Nikon D1 Review

Nikon’s D1 has been around for more than a year; it was formally unveiled on June 15, 1999, though we had already seen a lot of “behind the glass” prototypes. Finally, in September of last year, I got my hands on a D1 prototype for the first time.

The D1 was Nikon’s response to Kodak’s monopoly on the market for professional SLR cameras. When one of the major manufacturers created and produced the first digital SLR, it was a significant turning point in history (“homegrown”).

It also signaled a significant shift in expectations regarding the cost of this equipment because, at the time it was released, it cost at least half (if not a third) less than its closest competitor, the Nikon-based Kodak DCS 620. Better still, it had a 2.7-megapixel sensor instead of the 2.0-megapixel one found in the DCS x20, allowing the camera to aim for more oversized prints and higher-quality output.

I should probably clarify why it took so long to provide a review. I had a loan D1 at the beginning of this year, but the work on this review was halted when I moved back to the UK from Singapore. So to assist round out the selection of digital SLR reviews, I’m sharing this review (also Canon EOS-D30, Fujifilm S1 Pro, Kodak DCS 520, 620 & 620x).

Design

I once heard someone say, “Once you hold the D1, you won’t want any other digital SLR,” and I have to agree. Its incredibly sturdy design is probably the first thing you notice.

It weighs a substantial 1.1 kg (2.5 lbs) without a lens or batteries and is made from what feels like a solid slab of magnesium alloy. However, the weight gives you confidence that you are using a professional instrument developed to be utilized in various settings.

The D1 shares more than a passing resemblance with previous Nikon SLR models like the F5 and F100 in several areas. When I initially learned about the D1, I was told that it had a design split 50/50 between the F5 and the F100 (it’s hard to tell which halves, but suffice it to say that it’s closer to the F5 in terms of strength).

Nearly the whole front of the camera is coated in rubber, as is the rear compact flash box lid, which also serves as a thumb grip. The hand grip is substantial and perfectly contoured, hugging the inside of your palm and having enough depth to grasp well right up to your fingers.

The D1 features a second shutter release and a command wheel on the bottom of the camera since it has a built-in portrait grip. This increases the camera’s overall resilience to knocks and makes the entire device practically square when viewed from the front.

It feels like the ideal camera tool in your hands. It’s unlikely that you could ever seriously criticize Nikon for the D1’s build and design, given how well it is balanced and has an excellent grip. There is simply no digital SLR on the market (as of the time this review was written) that can compare to the D1’s design, balance, and build quality.

Image Quality

Sharp and clear pictures

The Kodak DCS cameras undoubtedly provided pretty clean photos, but there was always the underlying discomfort of blue channel noise. The D1 was the first digital SLR to give us a smooth, clear image. Both ISO 200 and ISO 400 exhibit this; noise only becomes noticeable at ISO 800 and higher.

Black and White

The D1 has a wide selection of good preset white balances, manual presets (shot a gray card or white wall), and fine-tuning of any preset +/- 3 levels. It’s usually simple to acquire a nice white balance even without a custom setting because of the superb ability to fine-tune each white balance.

Nikon D1 Specifications

General
Name	Nikon D1
Retail Price	US$5,500 (body only)
Type	Lens-interchangeable SLR-type digital camera
Body	Magnesium alloy, resistant to penetration by water drops
Imager / Sensor
Imager	CCD Sensor
Imager effective pixels	2,000 x 1,312 (2.72 million)
Imager total pixels	2.74 million
Imager ratio	3:2
Image size	15.6 mm x 23.7 mm
Imager system output	36-bit (12-bits per color)
Imager filter	Primary (RGBG) color filter
Low-Pass filter (anti-alias filter)	Ultra-thin lithium niobate (LiNB) Low-Pass Filter (also cuts infrared rays) incorporated just in front of CCD
ISO speed range	Equiv to 200, 400, 800 and 1,600
Lenses
Lens compatibility	Compatible with virtually any F-mount Nikkor lens, the picture angle with D1 is equivalent to 1.5x focal length in 35mm format.
Focal length multiplier	1.5x, therefore, a Nikkor 28 mm lens on this camera has a focal length equivalent to 42 mm.
Usable lenses	1) D-type AF Nikkor: All functions possible 2) D-type Manual-Focus Nikkor: All functions except autofocus possible 3) AF Nikkor other than D-type: All functions except 3D Color Matrix Metering and 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash for D1 possible, 4) AI-P Nikkor: All functions except 3D Colour Matrix Metering, 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash for D1 and autofocus possible 5) Non-CPU: Usable in [A] or [M] modeCentre-Weighted or Spot Metering; Electronic Rangefinder usable with a lens with a maximum aperture of f/5.6 or fasterNote: When Non-CPU lenses are used, [A] mode is selected automatically for [P] or [S] mode, also Centre-Weighted Metering is chosen for 3D Colour Matrix Metering.
Focus
Autofocus	High-speed AF system including Dynamic AF operation (same performance as F5 and F100) TTL phase detection, Nikon Multi-CAM1300 autofocus module; Detection range: EV -1 to EV 19 (ISO 100 equivalent, at standard temperature)
Focus points	One of five focus areas can be selected
Focus point selection	Via rear 4-way controller
Focus lock	Focus is locked by pressing the AE-L/AF-L button or lightly pressing the shutter release button in (S) AF
AF Area Mode	1) Single Area AF 2) Dynamic AF (Dynamic AF Mode with Closest Subject Priority is available)
Lens servo	1) Single Servo AF (S) 2) Continuous Servo AF (C) 3) Manual focus (M) Focus Tracking is automatically activated by the subject’s status in (S) or (C) AF
Lens aperture	Instant-return type, with the depth-of-field preview button
Metering / White balance
Metering modes	1) 3D Colour Matrix Metering with 1,005-pixel CCD EV 0-20 2) Centre-Weighted Metering (75% of the meter’s sensitivity concentrated on the 8mm dia. circle) EV 0-20 3) Spot (4mm dia. circle, approx. 2% of entire frame) EV 2-20
Exposure modes	1) Programmed Auto [P] (flexible programming possible) 2) Shutter-Priority Auto [S] 3) Aperture-Priority Auto [A] 4) Manual [M]
Exposure compensation	+/- 5 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
AE Lock	1) Auto AE lock 2) Manual AE lock button
Exposure metering coupling	CPU and AI combined
Exposure / Shooting
Shutter	Single-blade mechanical shutter provided for smear prevention
Shutter speed	BULB, 30 secs to 1/16,000 sec
Drive modes	Single, Continuous full frame (1.5 fps), Continuous 1/16 size
Exposure metering	1) D-type AF Nikkor: All functions possible 2) D-type Manual-Focus Nikkor: All functions except autofocus possible 3) AF Nikkor other than D-type: All functions except 3D Color Matrix Metering and 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash for D1 possible, 4) AI-P Nikkor: All functions except 3D Colour Matrix Metering, 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash for D1 and autofocus possible 5) Non-CPU: Usable in [A] or [M] modeCentre-Weighted or Spot Metering; Electronic Rangefinder usable with a lens with a maximum aperture of f/5.6 or faster note: When Non-CPU lenses are used, [A] mode is selected automatically for [P] or [S] mode, also Centre-Weighted Metering is chosen for 3D Colour Matrix Metering.
Self-Timer	Custom 2 – 20 seconds
Bracketing	Auto Exposure Bracketing is available for two or three shots in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, or 1 step
Burst shooting	4.5 fps shooting speed for up to 21 consecutive shots
Speed	Quick startup and 0.058 sec. shutter time lag
Image storage
Storage media	CompactFlash type I or II
Uncompressed formats	12-bit Raw*, 8-bit YCbCr-TIFF*, 8-bit RGB-TIFF. (Black & White / Colour modes) * Optional software is needed to reproduce Raw or YCbCr-TIFF images; “Nikon Capture” for Raw images, “Nikon View DX” for YCbCr-TIFF images
JPEG image modes	Three: JPEG Baseline (approx. 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 compressed),
Colorspace	NTSC (1953)
LCD / Viewfinder
LCD	2″ 120,000-dot low-temperature polysilicon TFT LCD with histogram indication. Backlight and brightness adjustable.
Top-Panel LCD	Exposure value (shutter speed/aperture), exposure mode, exposure compensation, exposure compensation value, aperture/shutter speed lock, flash sync mode, focus area, exposure bracketing information, electronic analog display, battery power, CF Card confirmation, number of shots taken, number of pictures remaining, frame number at playback battery power for the built-in clock, date/time
Rear-Panel LCD	Number of shots remaining, sensitivity, white balance mode, image quality mode, monochrome mode, CF Card status, LCD monitor status, Custom function
Viewfinder	TTL Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder with frame coverage of approx. 96%, Dioptre adjustment (-3 to +1 DP), High eyepoint (higher than 22mm), Eyepiece shutter provided
Focus screen	B-type BriteView clear Matte Screen III; Interchangeable focusing screen (compatible with focusing screen for F100)
Viewfinder Magnification	Approx. 0.8x with 50mm lens set to infinity and -1.0 DP
Viewfinder Information	Focus indications, shutter speed, aperture, exposure mode, metering system, shutter speed lock, aperture lock, AE lock, electronic analog display, frame counter, ready-ligh t, five sets of focus brackets (area)
Flash
Internal Flash	None
Flash synch	Up to 1/500 sec
Sync contact	X-contact only
Flash sensor	3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash for D1 controlled by five-segment TTL Multi Sensor with new Speedlight SB-28DX
Flash control	1) Automatic Balanced Fill-Flash controlled by five-segment TTL Multi Sensor: o 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash for D1 when used with SB-28DX and D-type Nikkor lens o Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash when used with SB-28DX and AF Nikkor other than D-type, AI-P Nikkor lens 2) AA (Auto Aperture)-type Flash available when used with SB-28DX and lens with built-in CPU 3) Non-TTL Auto Flash with a Speedlight such as SB-28DX, 28, 27, 22s, etc.
Flash synch modes	1) Front-Curtain Sync (normal sync) 2) Red-Eye Reduction 3) Red-Eye Reduction with Slow Sync 4) Slow Sync 5) Rear-Curtain Sync
Playback
Playback modes	1) 1 frame 2) Thumbnail (9 segments) 3) Slide show 4) Histogram indication
Playback erase	1) Single 2) All (except protected)
Battery / Power
Batteries	Interchangeable Ni-MH battery pack EN-4 and dedicated Quick Charger MH-16 (compatible with battery charger MH-15 for F100) (all optional)
Battery charge time	90 minutes
Communications / I/O
Communication Interface	IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
Video Output	Switchable NTSC or PAL
Remote control	Via 10-pin remote terminal
Standard Accessories
Software	“Nikon View DX” Browser Software
Standard	Neck Strap, Video Cable
Optional Accessories
Optional	“Nikon Capture” Control Software (req. for RAW format) Ni-MH Battery Pack EN-4, Quick Charger MH-16, AC Adaptor EH-4, CompactFlash� Cards, Speedlight SB-28DX, IEEE1394 Cable SC-D1, Antifog Finder Eyepiece DK-15, “Nikon View DX” Browser Software, “Nikon Capture” Control Software
Physical specifications
Dimensions	157 x 153 x 85mm (6.1 x 6.1 x 3.4 in.)
Weight (no batteries)	1.1kg (2.5 lbs.)
Operating temperature	0oC to 40oC (32oF to 104oF)
Operating humidity	85% or lower

Conclusion

The image quality is outstanding, but a few quirks can be worked with as long as you know them. The D1 has everything a professional photographer could need and a lot more. The build quality is second to none, and the image quality is superb.

Think back to when the D1 was initially introduced on the market. Consider the market conditions at the time: the only digital cameras you could purchase were the 2-megapixel, $12,000+ Kodak DCS series if you were a professional photographer. Instead, Nikon made headlines with a 2.7 megapixel, all-one brand, $5,000 professional SLR camera that offered features, build quality, and a smaller size that had not been seen before in the professional market—a remarkable achievement.

It is also crucial to remember that the D1 was the first digital SLR camera capable of shooting in JPEG format, which is incredibly significant to many professional photographers. Not too much longer after that, Kodak produced firmware that can convert the proprietary TIFF files to JPEG (although the results are in no way identical). It is interesting to observe the sheer number of firmware upgrades issued for the Kodak DCS cameras ever since Nikon debuted the D1 (is Kodak attempting to play catch-up?).

I recall conversing with someone from Kodak Professional at the beginning of 1999 when the D1 was only a rumor. At the time, they weren’t bothered and had a rather cavalier attitude about their products and ongoing success in the professional market. So I am curious to know what they think of the D1.

There is little question that the D1 was the camera that fundamentally altered the digital SLR industry; nevertheless, despite the numerous products and announcements that other manufacturers have made since then, nothing can compete with the D1. In addition, Kodak has decreased the cost of their professional cameras to regain some of the ground they have lost.

When this review was written, there was no doubt that the Nikon D1 is the digital tool professional photographers should use.

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