Nikon D2x PDF Leaked

Check it out. Looks like the Norwegians left the D2x PDF unsecured and someone found it:

http://akam.no/images/nikon/digitalkamera/...d2x_english.pdf

If they pull it, (which they probably will) then I'm sure another copy will pop up...:-) I know I downloaded it...lol

So it's a DX sensor 12 megapixel 5fps CMOS camera. Good news for us is that it's the same body as the D2h so housings should be available soon/now. Also good news: ISO100!

Cheers

James

Hi James,

Who's got a D2H housing in the works.

Larry

A number of manufacturers...:-) Not sure if it's officially announced yet Larry.

Cheers

James

"officially announced" what'dya under a NDA.

Hi

Anyone know about the price range and shipping date?

Thanks

Nikon seems to have made their homeworks ;-)

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0409/04091605nikond2x.asp

Nice to see them catching up. Strong competitors are neccesarry.

And Nikon does not suffer from the chaos Canon is doing with fullframe yes/no, EF-S yes/no/incompatible with lot's of cameras (D30/D60/10D).

Better than Canon: The DX line is straight forward for years now for every Nikon DSLR, including even a real fisheye.

Must be a nice camera in a nice product/lens lineup.

A Canon user,

Julian

How competitive it is depends on image quality. The limit of ISO 800 is a little troubling. If it's due to noise being unacceptable at higher ISO, and I can't think of another reason for the low limit, then it may not be so hot. We'll see when the sample shots appear.

It's now official. There's a news item on dpreview.

yeah, I still would prefer the 1Ds of course and using FF lenses. But as a 10D user not able to use EF-S lenses I see the Nikon DX lenses as a consistant lineup. For almost 5 years now?! D1x/h/D100 users can upgrade without considering new lens types.

Julian

Herb, re "The limit of ISO 800 is a little troubling."

The D70 covers 3 f stops from 200 to 1600.

The D2x covers 3 f stops from 100 to 800.

Do the absolute values really matter?

Well, this is certainly newsworthy. The fact that Nikon can pack 12.4 megapixels on a DX format sensor is amazing. If they were to do a FF camera, it would be 1.5x12.4 = 18.6 megapixels! The fact that the D2x uses a DX format sensor is no surprise to me. There are already loads of DX lenses out there, so you can put together a complete lens bag for this camera, including a true fisheye, WA zoom, etc. Hopefully the DX sensor will help Nikon keep the cost down under $5,000.

I don't really understand Nikon's signal processing mumbo-jumbo, so hopefully someone can explain. Herb?

In any case, this is good news for F-mount shooters. It's a shame that Nikon took 18 months to come out w/ a challenge to the 1Ds but that's Nikon for ya.

Cheers

James

From robgalbraith.com:

ISO range of 100-800 in 1/3, 1/2 or 1 step increments, plus 1600, 3200 and Auto

So I think it uses the ISO-push function like older Nikon cameras to go over ISO 800

Cheers

James

High ISO performance really does not bother me as a (mainly tropical) underwater photographer. The eyepoint for the viewfinder seems a little small (19.9mm).

I wonder if there is a way to turn switch to a virtual shutter for high speed flash synch without having to use iTTL?

Alex

Herb, re "The limit of ISO 800 is a little troubling."

 

The D70 covers 3 f stops from 200 to 1600.

 

The D2x covers 3 f stops from 100 to 800.

 

Do the absolute values really matter?

Some people really value low light performance. I'm not one of them and have never dialed down below ISO 200 underwater. So having ISO 100 instead of 1600 is a plus from the point of view of exposure range. However, the lower ISO limit and the smaller sensor size ~5.5 micron in this case may indicates a higher overall noise level that becomes unacceptable when amplifed to ISO 800. As I said earlier, we'll know when the photos turn up.

If they can slice the chip to 12MPixel and match the noise and dynamic range of the 8MPixel 20D, I would be truely amazed. If they are trading more pixels for noise, my preference is fewer pixel and lower noise.

BTW, have they leaked who the CMOS sensor maker is?

I wonder if it's Fill Factory...lol. I haven't heard yet, but I'm curious too Herb. Who're the contenders?

Canon, Kodak, Fill Factory, Sony...

Cheers

James

Dang, I might have to sell one of my kidneys to get one. Eleven focus zones - that will be nice. Too bad sync is only 1/250, but I would guess (with tape over the back hotshoe contacts) it may be faster than that. Looks like the (screw-on?) eyepiece will be better than the hokie eyepiece clip thing I have on my Nexus/D100.

C'mon Nexus, get to work on the housing.........................

Cp

My bet is on Kodak for the sensor.

1/250 strobe sync is not uncommon and that's what the rival Canon bodies do.

That hokey Nexus eyepiece costs $160 to replace! I wouldn't be too surprised if Nexus has considered doing this one. Who knows.

I'm with Herb on the pixel size. The 20D's results are impressive but the 1DMk2 does better with the same pixel count over a larger area. In the end, would you rather have 12MP at 5.5 microns or 22MP at 6.4 microns given the same process technology? There's some possibility we'll be looking at that choice soon. It's hard to do full frame or even 1.25 crop, but at the prices of these pro bodies our expectations should be high. The D2x sounds great, but will it be great enough to stand up to the 1Ds replacement that's certain to be coming soon? A full frame version of the 20D sensor would be quite compelling if Canon could deliver it.

I would be surprised if the D2x could actually outresolve the Kodak SLR/n or offer its dynamic range. The Kodak is realistically not even good to ISO 800 and in clearly an inferior body, but for underwater use the only things it lacks are fast strobe sync, really good autofocus, and a good viewfinder. If offered my choice between the two with identical housing support I'd take the full frame Kodak. Subject to change when we see the first test results, of course.

Well, since my doctor has declined to remove the kidney, I'll wait and see how good people think this new 12mp sensor is. For the most part, I am not camera limited with my D-100, so I am not in a rush. It is just good to know an upgrade path exists. Now that they've gone CMOS, I'm guessing Nikon will have more goodies in the pipeline shortly.

I think about that $160 eyepiece every time I take it off the camera. Not only does it cost that much, but lose that little piece of plastic on a trip - and it is pretty much game over for shooting.

Cp

The CMOS is made by Sony. Interesting!

Cheers

James

Hi James,

Who's got a D2H housing in the works.

 

Larry

Larry - Seacam is prepared to house the D2X. That's as specific as I can be at this time.

There is a bit more on the sony sensor at DP Review:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0409/04091701...ikond2xsony.asp