Nikon D3S vers D4

paulr

To be used in low light situations but with fast shutter speeds,Pro's and con's from users. Not wanting to upset D4 owners but I have heard that the D3S is up to D4 or better in low light situations, In view of the cost factor is the extra cost for the D4 worth it.

adamz

as a proud owner of D3s I'll say that it's not worth it to upgrade to D4 only because low light shooting. according to DXO marks D3s is still the master of darkness, in real world D4 might have a slight advantage as it produces bigger files that can be downsized to D3s resolution and therefore you can get a little bit more... but that's not something that will blow your mind, at best maybe 1/2 stop. straight from the camera D3s is still better.

Gareth

Don't own either, but the D4 af's to -2 EV, the D3s only goes to -1. This, the few extra pixels and the memory cards are about the only differences I can see.

Oh, and doesn't the D3s battery last longer?

Msmoto

As a D4 owner, I have compared to a D3s, discussed this with several pros….and, the D4 may have the advantage of more pixels, but otherwise is very little different. As a second body, I could see myself purchasing a refurb or used D3s instead of a newer model. My understanding is there are some who prefer the D3s in low light as the pixel size is greater. Maybe the way to do this is to get ahold of both and do your own tests.

paulr

Thanks everybody, Yes Msmoto that is the definitive way to test, The D3x which what I normally use is struggling a little. Problem is, this is for a specific work load but may continue, perhaps I should hire both cameras and as you say test the comparison. I did shoot at ISO 1800 at 2.8 and 1/400 of second with the D3x with quite positive results,. so not all is lost.

Postman

Could you not shift the D3x for a 2nd hand D800 and still pocket cash I wonder? The D3x surely offers even less over the D800 than the D4 over the D3s - may it be that could be an avenue of exploration for you?

SquamishPhoto

The main reason to buy a D4 is for the professional video controls, larger sensor, it can AF at f8, and most importantly the much better DR through the ISO range....or so I've been told. ;p

paulr

Postman Parting with my D3x would be like loosing a good friend. The D3S would fulfil the low light speed image problem, However looking at the comparison tests between the D3S and D4 overall, the D4 wins.

You never know maybe Nikon might put there efforts into finishing the D4X or equivalent seeing we are probably half way through the D4' life span

haroldp

Thanks everybody, Yes Msmoto that is the definitive way to test, The D3x which what I normally use is struggling a little. Problem is, this is for a specific work load but may continue, perhaps I should hire both cameras and as you say test the comparison. I did shoot at ISO 1800 at 2.8 and 1/400 of second with the D3x with quite positive results,. so not all is lost.

Try down ressing the D3x files to 12mp. Clean to 3200 and acceptable at 6400. I use this for theater work along with a D800 which I also down res to 12mp. The 800 has about a 1 stop advantage over the 3x.


.... H

paulr

After a long deliberation, I weakened and now am a Nikon D4 owner and bought through official source.
Only word to describe it "WOW".

Fredericko

Pardon me for the question but I am just a little perplexed why the D3x is still at $6999 price range while the D4 is at $5K? Why is it still that expensive when the D4 is nikons flagship camera?

Thank you, Fred

sevencrossing

but I am just a little perplexed why the D3x is still at $6999 price range

Only a guess
Nikon only have a few left but there are still a few people who still want this camera and are prepared to pay the price

Elvishefer

Perhaps because Nikon hasn't replaced it's pro-body high MP camera yet... which is why people (like me) were pining for a D4x.

Golf007sd

@paulr: welcome to the D4 family!

paulr

Golf007sd, Thanks for invitation, I sat on the fence far too long, I am trying to get my head on the differences between the D3 and D4, there are more changes than I realised. this is going to make my work so much easier in low light situations.The machine-gun speed is quite scary, Need bigger memory cards to handle the images.

Golf007sd

I use the one of Sony 32GB XQD S-Series Memory Card and the SanDisk 32GB Extreme Pro CF memory card - UDMA 90MB/s.

In addition, I recommend getting yourself one DK-17M Magnifying Eyepiece, as well as, the DK-19 Rubber Eyecup.

paulr

Already an owner of those, just the XQD cards to buy and a new AC Adapter, the old one is not the same as the D4 series. Proper test tonight at Ring side with a D4!

DenverShooter

I am running the 64G XQD S and the SanDisk 64G CF in my D4 and I can shoot a whole day at the track without needing to swap cards. Usually get 2K images per card.

Denver Shooter

paulr

Wow DS You must have a very good Batch process in place to handle that amount of files in post production.

Msmoto

Golf007sd, Thanks for invitation, I sat on the fence far too long, I am trying to get my head on the differences between the D3 and D4, there are more changes than I realised. this is going to make my work so much easier in low light situations.The machine-gun speed is quite scary, Need bigger memory cards to handle the images.

Did you mean a D3 or D3s? The sensor in the D3s is one stop faster than the D3 and significantly improved.

paulr

Sorry Msmoto I meant D3X so you cam imagine the difference. The buttons are a lot more multi function on the D4. Slightly off topic, When connecting a HDMI monitor it would seem that D4 cannot record sound in Video mode, or am doing something wrong.