Nikon Releases D4s Professional Camera

Earlier today, Nikon announced the release of their new flagship camera, the D4s, which will be available for purchase on March 6, 2014.  

Some Specifications

• 51 Autofocus points with phase detection.  
• Shoots up to 11 fps
• Native ISO of 100-25,600
• Extended ISO of 50-409600
• Full Frame CMOS Censor (36 mm × 23.9 mm)
• 16.2 Megapixels 
• Improved Time Lapse shooting.  
• 1080 HD recording @ 60 fps.
• Pentaprism Viewfinder at 100% visibility
• EN-EL18a Lithium ion battery that takes approximately 3200 shots.
• Two Compact Flash Memory Card slots.  

Thoughts

Some will be disappointed that the D4s retains the 16.2 megapixel censor from the D4 instead of the rumored 36 megapixels like the full censor D800, or even using 24 megapixels like the smaller censor in the D7100.  However, as I stated in an earlier article, outside of editors printing large photos, megapixels are not that big of a deal.  

However, the D4s has the potential to take beyond amazing pictures.  An improved native ISO and autofocus features are the biggest things going for the D4s.  For the ISO, a photographer will have an easier time getting the great shot in the dark with little noise (if any) showing on the picture.  More importantly, the autofocus for the D4s adapts to when a person or object changes distance from a camera.  A photographer can capture that exact moment when someone gets posterized on a dunk, the ball makes contact on a home run, or a car zooming by more easily.

Another plus is time lapse photography, which is awesome for scientific experiments.  Plug the camera into an outlet, get a huge memory card, and the D4s will take up to 9,999 time lapse photos.  Taking an automatic shot every ten minutes, the camera will take shots for over two months.

Conclusion

The D4s has some new features that are a great for professional photography, and I am sure the pros will appreciate the faster processor and focus, where fast timing is crucial.  That alone will be worth the upgrade.

However, for Nikon shooters looking to upgrade their DSLR camera for casual, semi-pro shooting or videography, stick with the D800 or the D7100, and use the rest (or any) of the $6,500.00 sticker price for the D4s on more lenses and accessories.