Nikon D4S review – Build and handling
There is very little in their appearance to tell the D4 and D4S apart; a glance at the designation is the only obvious identifier. If you look a little more closely, however, you’ll notice some tiny modifications. For example, the contours of the grip have been altered slightly, making the hefty 1,350g DSLR a little more comfortable to hold.
There have also been some minor modifications to the buttons of the D4S. The rear joystick controls now have a textured finish, as opposed to the raised crowns on the D4. Nikon says that the tiny changes have been made based on feedback from photographers, and although they are small, they should make it easier to operate the camera when wearing gloves.
As you would expect from Nikon’s flagship DSLR, the D4S is manufactured from magnesium alloy and has a fully weather-sealed body, so professional photographers can feel confident using the camera whatever the conditions.
Although the myriad buttons adorning the camera body may appear perplexing at first, the D4S is actually quite straightforward to use. All the main functions have a dedicated button or control, and the small rear and top-plate LCD panels mean that all the settings currently in use are displayed – there is no need to delve deep into the menu system to find them. Every setting you might wish to change while out shooting can be easily adjusted.
That is not to say that the D4S is a simple machine. The menu system has a huge number of features that can be set to your individual taste, and most professionals buying the D4S will no doubt head straight to the camera’s autofocus settings to tailor them to their requirements.
