Unboxing the Nikon D4

Nikon's flagship professional SLR, the D4, has officially launched, and we took the opportunity to unbox it piece by piece.

The D4 is officially on sale in Australia, retailing for approximately AU$7000, depending on the dealer. Read more about the camera in our preview.

The D4 arrives in a big, gold box. The professional SLR boasts a redesigned 16.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, as well as the Expeed 3 processor, which first made its debut on the Nikon 1 cameras.

Let's open up the box and see what else is inside apart from the camera. There's the Nikon strap, as well as some instruction manuals.

The first glimpse of the D4 in its plastic. There's a custom-shaped mould that fits over it to protect the camera in the box.

Here it is: the D4 emerges from its box.

Nikon sent us a variety of lenses to test in conjunction with the D4, with this 14-24mm f/2.8G the first cab off the rank, so to speak.

Mounting the 14-24mm on the D4, it's definitely lens heavy when resting on the table. Luckily, there's a convenient built-in prop, thanks to the lens hood.

Ergonomic improvements on the D4 include a 35-degree angle on the shutter button that makes it easier and more natural to press.

There are so many ports on the side of the D4, it's hard to know where to start. The built-in Ethernet port looks promising; so, too, does the headphone jack.

On the side of the 3.2-inch screen sits an auto-dim sensor, which automatically adjusts the screen brightness, depending on the ambient light. A thermal shield at the top of the camera protects the panel from heating up when used extensively outdoors. Here's a closer look at the top panel.

The D4 has two card slots; one is a CompactFlash, and the other is the brand new XQD format, which promises higher data-transfer speeds.

The Nikon D4 strap has the Nikon logo emblazoned across it.

The D4 is compatible with the ME-1, an external stereo microphone that plugs in via the 3.5mm jack.

Time to get another lens on the D4. This time, it's the 24-70mm f/2.8G.

Here's Nikon's high-end speedlight, the SB-910, sitting on top of the D4.