Totally geeked up!
October 13, 2009 by Brad · Comments Off
The new Nikon D3s is supposed to be officially announced sometime late today (tomorrow in France). I’ve pretty much set my mind on it as my new primary camera. Getting the official specs will be nice and all, but I really hope they announce shipping/availability dates. (In other words, when will it be here—in Arizona—in Mesa—in my hands???)
Why a new camera? Isn’t the D300 enough? Well, the D300 will make a fine back-up camera. I’ve been needing a nicer back-up, because weddings are no place for being held back by equipment failures. What I want from something like a D3 or D3s is better low-light performance. At weddings indoors and at wedding receptions, I often have to use flash to get enough light on the subject. Even with the D3/D3s‘s amazing low light abilities, I’ll likely continue to use flash in such settings just for the aesthetic and the ability to freeze motion or drag the shutter. But having the ability to increase the ISO setting will allow me to expose more of the background, the environment around the subjects, without things getting noisy. I don’t like my brides or other subjects swimming in a sea of darkness. I want them, even when bathed in the photons of a flash, to be seen in their natural setting. A D3s will allow me to do that.
A D3 or D3s will also provide the security of dual memory card slots (both CF cards, too). That way I can have the camera write the same photo files to each, providing an instant in-camera back-up for failsafe photography. Weddings only happen once. Every step I can take to ensure that no photo gets lost is a step worth taking.
There’s also the full frame sensor, dual battery life, and more tech stuff that would bore you to tears. (And no, I’m not going to switch to Canon. Sure Canons are cheaper, but… four Nikon keys: 51-point 3D continuous servo Autofocus system, ISO, ease of use, the great Nikkor lenses I already own.) Just know that I’m getting really excited about make a (big) new investment in absolutely the highest quality images for my wedding and portrait clients!