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Nikon D2X By: Dave Etchells and Shawn Barnett Nikon introduces a 12.2 megapixel hybrid pro SLR that can be either high resolution or high speed as the job requires. Select a topic Reference: Datasheet D2X Test Images! In-depth Image Analysis D2X Photo Gallery! --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. User Report 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. WiFi Connection 12. Video, Power, Software 13. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on D2X Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): WiFi Connection>> Page 10:Image Storage & Interface Review First Posted: 04/14/2005, Updated: 06/10/2005

The Nikon D2X uses CompactFlash memory cards for image storage, accommodating Type I and II sizes, as well as Microdrives. The D2X does not come with a memory card, so plan on purchasing one (or several) separately. As with the earlier D-series SLRs from Nikon, I was pleased by the easy accessibility of the CompactFlash slot, letting me quickly change the card while the camera was mounted on a tripod. The D2X utilizes a folder arrangement that allows users to organize images in the camera and a sequential frame counter option to avoid problems with overwriting files when copying them to the computer. It also supports the FAT32 file system, and so supports the use of CF cards larger than 2GB. (Verified by formatting and using a 4GB Lexar card in the camera.)

Captured images can be individually write-protected via the Protect button on the rear panel. Write-protected files are only immune to accidental deletion, not card reformatting. As noted earlier, the camera operates in either normal or "Speed Crop" modes, the latter of which uses only the central 6.8 megapixels of the sensor. There are accordingly two complete sets of image size options, depending on the mode you're operating in. In normal mode, images are saved at sizes of 4,288 x 2,848, 3,216 x 2,136, or 2,144 x 1,424 pixels. In Speed Crop mode, the size options change to 3,216 x 2,136, 2,400 x 1,600, and 1,064 x 1,600 pixels. In either mode, file formats include several levels of compressed JPEG files as well as RGB TIFF and RAW data modes. The "raw" file format stores the data exactly as it comes from the CCD array, either compressed or uncompressed. Since the "raw" format is proprietary though, it can only be processed by programs that specifically support it (unlike JPEG files which almost any program will accept). Nikon provides its own PictureProject software which has basic raw conversion capabilities, and offers the more advanced "Nikon Capture" software as an added-cost option. Eric Hyman's Bibble currently (v4.2.2) supports the Nikon D2X, and it's likely that Mike Chaney's Qimage will do so in future versions since it currently supports other Nikon cameras. Finally, commercial software like Phase One's Capture One (C1) and Adobe's Photoshop CS that supports other Nikon RAW files may also support the D2X in future versions. (Phase One has announced that Capture One will support the D2X in its next release, v3.7, and Adobe has stated that their Camera Raw filter will support the D2X in early May, 2005.) One note: It's not clear whether the compressed RAW format uses a lossless compression, as is most often the case for such formats. The manual for the D2X says that the compressed NEF format reduces file size "... by about 40-50% with almost no effect on image quality." - The use of the word "almost" suggests that the compression may not be entirely lossless. Note though, that the raw CCD data takes less than half the space of an RGB TIFF image, even when it isn't compressed.

Below are the approximate number of images and their compression ratios for a 256MB CompactFlash card in the D2X, that really being about the smallest card size I can see anyone using with this camera. (Think about it, 100 images is only about 12 seconds at 8 frames per second.)

 

The D2X also offers a RAW + JPEG recording mode, but I haven't shown the sizes above, as the space used will just be the combination of that required for the RAW and JPEG files of each corresponding size/quality. A welcome addition to the D2X is its ability to save JPEG files of either Fine, Normal, or Basic quality in its RAW + JPEG mode.

The Nikon D2X connects to a host computer via a USB 2.0 interface. Downloading files from a Lexar 80x CF card in the D2X to my Sony desktop running Windows XP (Pentium IV, 2.4 GHz), I clocked it at 3397 KBytes/second, an absolutely blazing pace. (Cameras with slow USB interfaces run as low as 300 KB/s, cameras with fast v1.1 interfaces run as high as 600 KB/s. Cameras with USB v2.0 interfaces run as fast as several megabytes/second, the D2X is about as fast as I've seen.)