DSLR Pics: Cars with the Nikon D2H

In the early days of DSLRs, manufacturers faced a dilemma with their pro bodies. Fairly high-resolution sensors were available early on... they had crossed the 5MP threshold at the dawn of the new millennium ...but that level of resolution created an image processing bottleneck that hampered sports and wildlife photographers who tend to shoot bursts at a high frame rate in hopes of capturing the money shot.

So both Canon and Nikon had dual tracks of pro bodies in the early '00s, one that emphasized maximum resolution and the other which accepted lower resolution in exchange for a higher frame rate and bigger image buffer.

For 2003, Nikon released their second generation of high speed sports-oriented pro body, the 4MP D2H, which was capable of shooting at eight frames a second until the buffer was filled. It was joined the following year by the 12MP D2X which only managed five frames per second at full resolution.

This D2H got snagged from Roberts Camera in Indianapolis for just a c-note, along with the battery, charger, a memory card, and a 50mm f/1.8 AF lens.

The pics below were snapped with the excellent Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 DX zoom lens.

Built like a tank...

I had my Nikon D1X out yesterday. I'm not sure of the shutter count on my example, but it's an old one. D1X serial numbers started out in 2001 at 5100001, and mine's number 5100496. The 17-55mm f/2.8 DX glass on the camera wasn't much newer. The serial number would indicate it was an early one, too, probably made in 2003.

Still takes a decent photo...

This would have been top flight pro kit in 2003. Six grand worth of body and next thing to two more of lens. 

I got the lens, cosmetically well-worn but functionally fine, for a bit less than five bills at Roberts. For use on crop-sensor Nikon DSLRs, the 17-55/2.8 has largely been supplanted by the excellent 16-80mm f/2.8-4E. The latter has a greater focal length range, spiffy new nano crystal coating, and vibration reduction to more than make up for the stop of aperture it gives up at longer focal lengths. Thing is, it uses an electronically-controlled diaphragm that the D1X is too old to communicate with.

I don't know if a camera store or pawn shop would even give you any money at all for a D1X these days. Used ones are bringing about a hundred bucks or thereabouts.

Still takes an okay photo. Nikon builds their pro bodies like tanks; you could bludgeon a dude to death with one of these and then take pictures of the crime scene with it.

Random Old Camera Notes

One thing about using older cameras is that even if the camera is sold as "includes battery and charger", that doesn't necessarily mean the battery is worth a damn. 

The original Canon Digital Rebel I gave Bobbi six or seven years ago has spent most of the intervening years sitting on a shelf on her desk behind her computer monitor. Over that time, the BP511 battery pack in it has quietly gone (mostly) toes up. You can power up the camera, it shows a full charge, and by the time you've set the date and time and taken a single photo, it's down to one bar on the little segmented battery icon. 

The irony is that this is the battery pack on which someone had scrawled "NEW" on in Sharpie at sometime in the past. The EN-EL4 that came with my Nikon D2X was in the same shape. Being fair, these batteries are probably at least a dozen years old. Fortunately, both are still in production and available thanks to huge installed user bases. Canon used the BP511 and BP511a in probably a dozen models, up to 2010 or so, and the EN-EL4 and -EL4a powered Nikon's top-of-the-line pro bodies for eight years, as well as its final film camera, the F6.

I've also noted that the original Digital Rebel is wonky when writing RAW files even if you don't turn it off in the middle of the process. It seems to do fine with JPEGs, though.

SOOC large, fine JPEG

The thing with a digicam like this is that it's entered its disposable days. Use it, have fun, but don't plan on repairing it or anything when it finally grinds to a halt. In perfect working order and top-notch cosmetic condition, this is a fifty dollar camera body. In the shape this one's in cosmetically, its real street value couldn't buy lunch for two at Chick-fil-A.

.

Writing Time

So, if you're out shooting with an original EOS Digital Rebel, a creaky silver plastic 300D, and it has only, like one bar of battery left so you're turning it off after each shot to conserve juice...you should probably remember to wait for a solid five- or six-Mississippi to flick the switch to "OFF" because it takes that thing FOREVER to write a RAW file and if you turn it off in the middle of the save process it just corrupts the data.

Just throwing that out there. No particular reason.

Have a colorful photo shot in RAW...after I noticed that glitch.

That was shot in RAW and processed in Adobe Photoshop Bridge, just hitting "Adobe Vivid" and the "Auto" correction button.

For contrast, I switched the camera over to the Large Fine JPEG setting and shot the same scene...

It only takes about two seconds to record the highest quality JPEG, since it only takes up a little over 2MB on the card rather than the 6.6MB of a RAW file.

These days it's easy to forget that in the early days of higher-resolution digital photography, recording speed was a limiting factor; so much of one that Digital Photography Review measured how long it took to write files to the card.

.