Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs.
In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon 1 J4 has external dimensions of 100 x 60 x 29 mm (3.92 x 2.36 x 1.12″) and weighs 232 g (0.51 lb / 8.18 oz) (including batteries). Nikon D3 has external dimensions of 160 x 157 x 88 mm (6.3 x 6.18 x 3.46″) and weighs 1300 g (2.87 lb / 45.86 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3. Nikon 1 J4 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 60mm narrower, 97mm shorter and 59mm thinner than Nikon D3.
Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3.
Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3 Size and Weight - Back View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3.
Top View Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3 Size
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Nikon 1 J4 is significantly lighter (1068g ) than the Nikon D3 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.
Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Nikon D3 has a Full frame sensor and Nikon 1 J4 has a smaller 1" sensor, Nikon 1 J4's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Nikon D3 lenses.
Weight Comparison
DSLR Cameras
Thickness Comparison
DSLR Cameras
Weather Sealing
Thanks to the weather sealed body of D3, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to 1 J4.
LCD Screen Size and Features
Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".
Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Nikon 1 J4 has a 18.0MP 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor. On the other hand, Nikon D3 has a 12.0MP Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor.
Nikon 1 J4's sensor provides 6MP more than Nikon D3's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the 1 J4 and D3 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3 Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D3 has a 7.4x Larger sensor area than Nikon 1 J4. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Nikon D3 has an advantage over Nikon 1 J4 There are 309 lenses for Nikon D3's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 13 lenses for Nikon 1 J4's Nikon 1 lens mount.
Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 7 lenses for Nikon 1 mount and 106 lenses for Nikon F mount with IS.
Lens Type |
# of Nikon 1 J4 Lenses |
# of Nikon D3 Lenses |
Standard Zoom |
4 |
33 (17 Full Frame) |
Standard Prime |
2 |
21 (18 Full Frame) |
Wideangle Zoom |
1 |
33 (17 Full Frame) |
Wideangle Prime |
2 |
48 (46 Full Frame) |
Telephoto Zoom |
2 |
53 (43 Full Frame) |
Telephoto Prime |
n/a |
45 (44 Full Frame) |
SuperZoom |
2 |
30 (6 Full Frame) |
Wideangle Fisheye Prime |
n/a |
8 (3 Full Frame) |
Macro Prime |
n/a |
26 (23 Full Frame) |
Perspective Control Prime |
n/a |
11 (11 Full Frame) |
Telephoto Mirror Prime |
n/a |
1 (0 Full Frame) |
TOTAL |
13 |
309 (228 Full Frame) |
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.
Nikon 1 J4 for Portrait Photography
Nikon D3 for Portrait Photography
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Nikon 1 J4 for Street Photography
Nikon D3 for Street Photography
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details
Nikon 1 J4 for Sports Photography
Nikon D3 for Sports Photography
Fast Continuous Shooting: 60.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
105 Cross Type Focus sensors
171 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 11.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
15 Cross Type Focus sensors
51 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 4300 shots
Good Low Light ISO
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Nikon 1 J4 for Daily Photography
Nikon D3 for Daily Photography
Large Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1300g
Body Thickness 88mm
Read the details
Nikon 1 J4 for Landscape Photography
Nikon D3 for Landscape Photography
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details
You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3, below you can find their scores in five different aspects.
Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.
Here is a summary of how Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3 scores compare:
Nikon 1 J4
Ranked
#70 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#327 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Nikon D3
Ranked
#13 out of 36 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked
#266 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Nikon D3 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon 1 J4 mainly because of its huge advantage in Image quality. In all other areas, Nikon 1 J4 excels. It is a tough choice!
If image quality is your priority, get the Nikon D3.
If you are ready to compromise image quality for extra features, compactness and value, choose Nikon 1 J4
General |
Nikon 1 J4 |
Nikon D3 |
Brand |
Nikon |
Nikon |
Announced |
2014-04-10 |
2008-04-18 |
Body Type |
Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Large SLR |
Sensor |
|
|
Type |
CMOS |
CMOS |
Size |
1" |
Full frame |
Dimensions |
13.2 x 8.8 mm |
36 x 23.9 mm |
Area |
116.16mm2 |
860.40mm2 |
Megapixels |
18 megapixels |
12 megapixels |
Max Resolution |
5232 x 3488 |
4256 x 2832 |
Max Native Light sensitivity |
12,800 ISO |
6,400 ISO |
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity |
- |
25600 ISO |
Min Native Light sensitivity |
160 ISO |
200 ISO |
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity |
- |
100 ISO |
RAW Support |
|
|
Autofocus |
|
|
AF Touch |
|
|
AF Continuous |
|
|
AF Single |
|
|
AF Tracking |
|
|
AF Selective |
|
|
AF Center |
|
|
AF Multi Area |
|
|
AF Live View |
|
|
AF Face Detection |
|
|
AF Contrast Detection |
|
|
AF Phase Detection |
|
|
Number of Focus Points |
171 |
51 |
Lens |
|
|
Manual Focus |
|
|
Lens Mount |
Nikon 1 |
Nikon F |
Number of Available Lenses |
13 |
309 |
Screen |
|
|
Type |
Fixed type |
Fixed type |
Size |
3" |
3" |
Resolution |
1,037k dots |
922k dots |
Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
Viewfinder |
None |
Optical (pentaprism) |
Viewfinder Coverage |
n/a |
100% |
Viewfinder Magnification |
n/a |
0.7x |
Photography Features |
|
|
Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/4000s |
1/8000s |
Max Electronic Shutter |
1/16000s |
n/a |
Shutter Priority |
|
|
Aperture Priority |
|
|
Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
Custom White Balance |
|
|
Image Stabilization |
No |
No |
Built-in Flash |
|
|
Flash Range |
5.00 m (ISO 100) |
no built-in flash |
Max Flash Sync |
n/a |
1/250s |
External Flash |
|
|
Continuous Shooting |
60.0 fps |
11.0 fps |
Multi-Segment |
|
|
Average |
|
|
Spot |
|
|
Partial |
|
|
AF-Area |
|
|
Center Weighted |
|
|
AE Bracketing |
|
|
WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
Max Video Resolution |
1920 x 1080 |
None |
Video Formats |
MPEG-4, H.264 |
n/a |
Microphone Port |
|
|
Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
Wireless Connectivity |
Built-In |
None |
HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
Environmental Sealing |
|
|
Weight |
232g |
1300g |
Dimensions |
100 x 60 x 29mm |
160 x 157 x 88mm |
Battery Life |
300 shots |
4300 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
Timelapse Recording |
|
|
GPS |
None |
Optional |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
DxO Overall Score |
not tested |
81 |
DxO Color Depth |
not tested |
23.5 |
DxO Dynamic Range |
not tested |
12.2 |
DxO Low Light ISO |
not tested |
2290 |
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |