Product Reviews

The D2Xs is Nikon's new and updated flagship digital SLR. This professional workhorse includes new features, plus some tweaks over the D2x, which it replaces. The D2Xs retains its predecessor's excellent body, with functional ergonomics, but the rear 2.5in LCD can now be judged across a 170-degree viewing angle in both horizontal and vertical directions.

The view inside the viewfinder is also better when using the camera's High Speed Crop mode. Taking only the central area of the sensor to record roughly 7 megapixel resolution, this is great for when the Dx sensor's full 12.4 megapixel resolution across the whole area is simply too much, saving on storage, and also writing time. The non crop captured area darkens to enhance framing. This mode captures up to eight frames per second. Compared to a 35mm frame, effective focal length increases by 2x allowing smaller and lighter telephotos for the same effect. The Dx full sensor size is a 1.5x increase.

For low light there are now H0.3 (1000 ISO), H0.5 (1100 ISO) and H0.7 (1250 ISO), plus H1 (1600 ISO) and H2 (3200 ISO) available. As with all cameras, better quality images are produced at lower ratings, in this case from 800 ISO down to 100 ISO. At 100 to 400 ISO images are very good, however we would be happy to shoot at 640 ISO and occasionaly at 800. An impressive maximum burst rate of 17 Raw files (up to five frames per second), or 22 large Jpegs can be captured using the full Dx sensor area or 29 and 38 exposures respectively in High Speed Crop mode.

There is a black and white mode based around an sRGB colour space. Two colour modes also use an sRGB space. Mode 1 is orientated to people shots and skin tone reproduction, while mode 3 is best suited to landscapes; all did a fine job. A colour mode 2 is also available, operating within the Adobe RGB space for those going to CMYK output. You can also override mode 1 and 3 so their default sRGB space is replaced with the Adobe colour space instead. This is useful if you want to target a subject type and still go to print. Another small

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but useful touch is a new improved battery, which we found just runs and runs.

The USB 2 cable interface from camera to Mac also has a new design to stop it being pulled out by accident. But the nicest change in many ways is the simplified colour coded menus. There are a ton of pro camera options and this helps navigation. This is a big improvement over the D2x as it's easier to get into the right menu quickly. Each menu and its sub-group of options is a different colour, to differentiate from the others. Options are divided into four sections: shooting menu (green), custom functions (red), set-up menu (yellow) and playback settings (blue). Within each there are numerous ways you can adjust the camera's many features. So for example there are 18 custom function settings to adjust in the Custom Function menu alone, for things such as how the metering and exposure system works. You can, for example, specify adjustments in 0.3, 0.5 or full EV steps.

We particularly like the new 'Trim' option. You can crop out selected and unwanted parts from the captured frame and create a new file that is also stored. NEF (Raw), Tiff or Jpeg files can be trimmed, but the new saved image is always a Jpeg. Exif data records more info about Nikon's VR (vibration reduction) technology and the focus mode used alongside.

The D2Xs is a tough, professional camera which will be used by a variety of photographers, including those in the military. This makes its support for third party GPS devices very useful. When a GPS unit is plugged into the camera's body, it records within the cameras exif data the exact coordinates of where the shot was taken. There is also a comment option to input data such as location, contact details or subject description. This can be attached to a file via the set-up menu.

Auto-focus has also been improved in small ways, with less hunting in Single Servo AF. With subjects that will move away from an initially selected AF marker, Dynamic AF is designed to reduce subject loss, while focus tracking can be set up with finer control than before. Difficult to judge, but the hit rate is high with the combined options.

The D2Xs can sometimes be a little conservative with exposure, to avoid burning out important highlight detail. That makes sense and there's an arsenal of features to adjust this if you like more out of camera exposure. We got some sensational images out of the D2Xs, but you need to spend a bit of time testing and setting to your subject, workflow and taste. When you combine it with the latest version of Nikon's Capture Nx software, then you really start to see a professional concept in action.