Nikon D2X

     My model is our family pet Colada. The image was made with the D2X, Raw Mode, 100 ISO, Nikon 80-200 mm 2.8D lens, aperture F/2.8, shutter speed 1/400 sec, hand held, Adobe RGB (color mode II), Noise Reduction: Off, White Balance: Auto, Tone: Auto, Aperture Priority, Matrix Metering, Exposure Compensation: 0, open shade, Saturation: Normal, opened in Capture 4.2 and sized in Photoshop CS. 

     The mega-pixel wars continue. As of this writing Canon is producing a 16 million pixel EOS 1Ds Mark II that fires at 4 frames a second and has a street price with US warranty of $7999. Canon is a very large company and  has a very large budget designated for research and development. However, most professionals are much aware that image quality and resolution is more than mega-pixels. Many of us have been using cameras with 4-6 mega-pixels for several years to make a living. Nikon has recently released the D2X with a street price around $4999. which boasts 12.4 million pixels firing at a rate of  5 frames a second and with the touch of a button 6.8 million pixels at 8 frames a second. In uncompressed Raw mode my Lexar 80x 1 Gig type II compact flash card allows me to take the equivalent of 1 roll of film or 36 images. The camera is also capable of producing 36 Jpegs and 36 Raw images simultaneously. At 8 bits this translates in a Photoshop file size of 34.9 megabytes and 69.9 megabytes at 16 bit. The image size is 9.493 x 14.293 inches at 300 pixels per square inch which is more than adequate for a double page magazine spread and capable of producing a extremely clean and color correct  images to Gallery specs. You can read all about the other technical specs of the D2X by going to the nikonusa.com web site. There are many features that make this one really great flexible tool.

     Nikon not only increased the effective pixel count but put together a total professional package that is just as at home in the studio and the field, as it is at the wedding, sports arena or racetrack. The need for being critical where camera equipment is concerned is a given when your livelihood depends primarily on your skills and secondarily on your equipment. Other than the price (still $3000 less than Canon 1Ds Mark II) I haven't found anything not to like. Below is a number of  features that I look for in a digital camera. 

     The ability to produce clean and color correct images to minimum size of 16 x 20. This is where the D2X really shines. Nikon went with Sony's state of the art CMOS sensor. 3D color matrix metering, fast buffering and accurate processing makes this camera a true professional tool. Almost no noise from ISO 100 to 400. Limited noise from 400 to ISO 800.

     The need for speed. I want fast dead-on focusing and the ability to tract and capture high speed action. The D2X  has the highly successful Multi-CAM2000 TTL phase detection autofocus. At 8 frames a second in the high speed crop mode if I miss a shot at the wedding or at the finish line it was not the fault of the equipment but the operator. 

     Mirror lock-up. I use mirror lock up for the studio, landscapes, cityscapes and close ups, etc. Although many camera makers claim that mirror lock up is really not necessary this is where I and many other professionals have a very large difference of opinion. Yes...the Nikon D2X has mirror lock up.

     Adjustable Diopter. My eyes are not what they use to be. The adjustable diopter range comes from the factory at -3m to +1m. You can order a +2 or +3 for less than $20.00 at most Nikon retailers. 

     Depth of Field Preview. After 1000's of images most of us believe we know what aperture we want to use to capture an image, however depth of field becomes more difficult to judge when doing extreme close up work.

     Highlight Warning. The D2X also has a highlight warning...some call them "Blinkie's". The point here no matter what term you use to describe this capability it is an extremely useful tool in on-camera image review for revealing overexposed areas with no data that may require a polarizer or graduated neutral density filter. 

     I will be adding additional comments on the D2X  soon.