Announced in early January, it seems that the 5000 units, per month, manufacturing statistic may just have been just a few cameras too short, in terms of supply and demand. Orders apparently have superseded those estimated monthly figure predictions.
Fact or fiction? We can only speculate.
Soon after the press release, announcing the game changing professional DSLR, Nikon stated that the D4 would ship around February 16th, 2012. Come February, predictions changed and the new estimated time for its arrival was pushed back one month. Not long thereafter, March arrived and Nikonians worldwide were blindsided by another announcement stating the groundbreaking camera would arrive, at the earliest, in April.
more after the jump...
The vibe of the online forums was uneasy. Photographers worldwide were getting their Cheerios peed on at a fast rate. They were responding with divine anger and frustration. It was a gigantic online communal catharsis. I cannot say that I would disagree with the community as a whole. I ordered the new piece of gear back in mid January and getting kicked in the nether region with bad news, over and over, gets old and fast.
Eventually, I and the masses, had to come to terms with the delays. Reasoning for our continued drooling for our new gear was ultimately blamed on a number of variables. No one could really confirm or deny what would be true or false. Only hope.
Out of nowhere, an email surfaced. It was from a Nikon staff member written to a customer in Sweden. Here is the loosely translated copy:
On January 6 Nikon launched the D4, the ultimate tool for professional photographers who daily push the frontiers and meet new challenges. The new system camera in Nikon FX-format delivers image quality, speed and accuracy in a completely separate class of its own, regarding both still and motion images.Today, Nikon can confirm that the D4 will be available for sale on March 15, 2012.If you feel that the D4 is a camera for you, we recommend you to contact one of our selected PRO distributors for ordering and delivery schedule.Before launching the D4, the photographer Corey Rich was asked to make a film with the camera, to bring it to the test and show what it can do. The film "Why" is a documentary on some of the best extreme sports athletes. They explain what’s keeping them going, why they are pushing themselves and expose themselves to the risks. Share their passion here.SincerelyNikon
All of a sudden, hope had arrived knocking hard at our front doors as we fiend for this game changing camera. Nikon rumor sites and other forums had experienced a 180 degree turn in the vibe they were experiencing just days before.
Without fail, we were once again shocked by more news from the globe. A customer from the Czech Republic had reported receiving maybe the first D4 on the planet. Excluding the prototypes of course. Within a day or so, the cameras owner who is also a photographer for CandyBox Images, a stock photography company, had posted the very first and nerdirific unboxing video. Soon-to-be D4 owners around the planted were slipping on their hardwood floors due to their freak hyper salivation occurrences. I too was in a state of shock, not really believing that one of the D4 cameras had actually surfaced. And the Czech Republic of all places (no offense). You can check out that unboxing [here].
Soon thereafter, D4 Nikons began to surface sporadically around the globe at an ever so slow pace. Locations were very random. Along with the Czech Republic came Australia and the U.S.A. One even found its way to Audubon, New Jersey.
I've been checking and rechecking my iPhone for any missed calls or emails from my friends over at Calumet, the pro shop at which I ordered my new piece from. Sadly, nothing yet.
As I have been impatiently awaiting that call or email, I've been obsessively watching, in full geek style, each and every unboxing that has been surfacing on YouTube. Yes, I do plan on making one of my own. Think less of me if you will but I feel it will be a rite of passage into the Nikon family. As for the other unboxings, well, there are a few but only one, in my humble opinion, stands out from the rest. That crown goes to Lee Morris of fstoppers.com, one of my goto sites for educational and inspirational articles and videos alike. As far as unboxings go, Lee knocked this one out of the park. Be sure to check that out [here].
I would say that the honorable mention goes to Jared Polin, Philly photographer famous for his genius branding by means of his trademark "fro" as well as his concert photography. Over at froknowsphoto.com, you can find Jared doing his unboxing and along with that his famous sniff test. You can check out that link [here]. The Fro's sniff test has always been a hilarious but necessary addition to his gear reviews. I would have awarded first place to The Fro but Lee Morris edged Jared out by a hair on originality.
As for what people are unpacking from the golden boxes, well my friends, we may or may not be in for a surprise when the stork drops off our new babies. So far, from what I have watched, it seems that most are being shipped with the new Sony XQD card and reader. A nice move by the marketing teams of both companies. The kicker is that I have viewed one unboxing that, when opened, there was no card or reader. Tragic. Looks as if we can only cross our fingers and hope that there are more floating around the planet.
There are also some images surfacing over on Flickr and 500px. Quite impressive quality to say the least. Sure we've all seen McNally's images from the D4 but he could make a masterpiece shooting with a disposable cardboard camera and a couple of strobes. It was nice to see some others posting results with the new body. Again, the results are second to none.
Now excuse me while I go stare at my iPhone for the next week, awaiting that magically call.
Until next time...
