ArticlesProduct Reviews & PreviewsFirst Impressions: Using the Nikon D4

First Impressions: Using the Nikon D4

By Barney Britton | Published Mar 7, 2012 | Product Reviews & Previews

Tagged with: nikon nikon-d4

The Nikon D4 is a serious photographic tool at a serious price. At $6000 the D4 is twice the cost of the recently-released D800, and offers just under half of its pixel count. But it's what the D4 does with its pixels - and how quickly and reliably it does it - which makes it so potentially attractive to working professionals. The D4 is built for speed and versatility. It might not offer the highest resolution on the market, but it is designed to deliver its 16MP images at a rate of 11 per second in all winds and weathers.

A few days ago we took delivery of a factory-fresh production D4 in our Seattle offices and it's hardly been turned off since. We've already published a detailed overview of the D4, and we've also asked a group of professional photographers what they think, but in this article, I'll be explaining what the D4 is actually like to use, as we move forward towards a full, in-depth review.

Full disclosure here, I use a D3S regularly, and outside of my day to day shooting for dpreview, much of my personal and professional photography over the past five years has been shot using either the D3 or D3S. Like all camera reviewers I swap between different systems constantly, but I happen to know the D3 and D3S very well.


The New York Dolls, 2009, taken on a Nikon D3S at ISO 8000 (processed Raw)	Denmark Hill, 2010, taken on a Nikon D3X at ISO 320 (Processed Raw)

Biffy Clyro, 2010, taken on a Nikon D3S at ISO 6400 (Processed Raw)	Kentish Town, 2009, taken on a Nikon D3 at ISO 400 (Processed Raw)

That said, bear in mind that this article is not a review. That's in the pipeline. Also, I don't pretend to speak for all photographers, so if you think I've got something wrong, or I haven't mentioned something that you really like (or don't like) in this article feel free to leave a comment. You'll find four pages in this article, the first three comprise a quick overview of my early impressions of the camera, both good and bad, and page four is reserved for samples - studio, real-world and video clips.

Overview

The D4 is a heavy, chunky camera, just like the D3S which it replaces. But whereas the D3S inherited the 2007-vintage D3 chassis, the D4 brings new ergonomics as well as an updated specification. Cosmetically, the D4 is curvier and more streamlined than its predecessors, and slightly lighter, too. The D4's battery is new, and is not compatible with the older type used in the D3 and D3S. The same applies to the D4's battery compartment door, which looks like it might be interchangeable with that from the older models, but is actually a slightly different size.

Although most of its controls are in basically the same places compared to the D3 and D3S the D4 feels subtly different in use thanks in part to the redesigned hand grip and the steeper angle of the main shutter release.


Compared to the D3S, the D4 looks slightly different when viewed from the top. A red movie shooting button is an obvious addition to the right hand side of the top plate but in this view you can also see that the 3-position metering switch has been removed and metering mode added to the cluster of controls on the upper left.	Changes have been made to the D4's rear controls and control layout as well - two new 'sub-selector' joysticks have been added for horizontal and vertical format shooting and a new live view switch (the same as that used on the recently announced D800) has been added below the LCD screen.

Key Specifications:

16.2 effective megapixel, full-frame sensor (16.6MP total)
10fps shooting with AF and AE, 11fps with focus and exposure locked, 24fps 2.5MP grabs
91,000 pixel sensor for metering, white balance, flash exposure, face detection and active d-lighting
ISO Range 100-12,800 (extendable from 50 – 204,800)
MultiCAM 3500FX Autofocus sensor works in lower light and with smaller apertures
Two sub-selector joystick/buttons for shooting orientation
1080p30 HD video at up to 24Mbps with uncompressed video output
New EN-EL18 battery (21.6Wh capacity, CIPA-rated at 2600 shots)
Twin card slots - one Compact Flash and one XQD

Click here to turn to page 2 of this article - First Impressions: Using the Nikon D4

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Comments

Total comments: 138

Nice that the D4 shoots in the dark. But how well does it hold highlights?

0 upvotes

Isn't photography about the end result ? It's great having the newest, fastest, most hunky-doryest model around but I think most are being swept along with all the hype. Good that Nikon, Canon etc are pushing the technological barriers but the images are what count.
No good having a great camera but not having the talent to use it properly.

Comment edited 43 seconds after posting

6 upvotes

I think the manufacturers understand that. But that doesn't mean they should stop making technological advances. I see no harm in improving quality, speed and functionality in these machines so enhance the beautiful shots that good photographers take.

Your comment I believe is more a commentary for the purchasers of these cameras to realize they're just buying improved specs, not a new eye for creativity and skill.

Or else Nikon and Canon among others would be Photography Training companies. Schools, writers, tutorials and other photographers do that. Somebody has to advance the actual technology to show off what good photographers do and give them new and faster ways of practicing their craft.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

This is the age of consumerism, and people have the right (and ability) to enjoy products they are not skilled enough to use expertly. Consider sports cars - how many people who own a Porsche are capable of driving this car up to its full potential? Skoal goes out to the novice who just likes to take snaps on 'auto' with a flagship DSLR :) What's wrong with that? Who are we to judge?

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

It is all about the end result at the end of the day. If you're a commercial photographer it is necessary to have the latest equipment if you want to be competitive. Or is it?!

Whilst these advancements in technology are incredible and cameras are becoming 'capable of anything' it is only ever the photographer that is actually capable of anything. This can be seen all over the web with many 'professional' photographers using top grade equipment and getting pretty average results.

I did an architectural commission a few years ago where there were two other photographers on site. One was using a Phase One large format system and the other a Hassy with similar setup. I was commissioned by another firm working on the project and fresh out of uni could only afford a Nikon D80 at the time. My pictures were published in an international architectural magazine and were the only pictures used exclusively by the other firms who'd commissioned the other photographers.

1 upvote

If people stop buying then they stop producing new tech products

0 upvotes

Here are some interesting videos about the D4 Camera:

Nikon D4 Hands-on Review
http://shrt.fm/wyj5fM

Nikon D4 unboxing
http://shrt.fm/FPMD8f

Nikon D4 Low Light Field Test
http://shrt.fm/FU56jy

0 upvotes

How about some ISO test shots under available light to show the camera's low-light potential. Would love to see some shots taken at night with no flash at ISO 204,000!!! and what can we expect when the D4s comes out?

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Hi
First impressions of my new D4 collected today which I reluctantly gave up my superb D3x for!!! Firstly this is fast and mean superb fast. Maybe I was spoilt because I went straight from D700 to the D3x which I found slow. But this is quick and each picture is perfect which I found unusual for me. Thing is, I didn't bargain on having to upgrade my Lightroom 3 for Lightroom 4? Currently using LR3 and it wouldn't accept the RAW file so of course carried out the update which was running v3.4, now running v3.6. No use won't accept D4 camera. Downloaded trial of LR4 and it works but not happy, further expense. Second gripe, battery. There nearly identical in shape and size but Nikon made it impossible to use D3x battery in D4? So further expense for second battery. SB910 works better with D4 than D3x. Will do more when I have really tried it but apart from expense which I feel unnecessary for extras, its the Bo..ocks

0 upvotes

1DX will beat the D4 hands down in specs, picture quality and video once it is all said and done. D3S stills are better according to a lot of Nikon forums.

0 upvotes

Sure ;)

0 upvotes

Does it make sense to have a $ 6000 stills camera that can make jittery movie and choppy clips? I 'd rather shoot video segments with a nice Panasonic, Sony or Canon pro video cams! Other than that, I'm a convinced Nikon shooter.

0 upvotes

Thank you for your first impressions and sample gallery.

I printed two of the 12800 photos at 8X10 (after adjusting in Lightroom 4) and I am quite impressed by the detail and low noise.

Looking forward to the same preview of the D800.

Gordon

0 upvotes

1Dx or Nikon D4? ummmmm please....

0 upvotes

Why is that on these forums there is a LOT of people that complain and nit-pick about features like "how they will not buy camera because button does not exist". It reminds me about commercial when guy is sitting in formula 1 and obviously does not have money to purchase it, he was asking a sales person "does it comes in blue"??? It seems to me photographers are bunch of cry-babies that did forgot the fact that not so long ago we were shooting FILM and that was a challenge...especially changing roll in the middle of the shoot.No button to press...not to mention 5-10% of failed pictures for wedding for example.For the record I will continue to use my trusty Canon 20D...I like the new Nikon line!!!Especially 4D.If I could afford it to make money with it, I would buy it, no I am not asking does it come in blue... :-)

3 upvotes

to elaborate, we need to change, if you do not want to change stick to what you like.Your old camera...

0 upvotes

Anyone else wish they kept ISO and WB as buttons on the top upper left dial?

1 upvote

The ISO and WB buttons have never been on the top upper left dial — at least not on a flagship body (I don't think). They certainly weren't on the D3/s/x or the D2h/x/xs.

0 upvotes

It is not good having toggles that move around against your body, I am unhappy with that and the rearranged focussing options. I know I'll get them on a D800 as well, but something sticks in the craw- I want the options where my fingers wont alter them accidentally, and that arrangement at the front is a bad one- it has always been a bad one because if you hold the lens to zoom and / or focus with your left hand there is a constant risk of moving the lever. I would prefer it to be on the top of the camera, as with the mode dial on a D3.It can be done: just put more options on the dial, and have that same button to depress before you turn it. With the eye to the viewfinder and info on in the viewfinder you can do the entire operation with your left index finger, but you have to do it on purpose- it cannot be an accident.
I would move the lens release button to the top front under the prism, as you can release your lens while zooming or focussing STILL (Nikon F same)

0 upvotes

One camera to rule them all. Bye bye, Canon...

3 upvotes

For studio and landscape use this camera is not going to change anything. The majority of print add photos will continue to come from Canon and Hasselblad. This model changes nothing in the studio world.

0 upvotes

Enough with the stupid brand wars already, I'm.a Nikon shooter and I think what you said sounds stupid, don't care about brand superiority, Individual cameras are all that matters

2 upvotes

*mock speech

blye blye can non one camwera 2 rule them all

*hand waving weakly

(trying not to barf!)

heee haaaw heee haaaw

I dond't know how much more of these moronic replies I can take. . . . buy a damn camera take photos and stfu about it already. With the 1Dx, for someone to say "bye bye Canon" due to the D4. . . . it shows people like this do not have ANY clue about photography. You are a company's best friend, eh! yeah! Let's rock! You probably still drive a 76 Pinto, and haven't even gotten past a point and shoot.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 9 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

This sensor one-up manship between rival camera brands is getting out of hand...

"This shot was taken at the D4's maximum ISO sensitivity setting of 204,800 (equivalent) in light so low that I could barely see my subject (I certainly couldn't tell whether she was smiling or blinking, or what color her clothing was)."

It's getting to be a night vision thingy...

What next? XRay vision sensor?

4 upvotes

Hello Barney,
can one take pictures while recording a movie with the D4 ?

0 upvotes

It takes good pictures.
But isn't a camera like this too complicated to use rapidly in the field?
So many buttons, joysticks, and menu options...

0 upvotes

By this logic, wouldn't a Kodak Instamatic be the way to go? I want everything to hand through a well thought out placement of controls, which is much faster than going to menus. Once you master your camera, changing settings is fast and easy. A must is being able to change the aperture and shutter speeds on different dials, which Nikon implemented on their higher cameras some time ago, but phased out on lower end cameras soon after the D70.

Comment edited 38 seconds after posting

1 upvote

In Live View, what is the "Max Continuous Burst" at 24fps? Is there anyway you can quickly test this?

0 upvotes

QUESTION for Barny : When using the D4 were you using the new XQD memory cards ? If so whats your impression on their performance?

0 upvotes

We have been using one for our studio testing but we haven't done any 'fast action' photography yet. That'll be in the review.

0 upvotes

I would love to know more about the new autofocus options, especially for sports photography. Guess that will be in the actual Review. (And it's strange to see the word focussed but WIKI says it is used in the UK and Canada. I am Canadian but have never seen it spelled focussed)

0 upvotes

Barnaby: thanks. One point you and the DPR reviewers should check out is the low ISO shadows recovery abilities of both D3s and D4 and later with 1Dx. The D4 is now better than the D7000 in that respect, and a fair leap over the D3s, at least visually, and that should also say something about base ISO DR and its general HL and HL recovery abilities. Check this test:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=40794495

Also, don't forget to add crops at similar resolutions D4xD3s. BTW, maybe you should add some basic resolution for you comparing tool. For example, add an alternative of all RAW converted jpegs (ACR) at, say 8 or 10MP. That would simulate same printing sizes.

1 upvote

With regard to the AF switch, I've used the D7000 and the D700 and I prefer the system in the D7000. The reason is that it makes changing the number of focus points much easier. With the D7000 you can do it with your eye to the view finder, with the D700 you have to go into the menus.

2 upvotes

I too like the D7K AF switching controls better than the D700's as well

0 upvotes

All I have to say is that I preferred cameras being tested in London -- somehow the images had more character and told a story, the full 1000 words. The images posted here are less vibrant and seems like someone just threw away half the words...

0 upvotes

Funny how everything was better in the old days - we reviewed more cameras then, as well. Or so I've heard...

2 upvotes

Unless I'm missing something, I don't understand the issue here. Surely, like other 'up-market' Nikon bodies, you just set the camera to AF-C, move focus acquisition control solely to AF-ON (i.e. also divorce it from the shutter button). That way, you effectively have 'AF-S' if you press and release AF-ON and you have AF-C if you keep AF-ON depressed?

1 upvote

@ Peter, yes, you're right that you can work like this if you want to (and it's always been possible) but for photographers who prefer AF-S as the *default* and only occasionally need to switch to AF-C, the new design makes that switchover slower.

0 upvotes

Good review/comparison. However, when comparing one Nikon to another Nikon, it would be nice to see Capture NX2 used rather than ACR. I never use ACR to process Nikon RAW files, in my experience NX always gets the best out of them. How the files compare in ACR doesn't really illustrate how the results of a lot of Nikon users will compare.
Processing the original high ISO test shots of both the D3s and D4 at ISO 12800 in NX2, the D4 file was very noticeably more detailed, with finer, less blotchy grain.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

2 upvotes

Not recently, CNX2 is falling behind in most aspects.

0 upvotes

On p.3; the JPEG pictures of the shutter speed dial: Do the JPEGs from the D4 look a bit cooler compared to the D3S?

0 upvotes

Poor Nikon. Damned if you do and Damned if you don't.

For years nikon users have been complaining about the focus mode selector on the front of the camera.

Nikon finally updates the design - and makes it very functional at the same time.

Yet, even with the refined and improved design, the reviewer immediately complains about the change.

3 upvotes

It's only 'improved' if it makes your experience easier/quicker.

1 upvote

I think the AF/MF selector is designed like this so that custom user modes put the camera directly in the desired AF settings. Customize it, make it yours!

0 upvotes

The thing is, not everyone has the same taste in control placement. How do you please everyone.....you can't.

0 upvotes

The ergonomic problems reported here were worse than I expected, and I certainly had my concerns. Making the switch from AF-S to AF-C harder is probably a deal breaker for me by itself, as my nature work has me doing that multiple times in most sessions of shooting I do, and I hate "digi interface" switching. And, the joystick bouncing against the chest changing the AF point - did no one at Nikon who actually takes pictures in the field have a hand in this new model? All this and the tester never even got to questions about significantly decreased shots per battery charge, lack of ability to swap batteries with the D3 bodies (understandable if it didn't come up in a week-long test), and mismatched CF card slots with new cards that don't exist yet.

0 upvotes

I've had no battery issues at all - I shot 3 days on a single charge (around 300 pics in total, with some video and a lot of screen review) and indicated battery life only went down a couple of notches.

0 upvotes

Thanks for the feedback. Let me just point out, though, that most of these tests tend to be city shoots, and there is a fairly serious contingent of us whose focus is on remote shoots, wherein one travels to the jungle and stays there for a week, shooting far more than 300 images per day. There the apparent 50% drop in shots per charge with the D4 will make a substantial difference. Same with CF card mismatch. I appreciate your report, I'm simply pointing out there remain other key ergonomic challenges with the D4 generation that have not yet been seriously evaluated (but pretty clearly aren't going to be good!).

0 upvotes

Sure - one thing I would say though is that you'll get a better idea of 'true' battery life once a brand-new battery has been put through a few charge/recharge cycles. I'll report back as we continue to use the camera.

0 upvotes

I don't much like the choice of functions on top of the left control dial. I much prefer them as they are on other cameras, like the D800, with White Balance, ISO, Qual, and Bracketing. These are the four functions I want to check when I first turn my camera on. Having the metering mode under my thumb that could easily be switched as I assessed the shot through the viewfinder was very useful to me and moving it to the top left dial is not an advantage.

I also preferred the old AF point select switch on the back where you could just see the mode it was set to and flick it to another instead of having to press one button, while turning a dial, while looking at the LCD screen.

I'm all for improved ergonomics, but I don't yet see these changes as improvements.

0 upvotes

dpreview I don't see studio comparison samples for D700. Am I overlooking them? Those samples would be useful to compare to D4, but particularily useful in future when you put up D800 samples.

0 upvotes

Our review of the D700 predates the 'new' (current) studio comparison scene. The D3 is a decent proxy if you're curious but we're going to try to get hold of a D700 as soon as possible and include it in this comparison.

3 upvotes

> It might not offer the highest resolution on the market, but it is designed to deliver its 16MP images at a rate of 11 per second in all winds and weathers<

real?
There are also waterproof, weatherproof nikon lenses?
would be new to me. . .

1 upvote

Not as impressed with the high sensitivity shooting as I thought I'd be, nevertheless very good though.

1 upvote

What a flagship! how people can complain is the true mystery :)

10 upvotes

. . . and they are soooo good at too!!

0 upvotes

I'm most eager to know if the dynamic range really is that much improved over the D3-series, as the Nikon reps have stated.

1 upvote

I dont mind about super hi ISO, really. I used to photograph concerts in FAR worse lighting than exists these days in stadia, but it never stopped me getting what I needed because I used very fast prime lenses. I did not use zooms. So what manufacturers are doing, (bless them!) is providing boosts for images on f2.8 zooms that admit a quarter of the light an f1.4 prime does. Try an f1.4 on a D800 soon!!! IF that motorbike video is really from D800s, it is sensationally good. And the D4 should be as good, but where is the 24-70mm f2.8 IS?? Tamron??

I see no advance on my 1Ds MkII body therefore. There is no better IQ at 400 and under. There is no advance in ergonomics at all. A 1Ds is a box with a lens, and it expects YOU to focus. It does not need toggles because the wheel is big enough to use vertically as well.Nikon should imitate the good things

These machines, the 1Dx and D4 are the cost of a new car with a 5 year warranty.
Think about it!!

2 upvotes

Of course the "motorbike" video, Joy Ride is from the D800. Just watch the "Behind the Scenes" to see. What, you think it's a big conspiracy by Sandro and Nikon, because a production company used ONE shot from a 5D, a video camera, in a Thai TV Commercial?

2 upvotes

Why would you need VR/IS on a 24-70? it would be pointless!!

And yeah whilst shooting concerts prime's are the best, but they just aren't as versatile as a 24-70 2.8 & 70-200 2.8 combo. Thats why its nice to have the extra hi-iso performance, so that you have the best of both worlds. Your moaning about non-issues!

1 upvote

Thanks Barney, for the first impressions from a practical user point of view.

2 upvotes

Barney,
Since you can't say the truth, I'll say it for you:
The D3S is still the ISO king.
Even if you down-sample the D4's 16MP 12,800 ISO RAW photos to 12MP,(or up-sample the D3S's 12MP to 16MP - the D3S wins.
As simple as that.
In the end - Image Quality is what it's all about.
D3S owners - keep your camera.

3 upvotes

I totally agree with your view... everybody here seems so reluctant to accept t he fact that thew D3S is still top dog as far as high ISO & overall IQ are concerned...

They're trying to justify things by saying the D4 is as good as the D3S at pixel level... oh really?! ... even when viewed at 100% & 200% magnification... the D3S is much clearer & sharper... with a lower presence of artifacts... and delivering a more natural looking image...

Look at the background in the mode dial samples between the D3S & D4 ... the textures from the D3S are much better defined and sharper... the D4 background is like a smudged out effect... The D4 is applying more NR in its JPEG's...

0 upvotes

Oh, looking at the D4 ISO 25600 JPEG image downsized to 4256x2832, you will not see any advantage of the D3S over the D4. In fact, the D4 looks cleaner to me, even a bit more detailed.

5 upvotes

So you would keep a D3s which shows LESS resolution and LESS sharpness and detail at high ISO? And a D3s that only shoots 720p video? OK.

2 upvotes

I completely agree, and I shoot Canon. I blogged about this issue days ago, as it can be clearly seen from DPReview's own D4 samples compared with D3s, the clear winner. I also noted there the comparisons at ISO25,600, with the D3s, though in expansion mode, still beat the D4. I highly recommend grabbing D3s while you still can, and use the difference to buy a killer lens. :)

2 upvotes

Please explain why the D3s trumps the D4? The pixel-level noise is better on the D4. The sharpness is better on the D4. The resolution is higher on the D4. Then there's the video, in which there is no comparison.

What specifically do you think is so much better about the D3s?

2 upvotes

It looks like people are trying to give themselves a reason not to spend $6000

3 upvotes

@Barney Britton
"but almost every time I've raised the D4 to my eye after it's been resting around my neck I've been obliged to re-center the AF point."

...perhaps Nikon is trying to teach you to be more versatile with your composition instead of centring all our composition or re-framing/cropping in post????

2 upvotes

Well if that's what they're trying to do, it's working...

1 upvote

"Redesigned Focus Mode Switch".
Focus mode switch is the only lack in my D700.
Casual displacement it's very tedious.
"To access the D4's AF modes, you have to depress the button at the hub of the control".
Very good choice, Nikon!

0 upvotes

Where is the D700 in the samples comparison so we can compare them together?

Even if The D800 had close to D700 iso capability it would be a penomenonal camera. But somehow, I doubt that will

Sure, I think I'd have more use for the D4 vs the D800 but size and price are huge deterrents.

I'm the typical amateur photographer that takes indoor and low light sport shots and of kids running around in the house. I do take some scenery shots but have never blown my 11x19. So I need a good high ISO camera in a small body.

Make the D4 in a smaller body and drop the price to the D800 range, and I'm sold.

Raz

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 3 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

I keep seeing a rolling meme about this on DPR...

If you apply heavy NR to a 36MP camera you end up with an 18MP (or whatever you choose) camera with much better high ISO characteristics. If you look at the picture, not the pixels, a high MP camera will give you a choice of high res / high noise or lower res / lower noise. The d800 will blow the d700 away for high ISO.

The price is slow shooting performance while it digests all those pixels.

5 upvotes

That's funny Louis,

This isn't what the Nikon representative and yesterday's Focus on Imaging 2012 Exhibition at the NEC Birmingham said to me....

0 upvotes

Not only is the D800 close the D700 in high ISO, but it's better. And it is sharper with more detail. Nice try though.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1021&thread=40816765

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 1 minute after posting

2 upvotes

Then why Nikon's own FLAGSHIP has only 16MPixel?
Because smaller pixel mean more noise and less dynamic range!

1 upvote

d4 is FLAGSHIP because of its high fps and integrated grip and nothing more, certainly not IQ

0 upvotes

No the D4 is the FLAGSHIP because it costs the most nothing more. It is actually a very specialist camera. For most types of shooting a less expensive model will serve just as well and in some cases better.

Comment edited 28 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

They did, it's called the 5D MK3 ;)

0 upvotes

Looks and reads impressive. I myself am waiting for the D800 review, in order to decide o whether to purchase it or not, but for the meantime, the D4 is a little out of my reach. In any case, thank you for a great - as usual - hands on review.

0 upvotes

One thing that propeller shot shows is that the D4 has almost no rolling shutter in its video.

It looks like less rolling shutter than most professional CMOS video cameras. I am actually amazed.

1 upvote

Next time you test the video could you please shoot at a video standard shutter speed like a 1/60 or 1/50 of a second. That should give you a smoother video image. You will probably need a neutral density outside to achieve this.

1 upvote

Barney, thank you so much; your impressions are very useful to me.

And that image of the NY Dolls is excellent!!! Please, could you tell us which lens was used? aperture? It`s very sexy !

Regards from Lima.

0 upvotes

Barney, How were these Sample Videos captured? Were they processed in camera or did you capture the uncompressed HDMI output. Your description makes that a little ambiguous.

If it was HDMI output, what Codec was it recorded in?

0 upvotes

Default settings (as indicated) captured on a CF card (so this is NOT uncompressed footage).

0 upvotes

have you managed to try the crop modes in video capture?

0 upvotes

No, honestly I haven't scratched the surface of the D4's video specifications yet, that's all to come.

0 upvotes

Slightly OT but is it safe to assume that since you're using the new 85/1.8G for the still-life shots, a full test of this lens is coming (soon)? The published MTFs are just unreal for a $500 lens...

Thanks for the detailed D4 info - I look forward to the full review even though I'm not in the market for one!

0 upvotes

I used a 105mm for the still lifes, but yes, we'll be publishing a gallery of 85mm shots as soon as we can, and with any luck a review at some point later in the year. We're gearing up to do lens reviews again at the moment after a hiatus.

0 upvotes

Awesome - thanks! IMO, DPR lens reviews present what you really need to know to make buying decisions - without getting any weird/unpleasant surprises - in a very usable way.

0 upvotes

You've got typos, then. The first two paragraphs under Image Quality Samples both mention that the still life were done with the 85 1.8.

0 upvotes

@Lee - no, you're just reading the wrong thing. The *still life* pictures on page 3 were shot using the 105mm, and are labelled as such. The studio samples, and some of the real-world pictures were taken on the 85mm.

0 upvotes

"It is designed to deliver its 16MP images at a rate of 11 per second."
When I assume a 150.000 shots shutter life, at 11 fps, the camera has a predicted working lifetime of less than 4 hours.
And that is called a serious working tool for professionals.

0 upvotes

D4 = 400.000 clicks shutter life
So you have 10.1 hours of 11 FPS madness ... there you have a professional tool ... ofcourse you can also use the camera like a normal human being and it will last years :)
Regards

12 upvotes

AF-C mode isn't for holding down the shutter button like you're trying to stop the Allie's from getting up the beach on D-Day. It is for a quick, will timed, burst of 3-5 frames to catch the action at just the right moment.

1 upvote

from my eyes.... D3s Vs D4 iso 12800 JPEG inmage...

D3s image still look "life" , smoother & clean . but got little white & blue noise dot.

D4 image just like "Painting effect image", un-natural, dirty out-of-focus background...& "water-wash-like noise reduction"....as my previous D200 & D2X.....SUCK!!!!!!!

Sorry...D4. I just tell the truth......

2 upvotes

I said these D4 videos are nothing like other D4 video examples in Vimeo and Youtube. Compare to this:
http://vimeo.com/35858338

0 upvotes

Your ORIGINAL CLIPS are still way different... do you have an explanation? These D4 clips are much smoother, cleaner:
http://vimeo.com/35638937
http://vimeo.com/35639074

Barney, do you think these clips were shot with the on-board H.264 encoder that Nikon says does only 24 Mbps?... or captured by an external video capture device with a higher bit rate?

0 upvotes

My comment is gone... guys, are you deleting things?

0 upvotes

Nope.

0 upvotes

Sorry, you have two sets of comments -- on this article title page and on the inside article pages... this is confusing!

5 upvotes

This needs addressing

2 upvotes

Barney, nice work. The sub-selector seems a big problem. I checked my 1D mk3, it's sub-selector is hidden beside the raised screen and viewfinder, so never has such an issue. Maybe adding an eyepiece or hood on the viewfinder will help? Did you talk with Nikon and see if they can modify it?

0 upvotes

By the way, nice images on page 1, especially New York Dolls and the Denmark Hill image. Good job.

0 upvotes

Total comments: 138