Used D3 vs. D3s?

M

mtphoto724

New member
I'm a student journalist currently with a D300s and I'm looking to move to a FX camera. I actually bought a D3s but when he shipped it I found out that the door that covers the cf cards was broken so I sent it back for a refund. In the meantime I began to have some buyer's remorse and now I'm considering only upgrading to the D3, saving $1000 and buying some glass for it. I like the D3s' video capability but it's not an upgrade over the D300s I have. Is the ability to go to 126,000 ISO really that much of an upgrade over the D3?

What is everyone's opinion? Thanks for your help.
 
P

pedroj

Senior Member
Either are much better in a low light situation then the D300s...If you can live without the video feature I'm sure the D3 will do a great job..
 
G

gqtuazon

Gear Head
mtphoto724 said:
I'm a student journalist currently with a D300s and I'm looking to move to a FX camera. I actually bought a D3s but when he shipped it I found out that the door that covers the cf cards was broken so I sent it back for a refund. In the meantime I began to have some buyer's remorse and now I'm considering only upgrading to the D3, saving $1000 and buying some glass for it. I like the D3s' video capability but it's not an upgrade over the D300s I have. Is the ability to go to 126,000 ISO really that much of an upgrade over the D3?

What is everyone's opinion? Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

If I were in your shoes, the D3s would be it.


Sent from my iPhone.
 
L

LensWork

Senior Member
The high ISO performance of the D3s is better than that of the D3, but an often overlooked feature of the D3s that is lacking on the D3 is the built-in sensor cleaning. This one small feature can potentially save you many, many hours in post-processing as well as dollars to have the sensor professionally cleaned.
 
R

rocketman122

Senior Member
the D3 can go up to 6400iso with acceptable grain and chroma noise. the D3s is the same sensor as the D4 noise wise. 12mpvs16mp though. the D3s can do 12800 very nicely. if you feel youll need the high iso capabilities thent he D3s is the choice. sensor cleaning, meh. id prefer to have video over sensor cleaning any day. if I had your money then Id get the D3s. I shoot weddings and the D3 limits me. but I got it at a good price.
 
wud

wud

Senior Member
I got D3 and absolutely love it. I don't want video so easy choice for me - but I have had some problems with dust spots but for a while, it's actually been okay, not having to clean it so often.

The D3 are fast, solid and very easy to work with.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
R

rocketman122

Senior Member
great camera that D3. for weddings its capable but D3s even more so. would love to shoot at 8000iso with clean files. im hesitant to go to 6400 at times with the D3. the chroma noise is annoying to my eyes. for me sensor cleaning is no issue. give me video. way more useful than a so called "sensor cleaner" got my pec pads, my eclipse liquid and giottos rocket and im good.
 
B

Billy Y.

Senior Member
D3s are going for 3800 - 4400 on ebay, you can get a D4 for 4600-5000. I would skip the d3s looking at those prices.
D3 refurb for 2500 and then it has some warranty and is supposed to be good as new. I also see a D3 with 16000 shutter count in excellent condition just auctioned on ebay for $1850. not a bad way to go
 
B

Billy Y.

Senior Member
rocketman122 said:
great camera that D3. for weddings its capable but D3s even more so. would love to shoot at 8000iso with clean files. im hesitant to go to 6400 at times with the D3. the chroma noise is annoying to my eyes. for me sensor cleaning is no issue. give me video. way more useful than a so called "sensor cleaner" got my pec pads, my eclipse liquid and giottos rocket and im good.
Click to expand...

Even the D4 isn't all that clean at 8000 ISO - it is certainly useable but not very smooth, and definitely some detail is lost. From what I have read the D3s is about 1 full stop better for noise than the D3. The D4 just a touch better, and I am impressed with what the D4 can do.
 
S

Sambr

Senior Member
D3s no question about it. No brainer. The D3s will blow anything out there out of the water espicially the D3 & D300s
 
G

gqtuazon

Gear Head
Billy Y. said:
D3 refurb for 2500 and then it has some warranty and is supposed to be good as new. I also see a D3 with 16000 shutter count in excellent condition just auctioned on ebay for $1850. not a bad way to go
Click to expand...

I'm seeing some used D3 under $2K with less than 70k actuations. I'm not sure if the camera in today's technology, is still something worth considering. I'm looking for a used FX. A D700 that is being advertised at $1,100 is not bad either.
 
B

Billy Y.

Senior Member
gqtuazon said:
I'm not sure if the camera in today's technology, is still something worth considering.
I bought one off a friend as a backup camera - he had beat up the base of it a little bit but it only had 38,000 actuations. I love it - and i don't feel it is out of date at all, the buffer could be better as you get exactly 2 seconds of burst at 9 frames/sec. before it has to slow down, but its good enough for most situations. I really liked the D700 control layout and the D3 has the same layout - so that is a plus too. The sensor was so good image quality wise that I was able to upsample to a 36inch wide print and it looks great - not as much detail as the D800 obviously but still very acceptable. There is a lot about the D3 that I like better than the D4 and the opposite is also true, but I wouldn't hesitate to use the D3 in any situation to this day and I don't think that will change anytime soon. The D3s is a little better but used ones are almost as much as a used D4 so to me the D3 is a no brainer as a second body. Awesome camera Glenn you would love it - and it feels good in your hand. This is ISO 12,800 on the D3 - exported at full resolution with some noise reduction before the image was resized. I think it is really acceptable - the bokeh noise isn't as smooth as the D4, but you only notice it at 100%.

DSC_0424.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
G

gqtuazon

Gear Head
Billy Y. said:
gqtuazon said:
I'm not sure if the camera in today's technology, is still something worth considering.
I bought one off a friend as a backup camera - he had beat up the base of it a little bit but it only had 38,000 actuations. I love it - and i don't feel it is out of date at all, the buffer could be better as you get exactly 2 seconds of burst at 9 frames/sec. before it has to slow down, but its good enough for most situations. I really liked the D700 control layout and the D3 has the same layout - so that is a plus too. The sensor was so good image quality wise that I was able to upsample to a 36inch wide print and it looks great - not as much detail as the D800 obviously but still very acceptable. There is a lot about the D3 that I like better than the D4 and the opposite is also true, but I wouldn't hesitate to use the D3 in any situation to this day and I don't think that will change anytime soon. The D3s is a little better but used ones are almost as much as a used D4 so to me the D3 is a no brainer as a second body. Awesome camera Glenn you would love it - and it feels good in your hand. This is ISO 12,800 on the D3 - exported at full resolution with some noise reduction before the image was resized. I think it is really acceptable - the bokeh noise isn't as smooth as the D4, but you only notice it at 100%.

View attachment 62056
Click to expand...

Thanks for the nice image sample at high ISO of the D3 Billy.

There are several options that I am still tinkering, a D3 at sub $2k, D3s @ $3,800, D800E @ $2,500 and a Df @ $2800.

Things that I am considering is the frequency on how often or less often I shoot, studio work, and general photojournalism type of pictures.

I am also considering the Sony A7 and A7r full frame cameras but their limited lens selection is not a starter for me. Sony is definitely heading in the right direction but they are not there yet just like Fujifilm.

Here is a link that a friend sent to me. High ISO comparison between the Df and Sony A7 at ISO 12,800 if you are interested. The Df sensor (D4) is definitely amazing IMO which is why the Df is a good "augment" to our cameras.

ISO 12,800 Test – Nikon Df vs Sony A7 – Zero Noise Reduction and Low Light | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
B

Billy Y.

Senior Member
Interesting comparison there, the Sony doesn't quite match the D4 but it's really good. I get really caught up in the High ISO stuff but when I really look at what I shoot 99% of the time I realise that ISO 3200 and below are what I need to be happy. I saw the D610 is doing very well in High ISO tests also.
Cheers
 
Top