Nikon D3s

On Wednesday, October 14, 2009, Nikon unveiled it’s newest professional series camera yet – the Nikon D3s.

Some major updates from the D3 include:

HD video (720p)
ISO range from 200 to 12,800. Expandable to 100 and 102,400
Quiet shooting mode
Auto-cleaning sensor

Personal opinions about Nikon vs. Canon:
I’ve always enjoyed holding Nikon pro-series cameras. The grips, in both horizontal and vertical orientation, are well contoured and fit the hand very well. However, I’ve never cared much for the palm swell on the back of the camera. I’ve always envied Nikon’s CLS system, which allows individual power and mode control over each individual flash group. With Canon, you can only have all channels in manual or all channels in e-TTL, but you cannot have a mix of the two and still be able to control power output remotely. One more attribute that I envy of Nikon cameras is their AF tracking and general accuracy, both of which are currently second to none. I’ve never cared for the placement of the ISO button, however, as it requires two hands to change ISO. Since I shoot in manual mode 99% of the time, I happen to change my ISO as much as my shutter or aperture. Having to change my grip to change the ISO just slows me down.

In favor of Canon, I absolutely love the fantastic wide angle primes they offer. Shots like these are just not possible with a Nikon kit, as they do not offer (yet) a 35mm /1.4 lens. In addition, I enjoy the placement of the ISO button, which allows one to very quickly access and change without having to take the left hand off of the lens. I also favor the way Canon cameras render skin tones, but this can be rather subjective.

The Nikon D3s is the very first pro-series camera to offer both HD video capture and ability to write to two memory cards at the same time for redundancy and an instant backup.

It’s great to see Nikon step up to the plate and offer those who do video work a fantastic camera to attach their set of Nikkor glass to. I’ll be very interested in how Canon responds, as it will be the pivoting point for us to decide what our next set of cameras will be.

More info on Rob Galbraith’s site here.