Nikon D4 thoughts

The Nikon D4 is here. Because everyone and their brother has an opinion on it and because people far more capable than me have already had a chance to play with it, I'm simply going to make some comments and observations based on what I've seen and know about this camera.

Strategy. Unlike Canon, which seems to have blended their high end line into a single body, Nikon has remained true to form with the D4. It's an upgrade from the D3/s body and nothing more. It adds loads of features for sure, but does nothing to disrupt the hierarchy of bodies which Nikon loyalists have come to understand. No, Nikon will wait and do that with the upcoming D800. More on this later...

When Canon set out with the 1Dx they were looking to try and make something that suited almost everyone. They kept, and in fact, improved on the high speed shooting abilities of the 1D Mark IV, but did so for the first time with a full frame sensor as opposed to the 1.3x APS-H size sensor which was standard on their photojournalist/sports bodies for years.

They met on middle ground with the resolution for this sensor. They bumped it up from the Mark IV's 16 but dropped it down from the 1Ds Mark III's 21, and the result is 18MP. This sentence alone is proof of why so many users might just be happy with the merger - too many Marks to keep up with!

Canon also loaded the camera with twin processors and loads of new video features, etc., which you can read more about in my other post or check out the discussions online. The concept I wanted to briefly discuss was this: That Canon married the 1D and 1Ds lines to produce a hybrid of sorts that would best suite the widest spectrum of needs. It seems that for straight studio work Canon users will stick with the 5D Mark II or the upcoming Mark III upgrade.

Back to Nikon. So, Nikon's approach to the D4 was more streamlined. In fact, it was really just an upgrade to the already excellent D3 line. This is not to say that they didn't add features, but they really didn't change what the line is known for. It's more of a refining than a rebirth.

So, what's under the hood? More resolution. Those who felt they were behind the megapixel curve with a  scant 12MP now have 16 at their disposal. So, this is a larger increase in resolution than owners of the 1D Mark IV will see in the new 1Dx, but remember, the Mark IV was already at 16MP. The D3 series has had a full frame sensor, so there's no change there. Nikon's D3x will remain the megapixel leader until the D800 shows up. Again, more on this later.

The Nikon also gets a better buffer, faster frame rates, a new silent shutter mode (limited to 2MP), better AF performance especially in low light and a slightly larger screen (3.2 inches vs. 3 inches) that keeps the same resolution. The 1Dx has3.2" screen as well, but with higher resolution. There are also a few button layout tweaks that, from my perspective, seem to be improvements. Every camera get's these little tweaks. So, what, besides the almighty resolution, does the D4 get? Let's take a look.

Perhaps my favorite new feature on this camera is the illuminated buttons. I shoot in dark environments quite a bit so I can appreciate this upgrade beyond its obviously being cool. Wedding, event, sports and nature photographers are going to love this new feature. It keeps you from having to feel your way around in the dark and from memorizing everything in order to navigate your controls and menu settings. Below is a screen shot from Nikon's promotional video. Click on the image to view the YouTube clip.

PS - if you don't want a D4 yet, the video will make you want one. It shows all of the cool features while playing an Oscar-worthy score of triumph. I think they got Hans Zimmer to do it, but I digress...

Another new feature which has caught the eye of a lot of people is the new XQD memory card slot. The D4 is the world's first camera to feature this new card technology. It is smaller and more durable than current cards and the Compact Flash group says it will be the new standard. It's supposedly outstanding for video and photos because of it's read and write speeds. The camera also features a standard CF slot, so you're not forced into any new tech right out of the gate. Bummer: the double CF card slots were awesome. New owners will not have the luxury of using two of the same storage type like before. It would have been cool if they could have crammed twin CF slots and a new QXD in there, but oh well. You'll lose the ability to double up on your current "film stock" but you'll get the luxury of newer, faster tech if you opt for the new cards which are, thankfully, not significantly more expensive than their current CF counterparts.

The next feature, better ISO performance? I end that statement with a question mark because until we have the ability to compare the results with other models, we have to trust what Nikon says about its sensor. The D3s became a legend because of it's lowlight abilities. Early estimates by Nikon are that the D4 is approximately a stop better in the noise category than the D3s, which, if true, is a significant feat. Why? Well, consider it. Sure, having images at ISO 12,800 out of the D4 that are as clean at shots at ISO 6,400 from the D3s is stellar. But couple that with the bump in resolution and the stop better lowlight AF specs and you've got a real weapon on your hands. We should be seeing some test results within a few weeks, but wait until the Olympics to get a real look at how this stuff excels - or doesn't. The Olympics is an extraordinary testing ground for new state-of-the-art optics and bodies and this year's gathering could prove crucial for both the D4 and 1Dx.

Finally, we have video. The D3s had it, but many hardcore videographers would argue about the genuineness of that statement. It was 720p with full-time manual focus and that's about it. The D4 could be a cinematographer's dream. It's got full HD support with the option for direct output of uncompressed HD footage which is both impressive and problematic. The number of hard drives you'd need to store the footage could require a bigger financial sacrifice than the camera itself, but hey, the feature's there if you need it. Combine the stellar lowlight performance with Nikon's legendary optics and you'll get some astounding video quality. They've also integrated a headphone jack and options for microphone inputs which makes it perhaps the most video ready DSLR out there. However, Canon's new cinema line of bodies shows its dedication to the video industry. I don't see Nikon sharing this path, but the new D4 will easily be the go-to body for production companies who want to best video features Nikon has to offer.

Many users consider video rather out of place in the DSLR, but I disagree. Visual artists - i.e. 98 percent or more of the D4 buyers, etc. - usually welcome this feature. Not because they plan on making feature films or documentaries, but because they can. No one who is in the market for a home video camera is really going to buy the D4. Why? because it's $6000 and you still need storage cards and lenses! It will, however, appeal to documentary groups, wildlife production teams as well as wedding and sports crews. Sure, far less expensive cameras can rock HD video, but with this level of quality, lowlight performance and feature set - it's really in a league of its own. This camera is clearly aimed at the hardcore professional photographer and videographer or the combination of the two. It's also aimed at people who want the latest and greatest and have deep pockets. Nikon will sell this to anyone with a valid credit card.

Worst new feature: battery. The battery life is rated significantly lower than the battery life on the D3s, by more than 1,000 shots! Real world testing is pending, but the estimates are crappy. You'll wanna carry more batteries and, oh yah, they're more expensive. You didn't expect it to be perfect did you? Ha. I suppose it has something to do with environmental standards or something, but I'm for more landfills if I can shoot a few hours longer. I'm kidding - mostly.

So, is it cool? You bet. Do I want one? Of course. Will I get one? Not on my own dime. If the university where I work puts a new budget into play, then I will get this camera. It will be the absolute best solution for what my job requires. I do quite a bit of video production in addition to lowlight sports action, event coverage and studio work. It has excellent resolution for the promotional stuff and just might be the world's best all-in-one system. The 1Dx will certainly be a contender as well.

So, personally, I love the idea of this camera and will be anxious to see how it works in the real world. If I get my hands on one I will do a post about it without question. If I hit the lottery I don't play or inherit a load of cash from my middle income family members, then I might splurge. However, for my personal work the D3s and trusty D700 are still excellent weapons. Though the D4 is theoretically the best solution, it will not change my work in a significant enough way - at least at the moment - for me to go hog wild with the credit cards. I'll update some lenses instead and call it a year. Maybe I'll grab a used one in a few years or get the new D5 in 2017.

Now, about that "Nikon will screw up the hierarchy/functionality comment"... Well, though Nikon left the D3 series alone, it just might have stirred the pot with the next tier down - the D700. The D700 is a brilliant camera. It shares a sensor with the D3 which is a good thing. The D700 was Nikon's first full frame body for enthusiasts and was setup, it would seem to offset the Canon 5D series. However, Nikon through a wrench in that thinking and ultimately produced a unique body that really didn't have any major competition. The D700 offered a respectable 12MP full frame sensor, had excellent lowlight performance for it's class, good build quality and with the optional grip and higher end battery could kick out 8fps! It was sort of like a poor man's D3. Canon's 5D trumped the D700 in the resolution category, but couldn't hold a candle to it with regard to build quality, shooting speed or lowlight ability - at least in the Mark I. And Nikon users ate it up. 

So, how did Nikon screw this great thing up? Well, if the rumors hold true, they've essentially killed this category of camera to focus more on a head to head with the Canon 5D. It seems that this class of camera is now all about resolution and video than lowlight and high speed. Early estimates are that the D800 will be around 36MP - which is insane - but will slouch in the frames per second arena and undoubtedly in the lowlight area. There's really too many photo sites that are just too small to make super lowlight all that great, but I could be wrong. I figure clean to maybe 3,200, but not by D3s or D4 standards. No one will wanna shoot it it over that is my prediction. Think studio not sports.

So, my guess is Nikon will convert the D700 to a 5D alternate in the D800. Then, maybe, they'll pick the slack back up with the D400. IF the D400 can be what we all wanted the D800 to be, a budget-friendly high-speed, lowlight performer, then that would be just swell. But it needs to gain the FX sensor to do that. If the D400 is just a D300s upgrade, then we will lose that magical D700 window and it will simply be a 7D combatant.  The D700 legend will fade into oblivion. 

But maybe the D4, D800 and D400 will make us forget all about it. Maybe the D800 will do what the 5D series is looking to do at Canon and that is whip the ridiculously priced D3x line out of business. Canon quit selling 1Ds bodies when the 5D Mark II came out. People realized they got the same performance for half the price. Maybe the "X" is done at Nikon and now popular at Canon. I don't know. But $8,000 for the D3x is stupid and has been from the onset. If the D800 manages somehow to replace the X series then perhaps it will become a legend in its own way.

We'll see what Nikon does with the D800. I'm guessing it'll be announced in February. I'd love to see the D400 along with it just to clean up the aging lines - but they'll make us wait.

Until next time, be safe and happy shooting.

Putting your skills to good use

I should clarify the title of this article. I'm not in any way suggesting that photographers and graphic designers don't put their talents to good use every day in the workplace. I simply want to discuss using your talents to help others and doing so on a volunteer basis.

Many photographers are familiar with Help Portrait and similar efforts, but you can use your talents in other ways as well. I often volunteer to shoot and design for local non-profit organizations. I recently designed a few banners for a local Cub Scout pack for their holiday parade float and shoot images for my local church regularly.

Recently, a student-athlete at the university were I work asked me to help with a poster design for an upcoming mission trip. She needs to raise more than $15,000 to sponsor 11 months of work in 11 countries on her World Race. She really just wanted a decent photo and some text next to it so she'd have something to get peoples' attention. Being a person that's either full speed or stop, I couldn't let it just be a boring image. My opinion was simple: even if people don't like the concept, they won't be able to say that no effort was put into it. And away I ran with the idea.

The concept was to mimic the film Book of Eli. I won't spoil the film if you haven't seen it, but the premiss is that a man has been called by God to travel across the American wasteland (post nuclear war) to fulfill a specific mission. Nesya, the student taking the trip, will do much of the same. She will spend nearly a year visiting impoverished countries and communities and working with a variety of people groups on countless aid projects and in teaching ministries. She'll be living out of a backpack the entire time. Again, if you've seen the film, this was a perfect fit for a theme.

Step one was to conceptualize the final piece and how it would be used. We decided that it would be good to have some business cards with her information to send out in letters and to hand out to people she may happen on by chance. We also wanted to make 11x17 posters to present some of the basic information and encourage viewers to find out more about the work.

The concept was an open desert - were much of the Book of Eli film takes place. I didn't have any good images of the desert, despite living in Arizona for several years so, I resorted to stock images which I purchased, retouched and composited. Here are the two images that we decided on:

The above images was chosen as the major background piece. Even the sky would work perfectly for the look we were after, especially after a few tweaks in Photoshop.

The image above would be used for the road only. I had to alter the perspective to work with the horizon line in the top photo and it required lengthening and tapering to gain a vanishing point.

Here is what the background looked like after some composite work in Photoshop.

The film is shot in desaturated tones to convey the drab and desolate world that remains. So, I punched up the drama in the sky, desaturated the setting and boosted the contrast.

Next we had to shoot Nesya. In the film, Mila Kunis' character is dressed in clothing that remains. She has a plaid long sleeve shirt, vest, hip pouch and aviators. At the end of the film, she carries a backpack and inserts a pair of Dr. Dre Beats headphones as she begins her journey. So, we echoed this the best we could with what we had.

I photographed her in the parking lot outside my office so that I could use the sun as a hair light and so I'd have plenty of ambient. I ended up shooting at ISO 400 at 1/200th at f/11 or so, though I did make some changes depending on the pose. I photographed her looking in various directions. We'd check them on the background later and decide which image we felt worked best.

Here is the selected image right out of the camera.

I did a poor job of keeping her in front of the original background which was a light colored building in the distance. We had no clear view of the sky from an angle that would work for the point of view, so we just, well, winged it.

I lit her with a single Alien Bees 800 strobe shot through a 51" translucent PLM umbrella with the Spill Kill fabric installed on the back so, it was basically a brolly box. This threw a broad, but diffused light and the Kill fabric allowed maximum efficiency by forcing all light through the front of the umbrella face. I set it to just under 1/4 power to fill the unlit portion of her face. You can see the reflection in her sunglasses. The PLM was approximately 5 feet off the ground and 5 feet away and powered with a Paul C. Buff Vagabond pack.

The final lighting setup is shown below and is a classic cross-light setup using the sun as the hair light.

After we had the shot, I removed her form the background, removed the light reflection from the sunglasses, did very minor retouching to the skin and then added some contrast and desaturation work to echo the background environment.

Once she was added to the frame it was simply a matter of adding a shadow to the ground behind her, bringing in some gradients to allow the text to stand out and placing the text in the appropriate areas. Here is the final composite.

I hope you found this breakdown helpful, but more importantly, I hope you take away the principle of helping others with your craft. There's no harm in charging for your services, but donating your time is hugely rewarding to those you help, and perhaps more so, for you individually.

Until next time, be safe and happy shooting.