"The D4 has been developed through continuous dialogue with professional photographers," says Jeremy Gilbert, Nikon UK's group marketing manager. "We believed we produced a camera that will exceed expectations and one that can be completely relied on to deliver in all situations."

He adds: "As you know, 2012 is an Olympic year. That's why we're launching this product today. It's going to be a huge event for London and the UK, and it's also going to be a massive event for Nikon, with 80+ Nikon Professional Services staff coming from all over the world to support it. Our [presence] will include both retention and acquisition activities. I'm confident that the [D4] will be at the forefront of image taking at the event."

Nikon's new flagship professional digital SLR, the D4, features a newly-developed a 16.2-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor, as well as the powerful Expeed 3 image processing engine that was first unveiled last year in the Nikon 1 compact interchangeable lens system. The combination of both technologies allows the camera to deliver a burst rate of 11fps, while low noise and wide dynamic range are realised at high-ISO sensitivities "thanks to the optimised noise reduction design and 14-bit A/D signal processing built into the sensor," says Nikon.

The D4's sensitivity range goes from ISO100 to ISO12,800, which can be dramatically extended to ISO204,800 to shoot in extreme low-light conditions, according to the firm. In fact, Nikon has also redesigned the camera's buttons to be back-illuminated at the flick of a switch, allowing photographers to use the camera in the dark.

But, Nikon UK's group support and training manager James Banfield adds that Nikon has also listened to professional photographers who were asking for lower ISO options, with the D4 offering a sensitivity option equivalent to ISO50.

Nikon's Expeed 3 engine offers high-speed 16-bit image processing, which, coupled with the camera's 14-bit A/D conversion, delivers submission-ready JPEGs straight out of the camera. "Performance is never compromised, even when undertaking the most data-intensive tasks," claims Nikon. "Images boast faithful, well-saturated colours and natural depth. Even when shooting in dim lighting at high ISO sensitivities, the camera's intelligent, performance-proven noise reduction lowers noise without degrading image sharpness."

In terms of video capabilities, the D4 can record footage at a variety of frame rates - 30p, 25p and 24p at full HD resolution, and 60p, 50p, 30p and 25p options at 720p. Moreover, full-HD recording can be achieved in both FX and DX formats, as well as in native 1920x1080 crop.

The D4 also offers new and improved audio controls, and includes an external stereo microphone input, as well as an audio out.

Nikon adds that it has listened to its professional users by incorporating an uncompressed HDMI output. "For those who need the purest video output for professional quality editing, the D4 offers the possibility to output the uncompressed live view to external recorders and monitors," it says. "Data is output at 1080i (Full HD) at the designated image size and frame rate."

Among the camera's other features is the Advanced Scene Recognition System, which is fitted with a 91K-pixel RGB sensor "that meticulously analyses each scene for outstanding accuracy," says Nikon. "3D-subject tracking is particularly improved when shooting and tracking smaller subjects. Human faces are detected with startling exactness even when working in real time through the optical viewfinder. This level of detailed scene analysis is also utilised to support more accurate autofocus and auto exposure, even under the most challenging lighting conditions."

The D4 also has an Advanced Multi-CAM3500FX AF Sensor Module, which offers individually selectable or configurable 9-, 21- and 51-point coverage settings. "The autofocus sensor module and algorithms significantly improve low light acquisition sensitivity capabilities down to -2 EV (ISO 100, 20°C/68°F). All 51 focus type sensors are fully responsive with any AF Nikkor lens f/5.6," but also at apertures of up to f/8, claims Nikon. "A big plus for shooting sports and wildlife, this delivers a new level of detection potential when combining, for example, a 600mm f/4 AF-Nikkor lens with a Nikkor 2.0x teleconverter. If the combined aperture value is between f/5.6 and f/8, you even have the power of fifteen central AF sensors available, of which nine are cross type sensors."

And in terms of connectivity and workflow, Nikon has listened to agencies and photographers who have been asking for more powerful data communication options. The D4 offers Wireless LAN support, using the new WT-5 Wireless Transmitter, which features both HTTP and FTP connection modes, as well as an Ethernet port.

"Image workflow is very important," says Banfield. "It's just as important as ergonomics in this day and age. During the 2012 Olympics, photographers will have access to Ethernet connections to immediately transfer the images they've captured. The D4 links directly into that - so you can immediately shoot and transmit your images, without the need of a laptop."

The reason why photo agencies have been asking for the inclusion of an Ethernet port, says Banfield, is because of the wireless space's saturation. "Too many people are now using wireless devices, and you just couldn't guarantee that you'd get the connection of the bandwidth that you needed."

He adds: "Society has evolved - multimedia has adapted. We've become accustomed with Twitter where we're seeing instant information. The value of images is now longer measured in days or hours, but in minutes and sometimes seconds. Having that image in front of someone - tagged and referenced - is really important, so having the network capabilities is an important aspect. But, what we've done next is just as important. Photographers were telling us that the reason they were using laptops was not for editing anymore but to apply IPTC information. You can now do this in-camera. There are 14 available fields and 10 presets, saving photographers an enormous amount of time."

The Nikon D4 will retail at £4800 (€5658) from 16 February, a month before the release of the Canon EOS-1D X camera, which was unveiled late last year. "Both ourselves and our competitors have played their cards in terms of sports cameras," says Banfield. "Now, we're going to see how agencies and photographers implement the technology we've released." And Nikon plans on using the Olympics Games to further its position in the professional market.

"This is a professional product," Banfield tells BJP. "And we will always remain very competitive in this market, and this year is going to be as competitive as any year before. We've gone from having quite a poor market share in the sports area to having an incredible share [at the last Olympics] and depending on the event, we've even taken the lead." In fact, Nikon is actively preparing its staff for this summer's festivities, promising that some aspects of photography will be forever changed come July 2012.

For more information, visit www.nikon.co.uk.