Nikon D4 officially announced

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Nikon has finally announced its new flagship professional DSLR Nikon D4 (official announcement here). It has been a long wait for Nikon  D700 and D3/D3s users. It has been over four  years since Nikon last announced the D3 back in August 2007. So what has changed in four years? What are the new specs for the Nikon D4 and how does it compare with Canon’s 1DX which surprisingly will not be available until March, 2012.

You can pre-order your Nikon D4 at B&H

Comparison of Nikon D4 and D3s

Let’s check out Nikon D4’s new features.

• 16.2 Megapixel
• ISO 100 to 12,800, expandable to 50 to 204,800.
• 91K-pixel RGB sensor for the more accurate Advanced Scene Recognition System
• New EXPEED 3 image-processing engine with superior, high-speed processing capabilities
• New Advanced Multi-CAM 3500FX autofocus sensor – 51 focus point AF system (15 focus points cross-type sensors, 11 focus points (five at center with an additional three to each side) are fully functional when lenses with a maximum aperture of f/8
• Full-HD movies 1920 x 1080; 30 fps/25 fps/24 fps
• High-speed response with a power-up time of approximately 0.12 s and a release time lag of roughly 0.042 s
• Extremely durable shutter that has passed testing for 400,000 cycles
• Button backlights (illuminators) for increased visibility when working in dimly lit or dark situations
• A 3.2-inch, approximately 921k-dot LCD monitor
• Support XQD Memory Card
• Approximately 160 × 156.5 × 90.5mm
• Weight 1340g (1180g body only)

How does the specs compare to the Canon 1D X and the current D3s?

The specs looks amazing especially with the baseline ISO range. So perhaps the D4’s ISO 6400 will have the same ISO performance as D3’s ISO 1600. If that is true, I will have no hesitation to use ISO 6400 on the D4.

The new EXPEED 3 which also featured in the Nikon 1 system is a huge upgrade to the processing speed.

The D4 has 51 focus point AF system  utilizes the new Advanced Multi-CAM 3500FX autofocus sensor module for faster, more accurate autofocusing that performs extremely well under dim lighting.
The 15 focus points at the center of the frame are cross-type sensors that detect phase differences both horizontally and vertically. All 51 focus points are fully functional when lenses with a maximum aperture of up to f/5.6 are used. Precise focus can be quickly acquired with autofocusing using all AF NIKKOR lenses, even under lighting as dim as −2 EV, previously was only –1 EV on D3s What’s more, 11 focus points (five at center with an additional three to each side) are fully functional when lenses with a maximum aperture of f/8 are used.

In terms of HD video, The Nikon D4 has a much improved HD video capability than the D3s. Users have the choice of various resolutions and frame rates, including 1080p 30/24fps and 60 fps at 720p. Shutter speed, aperture and ISO can be changed while recording to adapt to lighting and alter depth of field for professional cinematic results that help realize a creative vision.

Now that the Nikon D4 has been officially announced,  are you happy with the specs or you will wait for the Nikon D800 which will have a much higher MP resolution and considerably cheaper. Let’ hear what you have to say, leave us a comment below.

Check out the Nikon D4 hands on preview here

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