Hi and welcome to this edition of Workshop at the Ranch. The New Year ushers in a New camera, Nikon’s D3s. It is hard to believe that it has only been a couple of years since the release of the D3 and its transforming of the use of High ISO. We all thought a usable ISO of 6400 was impossible, but the D3 made everyone a believer. Today’s New D3s is like a D3 on steroids boasting even higher ISO settings of up to 12,800 and beyond. Because my business involves only still photography and does not include video I will be only addressing the still imagery capabilities of the New D3s camera and must defer the video critiques to those experts in that field. With still photography as our goal, and the New Nikon D3s as our topic, let’s delve into Nikon’s latest marvel of cameras.

Hi and welcome to this edition of Workshop at the Ranch. The New Year ushers in a New camera, Nikon’s D3s. It is hard to believe that it has only been a couple of years since the release of the D3 and its transforming of the use of High ISO. We all thought a usable ISO of 6400 was impossible, but the D3 made everyone a believer. Today’s New D3s is like a D3 on steroids boasting even higher ISO settings of up to 12,800 and beyond. Because my business involves only still photography and does not include video I will be only addressing the still imagery capabilities of the New D3s camera and must defer the video critiques to those experts in that field. With still photography as our goal, and the New Nikon D3s as our topic, let’s delve into Nikon’s latest marvel of cameras.

Here are some of the D3s features: The shape and ergonomics of the D3s is nearly identical to the D3. The LiveView button is now located on the back of the camera just off the lower right corner of the LCD screen. In-camera RAW processing is now available in the D3s with Image Size and Quality, White Balance, Picture Control, Noise Reduction, Exposure Compensation, etc all available. This is a nice feature for those who need to submit RAW files directly from the shoot location that are more finished and ready for client use. Sensor Cleaning is now included where as the D3 did not offer this feature, and the 12.1 megapixel resolution is the same as the D3. But for many, myself included, the main technology improvement is the increased ISO sensitivity which becomes possible thanks to Nikon’s new and improved sensor, and improved structural interior circuitry. The D3s features ISO settings ranging from 100 to a remarkable 102,400 when the Low and Hi settings are made use of. The incredibly clean high ISO feature alone makes the camera a must for any photographer who works in photojournalism, weddings, landscapes, wildlife, macro imagery, fashion, ….. need I go on.

While the D3 took us to very clean ISO settings in the upper stratosphere, the New D3s will take you completely out of this world to a near noiseless ISO6400 and remarkably clean ISO of 12,800. In comparison, the ISO setting of 6400 in a D3s looks similar to ISO2500 in a D3, and I recall ISO2500 in a D3 to be very clean indeed. The D3s camera’s ISO12,800 shadow area noise becomes only slightly more visible, but the well lit areas of the image look fantastic with almost no noise, to which I believe ISO12,800 is certainly cleaner and contains more edge detail than ISO6400 in the D3. Beyond 12,800 requires the Hi 1, 2 or 3 settings and noise continues to increase, but don’t count these settings of ISO 25,600 or 51,200 or even 102,400 out of range. They are very usable and will produce good imagery especially Hi 1.

SIMPLY SAID, when comparing the New D3s to the D3 regarding high ISO and noise levels the D3s allows the photographer to go at least 1 and 1/3 stops higher in ISO with less noise and improved edge detail. Put another way, if you own a D3 and feel ISO3200 is your noise limit, then you will now be able to use ISO8000 or even 10,000 with a D3s. I was covering the game between the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium on December 20, 2009 and felt this venue provided an excellent real situation and practical environment to showcase pictures made with the New Nikon D3s using a variety of ISO settings.

Image #1       Holiday Cheer … I’m not sure these young ladies are really Santa’s helpers, but such was the scene when I stepped onto Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium on the Sunday before Christmas. This game day image made before the opening kick off between the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders was both easy on the eyes and easy to make by using the 51 point auto focus tracking system and Auto ISO. That’s right, Auto ISO. I set my shutter and aperture manually and let the Auto ISO feature determine the ISO automatically. The 51 auto focus points worked perfectly as the center focus point locked onto Santa’s helper and I let her move into the left third of the frame before pressing the shutter. I also set the EV at -0.3 just as you might do with any priority exposure setting to slightly reduce the exposure. In this case by 1/3 (-0.3.) Now instead of my shutter or aperture automatically adjusting with the changing light conditions, only the ISO adjusted automatically for the light. Nikon D3s, Auto ISO EV-0.3 (ISO1000), 1/1000 at f16, 51 point auto focus tracking, Nikon 24-70mm lens, WB 5560K. For the record book, there is no noise that I can see at ISO1000.

Images #2A and 2B       Sunshine Handoff and Shadow Tackle … These two images will hopefully promote the idea of using the Auto ISO feature which I find to be very useful for rapidly changing lighting situations. For these two images (image #2A and image #2B) I set my shutter and aperture manually, I set my EV-0.3, and I let the D3s camera’s Auto ISO do its thing as the play began in the bright sunshine and conclude in the deep shadow of the stadium. Here is Raiders QB Charlie Frye preparing to hand off to running back Michael Bush. Bush cut left across the line of scrimmage and ran out of the sunshine and well into the deep shadow of the stadium before being tackled. By manually setting my shutter at 1/2000, my aperture at f9, and an EV of -0.3, my Auto ISO automatically adjusted to ISO450 for the sunlit image #2A and then automatically adjusted to ISO10,000 for image #2B that is well into the dark stadium shadow. I was using a Nikon 600mm G VR f4.0 lens with a Nikon 1.7x Teleconverter which totaled a 1000mm focal length. With such “long glass” the f9 aperture would provide some much needed depth of field which I felt necessary for capturing clusters of players in focus. The fast shutter speed of 1/2000 would easily freeze the action even if I was swinging the long lens to catch up with running backs or wide receivers. I believe the exposures of each of these images are right on the money, and that the Auto ISO feature is the way to go when encountering this drastically varying lighting situation. It reacts quickly and keeps two important elements of sports photography, shutter speed and aperture, perfectly consistent regardless of the light. Only the ISO changes with the variance of light, and with the D3s the image quality looks perfectly clean at ISO450 and still looks very clean even at ISO10,000. The improvement of the D3s camera’s high ISO performance is perfect for Auto ISO usage. Yes, there is slight noise at 10,000 but as I mentioned earlier it compares closely to ISO3200 in a D3, but with more edge detail. This statement is not set in stone, but actually gets better if your subject has some light on it (see Images/text 9A and 9B, Image 11A and 11B.) Nikon D3s, Auto ISO EV-0.3 (IS0450 #2A and ISO10,000 #2B), 1/2000 at f9, 51 point auto focus tracking, Nikon 600mm G VR lens with 1.7x Teleconverter, WB 5560K, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Monopod.

Images #3A and #3B       Breaking the Line … Here is a full frame image of defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith and a computer-cropped detail of the same image. Same settings as the previous image Shadow Tackle with Auto ISO EV-0.3 automatically adjusting to ISO10,000. This close up cropped detail shows very little noise even at the extremely high ISO of 10,000. Nikon D3s, Auto ISO EV-0.3 (ISO10,000), 1/2000 at f9, 51 point auto focus tracking, Nikon 600mm G VR lens with 1.7x Teleconverter, WB 5560K, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Monopod. There is a lot of detail in this ISO10,000 image. The dates of 1960-2009 are clean and defined on the anniversary patch, and the eyelashes of Le Kevin are also distinct. The D3s camera’s ISO10,000 is much more than just usable, it is very clean and would allow a magazine editor to crop the image vertically and run it as a full page. The shadow areas under his chin and the forehead area under the helmet have some slight noise that should become unnoticeable when printed or published. The open areas of his face look very clean and nearly noiseless.

Image #4       Halftime Exit … As the first half came to a close players began to exit the field. I like to make a few pictures of the players away from the action just to offer a choice of imagery for an editor. Tight End Richard Quinn looked pumped up as he trotted towards the tunnel. I used 2 Nikon SB-900 Speedlights sandwiched together with rubberbands to form one powerful handheld flash. I also used the Nikon SU-800 Commander to set my power output and trigger the 2 remote Speedlights held in my left hand while players ran off the field. Nikon D3s, ISO1000, 1/500 at f11, 51 point auto focus tracking, Nikon 24-70mm lens, WB 5560K, 2 Nikon SB-900 Speedlights each with power output of +1.0, Nikon SU-800 Commander. I set my exposure manually to underexpose the sky by about 1 stop rather than use Auto ISO. If the frame becomes filled up with dark uniforms the Auto ISO will think the scene is too dark and raise the ISO thus washing out the sky. For this situation I chose to set my exposure all manually to keep the sky, the players, and light consistent.

Image #5       Coach Josh McDaniels … I didn’t expect the players and Coach Josh McDaniels to return so quickly, but because of a penalty on the final play of the first half everyone was called back onto the field for one last play before the “real” end of the first half. This gave me an opportunity to get a nice feature looking image of Denver’s new head kid, I mean head coach leading the team onto the field. Nikon D3s, ISO1000, 1/500 at f11, 51 point auto focus tracking, Nikon 24-70mm lens, WB 5560K, 2 Nikon SB-900 Speedlights each with power output of +1.0, Nikon SU-800 Commander.

Image #6       Mile High Frye … With the halftime break over players ran onto the field for the second half of play. Here comes Oakland’s quarter back of the week, Charlie Frye. I kind of like the Mile High Stadium rearing bronco statue just above his helmet. Nikon D3s, ISO1000, 1/500 at f11, 51 point auto focus tracking, Nikon 24-70mm lens, WB 5560K, 2 Nikon SB-900 Speedlights each with power output of +1.0, Nikon SU-800 Commander.

Image #7       Raider Fantasmic … About 5 minutes into the second half I was positioned in the south end-zone and was about to move to the north end-zone as play was heading down field when I heard one fan’s voice above the rest. This guy was too good to pass up. A classic Raider fan, especially one so vocal and visible in Denver is not easy to find. I grabbed my 2 rubberbanded SB-900 Speedlights and Flash!…a little light can really make a big difference. Nikon D3s, ISO1000, 1/500 at f7.1, 51 point auto focus tracking, Nikon 24-70mm lens, WB 5560K, 2 Nikon SB-900 Speedlights each with power output of +0.3, Nikon SU-800 Commander. I should make mention that for these images shot at ISO1000 there is no noise in the image. Even the deep shadow area of the players behind Coach McDaniels is very clean.

Images #8A and 8B       Raider Turnover … Here are both the full frame image and a computer-cropped detail of the same image. As it turned out heading to the other end zone would have been a mistake. Thanks to my brief hesitation to make the image of the Raider Fantasmic I decided to remain in the south end zone for the next play and ended up capturing this fumble recovery by Bronco Corner Back Tony Carter #25. For this series of downs I decided to manually set my ISO at Hi 1 (ISO25,600). Although this extreme ISO wasn’t necessary I wanted to see what Hi 1 looked like under typical event coverage conditions. Quite good indeed. Although I can see an increase in noise, especially in the shadow areas of Carter’s face nearest to the ground, the image looks good and easily publishable, even if published large. There is also some slight loss in edge detail, but over all Hi 1 and Hi 2 are usable and a Godsend for those who shoot sports like high school football under the lights. Nikon D3s, ISO Hi 1 (ISO25,600), 1/1600 at f11, 51 point auto focus tracking, Nikon 600mm G VR lens with 1.7x Teleconverter, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Monopod.

Images #9A and 9B       Linemen … Here are both the full frame image and a computer-cropped detail of the same image. This is ISO 12,800 and is the highest ISO setting before crossing into Hi 1 or beyond. Fourth Quarter action and completely under the stadium lights this image is shot from the sideline where the ball is resting near the 20 yard line, and there is fairly even stadium light. It looks terrific! I said earlier in this article that the D3s cameras ISO10,000 looked similar to the D3 cameras ISO3200, but that was with an image in the deep shadow of the stadium and no stadium light. This image at ISO12,800 looks very clean with plenty of edge detail as can be seen in the computer-cropped detail. A little bit of light makes a big difference in how clean an image is. ISO12,800 can look beautiful and more like the ISO3200 or ISO4000 of a D3 when there is some even light on the subject. Nikon D3s, Auto ISO EV-0.3 (ISO12,800), 1/2000 at f9, Nikon 600mm G VR with Nikon 1.7x Teleconverter, WB 5560K, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Monopod.

Images #10A and 10B       Russell Hustle … After the number 3 QB Charlie Frye went down-and-out after a Broncos sack, the Raiders stepped up a notch on the QB roster to the number 2 QB, JaMarcus Russell. I decided to deviate from my 1000mm focal length and remove the Nikon 1.7x Teleconverter from my 600mm lens so I could key in on the Russell Hustle. The 600mm G VR f4.0 is perfect for following the Quarter Back whether dropping back into the pocket or scrambling. I was still using Auto ISO and at an exposure of 1/1600 at at f8 and an EV-0.3. The Auto ISO adjusted to ISO6400 which would be the older D3 cameras recommended high ISO setting, but the quality difference is remarkable. Extremely clean edge detail with the fibers of the jersey and stitching of the NFL logo clear and distinguishable. The D3s camera’s ISO of 6400 looks similar to the D3 camera’s ISO2500. The shadows look very clean and nearly noiseless, even the dark background looks clean and smooth. Nikon D3s, Auto ISO EV-0.3 (ISO6400), 1/1600 at f8, Nikon 600mm G VR lens, WB 5560K, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Monopod.

Images #11A and #11B       Kicker’s Eye … Working with the light I made a few candid portraits of Raider’s kicker Sebastian Janikowski keeping his eye on the clock as the game could eventually come down to the extra point, which it did. This image and the computer-cropped detail of the same image shows that ISO12,800 is extremely clean when there is some light directly illuminating the subject. Keep in mind that I am not talking about the amount of light, but rather that the light is directly illuminating my subject. If the photographer underexposes the image they will most likely see noise increase in the shadow areas regardless of what camera is used. Make good exposures and work with the light, and ISO12,800 will be a great asset. Nikon D3s, Auto ISO EV-0.3 (ISO12,800), 1/1250 at f8, Nikon 600mm G VR with Nikon 1.7x Teleconverter, 51 point auto focus tracking, WB 5560K, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Monopod. This is not a well lit area of the bench, but because I am working with the light and my exposure is right on the money the pictures is nearly noiseless even at ISO12,800.

Image #12       Number 1 Raider … At the time of this writing the 5-9 Oakland Raiders were hardly #1, but they felt like champions after defeating the Denver Broncos 20-19 that day. I set my New Nikon D3s at an ISO of 3200, used my 2 SB-900 Speedlights rubberbanded together to form 1 powerful handheld flash, and ran onto the field as the game ended. I like making these Speed-lit images of the players coming off the field, and the D3s made it easier than ever. Nikon D3s, ISO3200, 1/800 at f9, 51 point auto focus tracking, Nikon 24-70mm lens, WB 5600K, 2 Nikon SB-900 Speedlights with power output of -1.7, Nikon SU-800 Commander. Clean and noiseless at ISO3200….incredible!

FINAL ASSESSMENT: The NEW Nikon D3s camera is well worth the money and a definite improvement over the D3. A new standard of high ISO has been set and the D3s is the undisputed king. Not only are its clean High ISO levels 1 and 1/3 higher than a D3, but I believe the D3s handles the shadow areas cleaner and with more edge detail as well. The ISO setting of 6400 is now a cleaner and almost noiseless really, and compares closely to the quality of the D3 camera at ISO2500. ISO12,800 looks great and is very similar to the ISO of 4000 on an older D3. When exceeding the ISO12,800 barrier the photographer should try and work with the light and avoid deep shadows. Noise begins to build up, but don’t shy away from the Hi settings. If you work with the light, even if there is just a little, the pictures at the Hi settings are very publishable and printable. The 51 point focus tracking system works very well and perhaps is even more accurate than the D3. Auto ISO is very useful and does a great job handling tough lighting situations, but it is the D3s camera’s extreme high ISO settings that really make the Auto ISO a useful option of exposure mode.

Any photographer can benefit from this new camera and its improved technology. Photojournalists can work in dreadful lighting conditions with confidence and produce excellent results for newspapers and magazines. Landscape photographers can work pre dawn and post sundown, not to mention heavily overcast days. Wild Life photographers can use much higher shutter speeds and greater apertures even in poor weather, and Wedding photographers can move more freely with less use of a tripod, and make greater use of the available light, even if it is candle light.

Thanks for joining me for this first article of 2010. I hope see you next month, here on Workshop at the Ranch. Adios. Dave