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 D4 and Nikon D3 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D4 and Nikon D3. Nikon D4 has the same height and width with Nikon D3. On the other hand, with a thickness of 91mm, it is 3mm thicker.
Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon D4 and Nikon D3.
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Nikon D3 is 40g lighter than the Nikon D4 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.
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 both Nikon D4 and Nikon D3 have the same Full frame sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.
Weight Comparison
DSLR Cameras
Thickness Comparison
DSLR Cameras
Weather Sealing
Both D4 and D3 have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.
LCD Screen Size and Features
Nikon D4's 3.2" LCD screen is slightly larger than Nikon D3's 3" screen.
Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don\'t tilt or flip in directions.
Nikon D4 has a 16.0MP Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 3 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.
Below you can see the D4 and D3 sensor size comparison.
Nikon D4 and Nikon D3 have sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Nikon D3 has 34% larger pixel area (71.40µm2 vs 53.24µm2) compared to Nikon D4, it has larger pixel area to collect light hence potential to have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Nikon D4 and Nikon D3 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, D4 has scored 89, 8 points higher than D3.
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D4 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 D4 for Portrait Photography
Nikon D3 for Portrait Photography
Large Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Image Stabilization
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 D4 for Street Photography
Nikon D3 for Street Photography
Large Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
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 D4 for Sports Photography
Nikon D3 for Sports Photography
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: 2600 shots
Good Low Light ISO
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 11.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
Good Battery Life: 4300 shots
Good Low Light ISO
No Image Stabilization
Focus Points
Read the details
Nikon D4 for Daily Photography
Nikon D3 for Daily Photography
Large Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1340g
Body Thickness 91mm
Read the details
Large Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1300g
Body Thickness 88mm
Read the details
Nikon D4 for Landscape Photography
Nikon D3 for Landscape Photography
Large Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details
Large Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details
Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. In this case, both Nikon D4 and Nikon D3 have the same Nikon F lens mount so have 304 native lenses available. But be careful that only 223 of these lenses can cover the full frame sensors of these cameras.
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 101 lenses with Image stabilization for Nikon F mount.
| Lens Type |
# of Nikon D4 Lenses |
# of Nikon D3 Lenses |
| Standard Zoom |
33 (17 Full Frame) |
33 (17 Full Frame) |
| Standard Prime |
20 (17 Full Frame) |
20 (17 Full Frame) |
| Wideangle Zoom |
33 (17 Full Frame) |
33 (17 Full Frame) |
| Wideangle Prime |
47 (45 Full Frame) |
47 (45 Full Frame) |
| Telephoto Zoom |
53 (43 Full Frame) |
53 (43 Full Frame) |
| Telephoto Prime |
43 (42 Full Frame) |
43 (42 Full Frame) |
| SuperZoom |
30 (6 Full Frame) |
30 (6 Full Frame) |
| Wideangle Fisheye Prime |
8 (3 Full Frame) |
8 (3 Full Frame) |
| Macro Prime |
25 (22 Full Frame) |
25 (22 Full Frame) |
| Perspective Control Prime |
11 (11 Full Frame) |
11 (11 Full Frame) |
| Telephoto Mirror Prime |
1 (0 Full Frame) |
1 (0 Full Frame) |
| TOTAL |
304 (223 Full Frame) |
304 (223 Full Frame) |
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 D4 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 D4 and Nikon D3 scores compare:
Nikon D4
Ranked
#2 out of 19 in Large SLR" cameras
Ranked
#100 out of 1190 in all Cameras
Nikon D3
Ranked
#9 out of 16 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked
#238 out of 1190 in all Cameras
Nikon D4 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon D3 in all criteria except one: Portability. But the size difference between these cameras are negligible in real world so it is not a big disadvantage for Nikon D4.
| General |
Nikon D4 |
Nikon D3 |
| Brand |
Nikon |
Nikon |
| Announced |
2012-01-06 |
2008-04-18 |
| Body Type |
Large SLR" |
Large SLR |
Sensor |
|
|
| Type |
CMOS |
CMOS |
| Size |
Full frame |
Full frame |
| Dimensions |
36 x 23.9 mm |
36 x 23.9 mm |
| Area |
860.40mm2 |
860.40mm2 |
| Megapixels |
16 megapixels |
12 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
4928 x 3280 |
4256 x 2832 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
12,800 ISO |
6,400 ISO |
| Max Boosted Light Sensitivity |
204800 ISO |
25600 ISO |
| Min Native Light sensitivity |
100 ISO |
200 ISO |
| Min Boosted Light Sensitivity |
50 ISO |
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 |
51 |
n/a |
Lens |
|
|
| Manual Focus |
|
|
| Lens Mount |
Nikon F |
Nikon F |
| Number of Available Lenses |
304 |
304 |
Screen |
|
|
| Type |
Fixed type |
Fixed type |
| Size |
3.2" |
3" |
| Resolution |
921k dots |
922k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
Optical (pentaprism) |
Optical (pentaprism) |
| Viewfinder Coverage |
100% |
100% |
| Viewfinder Magnification |
0.7 |
0.7 |
Photography Features |
|
|
| Max Shutter Speed |
1/8000s |
1/8000s |
| Shutter Priority |
|
|
| Aperture Priority |
|
|
| Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
| Custom White Balance |
|
|
| Image Stabilization |
No |
No |
| Built-in Flash |
|
|
| Max Flash Sync |
1/250s |
1/250s |
| External Flash |
|
|
| Continuous Shooting |
11.0 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 |
Optional |
None |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
1340g |
1300g |
| Dimensions |
160 x 157 x 91mm |
160 x 157 x 88mm |
| Battery Life |
2600 shots |
4300 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
|
|
| GPS |
Optional |
Optional |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
| DxO Overall Score |
89 |
81 |
| DxO Color Depth |
24.7 |
23.5 |
| DxO Dynamic Range |
13.1 |
12.2 |
| DxO Low Light ISO |
2965 |
2290 |
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |