Nikon D4

Nikon D4 Digital SLR

16.2MP – FX (Full Frame) – HD 1080P Movies – Pro

MSRP $5,999 – Nikon D4 Availability

Pre-orders are being taken at: Amazon – Adorama – J&R

The Nikon D4 was announced on January 5th, 2012 and is scheduled to be available for purchase in February 2012. Pre-orders to started in early January.

Amazon sold out the pre-order quantity in less than an hour. Instantly this new top of the line Nikon became the camera of choice for professional photographers. It’s not known how long the back-log will be for the D4, but some people have speculated that if you didn’t get in on one of the pre-order frenzies then it will take several months before they become widely available.

Another choice is to pay a higher price than the retail $5,999, something I suspect even some of the reputable online and brick-and-mortar camera shops will be doing. Online auction sites, such as eBay will eventually be swamped with the D4 at higher prices of course. My suggestion? Get it from a reputable source.

Nikon D4 Features

New Nikon FX-format CMOS image sensor
ISO 50 to ISO 204800
16.2-million pixels
Full HD 1080P Movies at 30/25/24 FPS – HDMI output
Frame rate up to 10 FPS
New EXPEED 3 image-processing engine
Dual card slots – XQD and Type I CompactFlash memory cards (UDMA compliant)
91K-pixel RGB sensor for the more accurate Advanced Scene Recognition System
Faster and more accurate AF with 51 focus points
Multi-area Mode Full HD D-movie with three image area options
Shutter tested for 400,000 cycles
Magnesium alloy resistant to dust and water

A few other notable features

Using O rings make the camera more resistant to dust and water
Silent shutter-release mode for live view photography
Time-lapse photography feature
Operation optimized for both horizontal (landscape) and vertical (portrait) shooting
Button backlights (illuminators)
High-performance viewfinder coverage of approximately 100% (FX format) and magnification of approximately 0.7x
A 3.2-inch, 921k-dot LCD monitor
A virtual horizon