Nikon D4 Review | 108 Data compared

The DPReview first impressions of the $6000 Nikon D4 identify it as a high-speed, 16MP professional DSLR capable of shooting at 11 frames per second, featuring excellent low-light autofocus and improved ergonomics, including redesigned grips and vertical shooting joysticks. Key performance advantages include outstanding JPEG quality up to ISO 6400 and faster in-camera raw conversion, designed for demanding professional workflows. Conversely, the review notes significant drawbacks, such as the implementation of a new EN-EL18 battery that breaks compatibility with D3-series accessories, and a modified control layout that removes the dedicated metering switch. Furthermore, the high cost compared to the 36MP D800 positions the D4 specifically for professionals requiring extreme speed rather than high resolution.

The ePHOTOzine review of the Nikon D4 highlights the flagship camera's spectacular operational speed, featuring a rugged design with a continuous shooting speed of 9fps and a deep buffer, while delivering excellent color reproduction and rapid autofocus. It is highly recommended for professional sports and wildlife photographers, offering superior low-light performance and convenient in-camera time-lapse creation. Conversely, the review notes that image noise becomes noticeable at ISO 3200 and above, requiring effective, albeit necessary, noise reduction management. Additionally, the camera's large, heavy body with an integrated grip and high price point may deter non-professional users.

The Nikon D4 is a professional-grade SLR camera that delivers exceptional low-light performance and workflow enhancements tailored for sports and editorial photographers. It introduces notable ergonomic and usability improvements, including integrated Ethernet connectivity, back-lit buttons that glow in the dark, a thermal shield to prevent outdoor overheating, and a special gel layer on the 3.2-inch LCD screen to stop fogging during sudden temperature shifts. Its autofocus system features 51 AF points (including 15 cross-type points) that are incredibly responsive and easily lock onto targets in near-pitch darkness. For videographers, the camera offers advanced 1080p full-HD video recording across three crop formats (FX, DX, and a dedicated 2.7x crop), a clean uncompressed HDMI output, and precise 20-step audio sensitivity monitoring via a 3.5mm headphone jack. The primary pros of the Nikon D4 are its flawless image quality with excellent color noise suppression up to ISO 1600, its robust continuous shooting burst capability (up to 60 JPEGs or 53 raw frames), and its flexible built-in time-lapse movie creation feature. Additionally, the camera excels at capturing deep, rich blacks at high ISO settings...

The Nikon D4 is a highly capable flagship DSLR designed primarily for professional news, sports, and action photographers. A key pro highlighted in the review is its exceptional low-light capabilities, delivering pristine images at ISO 4000 and boasting an expandable ceiling up to an incredible ISO 204,800. The camera also introduces broadcast-quality 1080p HD video recording with dedicated headphone, microphone, and Ethernet ports, alongside a refined focusing screen that dramatically improves speed and confidence during manual focus tracking. Ergonomically, it offers intuitive soft-selectable autofocus controls and dual joysticks for efficient navigation. Conversely, the review notes several cons, most notably its steep price tag exceeding £5,000, making it a restrictive investment that faces a relatively short four-year relevance cycle before newer iterations arrive. From a performance standpoint, extreme ISO settings above 25,600 yield heavily grainy images that limit their practical, everyday applications. Furthermore, its 16.2-megapixel resolution offers a negligible upgrade over previous 12-megapixel models, which may alienate studio photographers seeking medium-format details. Users must also adapt to hardware inconveniences, such as a redesigned battery shape incompatible with older D3 chargers, and...

The Nikon D4 is a professional 16.2-megapixel FX-format DSLR redesigned specifically for high-speed action and sports photography. It excels in poor stadium lighting, offering lighting-fast, non-existent focus hunting and sharp image files up to ISO 12,800. Key pros include its continuous shooting speed of 10 frames per second (fps) with full continuous autofocus tracking, uncompressed 1080p HD video output, and a vastly improved buffer capacity. Ergonomically, the camera features a refined shutter release angle, vertical grip thumb perch, a large 3.2-inch LCD screen, back-lit buttons, and a resurrected viewfinder dynamic group sensor light display. However, the reviewer noted several operational cons and setup quirks. For stills, manually boosting the frame rate to 11 fps unexpectedly locks the focus on the first frame, effectively disabling continuous autofocus and causing subsequent action shots in a burst to be blurry. For media management, the camera requires two completely different storage card formats—one CompactFlash and one XQD slot—rather than a matching pair. Finally, on the video side, live view recording significantly drains the EN-EL18 battery life, and the rear LCD completely lacks helpful tools...

Nikon D4 Field Review Summary The Nikon D4 proves to be a highly capable photographer's camera that excels at capturing spontaneous moments across challenging, real-world low-light environments. Its 16-megapixel full-frame sensor features a 7.3-micrometre pixel pitch and gapless micro-lenses, delivering an improved signal-to-noise ratio alongside superb dynamic range at high ISO settings. In real-world underwater testing—such as low-light fissure dives in Iceland—the camera preserves excellent detail in both deep shadows and bright highlights. While processing RAW files with heavy colour-correction amplifies background noise, the resulting artifacts remain minimal and are easily managed with noise-reduction software. Beyond its strong low-light performance, the camera opens up creative avenues for wide-angle action photography and continuous lighting setups, offering fast frame-per-second capabilities to freeze rapid motion like swimming dolphins. Pros and Cons Pros Cons Excellent low-light performance with minimal noise up to ISO 3200. Unforgiving depth of field on full-frame format, making slight focus errors obvious in macro shots. Groundbreaking dynamic range that preserves details in highlights and deep shadows. Corner sharpness issues when pairing rectilinear wide-angle lenses with underwater dome ports. Highly efficient...

The Nikon D4 raises the performance bar for professional photographers as a rugged, high-speed upgrade to the D3S. Equipped with a 16.2-megapixel full-frame sensor, it delivers exceptional JPEG photo quality up to ISO 1600 (usable up to ISO 6400) and produces beautifully saturated colors with strong raw recovery in high-contrast scenes. It stands out as one of the fastest cameras available, booting up and capturing photos almost instantaneously while clocking a continuous shooting speed of 9.8 frames per second. Notable additions include dual card slots (one CF and one fast XQD slot), an exposure delay mode to minimize vibrations, backlit buttons for dark environments, and an Ethernet connection that enables full-featured tethered shooting directly through a web browser. Despite its top-tier speed, the camera suffers from several design and performance inconsistencies. The overall ergonomics are flawed by an inconsistent control layout between horizontal and vertical shooting, an awkwardly placed video recording button on the top shoulder, and a frustratingly imprecise eight-way multiselector rocker switch. While the autofocus system tracks fixed and moving subjects beautifully, the centerpoint autofocus at f/2.8 remains...

The Trusted Reviews evaluation of the Nikon D4 highlights it as a masterfully engineered flagship DSLR that surpasses its predecessor in performance with a 16.2-megapixel sensor, EXPEED 3 processor, and improved 1080p video capabilities. Key strengths include exceptional image quality in Raw files at high ISO, robust construction, and improved video functionality, according to Trusted Reviews. Conversely, the review notes that processed JPEGs show higher noise reduction artifacts, and the high launch price makes it a significant investment primarily for professional photographers. The camera is identified as a top-tier tool for professional press and sports applications, despite these minor drawbacks.

According to KenRockwell.com, the Nikon D4 is an exceptionally fast, rugged professional DSLR, capable of 10 frames per second with a massive buffer, ideal for sports and action. Key advantages include an advanced Auto ISO system that manages shutter speed based on focal length, a superior, clean viewfinder, and superior ergonomics for demanding shooting scenarios. Ken Rockwell Conversely, the review notes that its 16.2-megapixel resolution is not a significant leap, and the high-end body comes with a premium price tag and reliance on expensive XQD media. Additionally, a notable limitation is that the Auto ISO system fails to adjust based on Vibration Reduction (VR) settings. For a detailed review, visit KenRockwell.com.

The Nikon D4 is characterized by Photography Life as a robust, specialized tool for professional, fast-paced shooting, featuring a 16.2-megapixel sensor that delivers a massive 75-frame RAW buffer and 10 fps burst speeds. Its strengths include an advanced Multi-CAM3500FX autofocus system with f/8 sensitivity, exceptional low-light performance up to ISO 12,800, and an improved, comfortable grip design. Conversely, the review highlights significant ergonomic issues, specifically criticizing the small, fragile sub-selector joysticks that are prone to failure. Furthermore, the D4 shows no substantial high-ISO noise improvement over the D3s, and the extreme extended ISO settings are deemed unusable due to poor image quality. Photography Life

The Nikon D4 is a highly capable, tank-like professional DSLR designed primarily for speed and exceptional low-light performance. It introduces a 16-megapixel full-frame sensor paired with an EXPEED3 processor, facilitating deep-buffer continuous shooting at 10 frames per second and an incredibly advanced 51-point autofocus system that integrates tightly with a 91,000-pixel metering sensor. Image quality is outstanding, delivering near-noiseless per-pixel results up to ISO 3200 and robust dynamic range at lower ISO configurations. Ergonomically, the camera features an improved Giugiaro-designed grip, symmetrically placed vertical and horizontal buttons, and backlit controls. It also steps up pro-video capabilities with 1080p recording, full frame rate variations, and uncompressed 8-bit HDMI output. However, the camera introduces major logistical hassles for transitioning professionals due to several design changes. The most glaring drawback is the mismatched dual card setup—featuring one XQD and one CompactFlash slot—which forces shooters to carry different media types and causes performance to throttle down to the slower CF card when shooting in backup mode. Additionally, Nikon introduced a new, physically incompatible EN-EL18 battery with less raw capacity than its predecessor, meaning existing...

The Ken Rockwell Nikon D4 review characterizes the DSLR as an exceptionally fast,16.2-megapixel professional camera built specifically for sports and action, boasting 10 frames-per-second shooting with perfect focus. It features advanced automation, including reliable face-recognition autofocus, rapid metering, and excellent high ISO low-noise performance, allowing photographers to work quickly in the field. However, the review notes the 16.2-megapixel resolution is lower than consumer models, and its core imaging components are similar to the cheaper D600 and D800. Consequently, the D4 is described as an unnecessary, heavy, and expensive choice for users who do not require extreme speed, as lower-cost cameras can offer similar image quality. Ken Rockwell

Nikon D4 Review Summary The Nikon D4 is a professional-grade, full-frame FX DSLR engineered for elite news, sports, and wildlife photographers who demand raw speed and adaptability. Boasting an upgraded 16.2-megapixel sensor and an EXPEED3 image processor, this flagship camera achieves blistering continuous shooting speeds of up to 11 to 12.1 frames per second using its mechanical shutter. It is widely praised for its exceptional low-light performance and an astonishing ISO range that can be expanded to 204,800, allowing it to practically "see in the dark" for both stills and video recording. Additionally, it features a highly responsive 51-point autofocus system, outstanding dynamic range, a robust built-in portrait grip with dedicated controls, and professional-tier workflow connectivity like a wired Ethernet port, headphone/mic jacks, and automatic time-lapse generation. Pros & Cons Despite its powerhouse status, the review highlights several distinct advantages and drawbacks: Outstanding low-light sensitivity for stills and video. Blistering 11–12.1 fps continuous shooting speeds. Top-tier dynamic range surpassing contemporaries like the 5D Mark III. Advanced pro connectivity via Ethernet and uncompressed HDMI output. Hefty $6,000 price tag for the...

In his field review for Wetpixel, Alex Mustard evaluates the Nikon D4 full-frame camera primarily within the demanding context of underwater photography, alongside its compatible Nauticam NA-D4 housing. He highlights the camera as a highly capable, professional workhorse that functions as an "evolutionary" rather than revolutionary upgrade over the D3. Tested under freezing and harsh aquatic conditions in Scotland and Iceland, the camera's core strengths emerge as its astonishing ISO sensitivity, blazing 10 FPS frame rates, and highly responsive low-light autofocus. These features allow specialized professional photographers to shoot in dark, extreme conditions—such as deep-water hydrothermal chimneys—and produce high-quality images that other cameras simply cannot capture. However, the review introduces clear drawbacks regarding its value proposition and competitive position against its contemporary sibling, the 36MP Nikon D800. At a retail price of $6,000, the D4 costs twice as much as the D800, yet Mustard concludes it is not "twice the underwater camera" for the average diver. The camera's lower 16MP resolution falls significantly short of the D800's groundbreaking 36MP sensor, limiting a photographer’s ability to aggressively crop macro shots in...

summary of the Nikon D4 review, detailing its specific pros and cons: Review Summary The Nikon D4 is an exceptionally well-built, tank-like professional DSLR that introduces significant ergonomic and functional upgrades over its predecessors. Its standout feature is a vastly improved, fast, and accurate live view mode that allows photographers to see exact exposure, bokeh, and focus planes in real-time, completely transforming the shooting workflow. Key advantages include dual joysticks for easier vertical shooting, a dedicated video record button next to the shutter, isolated port covers, and a quieter shutter mechanism. Performance-wise, it offers highly accurate white balance, great facial recognition, and incredibly fast file transfer speeds thanks to its Sony XQD memory card compatibility. Despite these advancements, the camera has notable drawbacks and may not justify an upgrade for current Nikon D3s owners, as it offers a steep $6,000 price tag for only marginal improvements in image quality, dynamic range, and high ISO performance. Autofocusing remains impractical while using live view, making the use of high-end manual focus lenses a necessity to get the best results. Additionally, heavy reliance...