Nikon D4 Review

May 1, 2012 | Zoltan Arva-Toth | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Half rating star

Introduction

The Nikon D4 is a new professional-grade digital SLR camera with a sixteen-megapixel FX sensor, EXPEED 3 processing engine, upgraded Multi-CAM 3500FX auto-focus module, a brand new 91,000-pixel RGB metering sensor and a weather-sealed magnesium alloy body. Capable of recording 1080p Full HD movies at 24/25/30fps as well as 720p HD footage at up to 60 frames per second, the Nikon D4 comes with microphone and headphone jacks and an HDMI port that allows for the streaming of uncompressed video to an external recorder or monitor. Other highlights include a Kevlar reinforced shutter rated for 400,000 actuations, the ability to shoot full-resolution stills at up to 11fps, an expanded buffer, dual CF and XQD memory card slots, two ergonomically placed rear joysticks for quick AF point selection, two different LiveView capture modes, in-camera HDR exposure blending, a user configurable Exposure Delay Mode, a dual-axis Virtual Horizon, a 3.2” rear display and a new focusing screen. Powered by a newly developed EN-EL18 battery and outfitted with an Ethernet port, the Nikon D4 even allows you to assign it to its own IP address and operate it from a distance via a Web browser interface, using a PC, tablet or smartphone. As of writing, the Nikon D4 is available body-only for £5,289.00/$5,999.95 in the UK and US, respectively.

Ease of Use

Nikon launched its first FX digital SLR camera, the Nikon D3, back in 2007. At the time, it was a huge hit with professional photojournalists, sports and wildlife photographers owing to its unrivalled low-light capabilities and extremely solid overall performance. The D3 was soon followed by the D3X and D3S, the latter of which took low-light photography to a whole new level courtesy of a significantly improved 12-megapixel FX sensor. But the times have changed, the competition got considerably stiffer, and now the big question is: can the Nikon D4 improve enough on an already excellent camera to be a commercial success in a tougher-than-ever marketplace?

Like its predecessors, the Nikon D4 is a big beast – but not quite as big or heavy as you would think based on the specs alone. In fact, the body ergonomics and the weight distribution of the camera are so good that it feels perfectly balanced and very much like a natural extension of your hands. This was already true for the D3S but with the D4, Nikon’s engineers have made a number of improvements to the overall ergonomics that should make the shooting experience even better.

For starters, the shutter release is now angled forward at a more comfortable 35°, which according to Nikon should put less of a strain on a photographer’s right hand during an extended shooting session. As far as we are concerned, we found the D3S’s shutter release to be perfectly comfortable as it was but there’s no denying that the button falls to hand at least as naturally in its new position. Of more importance are the enhancements applied to the integrated portrait grip, which now features a programmable function button, a more ergonomically placed AF-ON button and a newly designed thumb rest, alongside the duplicate shutter release and front/rear control wheels that were already present on the D3/S/X. New to the Nikon D4 is a duo of small, rubberised joysticks whose primary aim is to make AF point selection easier, though each does double-duty as an (unmarked) AE Lock button too. The reason that there are two of them is that one is easier to reach in landscape orientation, while the other falls to hand better when the camera is held vertically. The joysticks are intuitive to use and work well, but are perhaps a little too easy to bump by accident. It is possible to lock the position of the active focus point but then you need to remember to unlock it when you want to change it again. Additionally, you can (still) use the standard eight-way controller to set the desired AF point, as on the D3 series cameras, but said controller is unfortunately rather small and not particularly comfortable to use.

Speaking of the AF system, the Nikon D4 comes with an upgraded version of the Multi-CAM 3500FX auto-focus module that made its debut in the D3. Still featuring a total of 51 AF points, this newest edition boasts improved sensitivity (down to -2EV) and support for lens-teleconverter combinations as slow as f/8. Changing the focus mode and the AF Area mode – single, 9-, 21- and 51-point dynamic, 3D tracking and Auto Area – is done in a similar vein as on the Nikon D7000. There is a simple AF/MF switch underneath the lens release button, with a small focus mode button in the middle. You can toggle between AF-S and AF-C modes by holding down this button, with the switch in the ‘AF’ position, and turning the rear control wheel. To cycle through the available AF Area modes, use the sub command dial instead. The settings are displayed in the viewfinder and the top-mounted status LCD. This will doubtlessly be among the biggest changes for D3, D3S and D700 users trading up, as they will have been used to the more intuitive three-way AF area switch found on their cameras.

Nikon D4 Nikon D4
Front Rear

Not far from where this switch was on the D3 is a new Live View button encircled by a two-way Live View mode selector. This control can be set to either “live view photography” or “movie live view”, each of which is denoted by a little, self-explanatory icon.

The Nikon D4's live view implementation is radically different to that of its predecessors. Gone are the old “hand-held” and “tripod” modes, with the D4 now featuring a quiet and a silent mode, selectable from the menu. In quiet mode, the mirror remains up as long as you stay in live view, but the sound of the shutter can still be heard when capturing a photo. Silent live view mode is what it says on the tin – once the mirror is raised, there is no more mirror slapping or mechanical shutter sound to be heard, thus taking a picture is indeed completely silent. The downside is that in this mode, the resolution is limited to 2.5 megapixels and you can’t shoot raw. Some other restrictions also apply, e.g. you cannot use multiple exposure, HDR or Active D-lighting. Still, we’d rate this feature among the most significant novelties of the Nikon D4 as it enables photojournalists to work in places where complete discretion is required, be it a concert hall, a theatre or church during a service. Two and a half megapixels may sound ridiculously low these days but it’s usually sufficient for newspaper work – and more than enough for online publications. (Whenever you do need more resolution you should of course make sure to choose the other mode instead.)

At the heart of the Nikon D4 live view experience is a new 3.2” LCD screen. While its resolution of 921,000 dots is the same as that of the older 3” panel found on the D700 and the D3 series models, this is an improved design that incorporates a gel resin between the cover glass and the screen itself to combat the fogging that may result from sudden changes of temperature, and also makes use of a light sensor to allow for automatic adjustment of the screen’s brightness, contrast, gamma and colour saturation. Architectural photographers will be glad to hear that the optional virtual horizon overlay has also been upgraded to a dual-axis version.

Compared to the Nikon D3S, it’s the D4's movie mode where you’ll find the biggest improvements. Where the D3S made do with 720p HD video recording at 24fps, the Nikon D4 offers Full HD movie capture at three different frame rates and two quality levels. Additionally 720p is still available, now at 25, 30, 50 and 60fps and again at two quality settings, High and Normal. For Full HD movies, you can also choose from three different crop modes, including FX, DX and a 2.7x crop mode, which uses the central 1920×1080 pixels of the sensor to record native 1080p footage that is not downsampled from a higher resolution. The maximum length of a clip is 29 minutes and 59 seconds for Normal and 20 minutes for High quality videos, unless you’re using an external recorder. Manual exposure adjustment is available for movies – note that ISO and shutter speed are only adjustable in 'M' mode, while the aperture can be set in both 'A' and 'M' modes. The Nikon D4 features a built-in microphone but for professional-grade audio recording you’ll definitely want to use an external one. In order to monitor the audio during movie capture, you can connect a pair of headphones to the camera. Input levels can be adjusted manually in 20 steps but can also be regulated by the Nikon D4 automatically. As is now the norm for virtually every digital camera, from compacts to CSCs to DSLRs, there’s a dedicated red movie-record button on the D4, located right next to the shutter release (much like the D3200 and D5100). I personally found this button a bit too small for my tastes but your mileage may vary, of course. The Pv button found on the front panel of the camera can be used to add indices to specific frames during recording so that they are easier to locate in the editing phase.

Nikon D4 Nikon D4
Top Side

Of course, the Nikon D4 is, first and foremost, an SLR camera - so let us now take a look at how it performs at its more traditional functions. The optical viewfinder, which is one of the most important parts of any SLR, is huge and bright with 100% frame coverage, and has a fairly high eye-point too, which is great news for eyeglass wearers. New to the Nikon D4 is a Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VIII focusing screen, which I personally found slightly better than the D3S’s Mark VI screen for manual focusing. Another welcome novelty is the availability of on-demand grid lines (Custom Setting d6), a feature that has long been offered on lower-priced models but has hitherto been missing from the high-end bodies.

The metering mode selector that used to be found on the side of the pentaprism housing is now gone but you still get direct access to metering modes in the form of a new, dedicated button located left of the viewfinder, when viewed from behind. The Nikon D4 has an all-new, 91000-pixel RGB metering sensor that also assists the camera in tracking subjects, detecting faces (when not using live view) and focusing. As far as its original function is concerned, the new metering sensor boasts a higher sensitivity than its forebears, being able to operate down to -1EV (in 3D Colout Matrix III and centre-weighted modes).

The Nikon D4 also benefits from a few seemingly minor enhancements that are nevertheless worth being mentioned. Among these is the maximum continuous shooting speed which, at 11fps, may seem unchanged from the D3S until you realise that the D3S was only capable of delivering this speed in DX crop mode, whereas the D4 can also achieve this performance in full-resolution FX mode (albeit if you want auto-focus and autoexposure to remain active during the burst, you need to lower the frame rate slightly to 10fps). The buffer has also been expanded, meaning that the highest continuous shooting speed can be sustained for considerably more images (approximately 70 NEFs or up to 200 Medium/Fine JPEGs). Another seemingly minor but genuinely important change is the way auto ISO sensitivity control works in the new model. Now you can have the camera determine the minimum shutter speed based on the focal length of the lens in use. This means that the camera may raise the ISO sensitivity if the shutter speed drops below 1/200 second when using a 200mm lens but leave it unchanged down to 1/50 second if a 50mm lens is attached (this can be fine-tuned by the user). Yet another easy-to-miss but useful improvement is that in Exposure Delay Mode the user can now set the amount of delay between mirror up and image capture (1, 2 or 3 seconds). Finally, the Nikon D4 adopts the concept of back-lit buttons, something that has largely escaped camera manufacturers (except Olympus, which implemented it in the E-620 of 2009). On the D4, the backlighting of the two monochromatic LCD panels, the release mode dial and 16 buttons is activated by a flick of the power switch to the “lightbulb” position. Needless to say, this feature can be a godsend when working in near darkness.

Connectivity is an area where the additions and improvements versus the D3S are much more evident. As mentioned in the Introduction, the HDMI port can now be used to stream uncompressed footage to an external recorder or monitor. Additionally, there's now an Ethernet connection port as well as a socket that allows the attachment of the new, separately sold WT-5 wireless transmitter. Both of these solutions can be used to download images to a laptop or an FTP server, but there’s even more! In HTTP server mode, you can view and even capture photos remotely from a computer, tablet or smartphone – all via a Web browser interface, i.e. without the need to use specialised/proprietary software. We believe this can be a very important feature for wildlife photographers, among others. Given all this focus on connectivity we were somewhat surprised to find that the camera's USB port was of the slower USB 2.0 variety, as opposed to the USB 3.0 SuperSpeed port found on the cheaper Nikon D800.

Nikon D4 Nikon D4
Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

Like its forebears, the Nikon D4 features two memory card slots – but unlike them, it uses two different types of card, namely, Compact Flash and XQD. The latter is a newer, physically smaller card that has theoretically more potential for growth, both in terms of capacity and in terms of read/write speeds. Along with the review unit came a 16GB Sony XQD card and an USB 3.0 XQD card reader, which was indeed very fast in actual use. That said, the selection of currently available XQD cards is extremely narrow, and these cards aren't really faster than the speediest CF cards in the market today. Additionally, with Lexar and SanDisk having no plans to release XQD cards any time soon, the future of the format is still a bit uncertain.

The Nikon D4 runs on a brand new EN-EL18 battery which is, somewhat surprisingly, less powerful than the 2500mAh EN-EL4a battery pack that used to power the D3 series. This “development” was apparently necessitated by the adoption of a new regulation in Japan. With a CIPA rating of 2600 images per charge, it still has a respectable battery life but this figure is nonetheless significantly behind the 4200 images claimed for the EN-EL4a. Our own experience is that whereas the battery of the D3S was still going strong after a week of fairly intense use, we managed to fully drain the EN-EL18 of the Nikon D4 in a matter of two days. Nikon claims that the new battery has been developed to deliver the best performance in continuous shooting mode where it might be good enough for as many as 5500 frames. Whichever way you look at it, the fact that the camera is incompatible with the older battery and the new battery is incompatible with the old charger means trouble ahead for anyone wishing to shoot the D4 alongside a D3, D3S or D3X. (On a more positive note, the EN-EL18 is at least painted grey instead of black so you won't mistake it for an EN-EL4a.)

In use, the Nikon D4 proved to be a great tool. It's an extremely responsive camera that seems to react instantly to anything you throw at it. Start-up feels instantaneous, there is no shutter lag to speak of and with the right lens mounted, focusing is also very fast. Those who have never used a full-frame DSLR before will be astounded at the huge viewfinder (and even those that have will welcome the improved focusing screen and on-demand grid lines). Anyone who has a bit of experience with a recent Nikon dSLR will feel right at home in the menu, even if it's more exhaustive than that of a D5100 or D7000. The customisation options that might seem intimidating at first sight allow you to tailor the workings of the camera to your peculiar needs and tastes. The improvements to the body ergonomics, the video mode, the connectivity options, the burst shooting capabilities, the auto ISO sensitivity control options, the live view and exposure delay modes, the focusing and metering are all welcome. Some of the interface changes, the adoption of the XQD memory card format and the less powerful battery will, however, likely prove somewhat annoying to long-time users of Nikon's professional cameras.

This concludes our evaluation of the Nikon D4's ergonomics, handling and feature set. Let us now move on to the image quality assessment!

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 7Mb.

The Nikon D3S had a reputation for producing the highest quality images among digital SLR cameras, particularly at high ISO settings. Because of the move to a 16-megapixel sensor, a lot of people feared that the high-ISO image quality of the Nikon D4 would not be up to the same high standards (while there were others who optimistically expected the D4 to be what the D3S was to the D3). What we have found is that the higher pixel density of the new sensor hasn't really impacted negatively on the image quality, which is still very high, and comes with the added benefit of a somewhat higher resolution. That said, the Nikon D4 is no longer in a class of its own as the competition has caught up.

As to other aspects of image quality, they are also top notch: colours are pleasing, tonality is superb, and dynamic range is wide. The Vignette Control feature works just as well as it did on the D3S, Active D-lighting is better than ever, and HDR capture also does a great job. The night shot came out very well even with long-exposure noise reduction turned off.

Noise

The base sensitivity of the Nikon D4 is ISO 100, down from ISO 200 in the case of the D3S. The 'native' range extends to ISO 12,800, with boosted settings of ISO 25,600 (H1.0); ISO 51,200 (H2.0); ISO 102,400 (H3.0) and ISO 204,800 (H4.0) also available. Additionally, you can choose ISO 50 (L1.0) when there's plenty of light, and you don't want to stop down your lens beyond a certain point. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting.

JPEG RAW

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 51200 (100% Crop)

ISO 51200 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 102400 (100% Crop)

ISO 102400 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 204800 (100% Crop)

ISO 204800 (100% Crop)

Sharpening

The out-of-camera JPEGs appear a lot less sharp than images converted from raw, and often benefit from some sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. Alternatively you can change the in-camera sharpening level to suit your tastes. Here are two pairs of 100% crops – the right-hand images have had some extra sharpening applied.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

   

File Quality

The file quality settings available on the Nikon D4 are Fine, Normal and Basic for JPEGs, plus you can also store your photos in Nikon’s proprietary raw format (NEF). NEFs can be either 12- or 14-bit. Don’t expect to see much of a difference between these two unless you do lots of post-capture tweaking, in which case you may see a benefit to working with 14-bit originals. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options.

16M Fine (100% Crop) 16M Normal (100% Crop)
   
16M Basic (100% Crop) 16M RAW (100% Crop)

Active D-lighting (ADL)

D-lighting is Nikon's dynamic range optimisation tool that attempts to squeeze  the full dynamic range of the sensor into JPEGs. Active D-lighting works “on the fly”, before the in-camera processing engine converts the raw image data into JPEGs. The available settings are Off, Low, Normal, High, Extra High 1 and Extra High 2. The last of these is a new setting, while the others have been carried over from the Nikon D3S.

Off

Low

   

Normal

High

   

Extra High 1

Extra High 2

HDR Capture

New to the Nikon D4 is the ability to shoot two differently exposed images in rapid succession, which are then blended in-camera to form a single, high-dynamic-range image. Although Nikon recommends that you use a tripod for this, the extremely fast continuous shooting capability of the Nikon D4 means that you can often get good results even when you don’t have a tripod to hand. The exposure differential can be 1, 2 or 3EV (or automatic), and you can choose from three different levels of smoothing. Note that this feature is only available when shooting JPEG.

Off

On

Picture Controls

Nikon’s Picture Controls are akin to Canon’s Picture Styles in being preset combinations of sharpening, contrast, brightness, saturation and hue. The Nikon D4 offers all four Picture Controls that were present in the D3S, namely Standard, Neutral, Monochrome and Vivid, and adds Portrait and Landscape to the list of available options. All Picture Controls can be tweaked to your liking, then saved and transferred to other cameras.

Standard

Neutral

   

Vivid

Landscape

   

Portrait

Monochrome

Vignette Control

Vignetting is a fact of life with FX cameras and their lenses, but it usually does not mean completely black corners. Nikon’s Vignette Control feature seeks to reduce this corner shading. As in the D3S, it has three levels, Low, Normal and High, and it can of course be turned off. As you can see in these examples taken with the AF-S 50mm f/1.4G lens at f/1.4, the feature really works.

Off

Low

   

Normal

High

Night

The Nikon D4 lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for exposure times of practically any length, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography. There is an optional long-exposure noise reduction function that can be activated to filter out any hot pixels that may appear when extremely slow shutter speeds are used, though I found no need for this when taking the photograph below at a shutter speed of 30 seconds, aperture of f/16 at ISO 200. We’ve included a 100% crop for you to see what the quality is like.

Night Shot

Night Shot (100% Crop)

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Nikon D4 camera, which were all taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Nikon D4 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Nikon RAW (NEF) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 20 second movie is 53.1Mb in size.

Product Images

Nikon D4

Front of the Camera

 
Nikon D4

Isometric View

 
Nikon D4

Isometric View / Flashgun

 
Nikon D4

Rear of the Camera

 
Nikon D4

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

 
Nikon D4

Rear of the Camera / Main Menu

 
Nikon D4

Rear of the Camera / My Menu

 
Nikon D4

Rear of the Camera / Live View Menu

 
Nikon D4

Rear of the Camera / Exposure Delay

 

Nikon D4

Top of the Camera

 
Nikon D4

Bottom of the Camera

 
Nikon D4

Side of the Camera

 
Nikon D4

Side of the Camera

 
Nikon D4

Side of the Camera

 
Nikon D4

Front of the Camera

 
Nikon D4

Memory Card Slot

 
Nikon D4
Battery Compartment

Conclusion

Like its forebears, the Nikon D4 is an extremely well built and responsive camera that seems to react instantly to anything you throw at it. Start-up feels instantaneous, there is no shutter lag to speak of and with the right lens mounted, focusing is also very fast. The camera is about as rugged as it gets, and the ergonomics is first class. There is a multitude of ways to check and modify settings, and you can set up the camera to work just about any way you like it. The customisation options that might seem intimidating at first sight allow you to tailor the workings of the camera to your peculiar needs and tastes. In comparison to the already excellent Nikon D3S the improvements to the sensor, the body ergonomics, the video mode, the connectivity options, the burst shooting capabilities, the auto ISO sensitivity control options, the live view and exposure delay modes, the focusing and metering are all welcome and appreciated.

For the working photojournalist, the addition of a truly silent live view mode is a real boon, even with the limitations it imposes; while the vastly improved video capabilities are likely to be found useful by everyone from “multimedia photographers” to seasoned videographers. The ability to remotely and wirelessly control the camera with a smartphone or laptop is bound to appeal to wildlife shooters and a number of other users.

Having said all that, some of the interface changes – particularly the omission of a physical AF Area Mode selector –, the adoption of the brand new and therefore slightly 'exotic' XQD memory card format and a less powerful battery may prove somewhat annoying to long-time users of Nikon's professional cameras.

Also, there's no getting around the fact that at £5,289.00/$5,999.95 the Nikon D4 costs a lot more than the D3S did at launch, even though it wasn't exactly cheap either. Add to this a much more mature market with stiff competition from all sides – including in-house competition in the form of the very appealing and much less expensive D800 –, and you can't help but wonder if the Nikon D4 will be anywhere near as great a commercial success as the D3 was.

4.5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4.5
Features 4.5
Ease-of-use 4.5
Image quality 5
Value for money 3

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Nikon D4 from around the web.

whatdigitalcamera.com »

When the Nikon D3 arrived back in 2007, it heralded a new dawn for Nikon. The company's first ever full-frame DSLR, it offered a ground-breaking native sensitivity range up to ISO 6400 and expanded to an ISO equivalent of 25,600. The photographic world hadn't seen anything like it before, and it opened up a whole new world of low-light photography. This was backed-up by a build and performance that made it the must-have camera for many professionals.
Read the full review »

ephotozine.com »

The new Nikon D4 shoots at up to 11fps and can shoot 199 shots continuously from the 16 megapixel full frame sensor. Joshua Waller finds out if it's as good as they say in our full review of the Nikon D4.
Read the full review »

engadget.com »

Right around 2.5 years after the introduction of Nikon's most recent game-changer (yeah, we're bragging about the D3S), its proper successor has emerged. Without qualification, the amount of hope and expectation surrounding the Nikon D4 was immense. In a way, most Nikonians were (perhaps foolishly) expecting the D4 to be to the D3S what the D3S was to the D3, and we'll confess that we were cautiously saving up precious pennies in the event that the game was changed yet again.
Read the full review »

techradar.com »

The Nikon D4 is the camera that Nikon is hoping will be the camera of choice for professional sports photographers and photo journalists shooting the Olympic games this summer. Consequently, it is designed as an all-purpose, go anywhere, shoot anything camera with improved low-light shooting capability and enhanced video technology.
Read the full review »

neocamera.com »

The Nikon D4 is their top-of-the-line professional DSLR. This 16 megapixels full-frame DSLR is an imposing camera with two grips each having dual control-dials and a considerable amount of controls. Designed for high-performance, the D4 reaches a stellar ISO 204,800 and full-resolution continuous drive at 11 FPS for over 200 frames.
Read the full review »

Specifications

 
Type of camera Single-lens reflex digital camera
Lens mount Nikon F mount (with AF coupling and AF contacts)
Effective pixels 16.2 million
Image sensor 36.0 × 23.9 mm CMOS sensor (Nikon FX format)
Total pixels 16.6 million
Dust-reduction system Image sensor cleaning, Image Dust Off reference data (requires optional Capture NX 2 software)
Image size (pixels) 1) FX format (36×24): 4,928 × 3,280 (L), 3,696 × 2,456 (M), 2,464 × 1,640 (S) 2) 1.2× (30×20): 4,096 × 2,720 (L), 3,072 × 2,040 (M), 2,048 × 1,360 (S) 3) DX format (24×16): 3,200 × 2,128 (L), 2,400 × 1,592 (M), 1,600 × 1,064 (S) 4) 5:4 (30×24): 4,096 × 3,280 (L), 3,072 × 2,456 (M), 2,048 × 1,640 (S) 5) FX-format photographs taken in movie live view (16:9): 4,928 × 2,768 (L), 3,696 × 2,072 (M), 2,464 × 1,384 (S) 6) DX-format photographs taken in movie live view (16:9): 3,200 × 1,792 (L), 2,400 × 1,344 (M), 1,600 × 896 (S) 7) FX-format photographs taken in movie live view (3:2): 4,928 × 3,280 (L), 3,696 × 2,456 (M), 2,464 × 1,640 (S) 8) DX-format photographs taken in movie live view (3:2): 3,200 × 2,128 (L), 2,400 × 1,592 (M), 1,600 × 1,064 (S) A DX-based format is used for photographs taken using the DX (24 × 16) 1.5× image area; an FX-based format is used for all other photographs
File format NEF (RAW): 12 or 14 bit, lossless compressed, compressed or uncompressed, TIFF (RGB), JPEG: JPEG-Baseline compliant with fine (approx. 1:4), normal (approx. 1:8) or basic (approx. 1:16) compression (Size priority); Optimal quality compression available, NEF (RAW)+JPEG: Single photograph recorded in both NEF (RAW) and JPEG formats.
Picture Control System Can be selected from Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape; selected Picture Control can be modified; storage for custom Picture Controls
Storage media XQD and Type I CompactFlash memory cards (UDMA compliant)
Dual card slots Either card can be used for primary or backup storage or for separate storage of NEF (RAW) and JPEG images; pictures can be copied between cards.
File system DCF (Design Rule for Camera File System) 2.0, DPOF (Digital Print Order Format), Exif (Exchangeable Image File Format for Digital Still Cameras) 2.3, PictBridge
Viewfinder Eye-level pentaprism single-lens reflex viewfinder
Frame coverage FX (36×24): Approx. 100% horizontal and 100% vertical, 1.2× (30×20): Approx. 97% horizontal and 97% vertical, DX (24×16): Approx. 97% horizontal and 97% vertical, 5:4 (30×24): Approx. 97% horizontal and 100% vertical
Magnification Approx. 0.7× (50 mm f/1.4 lens at infinity, -1.0 m-1)
Eyepoint 18 mm (-1.0 m-1; from center surface of viewfinder eyepiece lens)
Diopter adjustment -3 to +1 m-1
Focusing screen Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VIII screen with AF area brackets and framing grid
Reflex mirror Quick return
Depth-of-field preview When Pv button is pressed, lens aperture is stopped down to value selected by user (A and M modes) or by camera (P and S modes)
Lens aperture Instant return, electronically controlled
Compatible lenses Compatible with AF NIKKOR lenses, including type G and D lenses (some restrictions apply to PC-NIKKOR lenses), DX lenses [using DX (24×16) image area], AI-P NIKKOR lenses, and non-CPU AI lenses (exposure modes A and M only); IX-NIKKOR lenses, lenses for the F3AF, and non-AI lenses cannot be used The electronic rangefinder can be used with lenses that have a maximum aperture of f/5.6 or faster (the electronic rangefinder supports the 11 focus points with lenses that have a maximum aperture of f/8 or faster)
Shutter type Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter
Shutter speed 1/8,000 to 30 s in steps of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV, bulb, X250
Flash sync speed X=1/250 s; synchronizes with shutter at 1/250 s or slower
Release modes S (single frame), CL (continuous low speed), CH (continuous high speed), Q (quiet shutter-release), (self-timer), MUP (mirror up)
Frame advance rate Up to 10 fps (CL) or 10 to 11 fps (CH)
Self-timer 2 s, 5 s, 10 s, 20 s; 1 to 9 exposures at intervals of 0.5, 1, 2 or 3 s
Exposure metering TTL exposure metering using RGB sensor with approx. 91K (91,000) pixels
Metering method 1) 3D Color Matrix Metering III (type G and D lenses); Color Matrix Metering III (other CPU lenses); Color Matrix Metering (non-CPU lenses if user provides lens data) 2) Center-Weighted: Weight of 75% given to 12-mm circle in center of frame, diameter of circle can be changed to 8, 15 or 20 mm, or weighting can be based on average of entire frame (non-CPU lenses use 12-mm circle or average of entire frame) 3) Spot: Meters 4-mm circle (about 1.5% of frame) centered on selected focus point (on center focus point when non-CPU lens is used)
Metering range (ISO 100, f/1.4 lens, 20°C/68°F)
Matrix or center-weighted metering -1 to 20 EV
Spot metering 2 to 20 EV
Exposure meter coupling Combined CPU and AI
Exposure modes Programmed auto with flexible program (P); shutter-priority auto (S); aperture-priority auto (A); manual (M)
Exposure compensation -5 to +5 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV
Exposure bracketing 2 to 9 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 or 1 EV
Exposure lock Luminosity locked at detected value with the center of the sub-selector
ISO sensitivity (Recommended Exposure Index) ISO 100 to 12800 in steps of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV; can also be set to approx. 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 or 1 EV (ISO 50 equivalent) below ISO 100 or to approx. 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1, 2, 3 or 4 EV (ISO 204800 equivalent) above ISO 12800; auto ISO sensitivity control available
Active D-Lighting Can be selected from auto, extra high +2/+1, high, normal, low or off
ADL bracketing 2 frames using selected value for one frame or 3 to 5 frames using preset values for all frames
Autofocus Nikon Advanced Multi-CAM 3500FX autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection, fine-tuning, and 51 focus points (including 15 cross-type sensors with f/8 supported by 11 sensors)
Detection range -2 to +19 EV (ISO 100, 20°C/68°F)
Lens servo Autofocus (AF): Single-servo autofocus (AF-S); continuous-servo autofocus (AF-C); predictive focus tracking automatically activated according to subject status Manual focus (M): Electronic rangefinder can be used
Focus point Can be selected from 51 or 11 focus points
AF-area modes Single-point AF, 9-, 21- or 51-point dynamic-area AF, 3D-tracking, auto-area AF
Focus lock Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo autofocus) or by pressing the center of the sub-selector
Flash control TTL: i-TTL flash control using RGB sensor with approx. 91K (91,000) pixels is available with SB-910, SB-900, SB-800, SB-700, SB-600 or SB-400; i-TTL balanced fill-flash for digital SLR is used with matrix and center-weighted metering, standard i-TTL flash for digital SLR with spot metering
Flash modes Front-curtain sync, slow sync, rear-curtain sync, red-eye reduction, red-eye reduction with slow sync, slow rear-curtain sync; auto FP high-speed sync supported
Flash compensation -3 to +1 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV
Flash bracketing 2 to 9 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 or 1 EV
Flash-ready indicator Lights when optional flash unit is fully charged; flashes after flash is fired at full output
Accessory shoe ISO 518 hot-shoe with sync and data contacts and safety lock
Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) Advanced Wireless Lighting supported with SB-910, SB-900, SB-800 or SB-700 as a master flash and SB-600 or SB-R200 as remotes, or SU-800 as commander; auto FP high-speed sync and modeling illumination supported with all CLS-compatible flash units except SB-400; Flash Color Information Communication and FV lock supported with all CLS-compatible flash units
Sync terminal ISO 519 sync terminal with locking thread
White balance Auto (2 types), incandescent, fluorescent (7 types), direct sunlight, flash, cloudy, shade, preset manual (up to 4 values can be stored), choose color temperature (2,500 K to 10,000 K); all with fine-tuning
White balance bracketing 2 to 9 frames in steps of 1, 2 or 3
Live view modes Live view photography (quiet or silent), movie live view
Live view lens servo • Autofocus (AF): Single-servo autofocus (AF-S); full-time servo autofocus (AF-F) • Manual focus (M)
AF-area modes Face-priority AF, wide-area AF, normal-area AF, subject-tracking AF
Autofocus Contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame (camera selects focus point automatically when face-priority AF or subject-tracking AF is selected)
Movie metering TTL exposure metering using main image sensor
Frame size (pixels) and frame rate • 1,920 × 1,080; 30p (progressive), 25p, 24p • 1,920 × 1,080 crop; 30p, 25p, 24p • 1,280 × 720; 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p • 640 × 424; 30p, 25p Actual frame rates for 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, and 24p are 59.94, 50, 29.97, 25, and 23.976 fps respectively; all options support both high and normal image quality
File format MOV
Video compression H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding
Audio recording format Linear PCM
Audio recording device Built-in monaural or external stereo microphone; sensitivity adjustable
ISO sensitivity Automatically adjusted in the range ISO 200 to 12800 or ISO 200 to Hi 4
Maximum length Approx. 29 min. 59 s
Other movie options Index marking, time-lapse photography
Monitor 8-cm (3.2-in.), approx. 921k-dot (VGA) TFT LCD with 170° viewing angle, approx. 100% frame coverage, and automatic monitor brightness control using ambient brightness sensor
Playback Full-frame and thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images) playback with playback zoom, movie playback, photo and/or movie slide shows, histogram display, highlights, photo information, GPS data display, auto image rotation, voice memo input and playback, and IPTC information embedding and display
USB Hi-Speed USB
HDMI output Type C mini-pin HDMI connector; can be used simultaneously with camera monitor
Audio input Stereo mini-pin jack (3.5-mm diameter; plug-in power supported)
Audio output Stereo mini-pin jack (3.5-mm diameter)
10-pin remote terminal Can be used to connect optional remote control, GPS Unit GP-1 or GPS device compliant with NMEA0183 version 2.01 or 3.01 (requires optional GPS Adapter Cord MC-35 and cable with D-sub 9-pin connector)
Ethernet RJ-45 connector
Peripheral connector For Wireless Transmitter WT-5
Supported languages Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish and Ukrainian
Battery One Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL18
AC adapter AC Adapter EH-6b; requires Power Connector EP-6 (available separately)
Tripod socket 1/4 in. (ISO 1222)
Dimensions (W × H × D) Approx. 160 × 156.5 × 90.5 mm/6.3 × 6.2 × 3.6 in.
Weight Approx. 1,340 g/2 lb 15.3 oz with battery and XQD memory card but without body cap and accessory shoe cover; approx. 1,180 g/2 lb 9.6 oz (camera body only)
Operating environment Temperature: 0 to 40°C/32 to 104°F; humidity: less than 85% (no condensation)
Supplied accessories (may differ by country or area) Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL18, Battery Charger MH-26, USB Cable UC-E15, USB Cable Clip, Camera Strap AN-DC7, Body Cap BF-1B, Accessory Shoe Cover BS-2, Mic Stereo Input Jack for Stereo Microphone ME-1 UF-2

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