Nikon
D3S
 vs
Nikon
D90

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

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
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
82.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
23.5 bits
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.70x
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
12,800 ISO
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Nikon D90

69
Runner-up

Nikon D90
"Fast Autofocus with useful control options"
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's auto-focus
"High sensitivity performance up there with the best we've seen."
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's iso-noise

Reasons to buy the Nikon D90

Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.5 EV
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D3S
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 3,253 ISO vs 977 ISO
Help
 The D3S has excellent image quality 1.7 f-stops higher ISO than the D90
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 82.0 vs 73.0
Help
 More than 10% better image quality
Battery life Much longer battery life 4400 shots vs 850 shots
Help
 More than 5x more shots per battery charge
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x23.9mm vs APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Help
 Around 2.5x larger sensor
Focus points Many more focus points 51 vs 11
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 9 fps vs 4.5 fps
Help
 2x faster continuous shooting
Cross type focus points Significantly more cross-type focus points 15 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Color depth Better color depth 23.5 bits vs 22.7 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.8 more bits of color
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.70x vs 0.63x
Help
 More than 20% larger viewfinder
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The D3S's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 102,400 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The D3S's boost ISO is 4 f-stops better
Viewfinder coverage Significantly better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 96%
Help
 Almost the same
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag 197 ms vs 208 ms
Help
 Around 10% less delay when taking photos
Nikon D3S Learn more about
the Nikon D3S

Advantages of the Nikon D90
Size Much smaller 132x103x77 mm vs 160x157x88 mm
Help
 2.1x smaller
Lens availability More lenses available 169 lenses vs 121 lenses
Help
 Around 40% more lenses available
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.5 EV vs 12 EV
Help
 0.5 f-stops more dynamic range
Weight Much lighter 703 g vs 1,240 g
Help
 More than 40% lighter
Lowest price Significantly cheaper $869.00 vs $5,196.95
Help
 The best price we've seen is $4,328 cheaper (6x less)
Thickness Significantly thinner 3" vs 3.5"
Help
 More than 10% thinner
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 D90 Learn more about
the Nikon D90
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D3S Nikon D3S
100 vs 69
Explain scores
Nikon D90 Nikon D90
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.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

NikonD3S
 Nikon D3S vs Nikon D90
NikonD90
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
2
8
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
7
2
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
7
2
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
5
3
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
1
5
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
3
4
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
5
3
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
D3S:921k dots
D90:920k dots
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
300 ms startup delay
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
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
D3S:12.1 MP
D90:12.2 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

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D5100 vs the D3S
Compare the D5100 vs the D90
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
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the D3S
Compare the D7000 vs the D90
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D3S
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D90
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D3100 vs the D3S
Compare the D3100 vs the D90
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D3S
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D90
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 body only
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D700 vs the D3S
Compare the D700 vs the D90
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D300S vs the D3S
Compare the D300S vs the D90

Nikon D3S Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$6,000 body only
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Battery life Much shorter battery life
Size Slightly larger
Compare the D4 vs the D3S
Nikon D3X

Nikon D3X

Pro DSLR

$8,000 body only
Overall image quality Better image quality
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Low light performance Much more noise at high ISO
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Compare the D3X vs the D3S
Nikon D3

Nikon D3

Pro DSLR

$6,682 body only
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag
Dynamic range More dynamic range
Low light performance Significantly more noise at high ISO
Movie format Does not take movies
Compare the D3 vs the D3S

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Startup delay Much more startup delay
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D90

appearance

Nikon D3S Nikon D90
Nikon D3S Nikon D90
Nikon D3S Nikon D90

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?

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