Nikon D3S Sample Images and Video Samples

We’ve just come back from a night of shooting images with the new Nikon D3S at an exclusive press event at the Big Apple Circus. Big thanks to the circus for letting a group of photographers come and crash your dress rehearsal—turns out that a dimly lit tent is a perfect place to test the high ISO capabilities of the new D3S in both photos and video.

Fifteen Nikon D3S cameras were on hand for the assembled journalists, with a pretty amazing collection of lenses as well. We had the ability to test the cameras with a number of different pieces of glass including the 14-24mm, the new 70-200mm f/2.8 and a 600mm f/4.

Click here to download a set of 88 uncompressed original JPEG files at high various ISOs from the D3S.

Click here to download a set of 88 original NEF files at high ISO from the D3S.

We’ve posted to Flickr a group of images taken at ISO 10000 and above into one set, and below 10000 ISO in another. Keep in mind that Flickr re-compresses the images so you won’t be able to completely determine grain. We’ll be publishing complete sets of uncompressed images for our Mac Create Premium members, and smaller sets of uncompressed full-size images for non-members.

The event was the perfect place to test the camera’s ability to work with light and with color. i’m struck in these images how vibrant colors are, even at ISO ranges above 10,000, even at the 102,800. As is expected, that highest boost setting produces an image as “noisy” as something you’d see from a cameraphone in low light. I was however able to shoot the images in light in which I was unable to see anything, and the camera not only could focus (with no accessory strobe) but was also able to catch an image that would be useable to cover news or some sports.

In other words, when you’re back’s up against the wall, cameras with high ISO ranges are going to pull something out.

At the same time it’s important to mention that the camera has no need to shoot that high of an ISO, most of the photography I did was around ISO 8000 or below on the D3S. I also shot with the Nikon D3X, which yielded images with much more grain at much lower ISO levels.

We’ll post another collection of sample images in full size shortly. But here are similar images to download. This on is at ISO 500, this is at ISO 50,000 and this at ISO 102,800.

Update: Here is the link to our second set of sample images.

And here is a sample video at high ISO. Please note that this video is unedited, raw AVI from the camera. It’s not cropped or processed and the shaky hand is simply due to handholding the camera without a tripod (can’t use a tripod at the circus it seems).

What are your thoughts on the image noise and color reproduction? Let us know in the comments.

Click here to download a set of 88 uncompressed original JPEG files at high various ISOs from the D3S.

Click here to download a set of 88 original NEF files at high ISO from the D3S.

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Author: David Schloss

David Schloss is the director of the Mac Create Network and the Aperture Users Network, a professional photographer, writer, editor and photographic educator who specializes adventure sports, travel and lifestyle photography. Schloss is the author of the books Blue Pixel Personal Photo Coach: Digital Photography Tips from the Trenches and Blue Pixel Guide to Travel Photography: Perfect Photos Every Time. Schloss is the former Technical Editor for Photo District News, a position he held for six years.