything I’m shooting now, and quite honestly that’s how I’d like to be able to work.
That said, the D3S does carry a $200 price increase over the D3, though I think that’s well worth it for the expanded ISO alone. That said, I don’t think I’ll be selling my Canon gear any time soon, and with some new cameras from Canon right around the corner this looks to be quite the year for photographers.
D3S images used in this article are copyright Nikon USA