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Customer Reviews for Nikon D3S
Nikon D3S
Rugged construction houses barrier-breaking technologies, delivering low-noise 12,800 ISO still shooting at up to 9-fps, with exceptionally rich 24-fps HD video.
Average Customer Rating:
(183 Reviews) 182
Rating Snapshot 183 reviews
5 stars
170
4 stars
12
3 stars
1
2 stars
0
1 star
0
183 out of 183(100%)customers recommend this product.
Customer Reviews for D3S
Review 1 for D3S
Overall rating
Simply the best camera on the market
PostedNovember 22, 2011
Martini
Location Exton, Pennsylvania
Age 45-54
Favorite Subject Portrait
Nikon Family 6-10 years
Experience 6-12 months
Role Semi-professional photographer
The pictures I can make with this camera are simply stunning. There is no other word for it. The performance is superb, the colors are spot on, exposure is consistent and the focus speed is fantastic. I would buy this camera again and again. For me the decision was between the D3X and the D3S, and I am glad I chose as I did. While, I am certain that the D3X is quite a camera, the speed and ISO capabilities of the D3S are worth sacrificing the pixels. It is a great buy.
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+6points
Review 2 for D3S
Overall rating
Spectacular
PostedNovember 17, 2011
KennyE
Simply...this is a magnificent camera. Worth every penny.
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+1point
Review 3 for D3S
Overall rating
perfect
PostedNovember 16, 2011
Fern
Location Los Angeles
Age 25-34
Favorite Subject Portrait
Nikon Family 11-20 years
Experience 6-12 months
Role Professional photographer
This camera is perfect. A real investment piece, but you get your money's worth. I can't think of a single thing I dislike about this camera.
I print pictures in magazines all around the world, and only use this camera.
The ONLY thing I would change about it is the fact that it's only 12 mpxls. I will definitely invest in the next version, simply for that Still deserves 5 stars though for it's speed and crisp pictures it takes
I print pictures in magazines all around the world, and only use this camera.
The ONLY thing I would change about it is the fact that it's only 12 mpxls. I will definitely invest in the next version, simply for that Still deserves 5 stars though for it's speed and crisp pictures it takes
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+2points
Review 4 for D3S
Overall rating
expensive but worth the price
PostedOctober 19, 2011
Scooter
Location Philadelphia,Pa.
Age Over 65
Favorite Subject Sports
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience 6-12 months
Role Professional photographer
As a professional shooting almost all sports, low noise, 11 fps speed, high ISO it's perfect for sports. I used to buy cars for this kind of money but if you do lots of low light photography at high speeds, it's worth the cost.
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+4points
Review 5 for D3S
Overall rating
Great ISO and image quality
PostedOctober 2, 2011
EZ
Location Illinois
Age 18-24
Favorite Subject Nature
Nikon Family 2-5 years
Experience 6-12 months
Role Semi-professional photographer
I use this camera at work for taking pictures of university events (sports, social outings, etc) and I must say it does it all very well. I can easily pop the iso up to 2000-3200 and still get great pictures. The continuous raw count is very high, great for sports. Focusing is really good. Only has 12 mp, which after you crop down some can get kind of low. Still decent though.
When we first got the D3s (after having a D2Xs), it did have some problems with overexposure and memory card writing, but after a few trips to Nikon it works like a charm now.
When we first got the D3s (after having a D2Xs), it did have some problems with overexposure and memory card writing, but after a few trips to Nikon it works like a charm now.
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+2points
Review 6 for D3S
Overall rating
excellent
PostedSeptember 29, 2011
clastroligo
Location Orlando
Age 35-44
Favorite Subject Sports
Nikon Family 2-5 years
Experience Less than a month
Role Professional photographer
this is my second D3s and its amazing tool for photography , where all performance can be showed. Nikon again show quality for the price but whats its missing its to get a new firmware for some changes .
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+1point
Review 7 for D3S
Overall rating
Wish I had three of these
PostedSeptember 26, 2011
IanBPhotography
Location Indianapolis, IN
Age 35-44
Favorite Subject Family & Friends
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience More than a year
Role Professional photographer
Have been a user of Nikon back to the F3HP days. Own a D3X and two D3s's. I wish I had three of these. Fast while still shooting RAW + JPEG mode. Typically shoot around 8K images per wedding between all three camera's. Never had an issue with any of them. True workhorse!!! Amazing under low lighting situations. Nothing compares.
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-1point
Review 8 for D3S
Overall rating
Loving the D3s!
PostedSeptember 20, 2011
FXUser
Location Orlando, FL
Age 25-34
Favorite Subject Family & Friends
Nikon Family 2-5 years
Experience Less than a month
Role Professional photographer
Nikon knocked it out of the park with this amazing digital creation! I've owned the D3 and this camera trounces everything about the previous version. The camera is at least a full stop better than the D3 when it comes to ISO performance. The HD video is also a nice touch, though I probably won't use it.
Highly recommend if you can afford it.
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+2points
Review 9 for D3S
Overall rating
Love it
PostedAugust 25, 2011
uhellinger
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Sports
Nikon Family 6-10 years
Experience More than a year
Role Semi-professional photographer
The best camera i ever had, thinks i wish to have in the next version.
More resolution with the incredible noise of my D3s. Intergrated wlan, and an automatic trigger to shoot with live-view on moving objects.
More resolution with the incredible noise of my D3s. Intergrated wlan, and an automatic trigger to shoot with live-view on moving objects.
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0points
Review 10 for D3S
Overall rating
Best yet
PostedAugust 15, 2011
vms
Location Howard Co., MD, U.S.
Age Over 65
Nikon Family 11-20 years
Experience More than a year
Role Semi-professional photographer
In short:
D3s is the best yet, far better than the D2x, which should never have been put on the market. Also better than D3, which was good, but not even in the same league as the D3s. The D3s almost sees in the dark. Noisier than claimed by the Nikon perennial cheer leaders, but so low in noise at high ISOs in dark conditions, that it still surprises me sometimes. Heavy, but that is expected (so far) in pro camera bodies, especially with the D3s's weather resistance.
Overall, more satisfied with the D3s than all other Nikon bodies I have had.
D3s is the best yet, far better than the D2x, which should never have been put on the market. Also better than D3, which was good, but not even in the same league as the D3s. The D3s almost sees in the dark. Noisier than claimed by the Nikon perennial cheer leaders, but so low in noise at high ISOs in dark conditions, that it still surprises me sometimes. Heavy, but that is expected (so far) in pro camera bodies, especially with the D3s's weather resistance.
Overall, more satisfied with the D3s than all other Nikon bodies I have had.
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0points
Review 11 for D3S
Overall rating
PostedAugust 9, 2011
senor_kasper
Location Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Portrait
Nikon Family 6-10 years
Experience 6-12 months
Role Serious passion, hobbyist
I have owned several Nikon digital SLR bodies, starting with a D70S. My D3S is a recent upgrade from a D3 due to my new interest in video. This is a true professional work horse with every control where it should be and every function as it should work. The customization options are virtually endless, it is as fast and precise as a professional body should be and the image quality is superb, both in still photography and video. This is by far the best DSLR body I've ever used.
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0points
Review 12 for D3S
Overall rating
All around - an awesome camera!
PostedAugust 6, 2011
Professional Wedding/Protrait Photographer
Location Mid-Hudson Valley, NY area.
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Portrait
Nikon Family 2-5 years
Experience More than a year
Role Professional photographer
I came over from the "C" company after 25 years when the D# was introduced and have never looked back. Many significant improvements over the D3 the D3s stands alone in all respects over the competition form all other companies. The low light capabilities and overall image quality set it apart. It's only rival is the D3x. I have exposed more than 250,000 images with a 97% approval rate and I'm a tougher judge, of my own work, than anyone. The only drawback is carrying 2- D3 type bodies for 10-12 hours during a wedding shoot. If you're a professional and want to stay out in front of the competition, then the D3s is the way to go.
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+1point
Review 13 for D3S
Overall rating
Can't get batter!
PostedJuly 24, 2011
Anonymous
Age 25-34
Favorite Subject Nature
Nikon Family 6-10 years
Experience More than a year
Role Semi-professional photographer
First class in every sense of the word. Not sure what the 2 star rating with all the problems was about, either a bad camera or a troll. This camera has a very high reputation for good reason, it's simply the best camera out there - for now at least...! There really isn't much more that can be said about this camera that hasn't been said already. Incredible.
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-4points
Review 14 for D3S
Overall rating
PostedJune 18, 2011
Kodi
Location Jeddah
Age 25-34
Favorite Subject Portrait
Nikon Family 6-10 years
Experience 1-3 months
Role Professional photographer
Its have super macro compatibility…
You can see More.........
You can see More.........
Don't limit My imagination..! !
Share:
-3points
Review 15 for D3S
Overall rating
Absolutely wonderful!
PostedApril 22, 2011
Paul
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Nature
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience 6-12 months
Role Serious passion, hobbyist
I have been using this camera to shoot high school football games in ambient light. It has proven to be superb, freezing action and yielding absolutely stunning images. The ISO range is almost unbelieveable.
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-5points
Review 16 for D3S
Overall rating
The best camera on the market right now
PostedApril 17, 2011
Nikfav
Location Hamden, CT
Age 35-44
Favorite Subject Sports
Nikon Family 2-5 years
Experience 6-12 months
Role Semi-professional photographer
I have got my D3s camera more than 6 months ago, and since then I have been completely amazed with its performance in various environments. Now I should mention that I do some work in a photo studio, and out of curiosity, I wanted to compare the images from my D3s with those of my colleague who uses a 5Dmark II. We decided to do a photo shoot together, imputing similar settings on our cameras (same ISO, same white balance, shutter speed, aperture). It was kind of fun to see how both cameras behaved in similar conditions. After the photo shoot we looked at the images on the computer screen and the image quality from both cameras was amazing (although my colleague's camera had almost double megapixels, the images that D3s produced were very smooth in tones and crisp, with very good detail in shadows and highlights). What was nice was that during the photo shoot, my D3s focused much faster and performed faster overall. I also tested my camera in low light, photographing a few shows without flash, just using the stage lighting. Needless to say, it behaved absolutely amazing; it was fast and when I looked at the images that I shot at ISOs 3200 and 6400 they had almost no noise. I would get the same amount of noise at ISO 6400 with D3s as I used to get at ISO 400 with my previous D300s. A few days ago I photographed again in low light and I set my ISO at 12800. With a little reduction in noise done in Photoshop CS5 Camera Raw my images look perfect (almost no visible noise). By the way, a couple of weeks ago, my colleague from the studio had to go to photograph a social event, and asked me if I could lend him my D3s...
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+8points
Review 17 for D3S
Overall rating
Great features, image quality and ergonomics.
PostedApril 15, 2011
fmiller
Location Little Ferry, NJ
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Travel
Nikon Family 6-10 years
Experience 1-3 months
Role Professional photographer
Phenomenal camera. Even better than my D3. Color depth is amazing. Sharpness is natural sharpness usually needs minimal refinement, if any at all.
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+2points
Review 18 for D3S
Overall rating
Great lightmeter
PostedApril 14, 2011
Duportt
Location Montreal, Qc
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Nature
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience 3-6 months
Role Serious passion, hobbyist
My D3s with 80-200f/2.8D is extremely sharp,
it lets me do things I've never been able to do and makes it fast and easy.
it lets me do things I've never been able to do and makes it fast and easy.
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+1point
Review 19 for D3S
Overall rating
the best ever
PostedApril 14, 2011
st.nick
Location new york
Age Over 65
Favorite Subject Travel
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience More than a year
Role Serious passion, hobbyist
i have had a d100 , d200 , and a d300 and my d3s does it all from sports to landscape to low light. if you want the best , and i do , nikon products is the only way to go
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+2points
Review 20 for D3S
Overall rating
Image Making Excellence!
PostedApril 9, 2011
Shooter
Location Vacaville, CA
Age 55-65
Favorite Subject Travel
Nikon Family 21+ years
Experience 6-12 months
Role Professional photographer
Excellent camera for any image making situation, but really excels in low light/available light shooting. Built with the pro shooter in mind but will not intimidate serious amateurs.
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+2points