Nikon D2X

Opinion: I upgraded from a Fuji Finepix S2 pro to this, I had a fair bit of Nikon stuff and a very limited budget, after much hunting about looking at a large variety of cameras and shops I managed to get one of these for a couple of hundred quid. First impressions are it big, heavy, solid and possibly the most ergonomic camera ever built. I have big hands and the weight of this camera just makes it feel that much better planted when you are shooting, all of the buttons, dails and switches are just where you want them, there are so many external controls that you may never have to use the menus (as excellent as they are) I have now taken about 4,000 pics with mine (from Feb 2011) It all works exactly as a Pro camera should, I shoot in low light at gigs and concerts as well as a lot of music festival shooting. This camera is brilliant, low light focus is great, the viewfinder is bright and clear, 'auto' settings appear to give good results, burst mode and high speed crop are nothing short of earth shattering and finally a camera with a battery meter that works (you can happily shoot with 1 dot left knowing that it isn't going to die!). In short I can find nothing wrong with the D2x, I am delighted with its speed, handling and image quality (though if you go over ISO 800 you will get some noise) it has been a revelation and I really cannot fault the camera in any way. Could I get a better camera? yes but only its younger brothers the D3 range, but for the prices they are going for? Not a chance, a pro camera for this price is just beyond belief

Opinion: This was a big step up from my D100. Nikon knew exactly what they needed, to stay on top. This camera offers film like quality pictures. Settings once properly set to individual taste, are extraodinary in helping the user shoot anything from portait to landscape, sporting events and just regular snapshots. I have 35,000 actuations on this beast, and everything still works like clockwork.Use the best lens possible, and results will be amazing. High ISO is not this cameras forte, but my pics at 800, are still very managable and surprising. Built like a tank and made for serious photographers. Before getting one of these, make sure you have some knowledge on how to use advanced settings. My friend shoots a D700, and is always stunned at the quality of my pics. My next camera will be its predecessor, D3X. Thank you Nikon!

Opinion: I'm now on my second D2x body after having sold Body #1 and regretting it ever
since. Given the cost of a used D2x camera at the moment, this has got to be the
best value ever in a pro-body DSLR. The images from the D2x (or D2xs) are simply
stunning, particularly when used with Nikon's best glass. I happen to use mine with
older AIS manual focus lenses (50mm f/1.2 & 28mm f/2.8), but any of the newer,
better lenses in the Nikon inventory will produce exceptional pics. The images are
sharp, sharp, sharp, lifelike, colorful and contrasty, often breathtaking, and they're
filled with details above and beyond what you might expect of a 12MP camera.

The camera is also fast, fast, fast and offers excellent metering ... the best of any
DSLR I've owned. Once you understand the various settings and have them set the
way you want according to your style of shooting, picture-taking with the D2x is
almost as easy as with a point-and-shoot ... but better; much, much better.

The high-speed crop mode (8MP @ 8fps) is one of the camera's most outstanding
features. With it, nothing moving at any speed will escape this camera's ability to
capture it frozen in time.

One of the least discussed qualities of this camera is its ability to capture details in
shadows. No camera I've owned or used quite matches the D2x in this regard. Most
of the DSLRs go very dark or even black in shadow areas that should be medium to
dark gray ... masking much of the detail in those shadows and therefore requiring
lightning in post-processing, increasing noise levels where noise exists. Not the D2x.

All in all, an exceptional camera. From ISO 100-400 it has acuity and film-like
qualities not matched by the newer D300 and is sharper out-of-camera than the
D700. Above ISO 400 noise levels increase and the camera begins to show its age.
Still, with the right technique and proper exposure, I've been able to generate
usable, quality RAW files at ISO 1600. Noise levels at ISO 800-1000 are never
objectionable to me.

One of the great cameras.

Opinion: Excellent camera and firmware 2.0 made the noise less apparent at high ISO (the only thing one could complain about). Got mine very secondhand (rough pro handling for 2 years and 40000+ exposures) but it works flawlessly.
Works great if you got older lenses.

Opinion: I've just bought an ex demo with 2,000 exposures on
it, coupled with the 17-55mm 2.8 I bought for my
D200. This is an awesome combination. 2nd hand this
has to be the best value for money on the market at
the moment. Brutally fast AF, wonderfully faithful
colour reproduction and detailed sensor - it's a wonder
that Nikon bothered investing in FX technology after
they produced the D2X

Opinion: Wow! Long time between the last comment and mine!. I purchased the D2X used for $950 and used it as a backup camera during a recent wedding ( I'm a Canon 1D/1DMk2 User but have some Nikon gear). I was impressed with the image quality and focus speed. Not as heavy as some stated it would be. To me, there's no need to go purchase the latest and greatest camera when many great older cameras are on the used market. If one knows the basics of photography, one can always make a great picture.

Opinion: I would consider this the "Mac" of cameras... If you enjoy ease of use, User friendly
interface, Idiot proof operating system this is the camera for you...
I shoot mainly fashion/portrait work with this camera and it is sharp enough to shoot
editorial, smalll advertising gigs. Fast enough to shoot sporting events... High speed
crop mode is great if you are in a bind and need a longer lens.

I did a job for a museum in China and blew up the prints 30x40 and the images held
together beautifully...

Opinion: Superb camera. It is my main camera for Weddings, Portraits, and advertising
work. The handling and speed of this camera suits me down to the ground and for
this reason I love the Nikon as opposed to any Canon alternatives, and yes, that is
even considering that the Nikon's are not as good with the noise but for me, there
is much much more that I want/need from a camera, before I get to noise.
Handling, speed, AF speed/tracking/low light, colours, resolution, sharpness and all
very very important to me and in this regard I don't think the D2X can be beaten.
In fact, in most circumstances during the day, and in studio or other situations
where flash can used, I still think that it does not get much better than the D2X.
Yes it is a bit noisy in the higher ISOs, but I still find it sharp and accurate (colour
wise) and actually, if you get you exposure right, it really is not as bad as everyone
would have you think. Yes, if you don't really know what you are doing with
metering and exposure and you get it wrong and have to brighten up a dark image,
you will get noisy images. But even in a worst case senario, I just use Neat Image
to clean the image up. Generally I use a D2x with 17-55 f2.8 and SB800 for 70%
of my wedding work. During ceremonies, the flash gets turned off, and I then use
the D2x right up to ISO800 and get great results. Once the ceremony is done, the
ISO goes right back down, flash on and off I go. I also use the D200 with a long
prime lens for other shots. Only a small number of my total shots need high ISO,
both at weddings and any with any other type of portrait work. I am regularly at
the back of a church, with a tripod, using low ISOs and longer shutter speeds
where people are still and get great results. I suppose if your work almost always
involved you taking high ISO no flash pics you would consider a cleaner Canon,
indoor sports springs to mind. But then, even the guy I got my D2x from said that
he really misses the sharpness and handling of the D2x.

Overall, I read a comment somewhere which I think sums it all up.......

D2x is king of the day (and any situation where you can use flash)

and Canon (for some) is king of the night (high ISO no flash).

Overall for me, I could afford to change to a Canon system with a MK3 and a 5D,
but I love what I have, get great results and love the handling of the whole system.

Opinion: Have used two of these cameras for a year professionally.
Sold them. They were not up to the job I needed them for (weddings and potraits, a lot of lowlight situations).

I'm sure it's a great camera for other uses.