Nikon D4 - is there any reason not to?

DreadnoteDreadnote Registered Users Posts: 634 Major grins
edited May 21, 2013 in Cameras
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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Comments

  • ZBlackZBlack Registered Users Posts: 337 Major grins
    edited April 27, 2013
    I suppose if you don't need the low light performance and the speed, save yourself 3 grand and get a different one. Maybe resolution of a D800 would be better for some people and types of shooting.
  • EphTwoEightEphTwoEight Registered Users Posts: 552 Major grins
    edited April 27, 2013
    I love my 800, but now mostly doing sports, I wish I had the D4.
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,127 moderator
    edited April 27, 2013
    It always helps to mention how you might use the body. The more details you can provide, the better we can advise and discuss.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • luckyrweluckyrwe Registered Users Posts: 952 Major grins
    edited April 28, 2013
    I upgraded from the D3s to the D4 and there was really no reason to do so. The cash difference would have been much better spent on lenses, software, or CF cards.
  • IcebearIcebear Registered Users Posts: 4,015 Major grins
    edited April 28, 2013
    luckyrwe wrote: »
    I upgraded from the D3s to the D4 and there was really no reason to do so. The cash difference would have been much better spent on lenses, software, or CF cards.

    +1. :D
    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.
    John :
    Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
    D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
  • DreadnoteDreadnote Registered Users Posts: 634 Major grins
    edited April 28, 2013
    I would primarily be using it for indoor school sports, and sports portraits. To be honest I was thinking about pairing it with a D800 in order to have the best of both worlds and a spare body, but that would indeed be a significant sum of cash. I'm kinda looking for a camera/set of cameras that have the broadest capabilities so that I don't have to do this all over again in 2-3 years. I am imagining that the D4 would cover about all of the bases. But perhaps I'm oversimplifying. The camera I use now is a D300s and its just not getting the job done indoors or on a high school football field for night games, which most of them are. I love what I have seen about the D800, but 4 frames per second isn't going to get the job done for anything other than portraits unless I'm mistaken there as well. Sometimes I think that the D300s I have now, which depending of what data you choose to believe, is either 6 or 7 frames a second, can at times be a bit slow.

    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?
    Sports, Dance, Portraits, Events... www.jasonhowardking.com
  • IcebearIcebear Registered Users Posts: 4,015 Major grins
    edited April 28, 2013
    Dreadnote wrote: »
    I would primarily be using it for indoor school sports, and sports portraits. . . . The camera I use now is a D300s and its just not getting the job done indoors or on a high school football field for night games, which most of them are.
    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.
    John :
    Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
    D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
  • EphTwoEightEphTwoEight Registered Users Posts: 552 Major grins
    edited April 29, 2013
    I mostly shoot sports, (D800) and have never ever switched it to CH. Its a full frame camera man, and if the view aint big enough through that viewfinder, then you can add a 1.2x eyepiece to it. I'd like the faster focusing and low light performance of the D3s or D4. But It seems goofy to just let it go off on fully auto.
  • luckyrweluckyrwe Registered Users Posts: 952 Major grins
    edited April 29, 2013
    Think of the ONE most important thing to you in making pictures. You do this by making a list of ten things then crossing out the last nine. Because The D3s, D4 and D800 are all awesome and you cannot weight them fairly.

    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.
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited April 29, 2013
    I curretly shoot with the D4 and the D800E. Previously I shot with the D3 and the D3s. From my experience the IQ, low light performance, and AF of the D4 is marginally better than the D3s. Despite the moaning about the XQD card its the fastest memory card I have ever used. The D800/800E also uses different memory cards (CF/SD) and I haven't seen much moaning about that. Having more MPs with the D4 is also a plus. The only negative for myself was the change in the AF switch.

    If $ is not an issue I would go for the D4.
    Harry
    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!"
  • IcebearIcebear Registered Users Posts: 4,015 Major grins
    edited April 29, 2013
    Harryb wrote: »

    If $ is not an issue I would

    rolleyes1.gifroflrolleyes1.gifroflrolleyes1.gifrofl
    John :
    Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
    D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited April 29, 2013
    Icebear wrote: »
    rolleyes1.gifroflrolleyes1.gifroflrolleyes1.gifrofl

    If money is an issue there are options
    Harry
    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!"
  • WayupthereWayupthere Registered Users Posts: 179 Major grins
    edited April 29, 2013
    Harryb wrote: »
    If money is an issue there are options
    rolleyes1.gifrofl
    Good one Harry!
    Gary
  • IcebearIcebear Registered Users Posts: 4,015 Major grins
    edited April 29, 2013
    Harryb wrote: »
    If money is an issue there are options
    Wowzer!! 13 fps too. Beats hell out of my D3s.
    John :
    Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
    D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited April 29, 2013
    Icebear wrote: »
    Wowzer!! 13 fps too. Beats hell out of my D3s.

    Plus with the 1200mm reach you don't have to spend $18,000 on the 800mm 5.6
    Harry
    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!"
  • DreadnoteDreadnote Registered Users Posts: 634 Major grins
    edited April 29, 2013
    Harryb wrote: »

    If $ is not an issue I would go for the D4.
    Harryb wrote: »
    If money is an issue there are options

    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. :D
    Sports, Dance, Portraits, Events... www.jasonhowardking.com
  • codyjbennettcodyjbennett Registered Users Posts: 143 Major grins
    edited May 2, 2013
    I'm severely impressed that you're considering the trade off of interest accrual vs camera ownership.

    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!
  • DreadnoteDreadnote Registered Users Posts: 634 Major grins
    edited May 8, 2013
    Sorry that it has taken me so long to get back to this thread. I appreciate all of the responses and suggestions. I really do. bowdown.gif

    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-Zt4wgdd-X2.jpg

    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. thumb.gif
    Sports, Dance, Portraits, Events... www.jasonhowardking.com
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,127 moderator
    edited May 8, 2013
    So, congratulations on the new camera, ... and ..., congratulations on the new camera. clap.gif
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • DreadnoteDreadnote Registered Users Posts: 634 Major grins
    edited May 8, 2013
    ziggy53 wrote: »
    So, congratulations on the new camera, ... and ..., congratulations on the new camera. clap.gif

    Thanks a bunch! wings.gif

    I'm absolutely sure its overkill, but they are shiny. :D
    Sports, Dance, Portraits, Events... www.jasonhowardking.com
  • IcebearIcebear Registered Users Posts: 4,015 Major grins
    edited May 9, 2013
    Let us know when you find the FEC button on the D4.
    John :
    Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
    D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
  • DreadnoteDreadnote Registered Users Posts: 634 Major grins
    edited May 9, 2013
    Icebear wrote: »
    Let us know when you find the FEC button on the D4.

    You mean this little guy?

    i-bHRZNQR-X3.jpg

    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. headscratch.gif and why the hot shoe cover is so ugly. ne_nau.gif
    Sports, Dance, Portraits, Events... www.jasonhowardking.com
  • IcebearIcebear Registered Users Posts: 4,015 Major grins
    edited May 10, 2013
    OK, trick question. I believe you'll find that button only controls the flash mode. I don't think the D4 has the ability to do flash exposure compensation on the body. You have to use the controls on the flash. The reason I point that out is that you CAN do FEC on your D800 body. Personally, I like the ability to dial in some +/- flash compensation right on the body. With the D3, D3s, D4, you have to do it on your flash or Pocket Wizard.
    John :
    Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
    D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
  • DreadnoteDreadnote Registered Users Posts: 634 Major grins
    edited May 11, 2013
    Icebear wrote: »
    OK, trick question. I believe you'll find that button only controls the flash mode. I don't think the D4 has the ability to do flash exposure compensation on the body. You have to use the controls on the flash. The reason I point that out is that you CAN do FEC on your D800 body. Personally, I like the ability to dial in some +/- flash compensation right on the body. With the D3, D3s, D4, you have to do it on your flash or Pocket Wizard.

    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.

    i-6RtqfNm-XL.jpg

    i-6SgrBLq-XL.jpg
    Sports, Dance, Portraits, Events... www.jasonhowardking.com
  • TinstaflTinstafl Registered Users Posts: 355 Major grins
    edited May 11, 2013
    Congrats. My setup exactly. You will love it.
  • IcebearIcebear Registered Users Posts: 4,015 Major grins
    edited May 11, 2013
    Dreadnote wrote: »
    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.
    John :
    Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
    D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
  • DreadnoteDreadnote Registered Users Posts: 634 Major grins
    edited May 12, 2013
    Icebear wrote: »
    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.

    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. ne_nau.gif
    Sports, Dance, Portraits, Events... www.jasonhowardking.com
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,127 moderator
    edited May 12, 2013
    Dreadnote wrote: »
    ... 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. ne_nau.gif

    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.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • DreadnoteDreadnote Registered Users Posts: 634 Major grins
    edited May 12, 2013
    Cool! Thanks for the link Ziggy.
    Sports, Dance, Portraits, Events... www.jasonhowardking.com
  • studio1972studio1972 Registered Users Posts: 249 Major grins
    edited May 17, 2013
    Dreadnote wrote: »

    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. :D

    That explanation is absolute nonsense, hope you like your new gear though :)
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