On October 15th at the Paris photo expo, the Nikon booth had a large black, ominous cloth hanging over it. And underneath that cloth was one of the most rumored-about cameras of 2009. If you’re in the know (or have read the title), then you probably have already guessed it. The Nikon D3s. The upgrade for the highly-acclaimed, flagship D3 Digital SLR.

People already had some high expectations for what was in store for them in Nikon’s new D3s. Of course, Nikon would have added video to keep up with Canon and their 5D Mark II, maybe some new megapixels to the almost old-school 12, possibly a 1.3 crop-sensor, and maybe even a bump up on the ISO. For those who were counting on the latter, you are in for a welcome surprise.

Just to get this out of the way, yes, Nikon did bring video to their D3s. 720p at 24 fps with an external mic input. No big surprise there. Also, no, Nikon did not change the 12 megapixels, and no they did not change the full-frame sensor to a 1.3 crop (thank goodness). What is to change the way people take photos lies within the camera. An often overlooked, yet constantly relied-on DSLR tool. While other camera manufacturers work on the extra features, Nikon has made it a priority to change the heart of the camera. The sensor. The 12 megapixel CMOS sensor has slightly bigger photodiodes than the original D3. This allows the D3s to capture more light than its predecessor. It also allows it to have an ISO of up to— drum roll please—12,800! Yes, the D3s has an ISO range all the way up to 12,800, and that is without all of the Hi1, Hi2 nonsense! It is legit, on-paper natural 12,800. What’s more incredible, is that it’s not just hype. The actual quality and noise-control of this extreme range is about on-par with the D90’s (released earlier this year) 3200 ISO. 

If you want to see some samples, head over to #mce_temp_url# for the D3s, which openly boasts 12,800 ISO images all over it.

Now, I did say that the 12,800 ISO was not even the Hi1, Hi2… It gets even better. When you bump up the already insane ISO with the Hi3 option, you can go all the way to ISO 102,400! Again this is not just some rumored hype. You can actually go all the way to ISO 102,400 on the D3s! Of course there would be a lot of noise at this point, but I wouldn’t count on any more than the D90’s Hi-6400. What makes this even better for nature and sports photographers, is that you could use the D3s’ improved buffer to capture images at 11 fps in low light!

Basically, Nikon has made a professional DSLR with no boundaries, and is going to be available mid-December for an whopping estimated $5,000. However, maybe your not one of those people who can afford Nikon’s highest professional cameras. It does lead to the question, what does the new D3s mean for the next generation of Nikon’s entry-level and prosumer DSLR lineup? At the pace that the DSLR market is moving, we could expect to see these new features passed down in as little as two years. Until then, and quite possibly after, Nikon definitely has the edge in the DSLR race.