Nikon D4 Comparison Review

The Nikon D4 is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was announced in January 2012 and is equipped with a full frame sensor. It offers a resolution of 16.2 megapixel.

Is the Nikon D4 a good camera? The D4 has a Camera Elo of 1926. This rating puts the D4 among the top 40 percent of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (full frame cameras), the D4 ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the Nikon D4 relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Nikon D4 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Nikon D4	160 mm	157 mm	91 mm	1340 g	2600	Y	Jan 2012	EUR 5 999	ebay.com
2.		Canon 1D X	158 mm	168 mm	83 mm	1551 g	1120	Y	Oct 2011	EUR 6 299	ebay.com
3.		Nikon D3	160 mm	157 mm	88 mm	1300 g	4300	Y	Aug 2007	EUR 4 849	ebay.com
4.		Nikon D3S	160 mm	157 mm	88 mm	1240 g	4200	Y	Oct 2009	EUR 4 999	ebay.com
5.		Nikon D4S	160 mm	157 mm	91 mm	1350 g	3020	Y	Feb 2014	EUR 6 149	ebay.com
6.		Nikon D5	160 mm	159 mm	92 mm	1415 g	3780	Y	Jan 2016	EUR 6 989	ebay.com
7.		Nikon D600	141 mm	113 mm	82 mm	850 g	900	Y	Sep 2012	EUR 2 149	ebay.com
8.		Nikon D610	141 mm	113 mm	82 mm	850 g	900	Y	Oct 2013	EUR 1 949	ebay.com
9.		Nikon D800	146 mm	123 mm	82 mm	1000 g	900	Y	Feb 2012	EUR 2 899	ebay.com
10.		Nikon D800E	146 mm	123 mm	82 mm	1000 g	900	Y	Feb 2012	EUR 3 219	ebay.com
11.		Nikon Df	144 mm	110 mm	67 mm	760 g	1400	Y	Nov 2013	EUR 2 999	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Nikon D4 was launched in the US market at a price of $5,999. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check D4 offers at
ebay.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Nikon D4 features a full frame sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Nikon D4 among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Nikon D4	Full Frame	16.2	4928	3280	1080/30p	24.7	13.1	2965	89
2.		Canon 1D X	Full Frame	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	23.8	11.8	2786	82
3.		Nikon D3	Full Frame	12.1	4256	2832	none	23.5	12.2	2290	81
4.		Nikon D3S	Full Frame	12.1	4256	2832	720/24p	23.5	12.0	3253	82
5.		Nikon D4S	Full Frame	16.2	4928	3280	1080/60p	24.4	13.3	3074	89
6.		Nikon D5	Full Frame	20.7	5588	3712	4K/30p	25.1	12.3	2343	88
7.		Nikon D600	Full Frame	24.2	6016	4016	1080/30p	25.1	14.2	2980	94
8.		Nikon D610	Full Frame	24.2	6016	4016	1080/30p	25.1	14.4	2925	94
9.		Nikon D800	Full Frame	36.2	7360	4912	1080/30p	25.3	14.4	2853	95
10.		Nikon D800E	Full Frame	36.2	7360	4912	1080/30p	25.6	14.3	2979	96
11.		Nikon Df	Full Frame	16.2	4928	3280	none	24.6	13.1	3279	89

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The D4 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the D4 can use is 1080/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the D4 has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.70x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Nikon D4 in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Nikon D4	optical	Y	3.2 / 921	fixed	n	1/8000s	11.0/s	n	n
2.		Canon 1D X	optical	Y	3.2 / 1040	fixed	n	1/8000s	14.0/s	n	n
3.		Nikon D3	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/8000s	11.0/s	n	n
4.		Nikon D3S	optical	Y	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/8000s	11.0/s	n	n
5.		Nikon D4S	optical	Y	3.2 / 921	fixed	n	1/8000s	11.0/s	n	n
6.		Nikon D5	optical	Y	3.2 / 2359	fixed	Y	1/8000s	14.0/s	n	n
7.		Nikon D600	optical	Y	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	5.5/s	Y	n
8.		Nikon D610	optical	Y	3.2 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	6.0/s	Y	n
9.		Nikon D800	optical	Y	3.2 / 921	fixed	n	1/8000s	4.0/s	Y	n
10.		Nikon D800E	optical	Y	3.2 / 921	fixed	n	1/8000s	4.0/s	Y	n
11.		Nikon Df	optical	Y	3.2 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	5.5/s	n	n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One useful feature of the D4 is a presence of a top-level LCD. While being, of course, smaller than the rear screen, the control panel conveys some of the essential shooting information and can be convenient for quick and easy settings verification.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Nikon D4 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Nikon D4	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon 1D X	Y	mono / -	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Nikon D3	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Nikon D3S	Y	stereo / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Nikon D4S	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Nikon D5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
7.		Nikon D600	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Nikon D610	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Nikon D800	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
10.		Nikon D800E	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
11.		Nikon Df	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-

It is notable that the D4 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the D4 can be found in the free online Nikon D4 Manual or on the Nikon support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the D4. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is where reviews by experts come in. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Nikon D4	..	..	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2012	EUR 5 999	ebay.com
2.		Canon 1D X	5/5	..	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2011	EUR 6 299	ebay.com
3.		Nikon D3	..	..	..	+ +	5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2007	EUR 4 849	ebay.com
4.		Nikon D3S	5/5	..	..	89/100	4.5/5	5/5	Oct 2009	EUR 4 999	ebay.com
5.		Nikon D4S	5/5	..	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2014	EUR 6 149	ebay.com
6.		Nikon D5	..	..	4/5	89/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2016	EUR 6 989	ebay.com
7.		Nikon D600	4/5	+ +	..	87/100	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	EUR 2 149	ebay.com
8.		Nikon D610	4/5	+ +	..	87/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2013	EUR 1 949	ebay.com
9.		Nikon D800	5/5	+ +	..	82/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2012	EUR 2 899	ebay.com
10.		Nikon D800E	..	..	..	84/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2012	EUR 3 219	ebay.com
11.		Nikon Df	4/5	..	..	81/100	4/5	4/5	Nov 2013	EUR 2 999	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Check D4 offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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