Torture test video shows Nikon D3S being dragged to hell and back (and surviving)

 

 

Everyone knows Nikon's flagship professional digital SLRs are tough cameras, but how tough are they really? In our 2010 review of the D3S, we praised its "rugged construction with magnesium alloy body and full environmental sealing." Half the time, though, most photographers don't get close to pushing these cameras to their limits.

The folks at French website Pixelistes certainly do though, and they've proven it with the below "Le crash test" video of the Nikon D3S. In the 15-minute camera torture clip -- yes, it probably should've been edited down to five minutes or less -- the Nikon D3S gets drenched in a shower, falls off a car, is frozen into a block of ice, burned, and more, and pretty much survives intact. (Some of the plastic around the grip does melt after the fire test, but it seems mostly cosmetic.)

 

 

The biggest question, of course, is porquoi (why)? More specifically, why do they torture the three-year-old D3S and not the current D4? Our French is a bit rusty, so it's not exactly clear, but the D3S' field-tested durability is impressive nonetheless.

If you like this video, you might want to check out this clip where a soldier in Afghanistan puts a Pentax K-7 and K-5 through a simulated sand and rain storm. And closer to home, watch the Canon Rebel T5i and Nikon D5200 recently take part in a "drop test" in front of B&H photo retailer in New York City.  The results are surprising.

(Via Nikon Rumors and DIY Photography)