Sports photographers and photojournalists will find a lot to like in the fast shooting, full-frame, 12.1-megapixel Nikon D3s. One of the best cameras on the market I’ve tested for shooting in low light without a flash, the D3s uses a completely redesigned FX-format CMOS imaging sensor with new algorithms that can capture images at ISO settings as high as 102,400. (Yes, you read that right.) Though ISO 102,400 may be overkill, I got great, relatively low-noise results all the way to ISO 12,600 thanks to the large individual pixels (8.45 microns) on the D3s’ sensor. With a nine frames per second shooting speed and more than double the buffer of its predecessor, the D3s is fast enough to keep up with most sports and any type of candid photography. The D3s has also added a high definition video mode for aspiring cinematographers. The camera is capable of shooting HD at 720p, 24 frames per second in the Motion JPEG format. Nikon has worked to reduce the so-called “rolling shutter” or “jell-o” effect, which causes video clips to look wobbly when panning. In my testing, that improvement really showed. There’s a new “trim” movie-editing function in the D3s too, which lets you edit video clips in-camera. The D3s has built-in monaural sound recording though there is a stereo mic input as well. The one downside to the D3s is its substandard 12.1MP of resolution which makes it difficult to produce high quality still images from extreme crops. — Dan Havlik

Product information

MSRP: $5,200 (body only)

Manufacturer data: Nikon USA | Nikon Europe

Availability: Amazon | CNet