Nikon 1 J4 vs Pentax 645D Comparison

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Nikon 1 J4

18 MP | 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Pentax 645D

40 MP | Medium format (44 x 33 mm) CCD Sensor

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Nikon 1 J4 vs Pentax 645D Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon 1 J4, which was introduced in April 2014 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 18.0MP 1" sensor whereas Pentax 645D, which was introduced in March 2010 is a Pro DSLR camera with a 40.0MP Medium format sensor. As you can see, 645D is 4 years older than 1 J4. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon 1 J4 and Pentax 645D before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon 1 J4 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2014-04-10

18MP - 1" CMOS Sensor

ISO 160 - 12800

Nikon 1 Mount

3" Fixed Type Screen

60 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

1,200 fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

232g. 100 x 60 x 29 mm

Replaced Nikon 1 J3 Compare

Pentax 645D Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2010-03-10

40MP - Medium format CCD Sensor

No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter

ISO 200 - 1600 ( expands to 100)

Pentax 645AF2 Mount

3" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

1 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

1480g. 156 x 117 x 119 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Pentax 645D was replaced by Pentax 645Z. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Pentax 645Z vs Pentax 645D
Pentax 645Z vs Nikon 1 J4

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon 1 J4 and Pentax 645D compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon 1 J4 over Pentax 645D

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs None	Better connectivity
Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Max ISO	12.800 vs 1.600	700% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	171 vs 11	160 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution	1.037k dots vs 921k dots	12% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting	60.0fps vs 1.0fps	59 fps faster
Weight	232 g vs 1480 g	1248 g lighter
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080 vs None	Higher Resolution Video

Reasons to choose Pentax 645D over Nikon 1 J4

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Optical vs None	Better framing and control
Max Sensor Resolution	40 MP vs 18 MP	122% more pixels
Battery Life	800 shots vs 300 shots	500 more frames with a single charge
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs No	creative shooting
Sensor Pixel Area	36.74µm² vs 6.36µm²	477% larger pixel area
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot

Common Strengths of Nikon 1 J4 and Pentax 645D

RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Max Resolution	18 MP vs 40 MP	Bigger prints and more details

Common Weaknesses of Nikon 1 J4 and Pentax 645D

In-body Image Stabilization	No vs No	No Built-in stabilization
Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles

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Nikon 1 J4 vs Pentax 645D: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

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 Pentax 645D 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). Pentax 645D has external dimensions of 156 x 117 x 119 mm (6.14 x 4.61 x 4.69″) and weighs 1480 g (3.26 lb / 52.21 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Pentax 645D. Nikon 1 J4 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 56mm narrower, 57mm shorter and 90mm thinner than Pentax 645D.

Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Pentax 645D Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Pentax 645D.

Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Pentax 645D Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Pentax 645D.

Top View Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Pentax 645D 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 (1248g ) than the Pentax 645D 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 Pentax 645D has a Medium format 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 Pentax 645D lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

1 J4

645D

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

1 J4

645D

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of 645D, 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 Pentax 645D'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 vs Pentax 645D: Sensor Comparison

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, Pentax 645D has a 40.0MP Medium format (44 x 33 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Prime II processor.

Pentax 645D's sensor provides 22MP more than Nikon 1 J4'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.

One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Pentax 645D's sensor doesn't have an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the 1 J4 and 645D sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Pentax 645D Cameras

As seen above, Pentax 645D has a 12.5x 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.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Pentax 645D Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

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 1 J4 has an advantage over Pentax 645D. There are 13 lenses for Nikon 1 J4's Nikon 1 mount, on the other hand there are only 6 lenses for Pentax 645D's Pentax 645AF2 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 2 lenses for Pentax 645AF2 mount with IS.

Lens Type	# of Nikon 1 J4 Lenses	# of Pentax 645D Lenses
Standard Zoom	4	1
Standard Prime	2	1
Wideangle Zoom	1	1
Wideangle Prime	2	2
Telephoto Zoom	2	n/a
Telephoto Prime	n/a	n/a
SuperZoom	2	n/a
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	n/a	n/a
Macro Prime	n/a	1
Perspective Control Prime	n/a	n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime	n/a	n/a
TOTAL	13	6

What types of Photography are Nikon 1 J4 and Pentax 645D Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Nikon 1 J4 and Pentax 645D 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

POOR

Pentax 645D for Portrait Photography

GOOD

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 Medium format (44 x 33 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 40.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Pentax 645D for Street Photography

AVERAGE

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 Medium format (44 x 33 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Pentax 645D for Sports Photography

GOOD

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
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 800 shots
Good Low Light ISO
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Pentax 645D for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

232g
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
Read the details

Large Medium format (44 x 33 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1480g
Body Thickness 119mm
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Pentax 645D for Landscape Photography

GOOD

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 Medium format (44 x 33 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 40.0MP
Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 vs Pentax 645D: OUR DECISION

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 Pentax 645D, 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 Pentax 645D scores compare:

Nikon 1 J4

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #70 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #327 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Pentax 645D

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #14 out of 36 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked #287 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Pentax 645D 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 Pentax 645D.
If you are ready to compromise image quality for extra features, compactness and value, choose Nikon 1 J4

Pentax 645D vs Nikon 1 J4 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Nikon 1 J4	Pentax 645D
Brand	Nikon	Pentax
Announced	2014-04-10	2010-03-10
Body Type	Rangefinder-style mirrorless	Large SLR
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CCD
Size	1"	Medium format
Dimensions	13.2 x 8.8 mm	44 x 33 mm
Area	116.16mm²	1452.00mm²
Megapixels	18 megapixels	40 megapixels
Max Resolution	5232 x 3488	7264 x 5440
Max Native Light sensitivity	12,800 ISO	1,600 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	11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Nikon 1	Pentax 645AF2
Number of Available Lenses	13	6
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	3"	3"
Resolution	1,037k dots	921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage	n/a	98%
Viewfinder Magnification	n/a	0.85x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/4000s
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	1/125s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	60.0 fps	1.0 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	1480g
Dimensions	100 x 60 x 29mm	156 x 117 x 119mm
Battery Life	300 shots	800 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	82
DxO Color Depth	not tested	24.6
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	12.6
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	1262
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