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Nikon D4 - is there any reason not to?
So, apart from price and size, is there any good reason not to get one or is it basically the ultimate DSLR? I've read the reviews. I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything.
Sports, Dance, Portraits, Events... www.jasonhowardking.com
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www.zblackwood.com
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+1.
I looked at the D4, and decided to go with a practically new D3s. Saved some serious coin, and am quite happy enough with 12MP. Sports and birds.
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
So I'm thinking that the D4 could go into my camera bag and be ready for just about anything for the next, maybe 6 years.
Thoughts?
The D3s will blow your socks off. A gripped (with AAs) D300 or D300s is a fine daytime sports body (keep yours) but is woefully inadequate for night or indoor sports. The D3s will amaze you under crappy high school lights for way less $$ than a D4. Of course if your budget is to die for,go for the D4 but, seriously, a well chosen D3s will serve. Look at KEH, Adorama, or B&H.
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
If #1 on your list is video, resolution, medium format replacement, weight, size, built in flash, or price, then get the D800.
If #1 on your list is speed, low light use, or build, then get the D3s. Get the D4 if you need the few extra pixels or lower light than 100,000 asa.
For me, #1 was frames per second. That made the choice for me. Second was low light. D3s all the way. I upgraded to the D4 for resale value, the backlighting of buttons, and slightly higher asa. Not worth the money.
What did I lose from the D3s? Dual CF cards. Focus switch is now 2-handed not one hand. Different battery. New memory card added.
If $ is not an issue I would go for the D4.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
If money is an issue there are options
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Good one Harry!
Gary
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
Plus with the 1200mm reach you don't have to spend $18,000 on the 800mm 5.6
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Here is how I see it at the moment. (Feel free to correct me if this is way out there) The money that I will spend on whichever camera I upgrade to is currently in an account that is paying me $1.43 per month in interest. That adds up to $17.16 per year. Most years I have a wild time with the $17.16, though I try not to spend it all in one place. You know, wisdom of the ages and all that.
So anyway, though I make no claim of making much cash from my photography hobby, it does work out to maybe $200 per month. Now given that a camera is an asset, albeit a depreciating asset, it has value and it will still have some value in about 5 years or thereabouts when I will probably upgrade again. So even if it loses say 2/3 of its value over that time, a D4 (substitute any body you want, the idea is the same) will still be worth maybe $2000 in five years give or take (obviously there is a bit of speculation there, but if history is any indicator of future performance. You get what I'm saying). So the net cost of a D4 would be about $4000 over that time period. Factor in the photography income of $200 per month or $2400 per year and I'm cash positive to the sum of about $5600 if I sell it in 4 years or $8000 if I sell it in 5 years. Compare that to 17.16 per year interest income for 5 years or $85.80
So are $ an issue? Yes and no - depends on how you look at it. It's not like I earn my living doing this - not yet anyway.
The D4 is a tool, a fine one at that. If your photograhic craft calls for such a tool, strongly look at getting it. If you're buying a tool because you like to have a shiny tool belt and you perceive that you won't need the cash in hand for some time, that's cool too. (I have a tendency to buy the latest & greatest as long as I have the cash.)
It sounds like it's not an urgent purchase, so you could also wait for a killer used deal and then you'll "make" a helluva lot more than $85.50.
==
Back to your original question, "apart from price and size, is there any good reason not to get one or is it basically the ultimate DSLR?" I picked up the D4 after owning two D3 bodies, and I don't expect to go back to a D3. The image performance trumps the D3, and while I'm not a huge fan of a new style of memory card (QXD), it _does_ write at wicked fast speeds. I like the feel, the back layout, and it's better ability (so I'm told) to AF at f8 with a 2x converter.
The only "drawback" that I have personally noticed is that, coming from the D3, the battery performance is re-scoped. I can't get as many shots on a single charge (say, during a wedding), but I'm told that the tradeoff is that the battery performance will be better for scenarios where you're continuously changing focus via AF. Haven't had much need for that. I solved the problem by buying a second battery and don't think much about it.
In looking at your site, it seems you're spending much of your time with sports, outdoors and flash-lit indoors. The FPS of a D3s might not excite you, so be wary there. For flash lit stuff, the ISO performance of a D4 might go under utilized. If you have fast glass, you should be able to get some decent shots indoors without flash, which means more mobility and less setup. I know that Dance Team performances tend to be action in darker settings, so you might be pleased with the D4's performance there. I'm not sure what you're shooting with now, but you might also consider borrowing/buying a D3 as a cheaper step up that will give you a boost of versatility in speed & ISO, though it doesn't match the D4...
Oh, and those team shots came out great for the Cougars.
Good luck in your shopping!
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So after much consideration, mulling it over, weighing the pros and cons, reading and re-reading your suggestions, I just couldn't make up my mind. I figured that I had better be reasonable about it and not pick a side. So I did the only thing that reasonable guy can do... compromise.
I can hardly wait to finish the thousand or so pages of instructions in the manuals. Fortunately, the controls are mostly the same as my D300s.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Thanks a bunch!
I'm absolutely sure its overkill, but they are shiny.
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
You mean this little guy?
Yeah a bit of a strange placement isn't it. Although, given that I do most of my flash adjustments on my PW's, I'm more interested in finding out where the back screen protector is. You would think a $6000 camera might come with a $2 accessory.
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
Well actually, the D4 and the D800 both do FEC. You press the button and spin the back wheel for mode, you spin the front wheel for compensation. The D4 does -3 to +1 compensation that way. Works the same way as my D300s.
Cool. That's an improvement over the D3s. That seems like something they should be able to "fix" with a firmware upgrade. Likely? I doubt it.
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
They did fix it in the firmware!
The D4 firmware.
Assuming for a moment the Ken Rockwell is correct, and that the D4, D800, and D600 are all essentially the same camera with features purposely disabled as a means of creating price points, I doubt any more features will be coming to the D3s, though that is a shame.
I still don't understand why there aren't 3rd party FW's. It takes about 1 day, maybe 2, after an iPhone is released to get a jailbreak. I'm kind of surprised that those with the know-how haven't liberated our cameras for us yet. It seems well past time for the benevolent god's of the internet to have undertaken a project like that.
Starting with the "Canon Hack Development Kit" (CHDK), many of the Canon digicam firmware have been "hacked" (in the old sense of that word) and enhanced.
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK
Later, the Magic Lantern overlay came along, using some of the same techniques, and greatly enhanced Canon dSLRs' capabilities:
http://www.magiclantern.fm/
Even a few other cameras, like some of the Nikon cameras, "have" been explored and there are some early success stories:
http://nikonhacker.com/
Note that all of the above are without official manufacturer support and will void your warranty and possibly damage your camera. Neither DGrin nor myself endorses or recommends any of these methods. Proceed at your own risk.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
That explanation is absolute nonsense, hope you like your new gear though