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Nikon D1 The D1 WonderCam! Select a topic Reference: Datasheet D1 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure 7. Amazing Flash Unit! 8. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 9. Operation & User Interface 10. Camera Modes & Menus 11. Image Storage & Interface 12. Video, Power, Software 13. Test Results & Conclusion 14. The All-Nikon, All-Digital Studio Reference: Custom Settings Menu --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Image Storage & Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Test Results & Conclusion>> Page 12:Video, Power, Software Review First Posted: May 12, 2000

Video Out

US and Japanese models of the D1 come with an NTSC video cable for connection to a television set or VCR (European models come with the appropriate PAL cable). This allows images to be played back on the TV screen and recorded to video tape, with all the Playback menu options available.


Power

The D1 uses an EN-4 Ni-MH battery pack (7.2 V DC, 2000 mAh) which can be recharged with an optional MH-16 or MH-15 Quick Charger. You can also purchase an EH-4 AC adapter separately (100-240 V AC) which is useful for saving battery power when performing mundane tasks such as reviewing or downloading images. An indicator on the status display panel lets you know approximately how much battery power is left and if no indicators appear at all, the battery is completely exhausted. As always, we heartily recommend purchasing a spare battery pack and keeping it charged for long shooting days or for shooting in cold weather (which can zap battery power quickly).

The special connections used between the D1 and EN-4 battery pack prevented us from performing our usual power-consumption measurements on the D1. Our sense though, was that battery life was quite good, as we managed literally several hundred exposures on a single battery charge. Still, our standard recommendation of buying a second battery pack stands: Murphy's law applies very directly to digicam power sources, meaning you'll always run out of battery capacity at the worst possible moment....


Included Software

The software they didn't include...

(But that you should) Few people realize just how *much* you can improve your digicam images through clever processing in Photoshop. Greatly (!) increased sharpness, reduced noise, and even ultra-wide dynamic range (light-to-dark range) by combining multiple exposures. Fred Miranda and uber-Photoshop expert Fred Miranda has packaged some of his Photoshop magic in a collection of powerful and affordably priced "actions." Check out his site, the results are pretty amazing!

The D1 ships with the "Nikon View" software, which provides very basic manipulation and cataloging capabilities for images captured by the camera. A much more advanced package called Nikon Capture is available separately, but we didn't receive a copy of it for testing.