Nikon
D3
 vs
Nikon
D3S

Nikon D3S

100
Winner

Nikon D3S
"The camera has locked immediately to my target, and as you can see, it has stuck with him even when a second player enters the frame."
dpreview.com | talking about the D3S's auto-focus
"Buttons and other controls are positioned to be used easily."
dpreview.com | talking about the D3S's button-layout

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3S

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
3,253 ISO
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
9 fps
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x23.9mm
Battery life
 Great battery life
4400 shots
Focus points
 Many focus points
51
Light sensitivity (boost)
 High ISO (boost)
102,400 ISO
Nikon D3

90
Runner-up

Nikon D3

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3

Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
9 fps
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
88 ms shutter lag
Battery life
 Great battery life
4300 shots
Focus points
 Many focus points
51

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
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 Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The D3S's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 102,400 ISO vs 25,600 ISO
Help
 The D3S's boost ISO is 2 f-stops better
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 82.0 vs 81.0
Help
 Almost the same
Lowest price Cheaper $5,196.95 vs $6,682.39
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,485 cheaper (more than 20% less)
Battery life Slightly longer battery life 4400 shots vs 4300 shots
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
90 vs 100
Explain scores
Nikon D3S Nikon D3S
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D3S.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

NikonD3
 Nikon D3 vs Nikon D3S
NikonD3S
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
5
11
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
7
15
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
5
12
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
6
11
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
5
11
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
6
10
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Low light performance Very low noise at high ISO Help
D3:2,290 ISO
D3S:3,253 ISO
Overall image quality Extremely good image quality Help
D3:81.0
D3S:82.0
Battery life Very long battery life Help
D3:4300 shots
D3S:4400 shots
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
D3:Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
D3S:Full frame 36.0x23.9mm
Color depth Good color depth Help
23.5 bits
Viewfinder size Above average viewfinder size Help
0.70x
Focus points Lots of focus points Help
51
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
D3:922k dots
D3S:921k dots
Continuous shooting Fast continuous shooting Help
9 fps
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
300 ms startup delay
Cross type focus points Many cross-type focus points Help
15
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Viewfinder coverage Above average viewfinder coverage Help
100%
Storage slots Multiple storage slots Help
2
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
Lowest price Very expensive Help
D3:$6,682.39
D3S:$5,196.95
Thickness Quite thick Help
3.5"
Size Large Help
Large 160x157x88 mm
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
12.1 MP
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
Movie format One shoots movies Help
D3:None
D3S:720p @ 24fps

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 body only
Size Is significantly smaller
Lowest price Is slightly less expensive
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 D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$6,000 body only
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Battery life Has a significantly shorter battery life
Compare the D4 vs the D3
Compare the D4 vs the D3S
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Sensor size Has a much smaller sensor
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the D3
Compare the D7000 vs the D3S
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR
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 D800 vs the D3
Compare the D800 vs the D3S
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,400 body only

$2,799 - $2,839 with 24-105mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Viewfinder coverage Slightly less viewfinder coverage
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D3
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D3S
Nikon D3X

Nikon D3X

Pro DSLR

$8,000 body only
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
External mic jack Lacks and external mic jack
Compare the D3X vs the D3
Compare the D3X vs the D3S
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Pro DSLR

$5,000 - $5,930 body only
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Sensor size Has a significantly smaller sensor
Battery life Has a much shorter battery life
Compare the EOS-1D Mark IV vs the D3
Compare the EOS-1D Mark IV 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

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of these cameras here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

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