Nikon D4 reviews

Man of science October 31, 2013 13:04

Camera for me

I jumped from D80 to D4. I am not a pro photographer but definitely serious one. Just wanted to share my opinion in using this camera for first 48 hours of using it. Biggest surprise was it feels really light in your hand for the size of the body. Before purchasing this I had concern of its weight but I am totally satisfied with its weight distribution in my hand. A pleasant surprise. Great camera in low lighting something I need more than anything. I think spot metering in low lighting works much better than matrix for color rendering and overall exposure work. The focusing is very fast and in low light situation it works great. Love it. The auto face recognition works great and helps with excellent exposure. Love this feature. I also needed much quiet shutter noice for my work than this camera produces. A little bit disappointment there. This camera is justified only by using great pro lenses. I also wished it had some cover over its LCD display. Button positions are perfect. Love shutter release delay, if any. It gives me better control in taking pictures and something I can count on. If you are patient in taking pictures, love low lighting photos and very serious with photography then this camera may be the best choice. I think for $6K price tag, Nikon should have added XQD card with reader and software.

Anna Olystandarten October 31, 2013 13:02

WHAT a price?!

The camera is great. But you have to be kidding me that the price savings is $2.05. Don't hate the product but the deal stinks on ice.

Maryland October 31, 2013 12:55

Great features

The new thumb selectors are so wonderful for my small female hands.

The focus point memory option for changing between portrait and landscape is an awesome addition.

I don't find the size to be prohibitive (I was using a D3S so you may feel differently especially if you are upgrading from a smaller camera).

I do miss the D3S focus selector and the now-missing metering dial (it's a button now), but the configurable range of new buttons make up for pretty much every other shortcoming IMHO.

Heracles Automendi October 31, 2013 12:54

Love this camera

This is a great camera for wedding and sport photographers. It is great in low light and aprox 11 frames per sec which is great when doing an action shoot
I love the display that is larger then the d3s.
I love this camera and so happy i waited to get this.

Henky October 31, 2013 12:52

Beautiful images, fast handling...

I pre-ordered this camera, and have now had it for about two months and taken over 10,000 shots with it. I'm upgrading from a Nikon D700. I'm not a pro, but I do occasional commercial jobs. I've updated this review several times, and will continue to do so as needed.

Vertical orientation: Nice. The vertical grip isn't nearly as contoured as the main horizontal grip -- there's just not as much stuff to grab your hands onto (no deep pockets for your fingertips). Too bad. But when holding it for any length of time, it's sure a lot easier than holding twisting my arm above my head and rotating the camera. Note that the vertical grip has a programmable button on it, which I use for Mode (A/S/M/P). I understand the D3s didn't have this, which seems crazy -- I use it all the time. I wish the vertical grip had all the buttons as the main grip does -- e.g., there's only one programmable button, so if you want to use it for Mode, then there's no way to change EV +- while vertical, or start taking a movie. Also, I wish the two function buttons (DoF preview, and the one above it) were replicated in vertical mode. They're not, which is silly -- there's room right there for them.

I shoot one-handed a lot, at events where I have a flash in one hand an a camera in the other (using a set of PocketWizards). I thought the weight of the D4 would make this harder. But no: when holding it vertically, the D4 is a lot easier to manage than the vertical D700. (I never had a vertical grip for the D700, so I can't compare.) Even holding it horizontally, the larger grip makes it easier to manage the D4 than the D700 one-handedly -- it makes the camera honestly feel substantially lighter. One gripe: the vertical joystick for adjusting the focus point is still a bit too much of a stretch to use with one hand.

Shutter: yep, it's 10 fps. Let it rip! Great for capturing faces of both kids and adults at just the right moment.

General ergonomics and build quality: Great. Totally solid.

Weight: Having never had a pro-sized body before, I feared it'd be too heavy. But no: once you throw a 70-200 2.8 on there, the difference between this and a D700 is pretty small, certainly not a big deal. I carry it around on an Op Tech slider strap bolted into the tripod port, plenty stable and strong.

Battery: 2000+ shots (including lots of live view and some movies), and it's down to half. That's plenty of capacity for me. The charger is a real monster to carry around, about 4x the size of a D700 charger, too big to just slip in a pocket. One BIG PROBLEM: after charging it the second time, I had the camera turned on and sitting out overnight. The next morning, the battery was completely dead. I have no idea what happened -- the D700 never ever did this to me. Was the camera turned so the AF was being pushed all night? Or is there a bug in the auto-off? No idea, but I'll post if it happens again. (Update: This has now happened to me three times, where the battery has gone from 100% to 0% overnight. Very frustrating. The first time I thought it was because the camera was in my bag and the AF-On button was being pressed, so it was trying to focus all night long. But that's not it, since it was on a shelf the other two times. Since I don't see others who have had this problem, I'm sending it back to Nikon for service.)