Right on cue, the Nikon D3s DSLR for super serious shutterbugs has just been unveiled, but the camera company’s finally managed to keep the lid on the innards: sure, there’s HD video as expected, but it also ramps up ISO sensitivity to incredible heights.
Anyone expecting the Nikon D3s to simply be a rehash of the D3 with HD video sewn in can breathe a sigh of relief: while the Nikon D3s does shoot 720p video at 24 frames per second, it also boasts a new 12.1 megapixel FX CMOS sensor, and an astonishing ISO range of 100 to 102,400 expanded (Nikon’s Hi3 ISO setting) which should handle low light scenarios with aplomb.
The Nikon D3s will also reel off shots at 9fps, and can carry on for longer thanks to a bigger buffer than the original D3’s. Brace yourself now though: when the Nikon D3s goes on sale in December, it’ll set you back a full £4,199.99. That gives you a month and a half to start saving, so get to it!
Out December | £4199.99 | Nikon
[...] new gadgets got dished out this morning. First up, we saw the powerful, pricey Nikon D3s, with added HD video and an astonishing ISO range. That was followed by a new Flip Mino HD [...]
“Newly engineered for striking image fidelity and low-noise, optimizing pixel size and count in a 12.1-megapixel sensor to produce extraordinarily rich files.”
***What a tremendous dissappointment that they are still trying to sell such low pix count in a professional camera. This is not on my list.
This is crap I was expecting them to release it but with more upgrades like 24 megs, 1080 dpi its not what I expected form Nikon. Im disappointed in them.
Is HD video what you really want though in a DSLR? Genuinely interested to know, I’ve still yet to be convinced it’s a necessity.
@S. Smith and Joe: If you guys are part of the “pixel-race” club, this isn’t the camera for you. It’s not the number but the quality, pixel size, and HOW they’re processed. Do your research. Pixel-packing just for the sake of being able to claim 2,531 megapixels (yes I exaggerate to make a point) isn’t what gets us the quality from these superb cameras. Yes it’s still a 12.1MP sensor but the sensor was greatly refined to provide unbelievable low-light performance, faster speed, etc. It’s the first camera in the world that can work great at ISO 12,800, and the ISO can be further increased to an unheard-of 102,400! This is HUGE! This camera’s 12.1 megapixels are large and gather light better than cameras with lots more megapixels. Have you seen test images at 12,800 ISO? I have. WOW. And do you really truly need 1080p in a “still camera”? If video is that important to you, then you need to get yourself a separate HD camcorder. How about looking at the huge under-the-hood improvements over the D3 rather than complain that it still “only” has 12.1 mp, and only 720p video. Nikon put the bulk of the improvements where they count. So cut these people some slack – they came up with a fantastic “D3 upgrade” and it’s more than enough to get THIS photographer to move up from my D300 now (which I’ll keep as another backup body) “Crap”, Joe? “Tremendous disappointment”, S. Smith? Not even close. Do your research before bashing a product. Then go get yourself a 24mp camera with an inferior processor and low-quality ISO sensitivity. And please upload your images so we can compare them with similar images, lighting, settings, etc. taken with the D3s. I’d love to see them compared. Thanks.