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Digital Cameras - Nikon D3S Test Images

The table below shows selected representative images from our test shot series. You can see the full set of shots, including exposure information extracted from the EXIF file headers, on the Thumbnail index page.

Not sure which camera to buy? Let your eyes be the ultimate judge! Visit our Comparometer(tm) to compare images from the Nikon D3S with those from other cameras you may be considering. The proof is in the pictures, so let your own eyes decide which you like best!

This page may take a long time to load, due to the many thumbnails!

All images copyright © 2009 by The Imaging Resource. All rights reserved.

Note: In addition to the still image samples below, we've just posted a batch of high-definition videos shot with the Nikon D3S. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for our D3S sample videos!

Ycircus_aerial1_10000.JPG 5,539,223 bytes 2832x4256 1/800 sec f5.6 -2.0 EV 70.0 mm focal length ISO 10159	Ycircus_aerial2_10000.JPG 5,299,873 bytes 2832x4256 1/1000 sec f5.6 -2.0 EV 70.0 mm focal length ISO 10159	Ycircus_aerial3_10000.JPG Ycircus_aerial3_10000.NEF 5,900,651 bytes 2832x4256 1/2000 sec f3.2 -2.3 EV 70.0 mm focal length ISO 10159
Ycircus_biggun_102400.JPG 9,377,583 bytes 2832x4256 1/60 sec f4.0 -0.7 EV 200.0 mm focal length ISO 102400	Ycircus_dogjump1_2500.JPG 6,137,795 bytes 4256x2832 1/500 sec f3.2 -2.0 EV 38.0 mm focal length ISO 2540	Ycircus_dogjump2_2500.JPG 5,910,794 bytes 4256x2832 1/500 sec f3.2 -2.0 EV 38.0 mm focal length ISO 2540
Ycircus_dogjump3_2500.JPG Ycircus_dogjump3_2500.NEF 5,927,498 bytes 4256x2832 1/640 sec f3.2 -2.0 EV 38.0 mm focal length ISO 2540	Ycircus_dogjump4_2500.JPG 5,955,253 bytes 4256x2832 1/640 sec f3.2 -2.0 EV 38.0 mm focal length ISO 2540	Ycircus_dogjumpA_2500.JPG 5,802,471 bytes 4256x2832 1/800 sec f3.2 -2.0 EV 70.0 mm focal length ISO 2540
Ycircus_eye-ball_6400.JPG Ycircus_eye-ball_6400.NEF 7,640,351 bytes 4256x2832 1/200 sec f7.1 0.0 EV 17.0 mm focal length ISO 6400	Ycircus_granny_10000.JPG Ycircus_granny_10000.NEF 6,500,535 bytes 4256x2832 1/3200 sec f3.2 -1.7 EV 70.0 mm focal length ISO 10159	Ycircus_horsegirl1.JPG 7,416,898 bytes 4256x2832 1/80 sec f4.5 -1.7 EV 17.0 mm focal length ISO 8063
Ycircus_horses_5000.JPG Ycircus_horses_5000.NEF 7,009,705 bytes 4256x2832 1/250 sec f8.0 -1.7 EV 14.0 mm focal length ISO 5080	Ycircus_horsesmoke.JPG 7,747,270 bytes 4256x2832 1/320 sec f9.0 -1.7 EV 24.0 mm focal length ISO 8063	Ycircus_juggleplates_10000.JPG 5,286,673 bytes 2832x4256 1/640 sec f5.6 -2.7 EV 44.0 mm focal length ISO 10159
Ycircus_lights_6400.JPG 7,532,808 bytes 4256x2832 1/100 sec f5.0 0.0 EV 24.0 mm focal length ISO 6400	Ycircus_posey_3200.JPG Ycircus_posey_3200.NEF 4,467,977 bytes 4256x2832 1/320 sec f5.6 -2.7 EV 52.0 mm focal length ISO 3200	Ycircus_proud_10000.JPG Ycircus_proud_10000.NEF 5,475,842 bytes 2832x4256 1/8000 sec f3.2 -2.7 EV 55.0 mm focal length ISO 10159
Ycircus_strong2_5000.JPG 6,144,131 bytes 4256x2832 1/250 sec f8.0 -1.7 EV 48.0 mm focal length ISO 5080	Ycircus_strong_5000.JPG Ycircus_strong_5000.NEF 7,093,184 bytes 4256x2832 1/160 sec f6.3 -1.7 EV 70.0 mm focal length ISO 5080	Ycircus_tightfit_5000.JPG 5,961,902 bytes 4256x2832 1/400 sec f10.0 -1.7 EV 70.0 mm focal length ISO 5080
Ycircus_toss01-8000.JPG 7,928,637 bytes 2832x4256 1/320 sec f5.6 -0.7 EV 55.0 mm focal length ISO 8063	Ycircus_toss02-8000.JPG 7,950,390 bytes 2832x4256 1/320 sec f5.6 -0.7 EV 55.0 mm focal length ISO 8063	Ycircus_toss03-8000.JPG 7,882,412 bytes 2832x4256 1/320 sec f5.6 -0.7 EV 55.0 mm focal length ISO 8063
Ycircus_toss04-8000.JPG 7,908,146 bytes 2832x4256 1/320 sec f5.6 -0.7 EV 55.0 mm focal length ISO 8063	Ycircus_toss05-8000.JPG Ycircus_toss05-8000.NEF 7,887,278 bytes 2832x4256 1/320 sec f5.6 -0.7 EV 55.0 mm focal length ISO 8063	Ycircus_toss06-8000.JPG 7,845,960 bytes 2832x4256 1/320 sec f5.6 -0.7 EV 55.0 mm focal length ISO 8063
Ycircus_toss07-8000.JPG 7,933,333 bytes 2832x4256 1/320 sec f5.6 -0.7 EV 55.0 mm focal length ISO 8063	Ycircus_toss08-8000.JPG 7,902,222 bytes 2832x4256 1/320 sec f5.6 -0.7 EV 55.0 mm focal length ISO 8063	Ycircus_vidrig_102400.JPG Ycircus_vidrig_102400.NEF 7,966,889 bytes 4256x2832 1/100 sec f5.0 -0.7 EV 200.0 mm focal length ISO 102400
Ycircus_waiting_3200.JPG 7,525,503 bytes 4256x2832 1/40 sec f3.2 -0.7 EV 14.0 mm focal length ISO 3200

Nikon D3S Sample Videos

Click on the links below to view/download our sample clips. You should have no problems playing the Motion JPEG files with most video players, including QuickTime.

(NOTE that these are extremely large files: If you think you'll be inclined to want to refer back to them, please download copies to your local hard drive, to save our bandwidth!)

Nikon D3S Sample Videos
26.6MB	27.5MB
13.4MB	19.9MB
26.9MB	33.1MB
60.7MB	30.9MB
16.5MB

All the videos above are 1,280 x 720 resolution, 24 frames/second, shot by Dave Etchells at a Nikon PR event in New York City on 10/20/2009. I unfortunately don't have notes on the ISO each was shot at (way too much going on at the time, and there doesn't appear to be any ISO information embedded in the AVI files to identify them), but to the best of my recollection, all were shot at ISO 5,000 - 12,800, with most in the range of 10,000 to 12,800. I didn't go lower than ISO 5,000 or so, in order to maintain high enough shutter speeds, and didn't go over 12,800 because it looked like the shutter speeds I was getting were high enough to freeze the motion adequately, without introducing additional image noise.

For an action situation like this, I found myself a little frustrated with AF: Contrast-detect AF was way too slow to adjust quickly enough as the acts moved around, and I didn't feel my eyes would be able to discern accurate focus, looking at the LCD screen: The screen was probably sharp enough to do so, but I'd need some sort of a magnifier to be able to see it clearly enough to judge focus from it. What I really would have liked would have been an AF feature in Live View mode that would briefly drop the mirror to perform a phase-detect AF cycle, then return to Live View mode. As it is, my workaround was to try to keep my thumb on the Live View button, to quickly pop back to normal view, hit the AF button, then pop back into Live View.

Other than the limitations of my own eyes, in not being able to see acutely enough to focus manually, the camera's recording capabilities in this low-light situation were little short of incredible. The light levels on the performers were actually fairly bring in some cases, but most of what I recorded as movies was probably closer to typical concert lighting than bright theatrical lighting. This would be an incredible camera for anyone shooting concert or club performances, or other even lower-light venues.

Shooting still images, the Nikon D3S just blew me away. For stills, I mostly stayed at ISO 10,000 and below, but the resulting images were remarkably low in grain for that ISO level. And the couple of shots I grabbed at ISO 102,400 were just amazing. Sure, they have a lot of noise, but you have to understand just how dim the surroundings were: Even allowing for the noise, the camera was seeing way more clearly than I was. And the two 102,400 shots in the still samples were also shot at 200mm using VR, no less. - Amazing enough to get a stable image at that light level, let alone with a 200mm tele. Pretty incredible...

All images copyright © 2009 by The Imaging Resource. All rights reserved.