When Nikon introduced its own-branded D1 camera last year it was a wake-up call for photographers. At $5,500 it introduced a solid, manageable professional camera at half the price of the offerings by Kodak. The D1 introduced a 2.1MP sensor shooting at 4.5 frames-per-second which brought a digital speed-and-quality combination closer to that of film than anything else. The Nikon D1 was so revolutionary, that earlier this year Nikon announced that there would need to follow it with not one successor, but two divergent models.
The first to be released is the Nikon D1X, which competes with Kodak's X60 models designed for studio work. Kodak released the 6MP Canon-based DCS-560 over two years ago, using digital components that won the "Best Studio Camera of the 20th Century" place in our survey last year. The D1X comes with a latest-generation 5.3MP effective CCD while maintaining 3 frames-per-second (for up to three seconds). The D1X is more versatile than the Kodak DCS series, giving the X60's quality with the flexibility and mobility of the Nikon D1. For users who were less constrained by the D1's resolution than they were by the D1's (and subsequently D1X's) frame rate, Nikon's D1H is basically a D1X with the D1's resolution and the ability to shoot five frames a second for up to eight seconds. The reduced resolution also brings a reduced price tag, about $4,500 compared with the $5,500 (approximate street price) of the D1X. D1X users may also especially appreciate an improvement both cameras share over the D1: like the Canon D30, the new Nikon cameras can take a new exposure even when in review mode (the D1 required toggling a mode switch in and out of review).
The CCD resolution and shooting rate are the only technical differences between these two cameras. In many respects, they are technical updates to the Nikon D1 and handle similarly. The cameras now have a five-spot auto-focus system and the ability to select ISO speeds in either 1/3 or 1/2 increments. The cameras maintain the same 12-bit NEF raw imaging format as the Nikon D1 but with the option to losslessly compress the files, saving you space on the compact flash cards. The updated Nikon cameras also officially support hard disks like the IBM microdrives, a feature the D1 lacked.
The Nikon D1H and D1X continue to exhibit the same sensor dust problems as the D1 without a good resolution. Nikon discourages using swabs or putting anything directly in contact with the CCD and reports in Web forums complain that compressed air is not always sufficient. Kodak's DCS 600 platform and Fujifilm S1 Pro cameras by contrast seem less sensitive to being wiped clean. Kodak announced its new 700-platform earlier this year with the DCS 760 (competing with the D1X) and the recently announced DCS 720x (competing with the D1H). Reviews of the DCS 760 are just starting to emerge and their comparisons to the new Nikons are certain.