Nikon D4S Makes Debut at WPPI Show in Las Vegas (PHOTOS)

The WPPI trade show opened in Las Vegas today and crowds quickly mobbed the Nikon booth where the company was showing off its brand new 16.2-megapixel, full-frame D4S.

The D4S, which features an expanded ISO range that goes all the way to ISO 409,600 and an 11 frames per second burst speed, was officially announced last month but the WPPI show is the first time a working version of the camera has been shown in public in the U.S. (The Nikon D4S first premiered, under glass, at the CES show in Las Vegas in January, but that was not a working model.)

I got a few minutes to play with a working, prototype of the D4S at the Nikon booth but that was all. Nikon reps at the show had to create an impromptu waiting list for eager WPPI attendees to touch and try the new flagship Nikon DSLR.

My first impressions of the Nikon D4S? The sucker is fast, very fast. While the bump up from 10fps to 11fps (with full autofocus and auto exposure) seems minor, in use at the Nikon booth, it was impressive. Sports photographers are the obvious market for the D4S, but its ability to fire off these rapid fire bursts could come in handy for wedding photographers trying to capture crucial moments during a couple’s “big day.”

The build of the camera is very similar to its predecessor, the Nikon D4, but with some minor changes. The Nikon D4S’ grip has changed slightly, and it felt a bit easier to hold and was more ergonomic than the previous model, but nothing drastic. The thumb bump on back of the camera has also been tweaked, and the D4S was easier to shoot with vertically.

The knobs on the camera also felt easier to adjust and more durable, but like everything else on the D4S, the updates are somewhat minor. You can read more about the new D4S at our sister site, PDN.

You can also see some sample photos shot with the Nikon D4S here.