Nikon D3S
Winner
Nikon D3S

92

vs
Nikon D3

84

Nikon D3
Runner-up
 
 
 
 

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3S

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
3,253 ISO
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
9 fps
Battery life
 Great battery life
4200 shots
Light sensitivity (boost)
 High ISO (boost)
102,400 ISO
 

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3

Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
9 fps
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
88 ms shutter lag
Battery life
 Great battery life
4300 shots
 
Differences | Recommendations | Similarities | Competitors | Appearance | Discussion

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D3
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 88 ms vs 197 ms
Help
 2.2x less delay when taking photos
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 12 EV
Help
 0.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Battery life Slightly longer battery life 4300 shots vs 4200 shots
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D3 Learn more about
the Nikon D3

Advantages of the Nikon D3S
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 3,253 ISO vs 2,290 ISO
Help
 The D3S has a slight edge (0.5 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Movie format Shoots movies 720p @ 24fps vs None
Help
 Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
 Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 102,400 ISO vs 25,600 ISO
Help
 The D3S's boost ISO is 2 f-stops better
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The D3S's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 82.0 vs 81.0
Help
 Almost the same
Weight Slightly lighter 1,240 g vs 1,300 g
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D3S Learn more about
the Nikon D3S
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D3 Nikon D3
84 vs 92
Explain scores
Nikon D3S Nikon D3S
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D3S.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Battery life Very long battery life Help
D3:4300 shots
D3S:4200 shots
Low light performance Relatively low noise at high ISO Help
D3:2,290 ISO
D3S:3,253 ISO
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
D3:Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
D3S:Full frame 36.0x23.9mm
Focus points Many focus points Help
51
Viewfinder size Above average viewfinder size Help
0.70x
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Continuous shooting Fast continuous shooting Help
9 fps
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
300 ms startup delay
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Storage slots Multiple storage slots Help
2
Viewfinder coverage Above average viewfinder coverage Help
100%
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Built-in flash No built-in flash Help
Professional
Weight Heavy Help
D3:1,300 g
D3S:1,240 g
Thickness Quite thick Help
3.5"
Size Large Help
Large 160x157x88 mm
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
12.1 MP
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Movie format One shoots movies Help
D3:None
D3S:720p @ 24fps

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
GPS No built-in GPS Help
Missing geo-tagging
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
D3:6,400 ISO
D3S:12,800 ISO
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$5,997 body only
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D4 vs the D3
Compare the D4 vs the D3S
Nikon D600

Nikon D600

Pro DSLR

$1,997 body only

$2,797 with 28-300mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has much more shutter lag
Compare the D600 vs the D3
Compare the D600 vs the D3S
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$3,400 body only
Size Is much smaller
Thickness Is thinner
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Viewfinder coverage Much less viewfinder coverage
Compare the D700 vs the D3
Compare the D700 vs the D3S
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,797 body only

$3,187 with 70-300mm lens
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Battery life Has a much shorter battery life
Compare the D800 vs the D3
Compare the D800 vs the D3S
Nikon D3X

Nikon D3X

Pro DSLR

$4,699 - $6,699 body only
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
External mic jack Lacks and external mic jack
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the D3X vs the D3
Compare the D3X vs the D3S
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,250 - $3,299 body only

$3,800 - $3,899 with 24-105mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Battery life Has a much shorter battery life
Continuous shooting Doesn't shoot as fast continuously
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the D3
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the D3S
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Sensor size Has a significantly smaller sensor
Shutter lag Has much more shutter lag
Compare the D7100 vs the D3
Compare the D7100 vs the D3S

Nikon D3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D3.

Nikon D3S Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D3S.

appearance

Nikon D3 Nikon D3S
Nikon D3 Nikon D3S
Nikon D3 Nikon D3S

discussion

Showing 2 comments

Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (1:40 PM, June 20, 2011)
The D3 was released in 2007, and the D3S is the updated version which came out in 2009. There is no bias on our reviews we compare the stats of each camera to one an other, check out how we how we score this comparison.
 
Mrmarkusman (8:23 AM, June 19, 2011)
the reviewers a bias, just because it has an s doesnt mean its better