Nikon D4s

Golf007sd

N-Photo Lab test of the D4s.

TaoTeJared

Watching that video brings me back to the same drum that I keep beating - DXOs tests have some major issues that the new sensors are starting to have enough gap in the visual performance vs tested that they are showing better. I know some have a blind commitment to believing that DXO does no wrong but results are becoming more and more clear to my eye.

Fritz

It may be true that DXO's testing procedures are less adequate than they were at one point but it still leaves us with the problem how to objectively compare camera to camera and lens to lens. Isn't this the best we have at the moment? And based on what I see so far, the D4s isn't far enough ahead of my D4 to justify a change. How would I determine that without DXO given that photo to photo comparisons have so many variables?

Golf007sd

Photobug

Very impressive video. Very few out of focus shots. Very nice for 11 fps. Bet we see the group area AF in the D810.

OnTheRopes

My D4s arrives today. If I had a D4 I doubt I would upgrade right now at least without compelling evidence on improvements. But as a companion to my D800 it is going to rock. I will be trying this out over the next few days and that Jared video is very encouraging on the new group AF, I miss a lot of shots with the D800 for wildlife.

Fritz

OnThe Ropes: I know it will be a great camera for you and I will be very interested in your impressions of the group AF.

OnTheRopes

Hi Fritz
If the postman hurries up I will be hoping to try it out over the next couple of days if I can get the right subject to try out the group AF

Golf007sd

Nikon D4s and Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 field test.

OnTheRopes

Fritz
I went out for the first time with the D4S yesterday evening with the intention of looking at High ISO and Group AF.
Now I am not a technical person but my experience with GRP was underwelming though I can see I was not using it in the right situation. If my understanding is correct then the 4 focus points which are arranged in a diamond have equal weighting, which will be fine for a BIF against a blue sky for example as any wandering off and a point will pick it up. The trouble with a static shot, which I ended up shooting some hares is then you tend to put the centre on the eye, and of course having no centre then GRP can pick whichever it fancies (the most contrasty I assume).
I did try it on BIF but I was a bit caught out and missed focus on most shots as the bird was flying across the frame. I think this will work best for shots where the subject is coming towards you as in Jareds video posted by Golf above. Of course I may be telling you all how to suck eggs here.

OK so after the sun dissapeared behind a dark cloud just before sunset I started upping the ISO to keep shutter at around 1/1000th and these 3 shots below are all at 10,000

In conclusion I would say that at 10000 ISO the image is quite usable when downsized.

The three following photos are all converted to DNG and the JPEG with CS6

1) 100% crop no processing except native LR noise reduction
2) 100% crop with moderate Denoise 5 applied
3) Image downsized to 50%, no noise reduction except native LR

Not sure if this info is any use to anybody, make of it what you will.

10000 ISO no noise reduction

10000 ISO NR applied

10000 no noise reduction downsized 50%

donaldejose

http://www.moosepeterson.com/blog/2014/03/08/d4s-1st-field-shoot/

Fritz

Gee, I wonder if Moose Peterson has any corporate sponsorship? I agree the 4s is improved beyond the 4 cut I have the feeling that the improvement isn't the major leap that the 3s was over the D3. I wonder what we will see with the D5 in two years. Kind of fun to dream.

donaldejose

I was glad to see he liked it so much. Others seem to say it isn't much of an improvement. But maybe the group area auto focus is a very significant improvement for a wildlife photographer.

PB_PM

Gee, I wonder if Moose Peterson has any corporate sponsorship?

He is one of Nikon's brand ambassadors, so yeah he does have corporate sponsorship.

Golf007sd

Nikon D4s and Nikkor 800mm f/5.6 for Bird Photography thanks to John Sherman @ Photographylife.com

TaoTeJared

@OnTheRopes - ISO 10,000?!? Holy Bejesus! Thanks for posting those. That is just nuts.

Msmoto

Let's not forget the D4 can do ISO 10,000 (No noise reduction)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fantinesfotos/7091167431/in/set-72157630044833773

Or 18,000
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fantinesfotos/7029473223/in/set-72157630044833773

Heck, a D90 at 6400 ISO, no noise reduction:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fantinesfotos/6710201353/in/set-72157628685718545/

OnTheRopes

@Msmoto Indeed and the D4 is of course a great low light camera. The jury is still out on the D4s on whether there is any improvement in low light performance. If I had a D4 I would as yet see no strong reason to upgrade. My examples are for interest rather than to prove anything as I am not a techy person and have never owned a D4 to compare with.

I would like to see identical shots with D4 and D4s in low light at high ISO at 100%. Something I have not seen yet.

All I have seen is high ISO comparisons on this site in good light and Moose Petersons D4s shots which at ISO3200 were hardly ground breaking

Msmoto

I think where the big difference might show up is in the noise above 6400. I pointed out somewhere, the D4 simply cannot go above its max of 204,800 http://forum.nikonrumors.com/discussion/2222/nikon-d4s/p5

From a D3, I think it would be a go to the D4s. But, D3s or D4, not all that much for those of us who have no job…LOL

I am waiting for a high performance mirrorless and Nikon is working on this I believe.

Fritz

As I am sure other folks have mentioned, a real improvement between 3200 and 6400 in terms of resolution and noise suppression would have real world significance, an improvement up to 128000 we could all learn to love; but anything above that would have very rare application in normal photography, so who really cares? I mean this all begins to seem like sales hype after a certain point. As to AF lock-on and tracking, my D4 has been fooled more times than I care to think about so I've gone back to center locking the focus point and panning- even aircraft in flight. Now if group AF really works, that would be a big improvement.

PB_PM

The folks over a Photography Life seem to disagree that there is a real improvement, below 12800.

Article at Photography Life

Golf007sd

rbrylawski

Popular Photography shows JPEG unprocessed D4S shots at an astounding ISO 409,600. Sure, they're 'uber' noisy, but still, 409,600?

http://www.popphoto.com/gear/2014/03/nikon-d4s-dslr-what-iso-409600-looks?cmpid=enews032014&spPodID=020&spMailingID=6263293&spUserID=MTc1NzgwNjc4NzQS1&spJobID=402059976&spReportId=NDAyMDU5OTc2S0

NSXTypeR

No joke, ISO 409,600 looks like what my D40 could do at H1, which was 3200.

You FX guys are so spoiled.

Golf007sd