Going FX Nikon d3s ??? Hi all, Sorry my indecisive mind is unhappy still,as well as the fore mentioned Nikond600 it has come to my attention that the Nikon d3s ( much better ISO than...

siamesecatmanuk Loc: Leicestershire UK

Hi all,
Sorry my indecisive mind is unhappy still,as well as the fore mentioned Nikond600 it has come to my attention that the Nikon d3s ( much better ISO than d3 ? )
can be had these days at a good price and wonder if it's ( so people say ) great low light and ISO properties may suit me better for what I want and need.
Any body got one and can advise me,looks much more of a beast to carry is that a problem?
Graham

jeryh Loc: Oxfordshire UK

Hi, Graham; I have both the D3, and the Nikon D300s. I use them both- FX for the D3, DX for the 300s.
I think you will find that the D3 is one hefty lump to carry around for extended periods, while the 300s is a veritable light weight. Performance wise, both are very good. For your use, I would go for the 300s !

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

siamesecatmanuk wrote:

Hi all,
Sorry my indecisive mind is unhappy still,as well as the fore mentioned Nikond600 it has come to my attention that the Nikon d3s ( much better ISO than d3 ? )
can be had these days at a good price and wonder if it's ( so people say ) great low light and ISO properties may suit me better for what I want and need.
Any body got one and can advise me,looks much more of a beast to carry is that a problem?
Graham

I do own a D3s. I wish it had the same battery as my D4s, but sadly no. But, that said, it will remain in my stable. Got it for $1300.00 and it only had a shutter count of 1098.
Yes, it is the furthest thing from mirrorless that you can get and the weight is WOW. But I love this camera and use it for family stuff as it does not have GROUP AUTO FOCUS that I use for wildlife, like my D4s has.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

D3s is a great camera got many excellent images

yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey

The D3S is a marvelous camera with a wonderful sensor and built like a tank. I used one for many years, and then gave it to my daughter who is still using it for wedding photography.

Rick from NY Loc: Sarasota FL

I own a pair of D3S's along with my D850's and D500. When I know that I will be shooting in low light situation, I always reach for the D3S. I can shoot all day long at ISO 6400 with very little noise. And I can go higher if necessary with a moderate increase in noise. I upgraded from my D3's to D3S's and the tremendous improvement in noise was the reason.

It may not have all of the newer bells and whistles that are in my current cameras and it is "only" 12mp's, but it is terrific when low light is the issue. Incidentally, I have regularly enlarged photos from my D-3S to 24x36 without any issues, but of course exposure and focus must be nailed at those sizes. As an aside, the 850 is just ok with noise up to about 1250 or perhaps a stop faster and the D500 starts getting noisy at anything north of 400.

chase4 Loc: Punta Corona, California

Graham - I don't know if you are familiar with the DxOMark testing of camera sensors. This link compares the Nikon D3s and the D600. The D600 has a better overall score but the D3s has better low-light (ISO)
score. Take a look. chase

https://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Compare/Side-by-side/Nikon-D3s-versus-Nikon-D600___628_834

siamesecatmanuk Loc: Leicestershire UK

chase4 wrote:

Graham - I don't know if you are familiar with the DxOMark testing of camera sensors. This link compares the Nikon D3s and the D600. The D600 has a better overall score but the D3s has better low-light (ISO)
score. Take a look. chase

https://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Compare/Side-by-side/Nikon-D3s-versus-Nikon-D600___628_834

Chase4
This is a big of an eye opener,based just on these results ,you would assume not much different in pictures from these two cameras then ?.
Graham

chase4 Loc: Punta Corona, California

siamesecatmanuk wrote:

Chase4
This is a big of an eye opener,based just on these results ,you would assume not much different in pictures from these two cameras then ?.
Graham

Graham - I had the D600 and Nikon had a recall and replaced the shutter, within about some 400 to 500 shots the problem returned. They exchanged my D600 with a new D10 at no cost. I have been using this D610 for about 5 years now with no problems. Take a look at this Snapsort comparison of the D600 and the D3s and be sure to check the details, specs and measurments. My recommendation is for you to get a D610. I have never owned or used a D3s, note the difference in MP: D3s = 12 and D600/610 = 24. QED

Snapsort link: http://snapsort.com/compare/Nikon-D600-vs-Nikon_D3S

chase

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

chase4 wrote:

Graham - I don't know if you are familiar with the DxOMark testing of camera sensors. This link compares the Nikon D3s and the D600. The D600 has a better overall score but the D3s has better low-light (ISO)
score. Take a look. chase

https://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Compare/Side-by-side/Nikon-D3s-versus-Nikon-D600___628_834

I went out golfing with a friend of mine, he allowed me to use his TOP OF THE LINE PING's, he used my older clubs, he still beat the pants off me even though all of the LAB SCORES INDICATED THE PINGS WERE THE BEST ON THE MARKET.
So much for "testing scores". My friend, in the REAL WORLD, the photographer, not the camera, makes the DIFFERENCE.

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

The only type of photography the D3 will beat the D600 is sports photography and the D3 might be better in low light and yes, the D3 is much bigger and heavier than the D600.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Ched49 wrote:

The only type of photography the D3 will beat the D600 is sports photography and the D3 might be better in low light and yes, the D3 is much bigger and heavier than the D600.

IF, the skill level of the photographer is low, then yes, the D3s and the D600 will give Similar results. In the hands of a professional, both camera's will preform well. Neither has GROUP AUTO FOCUS. However, Nikon developed the D3s as a sports camera, the D600 was not developed as a sports camera but rather as an entry level full frame camera.
In the following review, the D600 was put aside in favor of the reviewers D3s for sports photography. He is not alone in his feelings.
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3637316
And yes, the D3s is a MAN's camera, big, heavy, beefy, great to put your hands around and hold, with the D3s you know your holding a MAN's camera. The D600, being more feminine and demure, was designed for other photographers.

Indiana Loc: Huntington, Indiana

billnikon wrote:

IF, the skill level of the photographer is low, th... (show quote)

Ouch! A rather sexist statement "being more feminine and demure" of the D600. I guess I'm glad I don't own one!

tomcat

Rick from NY wrote:

I own a pair of D3S's along with my D850's and D50... (show quote)

You and I have the exact same workflow. I shoot high school sports and when I am in the gym I use my D3s. It is still a spectacular camera for low light and very high ISO. I was frequently at 10,000-12,000 with a 2.8 lens, so I bought a Nikon 85mm f/1.8 and a Sigma 135mm f/1.8 and just recently bought the Sigma 24-35mm f/2. Now my ISO values are more reasonable and the D3s sings. I would never ever consider the D300 for low light. My D500 is an absolute failure at ISO values above 1000 when it comes to noise generation. I tried a loaner D5 in the gym and found that it is not worth the $$$ to replace the D3s. Perhaps when the D6 comes out, I'll get a loaner and see if it is better than the D3s. In spite of what the Nikon D5 users proclaim, the D3s is still better at low light for my uses.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Indiana wrote:

Ouch! A rather sexist statement "being more feminine and demure" of the D600. I guess I'm glad I don't own one!

If you did not notice the

after that statement I have repeated it here. It was a joke.