Kai, part of the Community Team at DigitalRev, is passionate about photography and collecting camera equipment that he never uses but caresses gently in his spare time. He has a tendency to talk about his love for Nikon & Leica equipment as well as speaking his mind in a rather forthright manner.
Discos are a dangerous place to be. Not because of the illegal antics going on, or the very slight possibility that you might get bottled by some drunkard, but because of the lights. And I'm not just referring to the people who are afflicted with epilepsy. The human eye is incredibly effective at picking up the light in these low-lit environments, and the brain interprets this image. Yet the brain is not always competent at perceiving the true image in such an environment - for example, if you were to meet a "nice" girl on the dance floor whom you think is easy on the eye; but only once you take her home, where the light is brutally honest, you are more than a little disappointed with the results. That's a bit like low-light shooting with some DSLRs.
Looking through the viewfinder of a camera is just an indication of what you will get when you press that shutter button. The actual result is down to the nature of the equipment, settings and technology amongst other things. Look through the viewfinder in a poorly lit place and you will see what you see (obviously). But once you're home, and you're looking at the photos on your computer, you might be a little disappointed by the amount of noise blemishing your photos.
Nikon have come out with a new camera for their pro line-up that might seem like the ideal solution; 2 years since Nikon's first full frame camera - the D3 - and its time for an upgrade to the D3 lineup. They released the higher resolution D3X last year, and this year we have the D3S. But what does the "S" stand for? Perhaps, Nikon wanted it to denote something "Sublime" or "Superb". On first glimpse it would seems like it's the "Same" old thing, but it's not.
Look a bit closer however, and you will see that Nikon have made some minor changes to the body. For example, they have made the battery compartment latch a bit bigger, so that you can open it even if you have gloves on. But as they say, "Beauty is skin deep", and it rings true with the D3S. Despite all the superficial similarities between it and the D3 the true beauty lies at the heart of this camera.
50mm F/1.4, 1/640s, ISO6400
50mm F/1.4, 1/800s, ISO6400
The "S" comes with a video mode to bring the pro range in line with their other DSLR cameras that already offer HD video recording functionality. Another worthy change is the improved noise and high ISO performance; the sensitivity can be pushed up to an ISO of 102,400. With the improved ISO performance one should be able to get some excellent shots in near darkness, but just how good is the noise performance? We took the D3S out for some test shots to find out.
Despite having an insanely high maximum ISO, it's fair to say that the most of the images you will get at ISO 102,400 will not be nice clean images. But at this kind of sensitivity, it opens up a lot of photo opportunities in almost complete darkness. This kind of ISO is probably most useful for the kind of photographers who take photos of celebrities crawling out of a club at 3am in the morning anyway, and I'm sure the noise is less of an issue for them.
iso6400
iso12800
iso25600
iso51200
When I came back and checked both the .NEF files and also the JPEGs, I was quite simply blown away by the noise performance (or lack thereof). For all the photos I set the Noise Reduction to M and the photos you get at ISO 6400 were top-notch, with some of the ISO 12,800 images being pretty darn good too. Crank it up to H1 (ISO 25,600) and the noise becomes more apparent, but still at a level where it doesn't dominate the image. Push it up to H2 (ISO 51,200) and the noise goes past the level where it is aesthetically acceptable.
iso6400
iso12800
If you look at the photos above carefully you will notice that the digital noise starts to become more visible at around ISO 12,800 in the mid to dark tones, with some coloured specks of noise. Colourful images don't show up the noise so blatantly.
The scene below comprises of more contrasty elements. With the garish pink Christmas lights contrasting with the dark of the sky and the dark clothing that this guy (who looks like he has fallen asleep - probably got bored trying to figure out how to navigate the Canon menus) is wearing.
iso1600
iso3200
iso6400
The noise is not too intrusive up to ISO 6400. Look at the sky in the background and you will see some slight hints of coloured-noise at ISO 6400. Push the ISO up into the "H" settings and the image will start to deteriorate. However, saying that, it has to be noted that the image quality at ISO 25,600 is quite simply astounding.
iso25600
iso51200
iso102400
A change of scene shows more noise at a lower ISO than the previous colourful scenes. With a majority of the scene comprising of mid-low tones, the noise is much easier to spot. At ISO 6400, you can see the coloured-noise tainting the dark sky. Then it gets progressively more intrusive on higher ISOs.
iso12800
iso25600
iso51200
iso102400
Even with the window-lit Pantone Formula Guide the deterioration of the image only gets discernable when you go into the H+ settings. There are some slight colour changes between ISO 3200-6400. At ISO 12,800 some of the lighter tones display some colouration. ISO 25,6000 - ISO 102,400 is a downward spiral - by the time you reach the maximum ISO it looks more like a photo taken on a mobile phone, with considerable loss of detail and clarity.
Download Original JPEG Files
We have provided the original JPEG files of the above photos for your personal viewing only. Photograph is copyright Digitalrev Limited. Unauthorised use prohibited.
WARNING: Extremely Large Photos. Download may take up to 5 minutes depending on your network connection.
It has to be said that the D3S is an amazing camera, a fantastic fusion of Nikon's blend of ergonomics, functionality and technology. Although one would certainly expect something like that out of a camera that costs the same as a secondhand car, mind you. Nikon has really achieved something special with this camera - a triumph of technology. With the megapixel race slowing down, the focus on the making of this camera has clearly been on improving the brains of the camera and getting the best out of the megapixels rather than cramming more megapixels into the same space. This D3S is a low-light monster, a noise ninja in itself - no longer will you be going home disappointed. Hopefully one day this technology will filter its way down into the lower level of cameras. Unfortunately, the boozed-up bachelors will just have to rely on their own senses to prevent low-light disappointments.
I am a Canon user and i must say the D3s is a fantastic camera from what i have seen on the net.Too bad Nikon doesn't make too many fast primes like the 24l,35l,50l,85l,135l because if they would i would switch in a second.Nice little review,but i find it dissapointing and you imediatelly loose credibility when you make fun of a Canon guy...(btw,canon menus are way easier then Nikon's).
Ross From UNITED STATES
13 Jan 2010, 11:47am
"with the megapixel race slowing down" really when did that happen ?
Kai W From HONG KONG
22 Dec 2009, 8:34pm
Thanks Terry.
It is quite a close call for all those current Nikon owners, especially as the price you pay for the upgrade is essentially just for the improved noise performance and the video mode. Unfortunately, all the DSLRs with video mode are blighted by the poor panning problem due to the way that the sensor records the video. I personally welcome the video mode option in DSLRs, as you can be quite creative, especially with lots of lens options. But I think that there is still some way to go to make it more usable, with the panning issue and also the fact that you will have to use manual focus.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
