Thanks, Jordan.
Would like to hear more on the D4 piece that you stuck in at the end.
I've been looking to choose a good full frame B-Cam to compliment my Panasonic AF100 since the new cameras were announced. The D4 was my first pick, since I use Nikon glass on the AF100 anyways.
Shooting with the D4 though, I found a number of big issues. As mentioned the battery life was quite poor, though we were shooting in colder situations sometimes. I got about an hour and a half of record time from the giant EN-EL18 battery. At least with the 5D Mk III and D800 I can use an Anton Bauer adaptor for my big video batteries.
Focus was quite difficult with the D4, as the higher magnifications reduce your refresh rate. If your subject moves at all, it makes acquiring precise focus very difficult. I wish I had brought a monitor for this reason.
As mentioned in the video, my major beef with the camera was the lower quality of the full frame image compared to the 2.7X crop mode. Since I am bringing a full frame camera with me specifically for the aesthetic advantages of the big chip, this defeats the purpose of me using a D4.
As well, the mic input and headphone jack are hugely appreciated, however the pre-amp is very weak, I recorded gain hiss using any volume over level 5 (of 20). This required me to boost the levels enormously on my Beachtek box and on the mic transmitters themselves, which occasionally led to clipped levels.
I do love the colour and highlight rolloff from the camera, and Nikon glass is first rate, but I don't think this will be the camera for me going forward.
Cheers,
Jordan Drake