Nikon D3s full frame digital SLR announced

£4,200 professional DSLR to launch in December

Two years after the launch of Nikon’s first full-frame digital SLR comes the new Nikon D3s, a high-end, professional-level digital SLR camera.

The new Nikon D3s features a redesigned image sensor, but keeps the same 12.1Mp resolution that the D3 had.

Low-light photography

The ISO sensitivity on the D3s can be set between 200 and 12,800, but can be expanded to 100 to 102,400 – making the camera suited to shooting in low-light conditions.

RAW images can be edited in the camera, allowing users to manipulate the colour saturation, vignetting, exposure composition and sharpness of the image. The file can then be converted, in camera, to a Jpeg.
HD video

The D3s can capture still images at a rate of nine frames-per-second. It features a HD video mode (1280x720p) and a microphone input, allowing users to attach external microphones.

Still Jpegs can be taken from the movie files, which are captured in AVI format, with a 2GB cap. This means that at maximum resolution, a video file is restricted to five minutes.

There are two dedicated, one-touch video buttons, and several features – including the battery chamber – have been redesigned so users needn’t remove their gloves when shooting in cold conditions.
Silent shutter mode

The D3s features a silent shutter mode – a feature that we have seen on the recent Nikon D5000 and D300s. This allows users to take pictures quietly, which is ideal when shooting wildlife.

Richard Parris, Which? digital camera expert, said: 'Such high-end cameras help shape the consumer camera market in some ways, and give us an idea of the features that we may be seeing on other DSLRs in the future. While it is unlikely that we shall test the D3s in our labs, we shall keep you posted with new developments in the full-frame DSLR market as they develop.'

The full-frame Nikon D3s will launch this December when it will retail for around £4,200. -source

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ISO 102,400!! That's a very high ISO which is great for low light shooting! I'm looking forward to seeing sample images.