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Nikon D1,
D1H, and D1X Chronicles
I bought my first D1 body in November, 1999. I had been shooting with a Kodak DCS 620, but made the switch to the D1 because of its lighter weight and better 'feel' in my hands. I also liked the D1's LCD review screen a lot better. Because of the cumbersome qualities of the original Nikon D1 Raw (NEF) processing software and the slow, bulky nature of shooting in-camera Tiff files, I chose to shoot Jpeg 'fine' quality during the entire time I owned my original D1. I used the same camera setup options most of the time:
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These were close to the default settings from the factory, with a few minor changes. I left it like that so I could just pick it up, turn it on, point, and shoot. Keeping it simple allowed me to quickly capture a scene without having to make "camera decisions". I reserved using High ISO, Manual Exposure, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Priority for special circumstances.
The only complaint I had about the D1 was its color accuracy. The physical and operational quality of the camera was outstanding, but the color was consistently a bit "off". Magenta skin tones, cyan casts, sallow tones, and weak looking reds were (and still are) a nagging problem for the original model D1 users. The NTSC color profile that the D1 uses makes the problem an inherent characteristic. There are no internal adjustments for the problem, no firmware updates, and nothing the D1 user can do except for post-processing computer work.
D1 color fix
After weeks of experimenting in Adobe Photoshop, I came up with a simple, reliable fix for the color problem. Once I figured it out, I used my quick & easy fix for every D1 picture I ever took (including the sample pictures shown below.) Click here to see the Lonestardigital D1 color fix. It really works! ... and sincere thanks to all the readers who've e-mailed me thank-you notes for the fix.
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D1 Sample Pictures |
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Telephoto Taken on a trip to Huntington Beach Pier, California - hand held Nikon D1 Telephoto shot using Sigma's 50-500mm Zoom Lens @ 500mm. Aperture Priority @ f8, ISO 400,Shutter Speed: 1/800, Matrix Metering, Jpeg 'Fine' Original Format. Click on the preview at left for a 451 KB, 1200 x 787 pixel view. |
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Wide Angle Lens Vintage WW II Heinkel Sigma EX f2.8-4 17-35mm zoom lens @ 17mm. Jpeg 'Fine' Original Format. Click on the preview at left for a 283 KB, 1200x787 pixel view. |
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Night Shot Downtown Dallas along Nikkor AF-S f2.8 28-70mm zoom lens @ 40mm. Jpeg 'Fine' Original Format. 2 second Programmed Automatic Exposure. Click on the preview at left for a 455 KB, 1200x787 pixel view. |
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Daylight Fill Flash Nikon SB28-DX Nikkor AF-S f2.8 28-70mm zoom lens @ 28mm. Jpeg 'Fine' Original Format. Click on the preview at left for a 420 KB, 1200x787 pixel view. |
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D1 features
- Equipped with dual (horizontal and vertical) shutter release controls. Heavy duty construction throughout. Similar in size, weight, operation, and features to a Nikon F-100 professional class 35mm single lens reflex camera equipped with an MB-15 vertical grip.
- Lens Mount: Nikon F mount with AF coupling and AF contacts.
- Imaging sensor: 2.7 million pixel CCD, 23.7mm x 15.6mm, 12 bit per channel RGB type. The CCD cover glass is also a special infrared reduction, low-pass lithium-niobate filter designed to reduce or eliminate color shifts, aliasing, moire, and artifacting.
- Finished image size: 2000 x 1312 pixels.
- Picture Angle: 35mm format equivalent to 1.5 times the focal length of the lens. (See the "Multiplier Effect" page.)
- Shooting Modes: 1) Single frame shooting. 2) Continuous shooting, with up to 21 consecutive pictures at a maximum rate of 4.5 frames per second. 3) Self-timer single frame shooting with a 2, 5, 10, or 20 second delay.
- Shutter Speeds: 30 seconds to 1/16,000th of a second, plus 'bulb' (manually controlled time exposure).
- Flash Synch Shutter Speed: Up to 1/500th of a second.
- TTL Flash: (Through-the-Lens) flash photography exposure calculations when used with an optional DX series Nikon speedlight.
- Sensitivity: Adjustable, ISO equivalent 200, 400, 800, 1600. Custom Setting 31 adds optional +1 stop (ISO 3200) or +2 stop (ISO 6400) equivalent sensitivities.
- Image File Storage: JPEG (3 quality options, 8 bits per channel), RGB TIFF (8 bits per channel), YCbCr TIFF (8 bits per channel), or RAW (proprietary Nikon NEF format @ 12 bits per channel).
- LCD Monitor: 2" TFT type, 114,000 pixels, adjustable brightness.
- Video Out: NTSC or PAL (selectable).
- Memory Card Type: CompactFlash Type I or II Memory cards. The IBM Microdrive is widely used by D1 owners, but not officially supported by Nikon on the original D1.
- External Interface: IEEE1394 FireWire connection @ 400 Mbps transfer rate.
- Power Source: Interchangeable / Rechargeable 7.2 Volt EN-4 DC battery pack (or) AC adapter.
- Built-in Self Timer, Adjustable Exposure Compensation, Depth of Field (DOF) Preview button.
Included with the Camera Set
Included with the camera (USA camera package): NTSC video out cable (EG-D1), body cap to fit lens opening in camera body (BF-1A), snap-on opaque black LCD monitor cover , neck strap (AN-D1), one battery (EN-4), quick charger (MH-16), Nikon View DX browser software with user manual on a CD, Nikon D1 user manual - printed and on a CD.
D1 Accessories
AC adapter (EH-4), extra batteries (EN-4), DX series speedlights, ten-pin remote terminal cords and control sets, Nikon Capture software (required to process the proprietary Nikon RAW image files), optional focusing screens, and viewfinder eyepiece accessories.
Custom Settings
The D1 has 32 custom setting options available to modify certain operating functions. They may be changed singly or in combination to suit user preferences. Some users prefer to make no changes, some make minor changes, others modify the settings heavily - (the tinkering types).
I found the following four custom settings to be very useful for everyday operation, and left my camera permanently set up with them:
The Record-and-Review mode. Displays the last
picture taken on the LCD screen after it has
been saved to the memory card. Works only in the
single-frame and self-timer shooting modes. (Not
available in the continuous shooting mode.)
Extremely handy if you want to quickly and
automatically review the quality of the picture
just taken. Enjoy the picture and smile to
yourself if you like it. Or delete the picture
by pressing the "DEL" button if it's bad.
Works just like the classic shoot & review
mode on the Nikon CoolPix 700, 800, 900, 950,
990, and many (most) other popular consumer
grade digitals. Once you're used to it, it's
hard to live without it.
The AE-L/AF-L Button locks "only" the exposure
when option 1 is selected. (The default mode
locks both exposure and focus.) Extremely
useful for difficult lighting conditions.
Auto file numbering mode. Option 1 tells the
camera to sequentially number picture files,
regardless of memory card changes. No
possibility of duplicate file numbers. Makes
file management easy and automatic. Also acts as
an odometer of sorts to keep track of the total
pictures taken by the camera. Set this option
and you'll never have to think about it
again.
Custom Setting 27 - Option 1
I also used the Histogram Option (Custom Setting 27) for the LCD display screen. In difficult lighting conditions, or high ISO shooting, it's a good idea to check the histogram on every shot. Practice and experience will pay off when using this option.An experienced digital photographer can look at a preview picture, then look at its histogram, and make an informed analysis of the exposure. Corrections to EV (+ or -) can then be made in the camera controls, and the histogram rechecked in a follow up shot.
The
histogram shows the ranges of the exposure
(darker colors to the left, lighter colors to
the right), and the intensity of the exposure
(height of the ranges). If the general weight of
the graph (left to right) is somewhat centered
(as shown in the example), the overall exposure
is likely to be well balanced. On the other
hand, a left-skewed histogram is likely to be
underexposed, and a right-skewed histogram is
likely to be overexposed. And a flat looking
histogram might indicate the need for additional
lighting or a boost with a flash.
Toggling the histogram option on or offI left my custom setting number at "27" on the lower control screen, and by simply holding the "CSM" (custom) button down while turning the camera's sub-command dial (the one on the front), I could easily switch back and forth between option 0 (full screen picture) and option 1 (histogram plus picture). It only takes a couple of seconds to do the switching.
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Protection for the D1 LCD screen Hoodman USA's LCD replacement cap for the Nikon D1 is a must.
Hoodman's replacement cap allows you to review your pictures, histograms, and menu screens without having to remove it. |
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Nikon D1 review, information, and resource links
- Nikon USA's D1 site
- D1 Hints & Tips - Nikon Europe
- Bibble - Nikon NEF file decoding and post-processing software site.
- QImage 2004 - Nikon NEF file decoding and post-processing software site.
- Band Aide - an Adobe Photoshop filter plug-in from Camera Bits (also the home of the excellent "Quantum Mechanic" noise and artifact reduction software) that reduces or eliminates the "pitting" and "banding" noise that occurs in high ISO photos from the Nikon D1 digital camera at ISO settings of 800 or higher.
- Juergen Specht's D1scussion Group - The definitive source for in-depth D1 / D1H / D1X information.
- Nikondigital.org - Moose Peterson & David Cardinal. D1, D1H, D1X reviews, more.
- The Nikon D1 Users Group Website - 10 different pages of strictly D1 stuff.
- Steve's Digicams D1 Review
- Imaging Resource D1 Review
- Phil Askey's D1 Review
- John Henshall's "Chip Shop" D1 Report
- John Henshall's "First Impressions from a Working Camera" Report
- B. Moose Peterson's Original D1 Review (December, 1999)
- B. Moose Peterson's www.naturephotographers.net D1 Review (August, 2000)
- Die D1 Website - Nice German language D1 site by Andreas Volz.
I sold my D1 after 6 months and jumped ship to Canon (for a while)
I sold my original D1 because the ever present color correction was just too much of a hassle. With no fix from Nikon and no new Nikon digital SLR in sight in the near future, I bought a Canon D30. The D30 was a big color improvement over the D1, but the D30 had some color problems of its own. Yes, the D30 took some great pictures for me, but the bottom line was that I just liked the feel of the D1 better. So I sold the D30 and bought a D1H as soon as it hit the market.
The D1H seemed like a dream come true
Nikon fixed its color problems with the D1H. (Completely.)
I loved my D1H ... perfect color, 5 frames per second, a bigger buffer, and Nikon's vastly improved Capture 2 software made shooting "Raw" an absolute pleasure. Capture 2 made it a breeze to dial in virtually perfect white balance and virtually perfect exposure after the fact, so there was no more need for bracketing or time-consuming pre-shooting camera calibrations. And this camera did well with high ISO / low light action shots. Most consider the D1H to be the camera the original D1 should have been in the first place.
Below: D1H ISO 1600 nighttime drag racing photo. Click to enlarge, 1200 x 787 pixels, 332 KB
Nikon D1H review, information, and resource links
Link
to Nikon USA's D1H information web
page.
Steve's
Digicams D1H review
Imaging
Resource D1H review
DPReview
D1H review
The D1H retained the original D1's 2.7 megapixel resolution, which meant limited cropping ability if I wanted to make a large print. (You can only stretch a reduced pixel count so far without significantly degrading the picture quality.) And at that point in my life, I was doing a lot of printing.
Seeking better large print quality, the D1X came next
After seeing some outstanding quality BIG prints from the D1X, I sold my D1H & bought a D1X. The extra resolution (double the D1 / D1H) not only made better quality large prints and gave me the ability to aggressively crop while retaining reasonably good large print quality, it made better quality standard sized (4x6) prints as well. The D1X had the same (virtually perfect) color qualities as the D1H.
Unfortunately, the D1X had one full stop less of high ISO shooting ability and the bottom fell out of the buffer and the high frames-per-second shooting rate, but I loved the big file sizes and increased detail in my large prints.
I also found that the "A" setting on my SB-28DX speedlight produced better quality flash pictures with the D1X (and the D1H) than the generally recommended D-TTL setting.
Below: D1X Flash Photo, SB-28DX Speedlight set on "A" - Click to enlarge, 1000 x 1500 pixels, 635 KB
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Nikon D1X review, information, and resource links
Link
to Nikon USA's D1x information web
page
Link
to Steve's Digicams D1x
review
Link
to the DPReview's D1x
review
Link
to the Imaging Resource D1x
review
Link
to Uwe Steinmueller's Outback Photo Site D1x
review
Link
to Moose Peterson's D1x Review
D1, D1H & D1X battery comments
- The D1, D1H, and D1X share the same model of NiMH battery & charger.
- The battery is heavy, significantly adding to the camera's weight.
- The top of the battery has a protruding, sharp edged lip that makes it unwieldy to stick in a pants pocket or camera bag compartment.
- Battery recharging is cumbersome. Batteries require frequent refreshing with resulting long charge times (several hours). If you don't regularly refresh the batteries, the charges becomes shallow and the batteries will go dead in no time at all.
- If you plan on taking a lot of pictures, you'll need extra batteries. Extra batteries are expensive & available only at Nikon Professional dealers.
- The charger looks & works like an afterthought. Fitting the little plug at the end of the charger's cord into the recepticle in the end of the battery is somewhat of a pain. And it will only charge one battery at a time. Like the batteries, extra battery chargers are also expensive and often hard to find.