Nikon Launches New Flagship DSLR

2012.01.06

Today Nikon announced the long anticipated successor of the legendary D3. The new Nikon D4 is built around a 16 megapixels full-frame CMOS sensor capable of an unprecedented ISO 204,800! It can shoot continuous at 11 FPS with Autofocus locked on the first frame or 10 FPS with continuous autofocus from its 51-point Phase-Detect AF system. There is also an all new 3D Matrix metering sensor which measures 91,000 pixels to evaluate the scene.

The D4 is dubbed a multimedia DSLR and brings video capabilites not seen among any other digital camera on the market. Full 1080p HD video capture is supported with manual controls and stereo sound input. Additionally a headphone output jack is provided to monitor recorded audio. While the D4 saves video in Quicktime files with the H.264 codec it can output full uncompressed HD video to HDMI in realtime, allowing an external recording device to record each frame with perfect clarity.

The D4 features all functions expected from a top-of-the-line DSLR including full manual controls, custom white-balance with 4 memories, 4 kinds of bracketing, timelapse capture and playback, mirror lock up (MLU) and a large 100% coverage viewfinder. Being a large full-frame DSLR, this one has dual control-dials and joysticks on both its horizontal and vertical grip.

The Nikon D4 is the first camera to support XQD memory while also supporting Compact Flash Type I cards. This new type of memory promises much faster transfer rates and capacities exceeded 2 TB. There is also an Ethernet port to offload images. In order to work better in the dark, the D4 features illuminated buttons and 2 backlit status displays.

Along side the D4, Nikon introduced a Nikkor AF-S 85mm F/1.8G lens, suitable for portraits and closeups with a full-frame camera. This one has a built-in internal supersonic autofocus motor and full-time manual focus ring. This lens ships next month for a moderate $499 USD.

The Nikon D4 is also scheduled to be available at the end of next month but for the price of $6000 USD. Adorama is already accepting pre-orders and will not charge your card until the D4 is shipped to you.

• Digital Camera