Nikon 1 J4 vs Nikon D800

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon 1 J4 and the Nikon D800, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Nikon 1 J4 was introduced in April 2014 and Nikon D800 was introduced in June 2012. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon 1 J4 over Nikon D800.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D800 over Nikon 1 J4.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Nikon 1 J4 has a 3.0" screen with 1,037k dot resolution and Nikon D800 has a 3.2" screen with 921k dot resolution. Both have Fixed screens. Nikon 1 J4 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder on Nikon D800

Nikon D800 has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 0.70x magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Nikon 1 J4.

Nikon 1 J4 features a 18.4 megapixel 1-inch CMOS sensor with dimensions of 13.2 x 8.8 mm and a total area of 116.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 160 - 12,800. Nikon D800 features a 36.3 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 24 mm and a total area of 576 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Nikon 1 J4 is equipped with EXPEED 4 processor and can take pictures up to 5232 x 3488 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3920 x 2616, 2608 x 1744 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Nikon D800 is equipped with EXPEED 3 processor and can take pictures up to 7360 x 4912 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 6144 x 4912, 6144 x 4080, 5520 x 3680, 4800 x 3200, 4608 x 3680, 4608 x 3056, 3680 x 2456, 3600 x 2400, 3072 x 2456, 3072 x 2040, 2400 x 1600 with 5:4, 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Nikon 1 J4 has Nikon 1 lens mount and Nikon D800 has Nikon F lens mount. Due to 1-inch sensor in Nikon 1 J4 its crop factor is equal to 2.7x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.7. Due to Full Frame sensor in Nikon D800 its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Nikon 1 J4 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D800 nothing can be done. On Nikon D800 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon 1 J4 nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Nikon 1 J4

Nikon 1 J4 has a built-in Wi-Fi which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Nikon 1 J4 has a Mini HDMI and Nikon D800 has a Mini Type C HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon 1 J4 comes with EN-EL22 battery pack with battery life of 300 shots and Nikon D800 comes with EN-EL15 battery pack with battery life of 900 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon 1 J4 has a single MicroSD/SDHC/SDXC card slot. Nikon D800 has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) and one for CompactFlash (Type I, compliant with UDMA).

Shutter

Nikon 1 J4 has Electronic shutter. Nikon D800 has Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/4000 sec with mechanical shutter on Nikon 1 J4, and up to 1/8000 sec on Nikon D800. Nikon 1 J4 can shoot continuously up to 60.0 fps. Nikon D800 can shoot continuously up to 4.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon 1 J4 has Hybrid autofocus (phase detection/contrast-detect AF)
AF-assist illuminator system with 171 (105 cross-type) focusing points and Nikon D800 has 51 (15 cross-type) focusing points. Nikon D800 has detection range from -2 to +19 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon D800 ranges from 0 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 EV range on Nikon 1 J4 and ±5 EV range on Nikon D800. You can also do exposure lock and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon 1 J4 and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon D800.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 5.00 m at ISO 100 on Nikon 1 J4 and 12.00 m at ISO 100 on Nikon D800. Nikon D800 also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Nikon D800.

Nikon 1 J4 body has dimensions of 100 x 60 x 29 mm (3.92 x 2.36 x 1.12") and Nikon D800 body has dimensions of 146 x 123 x 82 mm (5.75 x 4.84 x 3.23"). Nikon 1 J4 weighs 232 g (0.51 lb / 8.18 oz) and Nikon D800 weighs 1000 g (2.20 lb / 35.27 oz).

Nikon 1 J4

Nikon D800

100 mm

60 mm

146 mm

123 mm

60 mm

123 mm

29 mm

82 mm