The Nikon D4 is a 16.2-megapixel professional-grade full frame (35mm) digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) announced by Nikon Corporation on 6 January 2012.[2] It succeeds the Nikon D3S and introduces a number of improvements including a 16.2 megapixel sensor, improved auto-focus and metering sensors and the ability to shoot at an extended ISO speed of 204,800.[3] The camera was released in February 2012 at a recommended retail price of $5999.95.[3] It is the first camera to use the new XQD memory cards. It was replaced by the Nikon D4S as Nikon's flagship camera.

Nikon D4
Overview
TypeDigital single-lens reflex camera
Released5 January 2012
Intro price$5999.95
Lens
LensInterchangeable, Nikon F-mount
Sensor/medium
Sensor36.0 mm × 23.9 mm CMOS, Nikon FX format, 7.3µm pixel size
Sensor makerNikon[1]
Maximum resolution16.4 effective megapixels (4928 × 3280 pixels)
Film speedISO equivalency 100 to 12,800 in 1/3, 1/2 or 1.0 EV steps, Boost: 50–204,800 in 1/3, 1/2 or 1.0 EV steps
Storage mediaOne CompactFlash (Type I) card slot, one XQD card slot
Focusing
Focus modesAuto AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A), Continuous-servo (AF-C), Face-Priority AF available in Live View only and D-Movie only, Full-time Servo (AF-A) available in Live View only, Manual (M) with electronic rangefinder, Normal area, Single-servo AF (AF-S), Wide area
Focus areas51-area Nikon Advanced Multi-CAM 3500FX
Focus bracketingnone
Exposure/metering
Exposure modesProgrammed Auto [P], Shutter-Priority Auto [S], Aperture-Priority Auto [A], Manual [M]
Exposure meteringTTL exposure metering using 91,000-pixel RGB sensor
Metering modesCenter-weighted: Weight of 75% given to 12mm circle in center of frame; Matrix: 3D color matrix metering III (type G and D lenses); color matrix metering III (other CPU lenses) ;Spot: Meters 4 mm circle (about 1.5% of frame) centered on selected focus point
Flash
Flashnone built-in
Flash bracketing2-9 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 or 1 EV
Shutter
ShutterElectronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter
Shutter speed range30 to 1/8000 second and bulb
Continuous shooting10 frame/s (11 frame/s with AE/AF lock on first frame)
Viewfinder
ViewfinderOptical-type fixed eye level pentaprism
Image processing
White balanceAuto, Presets (5), Manual, and Color temperature in kelvins
WB bracketing2 to 9 exposures in increments of 1, 2 or 3 EV
General
LCD screen3.2-inch diagonal, (921,000 dots), TFT VGA
BatteryLi-ion EN-EL18
Optional battery packsEH-6B AC Adapter
Weight1,180 g (2.60 lb)
Made in Japan
Chronology
PredecessorNikon D3S
SuccessorNikon D4S

The Nikon D4 is aimed at sports and action photographers and photojournalists. With a continuous shooting rate of 10fps, a 20-second burst would yield 200 full-resolution images with full metering and autofocus for each frame. If exposure and focus are locked, the shooting rate can be increased to 11fps.

Features

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  • 16.4 effective megapixel Full-Frame (36 mm × 24 mm) sensor with ISO 100–12800 (ISO 50–204800 Boost)
  • Nikon Expeed 3 image/video processor
  • 91,000 pixel RGB metering sensor with Advanced Scene Recognition System
  • Advanced Multi-CAM3500FX auto-focus sensor (51-point, 15 cross-type)
  • 0.12 s start up time and 0.042 s shutter release delay.
  • Image sensor cleaning
  • Ten frames per second in continuous FX mode (eleven frames per second with auto-exposure and auto-focus disabled)
  • Buffer for 100 RAW or 200 JPEG frames in one burst
  • Built-in HDR and time lapse modes
  • Built-in 10/100 base-T Ethernet port for data transfers and tethered shooting.
  • 1080p Full HD movie mode at 24 fps worldwide and 25 or 30 depending on region, 720p at 25/50 or 30/60 fps, HDMI HD video out with support of uncompressed video output, stereo monitor headphone out, and stereo input (3.5-mm diameter) with manual sound level control.
  • Kevlar/carbon fibre composite shutter with a rating of 400,000 actuations
  • Live View with either phase detect or improved contrast detect Auto Focus
  • Virtual horizon indicates in Live View mode, also available during video capture
  • 'Active D-Lighting' with 6 settings and bracketing (adjusts metering and D-Lighting curve)
  • Dual card slots, one CompactFlash UDMA and one XQD card slot (mirror, overflow, back-up, RAW on 1/JPEG on 2, Stills on 1/Movies on 2, copy)
  • Fully weather sealed with O-rings
  • GPS interface for direct geotagging supported by Nikon GP-1

Reception

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Nikon D4 magnesium-alloy frame

The D4 achieved the fourth-best result in the DXOmark sensor rating, only beaten by two versions of the Nikon D800 and a medium format, 80-megapixel camera (Phase One IQ180).[4]

References

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  1. ^ Full Frame DSLR Cameras Part I - Nikon vs Sony Archived 2019-05-21 at the Wayback Machine Chipworks
  2. ^ "Digital SLR Camera Nikon D4". Nikon Corporation. January 6, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Nikon announces D4 DSLR camera: full-frame 16.2 MP sensor, 204,000 extended ISO, XQD support, $6,000 price tag". Engadget. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  4. ^ "DXOmark Sensor ratings". Archived from the original on 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
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