Advice for Pro and Amateur Shooters
Written: Jun 01 '00
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Pros: Outstanding images, F-series quality
Cons: first-generation bugs, expensive
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| d5kenn's Full Review: Nikon D1X SET Digital Camera |
After having several months to learn the intricacies of the D1, I've decided to write a follow-up to my original opinion, focusing (sorry) less on features and more on functionality. Who should want the D1? What shooting situations are it best suited for? When would it be better to use a different digicam (or a film camera, for that matter)?
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The Audience
The D1 is of course constructed and marketed as a "Professional" camera - something that can brush off rough handling, inclement weather, small scale wars, and other such shutter-jarring events. To that end, like its film counterparts the Nikon F5 and F100, it's often likened to an armored car - big, heavy, rough n' ready. It's a machine to create photographs, not just take pictures.
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To this end, it should feel right at home to most professional photojournalists, whose only other option so far are Kodak's (even larger) DCS digital cameras. In this realm, saving anything on travel weight is a plus. Since the D1 is sealed against the weather, a little (or a lot of) rain is never anything to worry about. If you already shoot with Nikon glass, the D1 is a prime digital candidate. Nearly all F-mount lenses are supported, and the moderate multiplier effect isn't extreme on either end of a zoom lens.
Serious amateur tech freaks can also get a serious kick out of the D1 . Its output at ISO 200 is virtually noise free, and the combination of high-quality lenses and a large surface-area CCD make its images virtually noise free. Add to that what appears to be near-perfect "per-pixel accuracy," and what you have is an image that that is unmistakably true. To me, there is absolutely NO mistaking a D1 image for any shot with a standard consumer or prosumer digicam under $2,000 (and for the price, you'd expect that, right?). In fact, I was sold instantly on the D1 due to original images posted on the Net.
Things to consider for casual shooters
Pros
Higher quality pics - as mentioned above, images that come out of the D1 are notably superior (imho) to cheaper consumer cams
TTL Viewing - One of the major benefits of an SLR is the ability to accurately frame and focus Through The Lens - as opposed to rangefinders, you see what the camera records. This is superior to live previewing through the color LCD of a standard digicam because it doesn't sap battery power, and gives you as much detail as can be resolved by your eyes or the lens.
Point n' shoot - Nikon's professional equipment has some of the best metering and automatic exposure controls around. In most outdoors situations, point and shoot with the D1 will give you better results than with any consumer cam.
Full manual controls - If you take photography more seriously than most, you'll like the manual exposure control the D1 affords - Aperture and Shutter priority, Programmed Auto, and Full Manual are at your beck and call.
Battery Life - The NiMH battery that ships with the camera is generally good for 200-400 shots, even with moderate LCD usage.
Interchangeable lenses - SLRs are also generally known for interchangeable lenses, and the D1 can take advantage of the latest F-mount lenses, including support for AFS autofocusing and 3D color Distance information.
Cons
Size and Weight - it's probably the biggest camera you'll have to or want to deal with. Add a flash and long lens, and you can consider yourself stationary.
High learning curve - The D1 isn't for lazy shooters. The camera is a professional tool, and you'll definitely have to learn how to take advantage of its most advanced functions.
No LCD preview - If you're used to live previewing with the LCD screen, forget it with the D1. An SLR allows you to see through the lens via viewfinder by using a mirror to reflect the image up and away from the CCD. It's theoretically possible to have live preview by keeping the mirror up, but alas, it remains theoretical.
Not user-friendly - A number of options are available only through "custom functions," which are arcane number settings. You may memorize a couple, but there's no reason why they shouldn't be accessible from an LCD menu.
smaller image file - The current lineup of consumer digicams run at 3.34 megapixel (2048x1536) and cost anywhere from $800-$1,500. The D1 records files at 2.7 megapixel (2008 x1312). However, the lack of noise and high pixel accuracy of the D1 make enlargements more than comparable to today's 3.34MP cams.
white balance - One major issue with the D1 is the use of a separate CCD to calculate the Auto white balance for a particular scene. Any consumer digicam, which uses the full imaging CCD for white balance, will do a better job in Auto mode in non-outdoors situations. You can choose white balances for Incandescent, Fluorescent, Sunny, Shady, Overcast, and Flash. Also available is a custom preset white balance option, but it's a 5-6 step process to set.
Maintenance - with any exchangeable-lens system, it's possible for dust to eventually come to rest on the filter in front of the CCD, something that doesn't happen with sealed-lens consumer cams. Nikon does not advocate self-cleaning, and instead suggests that the camera be returned to a service center for cleaning. I don't know anybody who actually does that - most people just set the shutter to 30 seconds and use a blower or Sensor Swabs (compressed air is NOT recommended). If you're not careful, it's just another way to damage an expensive toy.
high price - Expect to pay about $5,000 total for the kit, which only includes the camera body, battery, recharger, neckstrap, and manuals. Expect to pay even more for essential extras.
Additional purchases required - We're talking about at least one lens, one compact-flash card (don't even think about less than 64MB), and one flash. The only flash that supports TTL flash metering is Nikon's SB-28DX, which will set you back roughly $400. Depending on components you may already own, expect a full D1 outfit to run you on the order of $6,000-$10,000. Also, remember that it makes little sense to equip a $5K body with a $200 lens.
Pro considerations
Pros
Smaller, lighter - Compared to Kodak's DCS cameras, the D1 is a featherweight. In terms of usability and function however, it's definitely a strong competitive product, especially considering that it's first-generation.
4.5 frames per second, 21-shot buffer - Sports and action shooters will relish the D1's 4.5 frame per second continuous shot mode, and 21-image buffer in JPEG/FINE mode. Even if you choose to shoot TIFF or RAW, you'll still get 4.5 fps, but with a 10 shot buffer.
Speed and more speedThe D1's support for 1/16,000 sec shutter speed probably won't be of much use to most photographers, but a flash sync speed of 1/500 definitely will, especially for action shooters.
Intuitive feel - If you've used an F5 or F100, you'll be immediately familiar with the D1. The controls function almost identically.
RAW Files - The D1 uses 12-bit analog-to-digital conversion (like Kodak's DCS 520/620/660 cameras) per channel for its raw NEF format. This "36-bit color" captures more accurate color, and provides more info in highlights and shadows for post-capture image manipulation. Though the NEF (Nikon Electronic image Format) format is proprietary, several programs exist for working with the D1's RAW files, including Michael Chaney's Qimage Pro, Eric Hyman's Bibble, and Jeff Lee's DCPal. Historically, Bibble and Qimage Pro are updated almost weekly, with various NEF and general D1 enhancements.
UV and IR sensitivity - The hot topic of the day - The D1 (and many consumer digicams) has a CCD that is sensitive to both IR and UV light, allowing for undocumented near-IR and UV photography.
Servicing - Nikon service centers prioritize D1s, so for most problems, you'll have turnaround of under 1 week. NPS claims turnarounds of 1 day once it reaches the center.
Cons
Less storage options - The D1 has 1 CompactFlash Type II slot. Nikon has qualified many flash cards for use with the D1 (including high-capacity cards from Lexar and Sandisk), but you can reasonably exect reliable behavior with any CF card. Although the IBM Microdrive has not been officially certified as D1-compatible, many PJs rely on the miniature disk drive for its 340MB capacity. Many other professional cameras support PCMCIA Type II or III slots, giving them the flexibility to shoot with 1+GB PC card hard drives and flash cards, compact flash, smartmedia, or Sony Memory Stick.
High ISO Noise - The D1 supports ISO-equivalent sensitivities of 200, 400, 800, and 1600. Special 3200 and 6400 modes are available as well. Noise can readily be seen in ISO 800 and 1600 modes, but both generally print out acceptably. ISO 3200 and 6400 are generally far too noisy to be useful for most applications. Kodak's new DCS 620X supports ISO modes of 400 to 6400, and is optimized for low-light situations. Several D1-specific noise reduction algorithms already exist from 3rd party sources though, testifying to the popularity of ths camera.
Fledgling firmware, software - The D1 is essentially Nikon's first-generation pro digital camera. There have been no public firmware updates, with no word from the company on if or when one can be expected. Similarly, the optional Nikon Capture program ($450 extra) which allows RAW file manipulation, firewire control and shutter release, and batch processing, is on verison 1.1.1, and in the opinion of many D1 shooters I know, far from mature, in comparison to the software available for the DCS cams.
Long CF write times - The RAM buffer in the D1 is fast, but write times to CompactFlash tend to be slow. Most D1 shooters I know tend to work in "C" (continuous shooting mode), especially when shooting NEFs, since it generally takes 3-5 seconds to write a 4MB file to the card (depending in part on the write speed of the CF card as well).
Color issues - The D1 tends to have accurate if slightly muted colors. While this may or may not be better than the high-contrast images from most other cameras, it does mean more Photoshop work afterwards, especially when taking portrait shots. Many feel that D1 portraits are not perfect straight out of the camera.
Conclusion
In my opinion, for an amateur photographer, the D1 is head and shoulders above any digital camera costing less than $8,000. If you can deal with the added complexity of advanced SLR and exposure options, and Nikon's arcane custom functions menu, you'll be getting shots that no Coolpix 990, Oly 3030Z, or Sony S70 can match. Competition is around the corner however, and before plunking down $5000+, you may want to wait a few months for Fuji's FinePix S1 Pro (IMO nowhere near the D1 in terms of picture quality) or Canon's enigmatic CMOS-sensor cam, the D30 (from which no sample pictures yet exist - 6/1/2000), both of which are priced in the $3000-4000 range.
For the professional photographer, the D1 is a great way to learn the ins and outs of digital, but you'll have to examine your needs closely, and see if the D1 can fill them more effectively than what you have now. Don't expect to get perfect pictures off the bat, but with time and practice, the D1's strengths are exposed. Many pros have stated that the D1 has already paid for itself in savings to film and development costs, but we'd all be wise to remember that any money saved is probably getting plunked somewhere else (more memory cards, a faster computer, etc.)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 4000
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Epinions.com ID:
d5kenn
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Member: Kenn Hwang
Location: Berkeley, CA
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 13 members
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