As a Nikon shooter and self confessed gadget geek, it doesn’t get much better than being offered an afternoon to try out one of only a handful of pre-production units of their latest flagship DLSRs, the D4, ahead of it’s worldwide release. And I made full use of my time, including asking about the ISO performance compared to the D3s, as well as bringing along my 600 VR & TC-2EIII to test out the new f8 autofocus. I also had the chance to take a peek at the new XQD memory card that the new camera supports.

(You can also read my D800 hands on pre-production review, here)

Please note, this hands on preview was arranged by, and done on behalf of Wex Photographic (formerly Warehouse Express), as such this write up on my blog is a cut down version. At the bottom of the article though, you will find a link to the full write up which is three times the size, and goes in to much more detail about the features covered here, and more features that aren’t.

Please also keep in mind because this was a pre-production camera that was not running final firmware, not all the specifics and detailed info has been released yet, outside of the inner depths of Nikon Japan, and as such there are some things we simply won’t know until the camera is officially released and people start testing it out for themselves. It’s also the reason why I was unable to take any images away with me, that I took on the camera, and was only able to view them on the back of the LCD. But that didn’t stop me having a great chat with the Nikon NPS specialist and thoroughly enjoying my couple of hours one to one time with the new camera.

IS THE D4 ISO BETTER, WORSE OR THE SAME AS THE D3S?

The BIG question, so let’s just get it out the way now. This was of course one of the first questions I wanted to ask. How does the ISO of the D4 compare to the D3s at comparable ISO values? Does the D4 have better ISO, is it the same, over even worse? The reply is that with the new 16mp sensor we should see a one stop gain over the D3s, but that because of the new Expeed 3 processor, and the way it handles the data, we should see images that are even more aesthetically pleasing than just by putting a simple number of ‘one stop’ in to the answer.

SOME NICE LITTLE TOUCHES

• Regular Auto-ISO users: you can now turn it on and off by holding down the ISO button on the back of the camera and turning the front control wheel.
• The D4 is covered in thermal paint to help further protect it from extreme temperatures.
• The new carbon shutter, has a slightly quieter sound to my ear. D3s has a bit of a metallic ‘chink’, the D4 has a slightly duller ‘clunk’.

For the video users

• You can add index marking to video (much like chapter points on a DVD), although it appears there is no time code.
• Crop mode on video shouldn’t impact on image quality. All modes should look the same.
• You can embed data in to IPTC fields now so that video clips can be catalogued straight from the camera with more ease.

SIZE AND CONTROLS

If you already use a D3s (or D3) you’ll feel right at home with the D4. It’s like an old friend, but one that’s been to the gym. It was explained to me that there are only three things shared between the older D3s and the new D4, they are the physical sensor size, the F mount and the 100% viewfinder coverage. Everything else has been redesigned. As a result the D4 has a new curvier, and sleeker profile. I did find though, that the main front grip is now thicker, and the Mode button is harder to reach because of the new Record button that sits between it and the Exposure Compensation button (I do have small hands though!). The new thumb rest and multi-selectors for portrait shooting are also a welcome addition, and when picking up the D3s alongside the D4, you can really appreciate how much more control you have over the camera shooting vertically now.

FASTER AUTOFOCUS

The Nikon D4 see’s a 20% speed increase over the older camera’s, even though they all use the Multi-Cam 3500 autofocus system. The reason it’s much faster on the new camera is the focus unit itself has improved glass on the front, that lets in more light. More light means better focussing, and that goes towards explaining the speed increase, the ability to focus at -2EV (or, moonlight!) and also my new personal favourite…

F8 auto focus, tested with the 600 VR and 2x TC

Wildlife photographers will love this. One of the benefits of the improved focusing system is of course that we now get auto focus at f8. I took my 600 VR and 2x TC along with me to try this out, and it’s looking promising. I experienced virtually no focus hunting at all, but of course the real test will come with small birds and unpredictable moving animals.

WT-5 & THE AD-HOC WIRELESS CONNECTION

I love this! In conjunction with the new WT-5, you can create an ad-hoc wireless connection between the D4 and any mobile device that has a web browser. The way this works, is that the software is already built in to the D4, and the WT-5 lets your device sign in to that and view it (much like how you can sign in to a router). The software gives you control over pretty much all of the major functions of the camera, aperture, shutter, ISO, shooting mode etc, plus you get an exposure meter and shots remaining as well. Also, because you can use the software to start and stop Live View, it means you don’t need to leave it up constantly, which is great for conserving battery power. The WT-5 is not backwards compatible due to having a new connection, although I’m told the older WT-4 will work with the D4.

A LOOK AT XQD MEMORY CARDS

I also got to look at a pre-production sample of the new XQD memory card and compare it in size to my Sandisk compact flash. Thankfully, it is actually a lot bigger and more robust than I was expecting. It ejects the same way as SD, in that you press it in and it pops out, which explains why there is no eject button for slot 1, for those wondering.

WANT TO READ THE FULL WRITE UP?

This is a heavily cut down version of my hands on preview, as it was arranged by, and written on behalf of, Wex Photographic (formerly Warehouse Express). I will answer any questions I can here but if you wish to read (and share) the full article, which includes more photos of the pre-production D4 I was using, as well as a lot more information from my chat with the NPS specialist on not just on the points covered here but also on other features that are not, simply click here.

MORE TO COME

Needless to say, with my own Nikon D4 on order, this isn’t the last I’ll be writing about this exciting new camera and I look forward to doing some proper direct, side by side, comparisons with my good old D3s. Watch this space…

And if, somehow, you’re not sure what the D4 is all about, you can read my original D4 blog post which covered more of the specs, sample pictures and videos that appeared when the camera was originally announced.