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D3sThe Best nikon ever?

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Posted by novicius: Wed Mar 2nd, 2016 02:34

1^st Post

About a year ago I read about the Df , and fell in love with it , finally a camera that looked like one, but then...

Numerous reports mentioned the flimsy battery/SD card cover , and something else ( can n`t remember what ) so dropped the idea of getting one.

Recently I " tripped " over a D3s , completely Refurbished , New shutter , new this,new that ,even the miniscule dent at the top of the finder is barely visible , and although I have n`t come completely to grips with it yet ( Got it a couple a weeks ago ), the Only "gripe " I have with it , is that it is a tad bigger/Heavier and a little less les comfy to hold compared to my D1/ D1x , I`m guessing that I just need to get used to it.

Otherwise it is More than I dreamed of , for me ,
this is the one !!

My MF Nikkors work/ see flawlessly,and a humble MF nikkor 35mm
f2.8 turns it into a near compact P&S , shooting with warp speed.

The PC Nikkors 28mm f3.5 and PC Nikkor 35mm f2.8 are Sharper than Sharp and are (stop-down) meter coupled, a feature Sorely missed on my SlrN, which even has a broken pin in it`s CF slot , forcing me to use Sd cards.
AS my SlrN is a gaz-guzler ( Six rechargebles from Sunset to Sundown ), the D3s is the Most Economical ride I`ve ever encountered( Three Li-ions at the most).

The SlrN has a feature still Unparalelled by any other, as it has X-treme Low ISO capability ...6 - 12 - 25 - 50 ISO ,with a Huge Dynamic range which places it in Medium format land , the shutter speeds are accordingly , even start-up time takes Eight sec. it is a Studio/tripod camera.

The D3s is the Opposite , X-tremely Responsive with matching Low -light capability.

D3s is X-tremely Sturdy, can take Any Abuse...a French photog.went berserk....see link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBB-CvqjdCE

So why all the hype about that D500 ?? ...and Yes , I did read the Entire post , and still do not get it .

____________________
Back in Danmark

I do not use my equipment to make photo`s .. I take photo`s to use my equipment

The better I become at photography,the better my camera gets.

Posted by Robert: Wed Mar 2nd, 2016 03:56

2^nd Post

Ah well! You are perhaps immune to the hype which Nikon generate which convinces photographers that ONLY the very latest Nikon bodies can take a worthwhile photograph.

I have been supremely happy with my D200 and still reach for it when I need a good photograph. I have since day one of my digital photography wanted a full frame 35mm camera, for me the holy grail is the D3. Not many pixels more than the D200, spread over a larger area...

Given I have prints made from my D200 which are large by most people's standards (crops from over 1200mm diagonal original) which are admired by many, I am not inclined to spend large sums of money chasing the crock of gold at the end of the rainbow.

For those who can afford it the D500 is a superb tool, even better than my D200. :devil:

____________________
Robert.

Posted by Gilbert Sandberg: Wed Mar 2nd, 2016 07:12

3^rd Post

N,
re: why all the hype about that D500
That is caused by the long time between the D300s and D500.
It is aimed at the pro-level DX lover.
I have held a D500, it is a nice half-sized brick for DX lovers.
I agree with your thoughts on the D3(s) model.
Only downside I know (in line with other single-digit DSLR models): no option to power the camera with batteries in case of emergency
(grips for D700/800 take alkaline/lithium penlight batteries).
re: are (stop-down) meter coupled
My 28mm F 4 PC nikkor is not meter coupled in any way, but I love it nonetheless.
Regards, Gilbert

Posted by jk: Wed Mar 2nd, 2016 11:09

4^th Post

I think since I have the D3S and I dont particularly like the Df then that leaves the D4(s) as the only competition. I have never used a D4(s) so cant comment. The D5 is a grown up D3s which is very tempting until you see the price. I prefer the D500 or D810 for the price.

So I guess I agree that the D3S is the best camera.

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Posted by jk: Wed Mar 2nd, 2016 11:11

5^th Post

Gilbert you need the 24mm PCE. It is very nice.

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Posted by Eric: Wed Mar 2nd, 2016 12:44

6^th Post

Not all of the new model boasts are hype.

I don't know about the D3s or D4 performance .....as I stuck with the D3.

I am now convinced the D750 matches if not betters my D3 for IQ and dynamic range.

Did a 360 shot bracketed photoshoot yesterday in a kitchen using natural and ambient light....ie no flash, no reflectors, no additional lights.

I dumped 280 over/under exposed shots plus a few lemons. Every single retained shot was taken at 0EV. The D750 nailed the lighting, despite being uneven and contrasts. I was expecting to do some exposure stacking on some....didn't do one.

I have no doubt that the FX sensor contributes to the IQ of these cameras images and recent developments have moved the IQ goalposts.

If that degree of improvement has been made from D300 to D500 then it will be a winner and one I would add....but purely for telephoto work.

____________________
Eric

Posted by jk: Wed Mar 2nd, 2016 14:21

7^th Post

It is the new EXPEED4 chipset that supports the D750 which is a definite improvement over the EXPEED 3 that was in the D3 and D3S. The D500 and D5 have EXPEED 5 so we can expect similar improvements.

Also the sensor design is moving forward but the pace of movement is probably not so great as in the 2005-2010 period.

____________________
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Posted by amazing50: Wed Mar 2nd, 2016 19:08

8^th Post

With all this retro interest I might just pull out my Leica M8.

Could use the Samyang 8mm Nikon mount via an adapter for a Leica full frame fisheye. :lol:

____________________
There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept ;~) Mike Grace

Posted by novicius: Thu Mar 3rd, 2016 00:01

9^th Post

That clears up a few things, thanks to everyone.

About PC Nikkors coupling to meter , it was " stop-down metering " I was referring to.

For those who are n`t familiar with PC Nikkors:

Those are used to Restore Converging lines, get things out of the way ( to a degree ), allowing for a Wider angle without moving the camera when mounted on Tripod ,And Many More pixels when images are taken as follows :

1 pic.) Shifted to Left upper corner
2 pic.) shifted Right upper corner
3 pic.) shifted left Lower corner
4 pic.) shifted Right Lower corner

Stitched together in post processing will yield an image quality that most Medium format camera`s can n`t achieve.

Metering in " stop down " mode ...
With Camera set to S ,the Shutter will Expose according to selected Closed Down Aperture .

As PC Nikkors have Two Aperture rings, One to pre-select aperture ,yet aperture stays wide open, so as to have a bright view ,and the other ring to Close Down aperture to that pre-selected aperture to make the Exposure.

Set to M it`s all manual, with meter indicator showing in the viewfinder , Neither function is supported by the SlrN , as it will Only meter with cpu lenses.

Correct metering will Only be , when " shift " movements of PC Nikkors have NOT been applied !!

There is an adjustment knob , calibrated in millimeters ,to Shift the lens , and the lens can be rotated , enabling Shift in Any direction .

And YES !!...the PC-E Nikkor 24mm is a Lovely Lens , with " Shift " and " Tilt " movements , it`s the First item on my bucket list.

____________________
Back in Danmark

I do not use my equipment to make photo`s .. I take photo`s to use my equipment

The better I become at photography,the better my camera gets.

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