Nikon D2X
Encyclopedia
The Nikon D2X is a 12.4 megapixel professional digital single-lens reflex camera
that Nikon Corporation announced on September 16, 2004. The D2X was the high resolution flagship in Nikon's DSLR line until June 2006 when it was supplanted by the D2Xs and later on by two new flagship cameras: the Nikon D700
and Nikon D3
, both using a new FX full-format sensor.
CMOS
sensor supplied by Sony
instead of either a charge-coupled device
or the Nikon proprietary LBCAST
sensor which had both dominated Nikon's digital SLR lineup until the D2X. The camera supports the sYCC color space
. The CMOS sensor used in the D2X has the ability to resolve about nine times more than the human eye. At 90 line pairs/millimeter (90 lp/mm) the sensor can resolve extremely fine detail. This makes the camera perform exceptionally well when used as a landscape or scenic imager, since it can better resolve smaller detail in distant objects.
The D2X surpasses the D2H
and its successor the D2Hs by providing 5 frame/s at 12 megapixels, and 8 frame/s at 6.8 megapixels with its high speed crop mode. In high speed crop mode the camera sacrifices pixels in favour of speed and crops the image to 50% of a 35 mm frame to enable continuous shooting at 8 frames per second (vs. 5 frame/s at full resolution).
It incorporates some other innovations such as refinements of the metering and autofocus systems. At the same time the camera is able to make use of virtually all of Nikon's F-Mount lenses including most legacy lenses. It has a rated shutter life of 200,000+ images, which is generally double or triple than less costly cameras.
It is one of very few cameras with a built-in "third-eye" which records the color of ambient light, giving the D2X an additional tool to accurately compute the white-balance for each image, instead of relying on calculations based only on subjects within the picture frame.
At the time of its release the D2X had the highest concentration of pixels (pixel pitch) of any Nikon DSLR made to date. While its resolving capabilities are impressive, the very small resulting pixel size puts the camera at a disadvantage when working in low light by introducing slight noise in underexposed areas. Fortunately, the D2X has excellent noise reduction software built into the camera, so its images reflect the very high quality one would expect from an expensive digital SLR.
and complements Nikon's D2Hs camera with which it shares a body. It was, to many, a very important model for Nikon
given the 3½ years which had elapsed between the D1X
and D2X, during which time competitive pressure mounted on the D1X
.
& Canon EOS-1D Mark II N. There is also some competitive overlap between the full-frame Canon EOS 5D
and the D2X, although they are not direct competitors.
An unresolved debate rages about the respective technical compromises of the DX format sensor and full frame sensors
(100% of a 35 mm film frame) offered in competition with the D2X's DX format. Each format offers advantages and disadvantages which become more or less important in different usage settings (e.g. studio vs sport, indoor vs outdoor, wide angle vs telephoto). Nikon, convinced that the design characteristics of the DX format are best choice for its customers and target markets, had committed itself publicly to the DX format sensor and its line of DX lenses is specifically designed for the smaller sensor. This philosophy remained until 2007, at which point NIkon's new generation of professional-level digital SLRs - the Nikon D3
and Nikon D700
- adopted a full-frame sensor.
Nikon's D2X was awarded best product accolades for 2005–6 by the European Imaging and Sound Association
. Named European Professional Camera of the Year, the D2X's 'extraordinary performance' was praised by the judges.
announced June 1, 2006, replacing the professional Nikon D2X.
Its improvements over the original D2X include
The original D2X gets the majority of these upgrades with a simple firmware update, with the exceptions of:
The larger capacity EN-EL4e is compatible with the original D2X and will give it the same improved battery life.
Digital single-lens reflex camera
Most digital single-lens reflex cameras are digital cameras that use a mechanical mirror system and pentaprism to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder on the back of the camera....
that Nikon Corporation announced on September 16, 2004. The D2X was the high resolution flagship in Nikon's DSLR line until June 2006 when it was supplanted by the D2Xs and later on by two new flagship cameras: the Nikon D700
Nikon D700
The Nikon D700 is a professional grade full-frame digital single-lens reflex camera introduced by the Nikon Corporation in July 2008 and manufactured in Japan. It uses the same 12.1 megapixel "FX" CMOS image sensor as the Nikon D3, and is Nikon's second full-frame digital SLR camera...
and Nikon D3
Nikon D3
The Nikon D3 is a 12.1 megapixel professional grade full frame digital single lens reflex camera announced by the Nikon Corporation on 23 August 2007 along with the Nikon D300 DX format camera. The D3, along with the Nikon D3X, was a flagship model in Nikon's line of DSLRs, superseding the D2Hs...
, both using a new FX full-format sensor.
Technology
The D2X uses a DX formatNikon DX format
The Nikon DX format is an alternative name used by Nikon corporation for APS-C image sensor format being approximately 24×16 mm. Its dimensions are about 2/3 those of the 35mm film format . The format was created by Nikon for its digital SLR cameras, many of which are equipped with DX-sized...
CMOS
CMOS
Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor is a technology for constructing integrated circuits. CMOS technology is used in microprocessors, microcontrollers, static RAM, and other digital logic circuits...
sensor supplied by Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
instead of either a charge-coupled device
Charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. This is achieved by "shifting" the signals between stages within the device one at a time...
or the Nikon proprietary LBCAST
LBCAST
LBCAST is a type of photo sensor which the manufacturer claims is simpler and thus smaller and faster than CMOS sensors...
sensor which had both dominated Nikon's digital SLR lineup until the D2X. The camera supports the sYCC color space
Color space
A color model is an abstract mathematical model describing the way colors can be represented as tuples of numbers, typically as three or four values or color components...
. The CMOS sensor used in the D2X has the ability to resolve about nine times more than the human eye. At 90 line pairs/millimeter (90 lp/mm) the sensor can resolve extremely fine detail. This makes the camera perform exceptionally well when used as a landscape or scenic imager, since it can better resolve smaller detail in distant objects.
The D2X surpasses the D2H
Nikon D2H
The Nikon D2H is a professional-grade digital single-lens reflex camera introduced by Nikon Corporation on July 22, 2003. It uses Nikon's own JFET-LBCAST sensor with a 4.1 megapixel resolution, and is optimised for sports and action shooting that require a high frame rate. In 2005, the D2H was...
and its successor the D2Hs by providing 5 frame/s at 12 megapixels, and 8 frame/s at 6.8 megapixels with its high speed crop mode. In high speed crop mode the camera sacrifices pixels in favour of speed and crops the image to 50% of a 35 mm frame to enable continuous shooting at 8 frames per second (vs. 5 frame/s at full resolution).
It incorporates some other innovations such as refinements of the metering and autofocus systems. At the same time the camera is able to make use of virtually all of Nikon's F-Mount lenses including most legacy lenses. It has a rated shutter life of 200,000+ images, which is generally double or triple than less costly cameras.
It is one of very few cameras with a built-in "third-eye" which records the color of ambient light, giving the D2X an additional tool to accurately compute the white-balance for each image, instead of relying on calculations based only on subjects within the picture frame.
At the time of its release the D2X had the highest concentration of pixels (pixel pitch) of any Nikon DSLR made to date. While its resolving capabilities are impressive, the very small resulting pixel size puts the camera at a disadvantage when working in low light by introducing slight noise in underexposed areas. Fortunately, the D2X has excellent noise reduction software built into the camera, so its images reflect the very high quality one would expect from an expensive digital SLR.
Audience
The D2X is aimed at professional users. It is a replacement for a previous professional model, the D1XNikon D1
The Nikon D1 is a digital single-lens reflex camera introduced on June 15, 1999. It featured a 2.7 megapixel image sensor, 4.5 frames per second continuous shooting, and accepted the full range of Nikon F-mount lenses...
and complements Nikon's D2Hs camera with which it shares a body. It was, to many, a very important model for Nikon
Nikon
, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
given the 3½ years which had elapsed between the D1X
Nikon D1
The Nikon D1 is a digital single-lens reflex camera introduced on June 15, 1999. It featured a 2.7 megapixel image sensor, 4.5 frames per second continuous shooting, and accepted the full range of Nikon F-mount lenses...
and D2X, during which time competitive pressure mounted on the D1X
Nikon D1
The Nikon D1 is a digital single-lens reflex camera introduced on June 15, 1999. It featured a 2.7 megapixel image sensor, 4.5 frames per second continuous shooting, and accepted the full range of Nikon F-mount lenses...
.
Competition
The principal competitive camera for the D2X are the full-frame Canon EOS-1Ds Mark IICanon EOS-1Ds Mark II
The EOS-1Ds Mark II is a digital SLR camera body by Canon Inc. of Japan. It was the top model in the Canon EOS line of digital cameras until April 2007, with a full-frame 16.7 megapixel CMOS sensor. The EOS-1Ds Mark II had the highest pixel count available in a 35mm format digital SLR at the time...
& Canon EOS-1D Mark II N. There is also some competitive overlap between the full-frame Canon EOS 5D
Canon EOS 5D
The EOS 5D is a 12.8 megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera body produced by Canon. The EOS 5D was announced by Canon on August 22, 2005, and at the time was priced above the EOS 20D but below the EOS-1D Mark II and EOS-1Ds Mark II in Canon's EOS digital SLR series...
and the D2X, although they are not direct competitors.
An unresolved debate rages about the respective technical compromises of the DX format sensor and full frame sensors
Full frame digital SLR
A full-frame digital SLR is a digital single-lens reflex camera fitted with an image sensor that is the same size as a 35 mm film frame....
(100% of a 35 mm film frame) offered in competition with the D2X's DX format. Each format offers advantages and disadvantages which become more or less important in different usage settings (e.g. studio vs sport, indoor vs outdoor, wide angle vs telephoto). Nikon, convinced that the design characteristics of the DX format are best choice for its customers and target markets, had committed itself publicly to the DX format sensor and its line of DX lenses is specifically designed for the smaller sensor. This philosophy remained until 2007, at which point NIkon's new generation of professional-level digital SLRs - the Nikon D3
Nikon D3
The Nikon D3 is a 12.1 megapixel professional grade full frame digital single lens reflex camera announced by the Nikon Corporation on 23 August 2007 along with the Nikon D300 DX format camera. The D3, along with the Nikon D3X, was a flagship model in Nikon's line of DSLRs, superseding the D2Hs...
and Nikon D700
Nikon D700
The Nikon D700 is a professional grade full-frame digital single-lens reflex camera introduced by the Nikon Corporation in July 2008 and manufactured in Japan. It uses the same 12.1 megapixel "FX" CMOS image sensor as the Nikon D3, and is Nikon's second full-frame digital SLR camera...
- adopted a full-frame sensor.
Nikon's D2X was awarded best product accolades for 2005–6 by the European Imaging and Sound Association
European Imaging and Sound Association
European Imaging and Sound Association is a collaboration between different multimedia magazines, that offer tests of cameras, videocameras, audio equipment, mobile phones, etc. The organization was established in 1982. The current president of EISA is Jorge Gonçalves.- External links :*...
. Named European Professional Camera of the Year, the D2X's 'extraordinary performance' was praised by the judges.
Nikon D2Xs
Nikon D2Xs is a digital single-lens reflex cameraDigital single-lens reflex camera
Most digital single-lens reflex cameras are digital cameras that use a mechanical mirror system and pentaprism to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder on the back of the camera....
announced June 1, 2006, replacing the professional Nikon D2X.
Its improvements over the original D2X include
- Automatic viewfinder masking in high-speed crop mode
- Increased buffer capacity to 60 frames in continuous shooting
- additional ISO steps between 800 and 1600
- improved metering for High Speed Crop
- more Autofocus options
- an AF system that can now detect focus at lower contrast and in lower light
- higher capacity battery rated to 3,800 exposures per charge
- improved Auto-ISO features
- image verification
- ability to save and load camera settings from a memory card
- 2.5 inch (64 mm) 230,000 pixel LCD with 170 degree viewing angle (same as D200Nikon D200The Nikon D200 is a 10.2 megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera that falls between entry-level/midrange DSLR cameras such as the Nikon D40, Nikon D40x, and D80 and high-end models such as the Nikon D2Hs and D2Xs. It was released by the Nikon Corporation in November 2005...
) - menu look ported from the D200
- Black and White mode
- additional color mode selections
- locking USB connector
- support for multiple custom curves
- a lockable recent settings menu
- improved GPS data recording
- AF and VR mode recording in shooting data
- in-camera cropping
The original D2X gets the majority of these upgrades with a simple firmware update, with the exceptions of:
- Automatic viewfinder masking in High-Speed Crop mode
- 2.5 inch (64 mm) 230,000 pixel LCD with 170 degree viewing angle (the viewing angle is the area of improvement—size remains the same)
The larger capacity EN-EL4e is compatible with the original D2X and will give it the same improved battery life.