What is the pixel pitch of the Nikon D3S?

The Nikon D3S provides 12.1 megapixels from a full frame sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 8.43µm.

The pixel size or pixel pitch can be calculated by dividing the sensor area by the pixel count and then taking the square root. In particular, the sensor in the Nikon D3S measures 36.0mm in width and 23.9mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 860 mm². Moreover, the D3S has 4 256 horizontal pixels and 2 832 vertical pixels, for a total of 12.1 megapixels. Then, the size (height or width) of each individual pixel can be calculated as the square root of the ratio of the sensor area (860 mm²) to the MP count (12 052 992).

Larger pixels provide advantages with respect to gathering light, particularly in low-light situations. Large pixels notably have a better signal to noise ratio, meaning that they can better differentiate between incoming photons and the noisy signals that the internal processes of the camera create. As a result, big pixels are particularly helpful to the photographer when shooting with high ISO settings.

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Nikon D3S to those of several similar cameras. The reported DXO values are indicators of the sensor's imaging quality (higher is better), covering color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape), and high-ISO noise (DXO Sports). Larger sensor cameras tend to outperform cameras of the same generation that are equipped with a smaller imager. On the other hand, larger sensors are more expensive and require bigger and heavier lenses than smaller light receptors.

Sensor Characteristics

#		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Nikon D3S	Full Frame	12.1	4256	2832	720/24p	23.5	12.0	3253	82
2.		Canon 1D Mark IV	APS-H	16.0	4896	3264	1080/30p	22.8	12.0	1320	74
3.		Canon 1D Mark III	APS-H	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.7	11.7	1078	71
4.		Nikon D5	Full Frame	20.7	5588	3712	4K/30p	25.1	12.3	2343	88
5.		Nikon D4S	Full Frame	16.2	4928	3280	1080/60p	24.4	13.3	3074	89
6.		Nikon D4	Full Frame	16.2	4928	3280	1080/30p	24.7	13.1	2965	89
7.		Nikon D300S	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	720/24p	22.5	12.2	787	70
8.		Nikon D3X	Full Frame	24.4	6048	4032	none	24.7	13.7	1992	88
9.		Nikon D700	Full Frame	12.1	4256	2832	none	23.5	12.2	2303	80
10.		Nikon D3	Full Frame	12.1	4256	2832	none	23.5	12.2	2290	81
11.		Nikon D2Xs	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	none	22.2	10.9	489	59

Further information on the sensor in the Nikon D3S and the camera's operation can be found in the camera manual.

In the United States, the D3S was initially launched in October 2009 at a price of $5,199.

Check D3S offers at
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Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just use the search menu below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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