Nikon D2XBy: Dave Etchells and Shawn BarnettNikon introduces a 12.2 megapixel hybrid pro SLR that can be either high resolution or high speed as the job requires. <<Viewfinder :(Previous) | (Next): Exposure & Flash>> Page 5:OpticsReview First Posted: 04/14/2005, Updated: 06/10/2005 |
Optics
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In this section, I usually discuss the lens characteristics of the camera I'm describing. In the case of the D2X, you can attach pretty much any lens you want, as long as it uses the Nikon F mount. The D2X features the standard F mount, with both mechanical AF coupling for older lenses, and AF electrical contacts for the latest AF-IF or AF-S Nikkor lenses with internal focus motors. With very few exceptions, you can use the D2X with any F Mount Nikkor lens ever made. (A short list of incompatible lenses and accessories is included at the back of the manual. Apart from relatively ancient "non-AI" lenses, most are older types of perspective-correction lenses, a few small-aperture telephoto zoom lenses, and some serial number ranges of reflex telephoto lenses.)Functions and exposure modes available with a given lens will vary with the type. More recent Nikkors (the D-type and G-type models) include a microchip that communicates focal-distance information to the camera. Lenses without the microchip used in the "D" and "G" types won't support the "3D color matrix metering" mode. Here's a table giving a brief idea of the functionality available with different Nikkor lens types (abstracted from the D2X's manual).
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| Type G or D AF Nikkor
Lenses (except IX models), AF-S and AF-I Nikkor |
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| PC Micro Nikkor 85mm F/2.8 D | |
| AF-S, AF-I Teleconverter | |
| Other AF Nikkor Lenses (Excluding lenses for F3AF) |
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| AI-P Lenses | |
| Other Lenses (Non-CPU) | |
Given that the optical characteristics will depend entirely on the lens attached, I'll instead concentrate here on the focusing options and modes. There's a lot to talk about here, given the exceptional control and flexibility afforded by the D2X's autofocus systems. The Nikon D2X allows you to take advantage of auto or manual focus via a small dial on the front of the camera, right next to the lens. Setting the switch to "M" puts the camera into manual focus mode, "S" places it in Single Servo AF (focus priority), and "C" puts it into Continuous Servo AF (release priority). Single Servo simply means that the camera sets focus only once, when the Shutter button is first pressed halfway, and is best for still objects. Continuous Servo means that the camera continuously adjusts the focus, as long as the Shutter button is halfway pressed, and is best for moving objects.
1 |
8-mm (0.31") reference circle for center-weighted metering | 16 |
"K" (appears when memory remains for over 1000 exposures) |
2 |
Focus brackets (focus areas) | 17 |
Flash-ready indicator |
| Spot metering targets | 18 |
Battery indicator | |
3 |
High-speed crop | 19 |
FV lock indicator |
4 |
Focus indicator | 20 |
Sync indicator |
5 |
Metering | 21 |
Aperture stop indicator |
6 |
Bracketing indicator | 22 |
Electronic analog exposure display |
7 |
Autoexposure (AE) lock | 23 |
Voice memo status indicator |
8 |
High-speed crop indicator | 24 |
White-balance bracketing indicator |
9 |
Shutter-speed lock icon | 25 |
White-balance mode |
10 |
Shutter speed | 26 |
Image size |
11 |
Aperture lock icon | 27 |
Image quality |
12 |
Aperture (f/-number) | 28 |
Sensitivity (ISO) indicator |
| Aperture (number of stops) | Auto sensitivity indicator | ||
13 |
Exposure mode | 29 |
Sensitivity (ISO equivalency) |
14 |
Exposure compensation indicator | ||
15 |
Frame count | ||
| Number of exposures remaining | |||
| Number of shots remaining before memory buffer fills | |||
| Exposure compensation value | |||
| PC mode indicator |
You also have the freedom of setting the autofocus area on the D2X. A dial on the camera's rear panel selects between Single Area, Dynamic Area, Group Dynamic Area, and Dynamic Area with Closest Subject Priority modes. Single Area AF simply means that the camera judges focus based on one part of the subject, while Dynamic AF employs all 11 of the autofocus brackets, or areas. (Both modes allow the user to manually select the main AF area.) The camera first focuses on the subject in the central focus area. Whenever the subject moves to a different AF area, the camera also shifts the focus to "follow" the subject. This is great for irregularly moving subjects. Group Dynamic AF mode is a new feature on the D2X, and lets you manually select a group of five AF points in any section of the frame, from which the camera automatically focuses based on the portion of the subject closest to one of the selected points. This is good for moving subjects that remain within the same general area of the frame. Finally, the Dynamic Area with Closest Subject Priority option means that the camera first focuses on the closest object that falls into one of the 11 focus areas and then tracks it as it moves. (Note that no focus area brackets are illuminated in the viewfinder with this mode and that this mode doesn't work well with telephoto lenses or poorly lit subjects, according to Nikon). In Single Area and Dynamic Area AF modes, you can change the main focus area by unlocking the focus area selector (the Multi Selector pad on the back panel) and then shifting the focus area using the up, down, right, or left arrow keys. Then, simply lock the focus area selection by sliding the switch back into place. By default, the Nikon D2X does not "wrap" the focus area selector as you scroll between focus areas. Through the Custom Settings menu, you can opt for a "Wrap" function, which hunts for the next area from top to bottom or left to right. What this means is that if you continue to press the right arrow key when the right focus area is selected, the selection will jump to the left focus area next, rather than remaining on the right most focus area setting.
There are two methods for using the AF Lock function on the D2X. The first is to place the central subject in the selected focus area, halfway press the Shutter button, then realign the composition and fire the shutter. Alternatively, when using Single Servo AF, you can press the AF-L/AE-L button to lock focus (and exposure, unless set for focus only in the Custom Settings menu). Keeping this button pressed will lock focus and/or exposure, even if the Shutter button is released. This allows you to recompose the photograph without keeping your finger on the Shutter button, but on the AE-L/AF-L button instead. (Thereby resulting in less chance that you'll accidentally fire the shutter when you don't intend to.) The AF-On buttons on the rear panel set focus without needing to half-press the Shutter button. The purpose of the AF-On buttons is to allow you to lock focus independently of exposure, if the AE-L/AF-L button has been set to lock exposure only. Thus, you can lock the focus for one section of the frame, and the exposure for another.
Shooting very fast-moving subjects at close range with the Nikon D2X, I found that the camera offered the best AF tracking response if I kept it in Single-Area AF mode. Dynamic Area and Group Dynamic Area AF both seemed to slow the AF response somewhat. (Not that these other focus modes were particularly slow: The subject in question was a motorcycle at a range of 50-100 feet, approaching at ~80-90 mph, captured with a Nikkor 200mm f/2.0 lens.)
Sensor Cleaning!
Everyone understands that lenses sometimes get dust on them and need to be cleaned, and there are a lot of lens-cleaning cloths, solutions and other accessories on the market that work well. BUT, what do you do when your sensor gets dusty? Dust specks on the sensor tend to show up when shooting at very small apertures, appearing as dark blobs on your images. They're distracting at best, a terrible nuisance at worst, if you end up having to retouch every image to rid of them.
Most of us are naturally leery about the idea of poking around inside the delicate innards of our d-SLRs to wrestle with recalcitrant dust specks. Gently blowing the sensor surface (actually, the surface of the anti-aliasing filter) with compressed air gets rid of some dust, but there's invariably a lot that just stays stuck, no matter what. So what do you do?
If you've got dust specks on your sensor (and sooner or later you will), you're going to need to clean it. There are a lot of products out there intended to address this need, but a distressing number of them work poorly (if at all), and many are grossly overpriced. Advertising hype is rampant, with bogus pseudo-scientific jargon and absurd product claims run rampant. And prices - Did I mention prices? How about $100 for a simple synthetic-bristle brush?
So how do you know what product to use?
We don't pretend to have used everything currently on the market, but can tell you about one solution that worked very well for us. The "Copper Hill" cleaning method is straightforward and safe, and in our routine usage here at Imaging Resource, highly effective. Better yet, the products sold by Copper Hill Imaging are very reasonably priced. Best of all, Nicholas R (proprietor of Copper Hill) has put together an amazingly detailed tutorial on sensor cleaning, free for all.
Sensor cleaning is one of the last things people think about when buying a d-SLR, but it's vital to capturing the best possible images. Take our advice and order a cleaning kit from Copper Hill right along with your d-SLR, so you'll have it close at hand when you need it: You'll be glad you did!
(Other than a few backlinks on their site, we receive no promotional consideration from Copper Hill. We just think their sensor cleaning products are among the best on the market, and like their way of doing business. - We think you will too. Check them out.)
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