I’ve been receiving some information about the new flagship Nikon camera, the D4. here’s a link to the manufacturer’s website. Every once in a while, I’ll link to something that may be of interest, and today, that’s the D4.
King of Low Light
One of the specs I’m most interested in is its low-light capability, with an ISO Range of100-12,800 (extendable from 50 – 204,800). I’m going to repeat that again. 204,800. One can only hope that light sensitivity like this will eventually filter its way down to more affordable cameras for the rest of us. In my opinion, this is one area where Nikon shines. I think Canon offers more “bang for the buck”, but when Nikon is offering low light sensitivity like this, it’s difficult to look elsewhere for this price range.
Additionally, the D4 offers HDR, combining multiple images in-camera to produce images with increased dynamic range. Obviously, other cameras that are considerably cheaper do this too, but something tells me that this’ll do it really darn well.
The D4 also has a giant new higher-resolution 16.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, but has also added a 91,000 pixel RGB 3D Color Matrix metering sensor that senses brightness and color, and supposedly interprets this with increased accuracy in color reproduction and balanced exposure. And it adds face recognition, an appealing feature that is on many consumer cameras, but has often been left off cameras designed for professional use.
1080p HD Video
Probably the biggest, most obvious change is that Nikon has no doubt been noticing how well the 5D Mark II has been doing in the professional video market and wants to step it up. Coupled with its fantastic low-light capabilities, The D4 captures HD 1080p video at various frame rates, easily suitable for broadcast quality video, and is capable of streaming the video out its HDMI port.
Field Monitor and Remote Capable Through iPad
Of some interest as well is that Nikon reports that the D4 is also iPhone/iPad compatible. But what does this mean? You can control the D4 via a web browser through your iPhone or iPad. Nikon uses an HTTP protocol, meaning that with a Wifi or other internet connection, you can control the D4 remotely. This could be handy for photographers or filmmakers who, say, have the camera attached to the top of a basketball backboard for sporting events, attached to a moving vehicle, or perched on top of a tree or crane.
The Sucky Part
I’ve seen on several reviews that due to the increased functionality of the camera, the battery life is lower. However, Nikon has said that they are coming out with a new battery that promises better battery life.
Overall, this sure makes me wish I had US$6000.
Equipment: I currently use a Nikon D90, 18-200mm VR Nikkor lens, and a 50mm f/1.4 lens.
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