Many current D4 owners might be wondering how their cameras compare to the newly announced Nikon D4s. In this comparison article, I will provide information about both cameras, along with my analysis of the main differences. I do not yet have a review sample of the Nikon D4s to do more in-depth side-by-side comparisons, so I decided to write about differences in specifications between the two. More details about the D4s will be published in my upcoming Nikon D4s review.
First, let’s talk about differences in camera body design.
Nikon D4s vs D4 Camera Body Design Comparison
While most of the camera design stayed the same, Nikon has made a few minor changes to the Nikon D4s. The front of the camera stayed pretty much the same, except for the grip. Per Nikon, the grip is now slightly redesigned to fit larger hands for more comfort. The back of the camera looks mostly the same, except for two changes – the memory card door is now shaped slightly differently on the top and the surface of the two smaller joysticks (for vertical and horizontal grip) has been redesigned for more comfort. I personally don’t care for the door, but the joystick change is a great improvement in my opinion, since that was one thing that I did not like on the D4. Here is the comparison of the back of the two cameras (Left: Nikon D4s, Right: Nikon D4):
Aside from these changes, I do not see any major body changes worth talking about, so let’s move on to differences in camera specifications. The below specifications comparison only shows differences between the two cameras – identical information has been intentionally removed.
Nikon D4s vs D4 Specification Comparison
| Camera Feature | Nikon D4s | Nikon D4 |
|---|---|---|
| Image Processing Engine | EXPEED 4 | EXPEED 3 |
| Native ISO Sensitivity | ISO 100-25,600 | ISO 100-12,800 |
| Boosted ISO Sensitivity | ISO 50, ISO 51,200-409,600 | ISO 100, ISO 25,600-204,800 |
| RAW SIZE S | Yes | No |
| Advanced Scene Recognition System | Yes, Group Area AF added | Yes |
| Face Priority analysis for viewfinder shooting | On/Off possible with custom setting | Always On |
| Spot White Balance when using Live View | Yes | No |
| Preset White Balance | 1-6 possible | 1-3 possible |
| Frame Advance Rate | 11 fps with AF/AE | 10 fps with AF/AE |
| Group Area AF | Yes, 5 AF Sensors | No |
| Video Recording | 1920×1080 @ 60/50/30/25/24p | 1920×1080 @ 30/25/24p |
| Wired LAN | 1000 Base T Support | 100 Base T Support |
| Buffer Capacity | 200 JPEG Fine L 133 12-bit lossless compressed RAW 176 12-bit compressed RAW 104 14-bit compressed RAW | 170 JPEG Fine L 92 12-bit lossless compressed RAW 92 12-bit compressed RAW 76 14-bit compressed RAW |
| Change Focus point size in Live View Movie | Yes | No |
| Fine Tune LCD Color | Yes | No |
| Full aperture metering during Live View for stills | Yes | No |
| Interval timer / Time lapse movie | Up to 9999 shots | Up to 999 shots |
| Battery | EN-EL18a | EN-EL18 |
| Time-lapse Interval Timers Exposure Smoothening | Yes | No |
| Weight (Body Only) | 1,240g | 1,180g |
| MSRP Price | $6,499 | $5,999 |
Aside from a faster processor, faster fps, superior ISO performance (with the native ISO increasing in 1 full stop to ISO 25,600) and a few minor features and tweaks here and there, we do not see major changes between the two cameras. Although it is expected to be a smaller periodic upgrade, I was expecting to see more for the $500 price difference. At this point, it is hard to say how the two will stack up in noise performance – we will leave that to later time, when I receive the D4s for testing.