- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How it compares
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Nikon D4
- 15.9 MP
- Full frame CMOS
- 3.2" LCD
Released March, 2012
Rated 89% by by c|net (Jul, 2012)And the D800 delivers equally good or better photos at low ISO sensitivities and better video quality for a lot less money, even when equipped with a battery grip, though the D4 remains seriously faster.
Conclusion Check out the Nikon D4
First reviewed March, 2012
Features Key features of the Nikon D4
15.9 MP
Full frame
Rated 89% by by c|net (Jul, 2012)I'm not thrilled with the video quality: It's very good, but for $6,000 I expect wow.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 24.4 MP    | 40 MP |
Nikon D4 by Photography Blog (May, 2012)The Nikon D4 is a new professional-grade digital SLR camera with a sixteen-megapixel FX sensor, EXPEED 3 processing engine, upgraded Multi-CAM 3500FX auto-focus module, a brand new 91,000-pixel RGB metering sensor and a weather-sealed magnesium alloy body.
Nikon D4 by Photography Blog (May, 2012)What we have found is that the higher pixel density of the new sensor hasn't really impacted negatively on the image quality, which is still very high, and comes with the added benefit of a somewhat higher resolution.
sensor size
Nikon D4 by J.-Sheldon-Cooper--Conspicuous-Consumer (Apr, 2012)Remember this is a FX format, so no multiplying focal lengths by 1.5x. The sensor is the size of a 35mm negative.
Nikon D4 by TrustedReviews (Jan, 2012)Detail from the new sensor is excellent, especially at the lower ISOs, while tonal gradation, colour accuracy when shooting Raw, white balance accuracy and ISO performance are all highly impressive too.
viewfinder size
Nikon D4 by R.-Adams--Via-Corsa-Car-Lover-s-Guidebooks (Jan, 2012)Overall I like the changes, and love the ability to see changes inside the viewfinder.
Nikon D4 by R.-Adams--Via-Corsa-Car-Lover-s-Guidebooks (Jan, 2012)The virtual horizon is now inside the viewfinder!
body size
160 x 157 x 91 mm
105 x 58 x 33 mm
147 x 111 x 78 mm
Nikon D4 by college (Sep, 2012)Before purchasing this I had concern of its weight but I am totally satisfied with its weight distribution in my hand.
Nikon D4 by Paul-Derby (Oct, 2012)Additionally, the D4 weighs noticeably less, has an improved ergonomic feel, and improved placement for most of the controls.
focus points
| 0 | 23 | 60 |
Nikon D4 by W.-Kurtz--B.-Kilgore (Aug, 2012)The vertical shooting controls are great as are the new focus points selection "nubs.
Nikon D4 by TrustedReviews (Jan, 2012)The new system keeps the same 51-point AF arrangement, however the central 15 cross-type AF sensors are now sensitive up to f/8, which will doubtless be useful for wildlife photographers using teleconverters and long telephoto lenses.
Performance Real world tests of Nikon D4
DxOMark image quality
Nikon D4 by Photography Blog (May, 2012)As to other aspects of image quality, they are also top notch: colours are pleasing, tonality is superb, and dynamic range is wide.
Nikon D4 by W.-Kurtz--B.-Kilgore (Aug, 2012)It has excellent dynamic range and does very well in low light.
DxOMark low light performance
Nikon D4 by D.-KIMBALL--D4sNutz (Mar, 2012)For me, the low light performance is key - anyone can take decent pictures with point and clicks in the daytime, and most any camera can take excellent creative shots if the user understands his or her camera.
Nikon D4 by college (Sep, 2012)The focusing is very fast and in low light situation it works great.
shutter lag
| 0 ms | 88 ms   | 90 ms |
Nikon D4 by Photography Blog (May, 2012)The Nikon D4 lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for exposure times of practically any length, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography.
Nikon D4 by Peter-Henry (Nov, 2012)I find the D4 tends to be my go-to camera for most situations where I will handhold, for low light conditions where it still has excellent autofocus and exposure noise, or for action subjects where the blazing frames-per-second makes a difference and I can crank up the shutter speed and still have good ISO and aperture.
continuous shooting
Nikon D4 by N.-Paoni (Oct, 2012)I find the rapid burst rate on the camera to be extremely useful, as I shoot in small bursts, even when the camera is tripod mounted, and find that the second and third shots are almost always clearer, due to less body vibration when the shutter is held down as opposed to initially pressed.
Nikon D4 by c|net (Jul, 2012)We clocked continuous shooting at 9.8 frames per second for JPEGs, but in practice that held as well for long bursts of raw+JPEG, too.
battery life
2,600 photos
500 photos
4,400 photos
Nikon D4 by S.-S.-Malhotra (Oct, 2012)Battery life: the CIPA numbers do NOT accurately reflect the actual shooting time.
Nikon D4 by c|net (Jul, 2012)And the new battery design separates the battery-cover latch from the battery itself.
Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors
pros
-
Contrast detection focusing system -
HD video -
Intelligent ISO -
2,600 -
Full frame -
Gives you more flexibility when framing your shot -
204,800 ISO -
89.0 -
11 fps -
3.2" -
2,965 ISO -
51 -
Opaque -
24.7 bits -
90.77% -
Combines multiple photos together to capture both bright and dark areas -
Preview photos before you take them
cons
-
15.9 MP -
0 -
The screen is fixed in place -
Taking quality photos in low-light will require external hardware -
No geotagging included -
91 mm -
160 x 157 x 91 mm -
1,340 g
Reviews Word on the street
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 | Rated by 34 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by ROSPORTS (May, 2012) Rated 100% by by mmabie (Dec, 2012) Rated 100% by by W.-Kurtz--B.-Kilgore (Aug, 2012) |
Sensor
Nikon D4 | Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Jan, 2012)The Nikon D4 uses an all-new full-frame FX CMOS sensor that offers an effective resolution of 16.2MP – a sizeable improvement over the 12.1MP of the D3/D3s..
Nikon D4 | Rated 89% by by c|net (Jul, 2012)Its JPEGs look clean as high as ISO 1600, and are decent at ISO 3200 - there you start to see some detail degradation - and usable at ISO 6400, depending upon content.
Nikon D4 | Rated 89% by by c|net (Jul, 2012)I like the control design, but find it too far down and toward the middle of the back of the camera: it's underneath the LCD, next to the second status LCD (dedicated to ISO sensitivity, image quality, and white balance).
Focus
Nikon D4 | Rated 100% by by Peter-M.-Galano--PMGI will not offer a technical review, except to say I use the D4 for the amazing sensor and image processing and manual focus lenses from Zeiss and Voightlander.
Nikon D4 | Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Jan, 2012)The latter option offers full-time servo AF where autofocus is constantly adjusted should you or your subject be moving, and in addition there are also four AF modes to choose from: Face-priority AF, wide-area AF, normal-area AF and subject-tracking AF.
Nikon D4 | Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Jan, 2012)While the D4’s contrast-detect AF system isn’t quite as snappy as some recent compact system cameras are, it's still pretty responsive.
Photography
Nikon D4 | Rated 100% by by N.-Paoni (Oct, 2012)So far I have used it for macro, fine art, still life, portraits and wildlife bird shots.
Nikon D4 | Rated 80% by by college (Sep, 2012)If you are patient in taking pictures, love low lighting photos and very serious with photography then this camera may be the best choice.
Nikon D4 | Rated 100% by by N.-Paoni (Oct, 2012)For wildlife photography I will probably stick with my D7000, since the crop factor helps to extend the reach of my telephoto lens, and I'm not sure I would travel with the D4 because of its weight, but when I want to produce the best images I can for fine art and portrait work, this is definitely the tool for the job.
Image quality
Nikon D4 | Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Jan, 2012)The end result is a fantastic DSLR that performs flawlessly and delivers excellent image quality.
Nikon D4 | Rated 100% by by N.-Paoni (Oct, 2012)I am very impressed with the image quality generated by this camera.
Nikon D4 | Rated 100% by by Stojan-the-Trojan (Dec, 2012)I don't think I'd have the incredible colors, sharpness, and size, if it weren't for the advanced D4, and 11fps.
Lens
Nikon D4 | Rated 100% by by Sebastian (May, 2012)The images are razor sharp and thats allot considering Im using a dual purpose lens.
Nikon D4 | Rated 80% by by college (Sep, 2012)This camera is justified only by using great pro lenses.
Nikon D4 | Rated 100% by by AlexZ--Zapal---Zapel-Prod. (Jun, 2012)I have yet to find a lens that this camera is not working perfectly with!
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Nikon D700 3-way tie: Has a built-in flash D700 vs D4 |
 | 2 | Sony SLT-A99 Highest resolution screen Sony SLT-A99 vs Nikon D4 |
 | 3 | Nikon D800 Best image quality as rated by DXOMark D800 vs D4 |
 | 4 | Canon EOS 5D Mark III 2-way tie: Many many cross-type focus points Canon EOS 5D Mark III vs Nikon D4 |
 | 7 | Panasonic Lumix TZ25 More contrast-detection focus points Panasonic Lumix TZ25 vs Nikon D4 |
 | 8 | Canon EOS 1D X Fastest rapid fire mode Canon EOS 1D X vs Nikon D4 |
New duel?
Let the battle continue or dare to compare.
Popular Questions
April 13, 2012
Filming low budget shorts
I am no expert on cinematography, but some friends of mine and I produce low budget (actually no budget) short films. We are currently borrowing a Nikon D3100, but we would like to be of the one...
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5
Answers April 29, 2012
Switching from D3x / D7000 combo to D4 / D800 Combo
I currently have the D3x and D7000. I shoot some commercial, some events, some video. I am trying to decide if it is worth the $3000 to upgrade to the D4/D800. I was considering just adding...
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2
Answers 
Unanswered Questions
- 6 discussions
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December 22, 2012
Sporting events
Shooting sporting events. Mainly indoor, hockey and basketball. Currently using a D200 with a 70-200 AF VR f2.8. I am going to rent one or the other for a big hockey tournament this coming and...
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0
Answers 
Community Find out what the Sortable community is saying about the Nikon D4
5
people have recommended the
Nikon D4Are you an expert on the Nikon D4?
Participate in thought-provoking discussions to show off your knowledge!
Nikon D800
- 36.2 MP
- Full frame CMOS
- 3.2" LCD
2 more Sortable users recommended the D800 over the D4.
View all discussions | View comparison 
Beginner I
-1
votes I recommend you the D4 because this powerhouse is worth getting. It may be quite pricey, however all the functions and capabilities are well worth it. This camera has very accurate and fast AF, a...
- 0 comments
- May 4, 2012
- Reply to: Filming low budget shorts
Nikon D3X
- 24.4 MP
- Full frame CMOS
- 3" LCD
It's a tie. Cast the deciding vote!
View all discussions | View comparison 
Beginner I
2
votes i would take the d4 since its a powerful masjien that delivers 10-11fps where the d3x is around 5 fps, the low light capebalety on the d4 is way better than the d3x. the d3x revolution is higher...
- 0 comments
- October 5, 2012
- Reply to: Wildlife photography
