Nikon
D3S
 vs
Nikon
D7000

Updated (January, 2012): Compare the Nikon D4 vs Nikon D7000

Nikon D3S

91
Winner

Nikon D3S
"The D3's proportions make it almost square, and thanks to a magnesium shell it is literally as solid as a brick."
dpreview.com | talking about the D3S's build-quality
"Class-leading high ISO performance and incredibly versatile ISO 100-12,800 sensitivity range"
dpreview.com | talking about the D3S's iso-noise

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3S

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
3,253 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
82.0
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.70x
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
12,800 ISO
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
9 fps
Nikon D7000

69
Runner-up

Nikon D7000
"The D7000's Live View is certainly quite functional as a basic means of framing for stills and video shooting, as long as you understand its limitations"
dpreview.com | talking about the D7000's video-quality
"The 'feel' of the new camera is far closer to the D300S though, thanks to its heavy-duty magnesium alloy construction."
dpreview.com | talking about the D7000's build-quality

Reasons to buy the Nikon D7000

Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
13.9 EV
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Movie continuous focus
 Movie continuous focus
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
Badge
 Autofocuses shooting video
Contrast detection
Lens availability
 Slightly more lenses available
169 lenses
Focus points
 Many focus points
39

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D3S
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 3,253 ISO vs 1,167 ISO
Help
 The D3S has excellent image quality 1.5 f-stops higher ISO than the D7000
Battery life Much longer battery life 4400 shots vs 1050 shots
Help
 More than 4x more shots per battery charge
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x23.9mm vs APS-C 23.6x15.6mm
Help
 Around 2.5x larger sensor
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.70x vs 0.62x
Help
 Around 30% larger viewfinder
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 9 fps vs 6 fps
Help
 50% faster continuous shooting
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 82.0 vs 80.0
Help
 Almost the same
Focus points More focus points 51 vs 39
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
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
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 197 ms vs 238 ms
Help
 Around 20% less delay when taking photos
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 15 vs 9
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
Nikon D3S Learn more about
the Nikon D3S

Advantages of the Nikon D7000
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13.9 EV vs 12 EV
Help
 1.9 f-stops more dynamic range
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 24fps vs 720p @ 24fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video
Size Much smaller 132x105x77 mm vs 160x157x88 mm
Help
 2.1x smaller
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 121 lenses
Help
 Around 40% more lenses available
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
True resolution Higher true resolution 16.1 MP vs 12.1 MP
Help
 Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Thickness Significantly thinner 3" vs 3.5"
Help
 More than 10% thinner
Weight Significantly lighter 780 g vs 1,240 g
Help
 Around 40% lighter
Lowest price Significantly cheaper $999.99 vs $5,196.95
Help
 The best price we've seen is $4,197 cheaper (5.2x less)
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Nikon D7000 Learn more about
the Nikon D7000
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D3S Nikon D3S
91 vs 69
Explain scores
Nikon D7000 Nikon D7000
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D3S. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a pro DSLR with a entry-level DSLR.

advice

Need help deciding?

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I am considering either the D3S or the D7000,
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similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Overall image quality Good image quality Help
D3S:82.0
D7000:80.0
Color depth Good color depth Help
23.5 bits
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Focus points Many focus points Help
D3S:51
D7000:39
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
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
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
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

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Compare the D5100 vs the D3S
Compare the D5100 vs the D7000
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,620 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
Thickness Is thinner
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Focus points Has slightly fewer focus points
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D3S
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D7000
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$1,047 with 55-200mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Compare the D90 vs the D3S
Compare the D90 vs the D7000
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,649 body only
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D700 vs the D3S
Compare the D700 vs the D7000
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,999 - $3,000 body only
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D800 vs the D3S
Compare the D800 vs the D7000
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,690 - $1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens
Thickness Is thinner
Weight Is slightly heavier
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Compare the D300S vs the D3S
Compare the D300S vs the D7000
Pentax K-5

Pentax K-5

Entry-level DSLR

$888 - $1,129 body only

$1,033 - $1,283 with 18-55mm lens
Image stabilization Has image stabilization
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Lens availability Slightly fewer lenses available
Compare the K-5 vs the D3S
Compare the K-5 vs the D7000

Nikon D3S Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3X

Nikon D3X

Pro DSLR

$7,997 - $8,000 body only
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Overall image quality Better image quality
Low light performance Significantly more noise at high ISO
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Compare the D3X vs the D3S

Nikon D7000 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D7000

appearance

Nikon D3S Nikon D7000
Nikon D3S Nikon D7000
Nikon D3S Nikon D7000

discussion

Showing 6 comments

Ionut (11:51 PM, November 22, 2011)
D3S has AutoFocus in video mode (dpreview):
The resolution of movie footage from the D3S is the same as the D90 - Nikon's first video-enabled DSLR, released in 2008 - but significant improvements have been made since then, not least the provision for contrast-detection AF during filming and support for a plugin stereo microphone.
 
Jesus C. (5:18 AM, November 04, 2011)
-.-
D3s is 10x better than d7000
ITS A PROFESSIONAL SERIES CAMERA! How can the d7000 be rated higher?
 
Microcute (5:48 AM, June 10, 2011)
why D7000 more expensive than D3s? I saw the price at http://www.nikon.com.my/ D7000 still cheaper
 
Odydapogi (1:15 AM, March 04, 2011)
Sergio...Haha put down your disposable camera and get out!!!
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (10:51 PM, February 10, 2011)
Which specifically do you think are wrong Sergio?
 
Sergio (10:34 PM, February 10, 2011)
these are all lies