V4 Rumored Specs

[MoreorLess]

well, ok so better AF, more MP, but seriously no mention what so mention on some of the key area where Nikon 1 and the V series badly needing improvements, sensor DR at anything higher than base ISO, standard Nikon ISO compatible hot shoe, lens, UI ( can we now just do simple exposure compensation via a control dial ).

Much not really answered or rather not telling.

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- Franka -

The vast majority of leaks always tend to be focused on headline specs rather than changes in handling or indeed indepth performance like DR. The latter especially is not something Nikon would ever use to sell the camera because "better" DR would imply that current one series cameras have "worse" DR.

In terms of handling I could potentially see the logic in moving to a larger body with better handling given that the V3 will most likely remain on sale for a good while.

With the 70-300mm CX lens Nikon now actually have something that a lot of higher end users are interesting in with the one series so making a body to match that would be effective.

 

[The Menace]

I agree a little larger body would be good. My hands aren't that big and I find buttons and dials too close.

 

[rcower]

Do you know how Nikon decides about new features?
Do they gather any user feedback?

Yes. New features are decided by a small team of highly trained hungry mice. The possible features are written on small pieces of cheese and the pieces of cheese are then randomly placed on a large conference room table. The mice are released on the table and the cheese pieces they choose are what gets implemented. The order in which the mice choose the cheese determines the priority of implementing the feature.

 

[nunatak]

I agree a little larger body would be good. My hands aren't that big and I find buttons and dials too close.

ergonomics and UI will be critical to Nikon's overall N1 success. especially in western markets.

 

[nunatak]

.... If all concerns are addressed I assume a price tag of $1500, that should give some people reason to complain. Not me, I wouldn't mind paying that price for a descent camera.

any "decent" miniaturized "high performing" camera is going to cost more than a general purpose, mass market camera. if Nikon is truly disappointed with sales, they'll need to bring value to the N1 by calibrating features with price.

Nikon can immediately improve the prospect of value by introducing a few new high performing lenses which will complement gaps in the existing N1 product line.

Nikon's decided to double down on the N1, so one hopes they've taken the right message back to the drawing board.

 

[nunatak]

http://nikonrumors.com

Lookin' good.

Lookin' good?

This rumor says nothing more than there will be a camera that takes pictures.

Yeah, I am not sure what exactly the rumor says that is a revelation for the V4. 20 MP J4/V3/J5 to 22.x MP. Well big deal.

it suggests new sensor tech, and that Nikon's doubling down on their efforts to lift disappointing sales. IMO ... pretty awesome Nikon didn't just cut and run.

 

[D300SandV1shooter]

Do you know how Nikon decides about new features?
Do they gather any user feedback?

Yes. New features are decided by a small team of highly trained hungry mice. The possible features are written on small pieces of cheese and the pieces of cheese are then randomly placed on a large conference room table. The mice are released on the table and the cheese pieces they choose are what gets implemented. The order in which the mice choose the cheese determines the priority of implementing the feature.

And if the mice knock any piece of cheese off the table, the feature written on that piece has to be dropped. Unfortunate that several of the Auto-ISO values, big capacity battery etc. have been too close to the edge of the table when those ravenous mice were released.

 

[Cliff Fujii]

Well the release date looks to be around the same period as the D5. The D5 is supposed to have a new AF system so maybe the V4 and D5 will have something in common and will be marketed as complimentary..... Unlikely as we are talking about Nikon.. But...

 

[Cliff Fujii]

Yes, looks good so far.

...but will it have a built-in EVF not a removable (accessory) one and a real hot shoe for flash?

 

[Cliff Fujii]

- confirmation of the expected release window (a few months later than I anticipated, I had wondered if we'd see it announced in early October)

- confirmation of pixel count. Not that that says anything, except that it is a new sensor.

- more LCD articulation (can't say I'm super happy about this...)

Better for low angle shooting

- faster AF. (since no one complained about the AF speed on N1 cameras ever, this seems mostly for winning a spec war with Sony, Panasonic, Canon and the rest while of little practical importance.)

This is good news is Nikon was able to extend the PDAF window to lower EVs

In a meta analysis, I note that the comments so far at Nikon Rumors are fairly positive, people seem genuinely interested in how the V4 will turn out. So there's that.

And we are still in the dark about most everything else:

EVF (clip on or built in)

I was glad to see the changeable EVF. This might signal a return to the design philosophies of the old pro film cameras.

Hot shoe (Y/N)

That would be great

Size (a bit bigger this time? Built in grip?)

I like the attachable grip so that I can remove it when necessary.

Media (back to SD?)

Touchscreen? Wifi? GPS?

I would like to see standard programming on the USB port so that I can use the CamRanger with the camera. Although the V series had GPS as an option, I would like to be able to connect my GP-1a to the accessory port and use that instead of the N1 version. WiFi would be handy but I use the CamRanger so WiFi is not a big priority for me.

4K? (almost certain)

$$$

Price doesn't drive my buying decisions but DR and IQ does so I hope to see improvements there.

 

[Cliff Fujii]

Any hope of the old school hotshoe died with the V3 in my opinion. Too many proprietary 1 accessories out now.
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/76058747@N07/

I don't agree with that as long as Nikon keeps the N1 accessory port they don't obsolete any accessory. They can still add a CLS compatible hot shoe if they can find the room to mount it. It would be nice to turn the built-in flash into a CLS commander or get rid of it entirely if they have room issues.

 

[Cliff Fujii]

Of course, each to his/her own, but for me, on camera flash always leads to poor results, except for fill flash, which the built in flash should be strong enough to do.

It would be far more useful to have the built in flash able to trigger off camera flash properly.

tom

That wouldn't be to handy in photographing night parades. The built in flash is too weak to properly light of a night parade and neither can any of the N1 flashes. I find that it takes a flash at the D900 level of output to properly light up a night parade. Most of the time, the venues will prohibit the use of a light stand as being a hazard so no off camera flash. If you worked for the venue you could setup lights be clamping them to permanent fixtures but you will still need CLS to allow you to get the proper exposure. If you have a lot of experience at that venue, you can always set the power setting of the flash in advance.

 

[lizardi]

well, ok so better AF, more MP, but seriously no mention what so mention on some of the key area where Nikon 1 and the V series badly needing improvements, sensor DR at anything higher than base ISO, standard Nikon ISO compatible hot shoe, lens, UI ( can we now just do simple exposure compensation via a control dial ).

Much not really answered or rather not telling.

 

[pda4you]

Well the release date looks to be around the same period as the D5. The D5 is supposed to have a new AF system so maybe the V4 and D5 will have something in common and will be marketed as complimentary..... Unlikely as we are talking about Nikon.. But...

 

[Cliff Fujii]

Well the release date looks to be around the same period as the D5. The D5 is supposed to have a new AF system so maybe the V4 and D5 will have something in common and will be marketed as complimentary..... Unlikely as we are talking about Nikon.. But...

 

[pda4you]

Well we will have to wait until 2016 to find out.

--
Cliff

Indeed we will.

Nikon patented a camera that could be mirrored or mirrorless depending on how it was configured by the user.

Very interesting for sure - saw that but not sure how they would manage the mount flange to the focal plane/sensor. Wild stuff for sure.

I know that a lot of Nikon patents never see the light of day but this one was very interesting because it looked like it was bringing back the modularity of the Nikon Pro film cameras. The V series of N1 cameras seem to be moving to a more modular concept.

--
Cliff

If we had all the N1 glass on patent right now I would be a very happy camper. I am one, maybe of the few that gets the modular features and REALLY like the v3 that I have had the past year. I get it but know if the EVF is removable there will be a major revolt. I do wish I could use the flash and EVF a key miss.

Mike

 

[Roy Kikuta]

I missed the viewfinder from the J5. However this was about comfort. However, for image quality:
Low light ISO was one of the reasons I abandoned J5.
The other was the hit and miss with the 32mm prime on the J5, at max aperture the focus was only 50% accurate, half of my shots were focused on stupid areas.
The rest was good, like:
I loved the touchscreen to focus and shoot, the overall speed of the camera, and in general the fast autofocus with the kit lens.

So I wonder what will be improved or not in the V4, vs J4. Certainly, more megapixel or even faster autofocus won't make me return to Nikon 1, to buy one.
Better low light, more accurate autofocus for shallow DOF for portraits, a big and high res EVF would.

Do you know how Nikon decides about new features?
Do they gather any user feedback?

Never tried the J5, so I can't comment on its AF - but my issue with the V3's AF is not how fast it is (continuous AF at 20fps is more than fast enough). So with regards to NR's rumored V4 spec of "faster AF" - I would hope that it's NOT "faster", but rather that it's "more accurate". I've felt for over a year, now, that the central AF area on the V3 is too large, making it difficult to accurately focus on smaller subjects. Because the V3's AF point is (relatively) large - it tends to overlap smaller targets, thereby causing it to misfocus when backgrounds are bright, contrasty, or very budy. I would hazard a guess that any AF issues with the J5 is related. If Nikon can make the AF point(s) smaller on the V4 without sacrificing AF sensitivity in low light - that would make me a happy camper!

 

[Cliff Fujii]

Well we will have to wait until 2016 to find out.

 

[pda4you]

They wouldn't. Since the camera could be FX, there won't be much weight or size reduction unless they use PF technology. The mirrorless body could be made to use the current line of FX lenses. If the lens were retro-focus, it would be shorter and a bit lighter in a non-retro-focus configuration but not enough, I think, to cause Nikon users to demand an even newer lens mount. This is one of the issues facing Nikon as they try to navigate muddy waters towards an FX mirrorless camera. The most important thing is that the current FX lenses have to be fully compatible with the new camera body.

 

[Cliff Fujii]

They wouldn't. Since the camera could be FX, there won't be much weight or size reduction unless they use PF technology. The mirrorless body could be made to use the current line of FX lenses. If the lens were retro-focus, it would be shorter and a bit lighter in a non-retro-focus configuration but not enough, I think, to cause Nikon users to demand an even newer lens mount. This is one of the issues facing Nikon as they try to navigate muddy waters towards an FX mirrorless camera. The most important thing is that the current FX lenses have to be fully compatible with the new camera body.