Nikon D1xNikon ups the ante with 5.33 million pixels (5.9 megapixel file size), improved color, and exceptional noise performance!<<Viewfinder :(Previous) | (Next): Exposure & Flash>> Page 5:OpticsReview First Posted: 6/16/2001 |
OpticsIn this section, we usually discuss the lens characteristics of the camera we're describing. In the case of the D1x, you can attach pretty much any lens you want, as long as it uses the Nikon F mount. The D1x features the standard F mount, with both mechanical AF coupling for older lenses, and AF electrical contacts for the latest AF-IF or AF-S Nikkor lenses with internal focus motors. With very few exceptions, you can use the D1x with any F Mount Nikkor lens ever made. (Actually, we're not personally aware of any F-mount lenses that *wouldn't* work, but do know that some of the really unusual Nikkor lenses from the past (full-frame fisheye lenses?) that had problems on some camera bodies, requiring mirror lockup to function properly. This is a vanishingly small percentage of the possible lenses that could be used with the camera though, so you can safely assume that most any F mount lens in your camera bag will work just fine with the D1x.)
Functions and exposure modes available with a given lens will vary with the type: More recent Nikkors (the D-type models) include a microchip that communicates focal-distance information to the camera. Lenses without the "D" microchip won't support the "3D matrix metering" mode. Here's a table giving a brief idea of the functionality available with different Nikkor lens types (abstracted from the D1x's manual).
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| Type G or D AF Nikkor Lenses (except IX models) |
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| Other Type D Nikkor Lenses |
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| Other AF Nikkor Lenses (Excluding F3AF) |
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| AI-P Lenses |
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| Other Lenses |
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Obviously, optical specifications vary greatly depending on the lens you attach. One thing that struck us about the Nikkor lenses we used with the D1x though, was how vastly superior they were to the lenses on any of the "prosumer" digicams we've tested to date: Chromatic aberration was essentially nonexistent, barrel and pincushion distortion were very low, sharpness was excellent, etc. It should be no surprise that a lens costing more than an entire lower-end digicam would perform better than that camera's own lens, but the magnitude of the difference in quality was amazing.
One important note about Nikkor optics on the D1x: With linear dimensions of 15.6 x 23.7 millimeters, the CCD in the D1x is a fair bit smaller than a 35mm film frame. Thus, the D1x is essentially cropping into the central area of the normal 35mm field of view that any given lens would have. The result is that the field of view of any lens attached to the D1x will be narrower than the same lens on a Nikon film camera. The net effect is that the D1x has a "focal length multiplier" of 1.5. Thus, a 50mm lens on the D1x will behave much as a 75mm lens on a film-based Nikon SLR. This is good news for sports photographers (all your telephoto lenses just got 50% longer), but not so good for landscape photographers or others who shoot lots of wide angle photos. The D1x was apparently part of the reason that Nikon came out with the 17-35mm zoom lens that we used in much of our testing of the camera: On the D1x, this lens effectively translates into a 25.5 to 52.5mm, providing moderate (rather than extreme) wide angle coverage.
As shown in the illustration above (showing dimensions of the D1 CCD, but the D1x's is the same size), the CCD of the D1x is also much larger than that used in the Coolpix 950. One consequence of this is that depth of field in lenses used with the D1x will be much shallower at any given aperture value (f-stop) than with the 950. (Depth of field as a function of f-stop will match that of the same lenses on 35mm cameras, even though the "effective focal length" is increased.) Many of our test shots show the reduced depth of field of the D1x with typical Nikkor lenses from Nikon's 35mm line, as compared to the same images shot with the 950 or 990.
Given that the optical characteristics will depend entirely on the lens attached, we'll instead concentrate here on the focusing options and modes. There's a lot to talk about here, given the extraordinary control and flexibility afforded by the D1x's autofocus systems. The D1x allows you to take advantage of auto or manual focus via a small dial on the front of the camera, right next to the lens. Setting the switch to "M" puts the camera into manual focus mode, "S" places it in Single Servo AF (focus priority), and "C" puts it into Continuous Servo AF 
(release priority). Single Servo simply means that the camera sets focus only once, when the Shutter button is first pressed halfway, and is best for still objects. Continuous Servo means that the camera continuously adjusts the focus, as long as the shutter button is halfway pressed, and is best for moving objects. The AF-On buttons (one for vertical shooting and one for horizontal) perform the same function as halfway pressing the Shutter button by setting the focus.
You also have the freedom of setting the autofocus area on the D1x. The AF Area Mode option in the Shooting menu lets you select between Single Area and Dynamic Area, both of which offer a Closest Subject Priority option. Single Area AF simply means that the camera judges focus based on one part of the subject. Dynamic AF employs all five of the autofocus brackets, or areas. The camera first focuses on the subject in the central focus area. Whenever the subject moves to a different AF area, the camera also shifts the focus to "follow" the subject. This is great for irregularly moving subjects. The Closest Subject Priority option (enabled through the Custom Settings menu) means that the camera first focuses on the closest object that falls into one of the five focus areas and then tracks it as it moves. (Note that no focus area brackets are illuminated in the viewfinder with this mode and that this mode doesn't work well with telephoto lenses or poorly lit subjects, according to Nikon). In Single Area AF mode, you can change the main focus area by unlocking the focus area selector (the four-way Arrow Rocker pad on the back panel) and then shifting the focus area using the up, down, right, or left arrow keys. Then, simply lock the focus area selection by sliding the switch back into place. By default, the D1x does not "wrap" the focus area selector as you scroll between focus areas. Through the Custom Settings menu, you can opt for a "Wrap" function, which hunts for the next area from top to bottom or left to right. What this means is that if you continue to press the right arrow key when the right focus area is selected, the selection will immediately jump to the left focus area.
There are two methods for using the AF Lock function. The first is to place the central subject in the selected focus area, halfway press the Shutter button, then realign the composition and fire the shutter. Alternatively, when using Single Servo AF, you can press the AF-L/AE-L button to lock focus (and exposure, unless set for focus only in the Custom Settings menu). Keeping this button pressed will lock focus and/or exposure, even if the Shutter button is released. This allows you to recompose the photograph without keeping your finger on the Shutter button, but on the AE-L/AF-L button instead. (Thereby resulting in less chance that you'll accidentally fire the shutter when you don't intend to.)
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