Nikon D3s

The Nikon D3s is a DSLR from 2009. It is a large, heavy body at around 1240 grams, measuring 160 by 157 by 88 millimetres. That size and weight suit planned assignments more than casual travel.

It suits photographers covering sports, news, or dimly lit events, where an 11 fps burst rate, an ISO range reaching 12800, an optical viewfinder and a long battery rating matter more than resolution or modern conveniences.

Owning one means working without video, wireless transfer and touch controls, and feeding it CompactFlash cards. In return you get a weather-sealed body built to take hard use.

The D3s pairs a 12.1 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor with Nikon's Expeed processor. That resolution limits heavy cropping and very large prints, though it keeps file sizes down. An Optics score of 55, rated modest, reflects in part the limited resolution, ISO range and absent stabilisation.

Sensitivity runs from ISO 200 to 12800, letting you keep shooting in dim halls and evening venues without reaching for flash. A 1/8000 second maximum shutter speed helps you use wide apertures in bright light and freeze fast motion.

The camera fires at up to 11 frames per second, though that figure is a maximum rate rather than a promise for every burst. The 51-point autofocus system offers many focus placement options, and the optical pentaprism viewfinder shows the scene directly as it unfolds.

There is no in-body stabilisation to reduce camera shake, so steady technique or a support matters more at slow shutter speeds. Lenses attach via the Nikon F FX mount. On optics overall, the D3s sits around the middle of cameras in our database.

The Nikon D3s does not record video. It produces still files only, with no movie recording modes or frame rates to consider. Anyone needing motion footage alongside photographs must plan on a separate recording device.

A built-in interval timer is included, so timelapse sequences remain possible. You set the shooting interval and the camera triggers each exposure automatically, capturing the scene frame by frame as still files. You then combine those frames into motion in editing software afterwards.

Live view on the fixed 3-inch LCD helps with composition and focus checks while setting up a sequence, and the two card slots provide space for the many frames a long timelapse generates.

A 3-inch LCD with 921,000 dots handles focus checking and frame review. The screen is fixed and there is no touch control, so low or high angle framing in live view means moving yourself to the display rather than moving the display to you.

The body is weather sealed, which helps in dust and moisture without making it waterproof. There is no built-in flash, but external flash units are supported when you need to add light.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are absent, leaving no built-in wireless connectivity. The missing touch screen and Bluetooth weigh on a Features score of 54, rated modest, while weather sealing and live view count in its favour.

The D3s takes CompactFlash Type I cards with UDMA support, and its dual card slots provide extra storage space for long shooting assignments. Carrying spare cards remains part of the routine with this format.

The EN-EL4a battery carries a 4200-shot rating. That figure is not a promise of real-world endurance, since actual results vary with how the camera is used and configured.

There is no USB charging, so you cannot top up the battery over a cable, and a second EN-EL4a makes sense for extended trips. Storage and Battery scores 87, an exceptional result built on both the dual slots and the battery rating.