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Updated: Sept 22, 2003 |
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| Nikon D100 The affordable Nikon digital SLR. In some ways, it's better than the D1 series. |
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The 2002 PMA (Photo Marketing Association) trade show was a dream come true for many photographers. Four camera manufacturers announced high quality, modest cost digital SLRs (Canon D60, Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro, Sigma SD-9, and the Nikon D100). The digital world was suddenly abuzz. Would these manufacturers really sell 6-megapixel SLRs at US$2000? Could the CCDs in these cameras leapfrog over the existing king of the hill, the D1x? Would they really appear before summer 2002? The answer to those questions were yes, mostly, and yes. But there are plenty of other questions to be asked and answered, and this review will try to address them. [Update:
Canon has since introduced the 10D to replace the D60. The 10D has
a street price of $1499. Nikon lowered the price of the D100 so that
it's street price is typically $1699 (and can be lower if you buy lenses
with rebates on them at the same time as a body). Fujifilm lowered
the price of the S2 Pro so that it streets at around $1795. And Sigma,
not to be outdone in the repricing scheme, now has the SD-9 priced
so that it appears for about $1399 including two lenses. From a quality
standpoint, of course, nothing has fundamentally changed. Indeed, the
fall 2003 introduction of the Canon Digital Rebel (D300) means that
the image quality produced by these cameras can now be found at an
even lower price, though body build is less robust and a number of
advanced features were
dropped. In short, prosumer digital SLRs have gotten much more affordable
since the hubbub at the 2002 PMA show.]
Indeed, from the front, the only thing to distinguish a D100 from an N80 is the extra bulk at the bottom of the camera and the stenciled model number. The body itself, however, on close examination deviates quite a bit in very subtle ways from the N80: the flash head is a little longer (as is the viewfinder prism underneath it); the depth of the body is slightly enlarged and not quite as flat as the N80; the Mode dial has changed shape and the items that appear on it; the list of changes trickles on, and on, and on. The LCD on the top panel is larger, and contains more information. The contours have been subtly reshaped, with some buttons moved and changed in size. The autofocus direction pad is small and stiff compared to the one on the N80. Regardless, the primary DNA comes from the N80. The shutter is the N80's, the viewfinder technology is the N80's, the autofocus and metering system is the N80's, the control interface is mostly the N80's (with some modest changes we'll get to), the internal flash is the N80's. The general build quality falls somewhere between the N80 and F100, though I'd place it closer to the N80 than the F100.
The primary things the D100 sacrifices over the D1 models are:
Minor things that are different on the two cameras:
It's
clear that Nikon has learned a few things along the way, though.
(The D100 is Nikon's sixth DSLR design.) There
are some very nice subtle touches that will probably not be appreciated
until you use the camera for awhile. |
Table of Contents Need
a book on the D100?
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The BasicsThe D100 has a feature set that sounds a bit like the D1 (or any other serious digital or film SLR, for that matter). Indeed, most of its "camera" features are derived from either the N80 or the D1 bodies. In physical size and appearance, the D100 closely resembles the N80, though careful observation shows that virtually every little curve and button has been tweaked. The autofocus system is fast (especially on central subjects), and features five sensors (CAM 900) that can track rapidly moving objects, or direct autofocus to a specific area of the frame. Autofocus detection works from EV –1 to EV 19 (specified at ISO 100, though the camera doesn't shoot at that speed! Nikon should have restated this into ISO 200 values if the ISO rating makes a difference). The metering range extends from EV 0 to EV 21, plenty wide for virtually any shooting you might do. Note that the spot metering range is slightly lower, from EV 3 to EV 21. Unless you make a habit of spot metering in unlit situations at night, you're not likely to encounter that limit. Shutter speeds can be controlled in 1/3 stop or 1/2 increments from 30 seconds to 1/4000. All shutter speeds are handled mechanically on the D100. Indeed, the shutter sounds pretty much like the N80's in action. Single shot and continuous firing at 3 fps is supported, though I have not found any condition that allows my D100 to achieve the stated maximum frame rate. The best I've been able to obtain is a wee bit over 2 fps. And it's relatively easy to (inadvertently) turn on features that would make motor drive even more leisurely in pace. Unlike the D1, the D100 manages matrix metering the old-fashioned way, with a 10-segment metering pattern. Likewise, the white balance is not set by a CCD in the viewfinder, but from data from the main imaging sensor during exposure. This results in a more complex and confusing Preset white balance procedure (though Nikon has made it more complicated than it need be). The
matrix metering also incorporates information about the focus point
you’re using if you’ve mounted a “D-type” lens. Nikon also lists “subject
positioning,” “overall scene brightness,” and “scene contrast” as factors
in the matrix metering calculations. In short, it’s hard to second guess
the camera as there are so many factors being considered. If simplicity
suits you, the spot meter option is a better choice. As befitting a serious camera, Nikon keeps the mode selection simple: Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Manual are the full lineup. Program mode is easily adjusted by spinning one of the control dials. There's also an automatic adjustment of the program due to focal length of the lens used; thus there is no “Program High” or other special automatic modes as there are in some other Nikon bodies. Like all Nikon bodies, you can override the programming using the rear command dial, something Nikon calls "Flexible Program." An exposure compensation button gives you a +/- 5-stop range in 1/3-stop or 1/2-stop steps. A built-in bracketing system allows two or three shots at one-third, two-thirds, or half-stop values. Exposure (as well as autofocus) can be locked by on-camera controls (though this takes some reading of the custom functions to understand completely). ISO values from 200 to 1600 in one-third stops can be set directly, plus 3200 and 6400 equivalents can be set (random noise patterns are easily detected at ISO 3200 and 6400, but if it's the difference between getting the shot or not...). Flash
sync works to 1/180 of second. Flash metering uses five TTL sensors
and can be balanced, slow-synced, and synchronized with the rear shutter
curtain. In
the viewfinder, you'll see 95% of the full frame, which means you're
not seeing between 50 and 75 pixels worth of information at every
edge.
Shutter speed, aperture, exposure mode, metering method, focus indicators,
exposure compensation, flash ready, and frame counter are all visible
in the viewfinder, even to eyeglass wearers like me. On the color
LCD
on the back of the camera, you'll see 100% of the image. Probably of
most use on the color LCD is the ability to see a histogram of any
picture
you take, allowing you to tinker with exposure to get every last bit
of dynamic range out of the sensor (like slide film, always expose
so
that the brightest highlight doesn't blow out--you can often recover
shadow detail that blocks up, but blown highlights are obnoxious
to
the eye and not easily fixable). One thing Coolpix users will complain
about when they switch to a D100 is that the color LCD on the back
doesn't
display a preview of image before you take the shot (the D100's CCD
is blocked by a shutter curtain and mirror, after all). Frankly,
I don't
find this to be a drawback at all, and a bit of a plus (the power-hungry
color LCD is only on when you're reviewing pictures or making camera
adjustments). The regular viewfinder is just fine for determining
composition
and focus, though the image is a bit smaller and darker than the N80's. The D100 takes any Nikon F mount lens (well, lenses earlier than the AI manual focus Nikkors damage the mount if you try to put them on the D100, and a few specific lenses won't work on the D100, usually because they have elements that stick into the mirror box and require mirror lock-up). Non-CPU lenses don't allow metering and must be used in Manual exposure mode. When you mount a lens on the D100, the effective focal length is increased by about 1.5x (e.g., a 20mm lens shows roughly the same angle of view as a 30mm lens would on a 35mm body; note that the 1.5x is a rounded figure, the actual increase is slightly more). Apertures aren't affected by this change. Because only the central portion of the image circle formed by the lens is used, if you've been making any exposure adjustments at maximum aperture to account for light falloff, you should not do that on a D100. The field of view change has several good points, and a couple of bad ones:
The CCD sensor the D100 uses is currently unique to the D100, though it is made by Sony and will probably be made available to other camera manufacturers (it's the rumored sensor in the Pentax digital SLR, for example). It's not one of the Sony-produced megapixel sensors that the majority of consumer digital cameras use, which are physically smaller and have miniscule photosites. The D100 sensor consists of a 3008 x 2000 array, and it has massive (compared to the consumer cameras) 7 micron pixels. That's just one reason why the D100 can produce 12-bit RGB images with rich color and low noise. Like virtually all digital cameras, a filter array is placed over the D100's CCD. This filter has four purposes:
The D100 produces several different types of files: JPEG, TIFF, and NEF. The JPEG options work as you'd expect, but you pay a significant penalty for using that format: the files are compressed and lose a bit of detail, plus they are converted to 8-bit format, losing some of the D100's tonal range in the process. The JPEG engine also softens edges a bit from what you'd get with an unsharpened NEF file. TIFF formats are available to prevent the compression loss, but they, too, produce only 8-bit RGB. The NEF format is the only one that retains the full data the D100 is capable of acquiring. Indeed, the NEF format contains exactly the data that came from the CCD, with no interpolation or camera processing. Unfortunately, you need an extra software program to fully use this format. At least the Photoshop import filter supplied with the camera allows you to do some of the post exposure adjustments users like to do with their NEF files (exposure, white balance, and rotation, in this case). To get the most from NEF files, you need a converter program such as Nikon Capture, though. In the US, the D100 comes with the required EN-EL3 lithium rechargeable battery pack and the MH-18 quick charger. You'll want at least one extra EN-EL3. Battery life is quite dependent upon a number of factors, and can range from a couple of hundred shots to a thousand. Note that IBM Microdrives use more power than CompactFlash cards, and thus, exhaust the batteries faster. Still, battery life is impressive by any standard of measurement. With a nonvolatile CompactFlash card, I can often shoot all day without worrying about changing batteries; no other Nikon-based DSLR matches that at present [the D2h appears like it might, though]. The camera weighs in at 25 ounces, and that's without a lens or the battery, so it's a lot lighter than the D1, but significantly heavier than the N80.
HandlingThe D1 was like a Mack truck compared to consumer digital cameras. The D100, well, maybe rates a heavy duty Dodge RAM pickup level. For the most part, it seems rugged and reliable. The plastic color LCD cover, the autofocus sensor direction pad, and the door over the CompactFlash slot all seem a bit "cheap" relative to the rest of the camera. While most of the controls fall naturally under my fingers and can be easily found by touch, the overall grip on the body seems a bit, well, unrefined. You only have to pick up the very similar Fuji S2 Pro to see what I mean. The ridge on the CompactFlash door just doesn't "fit" in my hands, as it does on most Nikon bodies. Moreover, the move of the autofocus sensor direction pad (and the change to a small, stiff controller) wasn't a good choice. It seems Nikon moves the controller's location on every new camera body they make, regardless of whether they got it right on the previous one or not.All camera controls with multiple settings (flash mode, metering mode, exposure compensation, etc.) are set by holding down the appropriate button and rotating one of the knurled command dials. Unlike the D1 models, the unique digital controls aren't as buried on the D100. ISO, image quality and white balance use the Mode dial and command dials, and this seems pretty natural and straightforward. The
color LCD position is less vulnerable to scratching and nose prints
than the D1, but it's still vulnerable, what with it's sticking out
the backside of the camera. The cheap cover Nikon supplies is easily
cracked. Mine cracked within a week of starting to use the camera, even
before I took it into the harsh backcountry settings I usually shoot
in.
But to give Nikon credit, they have managed to improve a number of things in handling. For example, the exposure compensation button on the N80 was moved from the position it's been on every other Nikon body. On the D100, it's back where it belongs. (Of course, what Nikon givith, they taketh: the Flash mode button now sits next to the exposure compensation button. These two buttons should always be used for things that you can set while looking through the viewfinder [because their location makes it easy to do by feel], but Flash mode isn't something you can do looking through the viewfinder.) The menus on the D100 have been rethought a bit and simplified from the D1. There's a bit less scrolling, and there's more consistency about how things are handled. Nikon has correctly figured out that the camera doesn't need a separate playback mode (as on the D1 models), and this, too, is reflected in the menuing system. Overall, a D1 user will find the controls familiar, though not exactly the same. Finally, Nikon has put a decent rubber cover over the connectors on the left side of the camera. D1 owners are used to their covers popping off, curling up, and generally getting in the way. Of course, whether putting connectors on the left side of the body is the correct place is another question, but at least the cover locks into place and doesn't pop up easily.
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ExposureOne common complaint I see from new D100 users is that they believe that the camera is underexposing. But compared to any other camera I have available to me, the D100 is setting the same exposures, so it's not the meter that I think is the issue. What is the issue is the rated sensitivity of the CCD (ISO 200 base) and the regularity of the exposure curve of the CCD. Like the D1 models before it, the D100 tends to bunch up values at the dark end of the spectrum. This is a common problem of CCDs, and has to do with the linearity curve that's applied against the data coming off the ADC. It's nothing that a little bit of Curve manipulation in Photoshop (or something like Fred Miranda's linearity action) can't easily fix. If you have Nikon Capture, you can also come up with your own Custom Curve to change the linearity--samples of that were provided in Issue #4 of my newsletter. I'm still trying to figure out just how the D1 and D100 compare on overall dynamic range and how shadows and highlights are handled. My preliminary assessment is that both the D1 and D100 have about the same amount of trouble holding highlight detail at the metered exposures, especially if you're shooting JPEG or TIFF (the 12-bit to 8-bit reduction tends to lose all subtlety at the highlight end). But the exposure range is wide enough (especially shooting NEF) that you can adjust for that. I'm tempted to say the D100 has a tougher time holding highlights than the D1, but every time I think I find an example that shows that, I find another that doesn't. What I do like is that if I control exposure to hold the highlights and have to bump up the shadow areas with Photoshop, the D100 usually has less visible noise in the shadows than the D1x. [I have come to the conclusion that the D100 has every so slightly less usable range in the shadows than the D1 series due to noise build-up; but this difference is small and probably beyond the discipline level of most photographers to reproduce regularly.] The D100's output in general looks less noisy in JPEG shots than the D1 models at the same ISO values. Coupled with the slight softening the JPEG engine tends to add, the camera is fully capable of handling subtle gradations without introducing objectionable noise. Skies look a bit cleaner on the D100 than on my D1x, which is to say, outstanding. With long-exposure noise reduction on, the D100 can also handle very long exposures without throwing in stray hot pixels. I'd be comfortable shooting 10 and 20-second exposures with the D100 that would have me headed for a long cloning session on my D1x (and, of course, the higher ISO value makes this even more impressive). Even longer exposures are still pretty darn good with the D100, though I don't think we've yet reached the level where we can shoot noise-free 2-hour star trail shots with a digital SLR. For NEF images, the D100 is a little less capable than my D1x; I see slight noise issues with the D100 that I don't see with the D1x. These are easily removed with a product such as Neat Image, but do expect to spend a bit more effort with post production of NEF files on the D100 than you would with the D1x to achieve the same noise-free results. In JPEG files, the D100 seems to be more sensitive to control interaction than the D1 models. For example, if you turn sharpening to high and contrast to high, much of the subtlety of the D100's images is lost (highlight detail disappears, contrast is way too high, and the whole picture looks a bit too artificial, not filmlike at all). Color
rendition is quite accurate with AdobeRGB, a little less so with sRGB.
The special sRGB mode tends to help greens a bit, but none of the color
modes produce anywhere near the green saturation I see in the Fuji S2
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AutofocusI've seen posts that claim the D100 has faster autofocus than the N80. It doesn't. What it does have is different default settings. Nikon has finally turned the Closest Subject Priority off as the default. In all modes. This makes a significant difference, especially in low-light conditions with the way most users set the camera; CSP had a tendency to make the camera pause before focusing in certain conditions. Using the central autofocus sensor only, the D100 is as fast at autofocus as any Nikon body. AF-S lenses "snap" to focus using the central sensor. The only times you'll see a difference between the D100 and the D1 is in low light and off center subjects. I think Nikon must have taken my "Nintendo-like" controller remarks in previous reviews to heart. The D100's autofocus sensor direction pad is even more Nintendo-like than ever before. GameBoy like, not optional pro-gamer controller-like. The control is small, stiff, poorly placed, and will most certainly spark a reaction by long-time Nikon users. If you've got a big thumb, good luck, you might not be able to distinguish between directions the controller is so small. Worse, the left edge of the sensor is very close to the LCD cover, which sticks out further than the controller.
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PositivesWhile I wouldn't take my drawbacks lightly, they are minor compared to the pluses. The D100 takes beautiful photos when used well, and can give any digital SLR on the market a run for the money. We may quibble about slight differences in color, or noise, or aliasing between different models, but these discussions are no different than the Provia versus Ektachrome type of debate. In short, expect to produce darn good results out of this camera.
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NC asks: What are the advantages of shooting in the RAW mode versus TIFF? Thom's Answer: I wish Nikon hadn't put TIFF mode on the camera. JPEG FINE is quite good, much faster, and would give you photos that are pretty much indistinguishable from TIFF. If you want all the quality the camera can deliver, you shoot NEF (RAW), though. The NEF format gives you a host of things you don't get elsewhere:
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