Nikon Introduces the D4 and 85mm/f1.8 G AF-S

[robertbanks]

<blockquote>

<p>Will there be a D4x with the 24.5 Megapixel resolution of the D3x?</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Eric, there might be a couple of other Nikon DSLR cameras announced this year, but only Nikon knows for sure ;)</p>

<p>On another note, I've been looking at memory cards. The announced XQD prices are not too bad, better than I expected.</p>

<p>Sony XQD cards (125Mb/s read/write)<br>

Announced prices:<br>

16GB QD-H16: $129.99<br>

32GB QD-H32: $229.99</p>

<p>Compare that to the current price of the current "top" CF card:</p>

<p>Sandisk Extreme Pro CF (90Mb/s read/write?)<br>

Approximate Amazon.com prices:<br>

16Gb: $100 (announced price in 2009: $300)<br>

32Gb: $180 (announced price in 2009: $518)<br>

64Gb: $300 (announced price in 2009: $812)</p>

<p>Incidentally, Lexar have just announced a 1000x speed cf card. </p>

<p>Lexar 1000x CF (150MB/s read, 145Mb/s write)<br>

Announced prices:<br>

16GB: $169.99<br>

32GB: $299.99<br>

64GB: $529.99<br>

128GB: $899.99</p>

[robertbanks]

<p>those press release URLs are obviously for the benefit of SEO :)</p>

[ilkka_nissila]

<p><em>Is the D4 going to be Nikon's only flagship?</em></p>

<p>In a new generation of their flagship professional camera, Nikon always seems to come out with the PJ / sports / action camera first (probably because this market buys many cameras and lenses and has high visibility in events etc.) which is then followed by the "X" model 1-2 years later, geared for studio/landscape/product/fashion and typically more expensive. I would expect a D700 successor later this year (2500 - 3000 EUR) and then a D4X in 2013 or 2014 at the usual "popular" 8000€ initial price. :-) Of course, the ways of the world could change. Canon claims their 1D X is both the successor of the 1D IV and 1Ds III - which I take with a grain of salt. Nikon also claimed in 2007 at the introduction of the D3 that "The D3 is both "H" and "X". There will be no D3X." Look how it turned out.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Rob, I assume Nikon USA works with photo.net in order to boost their sales. However, the first person who publically acknowledges buying a D4 on this forum is purchasing in the UK, thus helping Nikon UK's sales. I guess that can be considered as a "side effect." :-)</p>

<p>A few days ago during our conference call, I expliciately asked Nikon USA about the future of the D3S and D3X. Obviously the D4 is a direct replacement of the D3S, which should be discontinued immediately except for some remaining stock at the dealers. They did not give me a direct answer about the D3X, but their entire D3 generation will be phased out. Whether there will be some "D4X" with 24MP or more pixels, or potentially Nikon's high-pixel DSLR can be a D700-like camera. I have no information at this point. As I have repeated a few times, Nikon can no longer sell EN-EL3e-based products in Japan, so it is very obvious that the D300S and D700 will soon be replaced. However, since the London Olympics has a fixed schedule, the release of the D4 clearly has the highest urgency.</p>

<p>Personally, my usage of a 24MP or higher DSLR is for landscape photography. I would much rather have that in a D700-type body than a D3/D4 body because I like the lighter weight and smaller size for hiking. If you need a lot of pixels inside a studio, the weather sealing and ruggedness of the D3 and D4 also seem unnecessary.</p>

<p>I am sure XQD memory cards will be more widely available in a few months, and the price will plummet. If you must use two cards inside the D4, I would buy maybe a 16G XQD for now. Historically, the depreciation of memory cards is much much faster than the depreciation of DSLRs, which is quite fast itself. Also keep in mind that for example the new Canon 1DX (announced last October but will be available even after the D4) uses two CF cards. There is not a whole lot of demand for the XQD at this point unless you own a D4. I would imagine that various high-end camcorders will use the XQD in the near future.</p>

[eric friedemann]

<p><em>"I would expect a D700 successor later this year(.)"</em><br>

<em> </em><br>

Ilkka, from your lips to God's ears. The D700 was introduced in the summer of 2008; and I would have expected a successor in 2010.</p>

[vince-p]

<p>Per-Christian -- please come visit us. Buy your Nikon at B&H.<br>

The new D4, so pretty, looks a tad smaller than the D3. Has anyone checked the specs for that?<br>

On the 85/1.4 question, which Ilkka answered in part: the $1000 difference -- which will likely fall a bit now -- is not for 2/3 stop speed but for the quality of construction and optics, leading to durability and famously superb image quality wide open and otherwise. If I had the money I would have the 24//1.4 and the 85/1.4 in a second. Plus my 16-35 and my 50/1.4 and also one of the unaffordable 2.8 tele-zooms and I would be a happy Nikonista.</p>

[elliot1]

<p><em>"</em><em>11 FPS at full resolution."</em> Only 10 with AF, an improvement of 1 over the D3 line (still a good improvement though).</p>

<p><em>"</em><em>11 AF points can autofocus with f/8 lenses"</em> Really only good if you are using 3rd party superzooms or mirror lenses. I wonder how many pros/sports shooter use those kind of lenses...</p>

<p>As mentioned, this appears to be a superb body for sports shooters but there are perhaps better choices for landscape shooters that cost significantly less.</p>

<p>I think I will wait for the D5 before I give up on my D3!</p>

<p>Love the 85mm AF-S f1.8!</p>

[russ_albion]

<p>I for one am happy to read that Nikon is back in biz following the floods and earthquake! Well done guys!</p>

<p>I am also pleased to learn about the new 85/1,8 AF-S. I will buy one this year to complement my 35/1.8. Now all I want is a Nikon 70-200/4 AF-S (sans VR cos we are still trying to get over the Canon 70-200/4 L USM envy) and I will be a happy Nikon camper!</p>

[pcnilssen]

<p>Vince, don't be surprised if I do.... ;) If now only the currency could go back to the level it was 3-4 months ago, I'd have booked a plane ticket already .</p>

[Peter_in_PA]

<blockquote>

<p><em>"</em><em>11 AF points can autofocus with f/8 lenses"</em> Really only good if you are using 3rd party superzooms or mirror lenses. I wonder how many pros/sports shooter use those kind of lenses...</p>

</blockquote>

<p>What about tele-converters?</p>

[Dieter Schaefer]

<blockquote>

<p>The new D4, so pretty, looks a tad smaller than the D3. Has anyone checked the specs for that?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>D4: Approx. 160 x 156.5 x 90.5 mm/6.3 x 6.2 x 3.6 in.<br /> D3S: Approx. 159.5 x 157 x 87.5 mm (6.3 x 6.2 x 3.4 in.)</p>

<blockquote>

<p><em>"</em><em>11 AF points can autofocus with f/8 lenses"</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>As Shun has pointed out - quite useful when using (200-400/4), 500/4 and 600/4 with TC-20EIII extender.<em><br /></em></p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>We did discuss AF with f8 with Nikon. The objective is to be able to AF with those f4 long teles with a TC-20E III (or I or II) on. However, keep in mind that it'll be difficult to get really sharp images with those combo. In particular, I wouldn't put a 2x TC onto the 200-400mm/f4. In fact, I wouldn't even add a 1.4x TC onto that lens. By itself, the 200-400 is among my favorite, but like most zooms, it does not work well with TCs.</p>

<p>When you add a TC-20E onto a 500mm/f4 or 600mm/f4, vibration will be a major issue. You may also need to stop down to get really good sharpness.</p>

[Dieter Schaefer]

<blockquote>

<p>In particular, I wouldn't put a 2x TC onto the 200-400mm/f4. In fact, I wouldn't even add a 1.4x TC onto that lens. By itself, the 200-400 is among my favorite, but like most zooms, it does not work well with TCs.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Hence the brackets in my post around the 200-400/4. In any case, I follow Arthur Morris' blog (he shoots Canon though) and he (and other bird photographers) use TCs quite a bit with their long lenses - generally not to the detriment of the images produced. It appears that good long lens technique is more important than the degradation in optical quality causes by adding the extender. It also helps that in many cases, sharpness into the corners is not required for the images created. FWIW, if I am not mistaken, then only the central AF sensor on Canon 1D series cameras is capable of f/8 AF, so having 11 in the D4 is clearly a nice step forward.</p>

[andre_noble5]

I know you all think the dynamic range in digital is

acceptable, but at least in my D300 it is lacking.

 

I'll wait another half dozen years while that technology

improves. I doint the D4 has the dynamic range I get with

negatIve film.

[ilkka_nissila]

<p>I suspect that Nikon may introduce a 800/5.6 and possibly a long zoom that goes to 500mm and is slower than f/5.6 in the long end at some point in the near future. A 500mm f/5.6 is quite big already and that's why I think a f/6.3 may be more realistic in a long zoom. With a 800/5.6 you could then use a 1.4X TC and get autofocus. Or with the TC-20EIII and an f/4 supertele.</p>

<p>I am a little disappointed that Nikon did not increase the spread of the cross type AF points in the autofocus module. I normally select the active point manually and the reliability of the peripheral linear points is less if one is not careful; sometimes they hunt easily. As it is now I am unlikely to buy a D4 and will wait for further improvements in AF. I quite like the D3X and although I think its best ISO range is 100-400, I can compensate by using wide apertures (with the 85/1.4 AF-S the results look surprisingly good even wide open) and lighting and end up with very crisp results. 400 is my most common ISO on that camera now. I use the D700 for 800-6400 ISO and when I want a more compact body. I think the D3X files are a bit of a burden in terms of raw conversion and post-processing times (even though I have a new computer, SSD, and 8GB RAM) so that's why I think a 16MP D4 sensor would be nice to have in a camera but I would not want to pay 5800 EUR for it. If the price is reduced gradually to the D3s's lowest level of approximately 4000 EUR, a purchase becomes more likely on my part. Maybe by the end of 2013 such a price could be reached.</p>

<p>I am actually very happy that Nikon is bringing out affordable AF-S primes; now a 35/2 or 28/2 would perhaps be in order to have a more complete line. I would also like to see AF-S versions of the 135mm and 180mm primes, but the 70-200 is so popular that perhaps Nikon can't sell enough of the 135's. The 180mm is quite a common lens and suffers from lower AF precision than most other lenses so that is something of a priority for me; I love its small size and low weight compared to optically excellent 70-200II.</p>

[richard__]

<p>John Nack has an interesting video posted on the D4 and iPad / iPhone wireless control integration:</p>

<p><a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2012/01/nikon-d4-ipad-integration.html">http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2012/01/nikon-d4-ipad-integration.html</a></p>

[jose_angel]

<p>First thoughts:</p>

<ul>

<li>MultiCam 3500? Same as in the D3?</li>

<li>No direct LiveView button?</li>

<li>As usual, I love the look and ergonomics. </li>

<li>Sadly, the very same left side switchs again (flash, 10 pin).</li>

<li>Smaller than the D3? Great!</li>

<li>Looks like the "Nanotechnology" is exclusive for top lenses.</li>

</ul>

[ilkka_nissila]

<p><em>•MultiCam 3500? Same as in the D3? </em></p>

<p>It's apparently not exactly the same; it's one stop more sensitive and supports f/8 lenses with some of the central sensors. Anyway, having the same AF module number doesn't mean the AF performance is the same; for example the D3 autofocuses some lenses noticeably faster than the D700 (e.g. 135/2). Also, I don't know if I'm imagining it but it appears the D3X autofocuses a bit more accurately than the D700 too; I've been shooting a lot of wide aperture portraits with it recently and I cannot help but think there may be a real difference - the outcome is quite a bit higher quality in these (controlled light but wide aperture) situations. I haven't done a controlled test on that but Marianne Oelund has suggested a similar thing regarding the accuracy of the D3X AF. These differences between AF behaviour could be due to algorithm changes or different optics etc. and Nikon in some cases explicitly advertises them.</p>

<p><em>•No direct LiveView button?</em><br>

There is a live view button; it's next to the little LCD at the bottom.</p>

<p><em>•Looks like the "Nanotechnology" is exclusive for top lenses.</em><br>

Nikon has said in some article online that the nano coating cannot be applied to consumer lenses because of the manufacturing process (apparently the handling of elements is rougher in the less expensive lenses (perhaps they're assembled by machine?) and the nano coat is too fragile to withstand this treatment).</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Jose, all Nikon DSLRs with video capability have a direct to live view button/capability. The controls on the D4 are seriously re-arranged. That is why there is not even a sport/matrix/center weighted switch. We need to find out exactly how those two joysticks work.</p>

[vince-p]

<p>So today in Christendom is the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrating the arrival of some WISE MEN from the EAST bringing EXPENSIVE GIFTS..... and a day of REVELATION. I'm sure this was very much in the minds of Nikon management when choosing an announcement date. Don't you think so? Okay, maybe not.</p>

[dan_south]

D3 updates: 2

 

D300 updates: 1

 

D700 updates: 0

[jose_angel]

<p>Vince, it was on my mind, too. I have just arrived home loaded with children`s toys and find this thread... "It could be the best present for a photographer", I thought.<br /> Yes, I think we need to know what`s inside the camera; from outside it don`t reveals nothing revolutionary (the joystics, maybe). We`ll see.<br /> Thanks Ilkka, I missed the LiveView button, I see it`s now at the bottom, very good. To remove the AF-AE locking button seem to me a good idea. <br /> I loooove that bit more curved design.<br /> More things I like:</p>

<ul>

<li>Illuminated butons (something I miss lots of times)</li>

<li>Full leveling system (the "only horizon" system lacks)</li>

</ul>

[Peter_in_PA]

<blockquote>

<p>D3 updates: 2<br>

D300 updates: 1<br>

D700 updates: 0</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Perhaps the D3 needed 2 updates, the D300 needed only one, and the D700 was perfect from the get go?</p>

 

[lex_jenkins]

<p>Thanks for the reminder, Vince. I need to finish my Twelfth Night baking. I'm introducing a brand new Sweet Potato Pie Ultra with twice the calories in the same size heat resistant receptor.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Peter, the D3 was updated once, to the D3S. The D3X is a different product since it is a high-pixel DSLR. The D3X has always been sold in parallel with the D3, D3S and now D4.</p>

<p>Likewise, the D2H was updated once to the D2Hs. The D2X is a different type of product and was updated to the D2Xs. Recall that the D1X and D1H were introduced simultaneously back in 2001? The D3, D3S and D4 are really H-type DSLRs for sports/action photography.</p>