Nikon D4S vs Nikon D5
Every published spec side by side, with today's lowest prices for the market you've chosen.
Key differences
- Announced: Jan 2016 on the D5, against Feb 2014 on the D4S.
- Resolution: 20.8 MP on the D5, against 16.2 MP on the D4S.
- Native ISO: 100–102,400 on the D5, against 100–25,600 on the D4S.
- Burst (mechanical): 14 fps on the D5, against 11 fps on the D4S.
- Max resolution: 4K on the D5, against 1080p on the D4S.
- Rear screen: 3.2", 2.36M dots on the D5, against 3.2", 0.92M dots on the D4S.
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price today | Not priced in US yet | $3,999 new |
| Overview | ||
| Type | DSLR | DSLR |
| Announced | Feb 2014 | Jan 2016 (best) |
| US launch priceUS list price when announced, body only. Today's prices are in the offers table. | $6,499.95 | $6,499.95 |
| Lens | Interchangeable | Interchangeable |
| Sensor & image | ||
| Sensor size | Full frame | Full frame |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Resolution | 16.2 MP | 20.8 MP (best) |
| Native ISO | 100–25,600 | 100–102,400 (best) |
| In-body stabilisation | No | No |
| Speed & autofocus | ||
| Burst (mechanical) | 11 fps | 14 fps (best) |
| Burst (electronic) | — | — |
| Fastest shutter (mech.) | 1/8,000s | 1/8,000s |
| Fastest shutter (elec.) | — | — |
| AF pointsMakers count points differently, so this is not ranked. | 51 | 153 |
| Subject detectionMakers group subjects differently (Canon's "animal" includes birds), so only having it is ranked. | Human | Human |
| Video | ||
| Max resolution | 1080p | 4K (best) |
| 4K frame rate | — | 30p |
| 10-bit internal | No | No |
| Internal raw video | No | No |
| Mic input | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder & screen | ||
| Viewfinder | Optical | Optical |
| Rear screen | 3.2", 0.92M dots | 3.2", 2.36M dots (best) |
| Screen articulation | Fixed | Fixed |
| Touchscreen | No | Yes (best) |
| Body & battery | ||
| Weight (with battery) | 1,350 g (best) | 1,405 g |
| Dimensions (W×H×D) | 160 × 156.5 × 90.5 mm | 160 × 158.5 × 92 mm |
| Weather sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Battery (CIPA shots) | — | — |
| Card slots | 2 · XQD + CF | 2 · XQD + XQD (or CF + CF version) |
| USB-C | No | No |
| Built-in flash | No | No |
| Wi-Fi / Bluetooth | None | None |
Green marks the better figure where “better” is unambiguous. A dash means the maker doesn't publish it or we haven't verified it yet.
Low light & noise
D4S
7.3 µm pixels
16.2 MP on a full frame sensor, ISO up to 25,600
D5
6.4 µm pixels
20.8 MP on a full frame sensor, ISO up to 102,400
Bigger pixels gather more light each, so they tend to show less noise at high ISO, but sensor design matters as much. For real noise at ISO 6400, these sites measure it:
- Photons to Photos: dynamic range vs ISO ↗Photographic dynamic range measured at every ISO, bodies on one chart
- Photons to Photos: noise vs ISO ↗Read noise at every ISO from lab tests: lower is cleaner in the shadows
- DPReview studio scene ↗The same scene shot by each camera at the ISO you pick, side by side
- DPReview reviews ↗Full reviews with high-ISO samples
- Low-light video tests ↗Real-world high-ISO footage on YouTube
Size, to scale
Front (width × height)
Top (width × depth)