Nikon D2X Review

I have written my D2X review for Wetpixel. I hope that it will be online later (with Eric's help).

EDIT - It is now up on the frontpage of Wetpixel. D2X UW Review

In the mean time, to whet your appetites, here is a 100% crop from a lowest quality JPG, straight from the camera. No adjustment, no sharpening, no nothing in Photoshop.

You can up-rez these files until they are 2-4 times bigger than the original and then with an application of USM - they look this good at 20-40 Megapixel. Wow wow wow!

I can't wait to get my hands on the RAW files I shot!

Alex

p.s. MODIFIED - I have also added the full frame, and a version up-rezzed in Photoshop (from the basic quality JPG, remember) to 50 megapixels(!) and then USM-ed.

Looks like she needs to floss more often...:-)

Alex, if you don't have the new Nikon Capture, folks are talking about how good RAW Developer is at handling the D2x files.

Cheers

James

I did a quick run of conversions with Rawshooter last night, and wasn't disappointed... I

Rob Galbraith article about RAW Shooter:

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_p...cid=7-6465-7634

Hey Alex, can you post some more samples? I am dying to see the review! Thanks in advance for doing it, I am sure it will be very informative.

Yeah, c'mon Eric and James,

Please help Alex put his review up - we're all hanging out for it.

Maybe some more samples Alex?

Here are a couple teasers!

I have sent the text to Eric - so it will be up as soon as he has a chance to format it.

Alex

Awesome color Alex .....are you still smiling?

Karl

OMG!!

Looks insane - sitting on the edge of my seat clicking refresh on the front page - hurry up Eric (can I help)!!

Wow - thanks Alex.

To ease the wait. I have a gallery of my D2X images from the trip on my website.

Yes, Karl. I am very happy. There is a picture of James on his website showing him with his new Seacam, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. I have had a similar expression for most of the last two weeks!

Alex

Here are test shots of the camera's ability with a sunburst, and its 5 frames per second feature.

Great sunburst. How'd you make the second shot into one photo? Loads of layers...or???

Want to buy a kidney or two? Think i will have to sell mine to get the camera and housing.

You do know that marine biologists are all supposed to be poorly paid divemasters who can't afford that stuff don't you?(how am i supposed to add a smilie here?)

Nice work,

Mike

ps looks like a bit of a painful landing...

That is the best digital sunburst I've seen yet! Now, gotta try some shallow stuff to get sunrays.

Word from Seacam is that housings are close!

Mike,

Yeah, you can't believe how poor I am right now! But poor and happy. Whoever said money can't buy you happiness wasn't a photographer!

The composite was done "quick and dirty" in photoshop and is full of mistakes. I will do it properly (with more care) once ACR can open the RAW files for me.

Alex

Here are a couple more shots:

That is the best digital sunburst I've seen yet!  Now, gotta try some shallow stuff to get sunrays. 

 

Word from Seacam is that housings are close!

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I agree that the D2X capability looks promising. But I would add that the conditions were far from ideal for sunbursts when I took the image above. The sea was very rough (the wind was so strong that our boat snapped one of its mooring lines) so the sun ball was very dispersed and there were no nicely focussed rays . Also, while I am making excuses, I didn't have long to take the shots because Peter Rowlands, who was on modelling detail, had his own pictures to take.

This image (below) was taken on my first dive with the D2X. The divesite offered no helpful foreground subjects, but at least the sea was calm enough for decent sunrays. I am very much looking forward to working more on sunrays when I am next in Cayman.

Alex

Those blues look stunning....

Can't wait to get mine underwater...

M

This image (below) was taken on my first dive with the D2X. The divesite offered no helpful foreground subjects, but at least the sea was calm enough for decent sunrays. I am very much looking forward to working more on sunrays when I am next in Cayman.

 

Alex

 

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Ahhh - these sunbursts are much better than I expected. This may be the last camera I ever house

This may be the last camera I ever house

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That should be the motto of all underwater photographers! java script:emoticon('')

I have posted my D2X Underwater Review on the site now:

D2X UW Review

Alex

WOW....I'm speechless....I keep reminding myself that it's the Indian and not the arrow....however, the arrow is incredible

Karl

This was definitely a week for the arrow. Most of our dives were either deepish (shortish) wrecks or drift dives - rather than long, pottering-about-in-the-shallows photo dives. So I was very much taking snapshots. Even though we had permission to dive solo because the weather was rough and cold, for both safety reasons and so the other divers didn't freeze on the RIB, I always tried to stay nearish the group and to come up on time.

To give an idea, on this week long trip I made 16 dives with my D2X, totaling just over 15 hours underwater. On my last week long Red Sea trip in June I made 24 dives with my D100 , totaling over 27 hours underwater. I think that this shows the benefit of going on dedicated photographer trips rather than on standard dive trips. That extra time is what makes the difference between taking snapshots and creating exciting images. This is not a criticism of last week - which was great fun - and provided the diversity of diving (that you tend not to get on a phototrip) and that I wanted to test the camera. Its just an observation.

Alex

Thanks Alex for taking the time to post this information and photos. Using all the lenses and ports really helps too. The cleaner shot is a monster. I'd love to see a cropped for detail 16x20 of that one. Wow.

Rand