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Flashback : Nikon D1h in 2017

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doni

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This is a review of how my first DSLR is holding up almost 16 years later.

This review was inspired by (a) a post in this forum about the D1 almost being 20 years old and (b) the Nikon 100 anniversary video.

I was inspired to take out my "old school" cameras out for a roll.

First up was the D1h. 2.7 megapixel crop sensor DSLR.

First impression - it felt right. I know this is subjective, but it felt right at home with my hand. My fingers knew where to go as if it was yesterday!

2017 drawbacks:

(1) Battery - I had to buy new batteries to do this little test. I forgot how cumbersome these batteries were. The battery did not even make it through the entire shoot (which was less than 4 hours)

(2) Compact Flash Card - I had to buy some new "old" 1GB flashcards and reformat to FAT to work. None of my newer cards work and I lost all my older CF cards/Microdrives.

(3) Charger - It was HUGE.

That's about all the major drawbacks I can think of.

Now, to the good stuff

2017 Positives

(1) It still felt right. Ergonomics are still top-notch. Your fingers will be right at home. Weight is perfect. Camera feels balanced.

(2) Image Quality - It will still rival current DSLRs IQ given the correct circumstance. In a controlled environment it will shine with the best of them.

(3) The color / skin rendition has a special / nostalgic quality to it.

(4) Price - It can be had in ebay for between $100-200 USD (cheaper in some cases). For that price, it is a good "buy" just to be able to take it out for a spin.

In any case, I would say that the D1H is a testament to the build quality and longevity of Nikon Products. They are built to last and create great images for years (decades!) to come.

**Also, all test shots below were done with an even "older" tech - a Nikkor 105 f/2.5 AIS**















--
...in matters of grave importance, style not sincerity is the vital thing - Oscar Wilde
 

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Last edited:
Hi.

These girls will shine, even if using an old cellphone :-)

What it proves?

Old technology works just as well today - as it did, when it was new technology - but not as well as new technology works today :-)

BirgerH.
 
doni said:
This is a review of how my first DSLR is holding up almost 16 years later.

This review was inspired by (a) a post in this forum about the D1 almost being 20 years old and (b) the Nikon 100 anniversary video.

I was inspired to take out my "old school" cameras out for a roll.

First up was the D1h. 2.7 megapixel crop sensor DSLR.

First impression - it felt right. I know this is subjective, but it felt right at home with my hand. My fingers knew where to go as if it was yesterday!

2017 drawbacks:

(1) Battery - I had to buy new batteries to do this little test. I forgot how cumbersome these batteries were. The battery did not even make it through the entire shoot (which was less than 4 hours)

(2) Compact Flash Card - I had to buy some new "old" 1GB flashcards and reformat to FAT to work. None of my newer cards work and I lost all my older CF cards/Microdrives.

(3) Charger - It was HUGE.

That's about all the major drawbacks I can think of.

Now, to the good stuff

2017 Positives

(1) It still felt right. Ergonomics are still top-notch. Your fingers will be right at home. Weight is perfect. Camera feels balanced.

(2) Image Quality - It will still rival current DSLRs IQ given the correct circumstance. In a controlled environment it will shine with the best of them.

(3) The color / skin rendition has a special / nostalgic quality to it.

(4) Price - It can be had in ebay for between $100-200 USD (cheaper in some cases). For that price, it is a good "buy" just to be able to take it out for a spin.

In any case, I would say that the D1H is a testament to the build quality and longevity of Nikon Products. They are built to last and create great images for years (decades!) to come.

**Also, all test shots below were done with an even "older" tech - a Nikkor 105 f/2.5 AIS**















--
...in matters of grave importance, style not sincerity is the vital thing - Oscar Wilde
Click to expand...
Proof if ever that for most gear isn't holding anyone back.

--
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google + - https://plus.google.com/u/0/+StevenRobinsonPhotographer/posts
flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/steverphotographer/
500px - https://500px.com/steverphotographer
 
BirgerH said:
Hi.

These girls will shine, even if using an old cellphone :-)

What it proves?

Old technology works just as well today - as it did, when it was new technology - but not as well as new technology works today :-)

BirgerH.
Click to expand...
Not totally true. Many would argue that the colours these camera's produced are better than the modern sensors, especially the last 5 years or so which are optimised for high ISO. If you don't shoot high ISO and don't need to print murials, these cameras just work.
 
primeshooter said:
BirgerH said:
Hi.

These girls will shine, even if using an old cellphone :-)

What it proves?

Old technology works just as well today - as it did, when it was new technology - but not as well as new technology works today :-)

BirgerH.
Click to expand...
Not totally true. Many would argue that the colours these camera's produced are better than the modern sensors, especially the last 5 years or so which are optimised for high ISO. If you don't shoot high ISO and don't need to print murials, these cameras just work.

--
facebook - https://www.facebook.com/steverphotographer
google + - https://plus.google.com/u/0/+StevenRobinsonPhotographer/posts
flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/steverphotographer/
500px - https://500px.com/steverphotographer
Click to expand...
Yes - I know that.

I have always considered colors as being personal preferences - and have never agreed in, that the colors from my D60 (CCD) including skin colors, are better, than the colors from my newer cameras. When I do compare to my old images - I like my D90, D7000 and D800 (CMOS) far better - and these are actually very close to each other.

Though I agree, that a lot argues different :-) What I haven't seen (could be my fault - or my memory) is actual images, that shows these "better colors" and explains why. I haven't seen, anybody supporting these "ugly colors" or "ugly skintones" statements with comparing examples and arguments.

Last - my comments to the OP was not to denigrate the D1h - just to point, that the images, he/she made, would have been very hard to destroy with any decent camera - the conditions were simply too good - I mean - base ISO (if I recall) and some decent lightning - only it would take some effort to find equal good (looking) models :-)

BirgerH.
 
Last edited:
BirgerH said:
Hi.

These girls will shine, even if using an old cellphone :-)

What it proves?

Old technology works just as well today - as it did, when it was new technology - but not as well as new technology works today :-)

BirgerH.
Click to expand...
Regardless, it can be interesting to play with old gear.

let people enjoy things.
 
Mackiesback said:
BirgerH said:
Hi.

These girls will shine, even if using an old cellphone :-)

What it proves?

Old technology works just as well today - as it did, when it was new technology - but not as well as new technology works today :-)

BirgerH.
Click to expand...
Regardless, it can be interesting to play with old gear.

let people enjoy things.
Click to expand...
Very much agreeing.

We should actually do that a little more, I think - enjoying the things, we have :-)

BirgerH.
 
Great camera. Batteries total deal-breaker though. I used to get so aggravated with them.
 
BirgerH said:
Hi.

These girls will shine, even if using an old cellphone :-)
Click to expand...
Thank you! I was really lucky to work with them.
BirgerH said:
What it proves?

Old technology works just as well today - as it did, when it was new technology - but not as well as new technology works today :-)

BirgerH.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I would not even touch ISO 800 on these cameras (even when I upgraded years ago to the D2h/s). Only with the D3 and newer was high ISO above 800 even usable. I do not have a D5, but the performance of that camera is out of this world!

That being said, given the correct environment and the same optics, these old school tech will go toe to toe at base ISO (and have that nostalgic skin tone)

-Doni
 
primeshooter said:
Proof if ever that for most gear isn't holding anyone back.
Click to expand...
Thank you! Everyone is caught up in the megapixel and high ISO race that we forget that there is so much more to a camera (and photography) than just raw numbers / lab tests. Most, if not all, DSLRs today are capable tools for most occasions.

-Doni
 
Lovely images! :-)

The batteries for the D1-series, are, indeed, a bit of trouble.
 
Rexgig0 said:
Lovely images! :-)

The batteries for the D1-series, are, indeed, a bit of trouble.
Click to expand...
Thank you!

I know right? I would use this camera more if it wasn't for the battery issue. In fact, I might start using it again in limited use for some studio projects where the intended output for the models is just IG.
 
doni said:
This is a review of how my first DSLR is holding up almost 16 years later.

This review was inspired by (a) a post in this forum about the D1 almost being 20 years old and (b) the Nikon 100 anniversary video.

I was inspired to take out my "old school" cameras out for a roll.

First up was the D1h. 2.7 megapixel crop sensor DSLR.
Click to expand...
Thanks for taking the time to shoot these examples. Wish more people would dust off their older gear if only to compare it to what we have today while that can still be done. Some day all of this gear will stop working despite Nikon's great engineering.
doni said:
(2) Image Quality - It will still rival current DSLRs IQ given the correct circumstance. In a controlled environment it will shine with the best of them.

(3) The color / skin rendition has a special / nostalgic quality to it.
Click to expand...
I believe the same to be true with my D1X. The colors from an ultra sensitive CCD sensor with strong CFA seem so rich and, dare I say, non-digital compared to current cameras.

It would have been really fantastic if you'd shot the same models with both your D1H and D800 so we could have seen this difference!
doni said:
(4) Price - It can be had in ebay for between $100-200 USD (cheaper in some cases). For that price, it is a good "buy" just to be able to take it out for a spin.
Click to expand...
It's like a fancy toy to play with at these prices. Well worth the price.

fPrime
 
Last edited:
Hi,

I just saw this thread and decided to create an account to reply. I too an a fan of this piece of kit...

Lately, I've developed a bit of a passion for collecting some of these old classic cameras. To date my "best" photos have come from my D1H - there's something about the warmth of the colors that is just so appealing... of course you have to be close to the subject since there is no ability to crop...
 
My first DLSR was a D1H I got when they came out in 2001 I think.

It was an amazing experience. I'd had one digicam previously, a decent 2MP Olympus Camedia. The speed and responsiveness and quality of the D1H was amazing. I could live with the battery, never needed more than 1 spare.

This thread made me very nostalgic. An advantage of sticking with Nikon is I just opened View NXi and browsed through some NEF folders from 2001-2003 as easily as I could look at NEFs from yesterday.

BUT, my nostalgia faded quickly.

In the right light, the D1H produces pictures I'd be happy with today, they looked good and detailed full screen on a 24" monitor and would make great 8x10 or slightly larger prints despite the 2.7MP.

But the right light was pretty rare. An awful lot of shots showed the limited DR and an awful lot showed the problem of trying to stay at ISO400 or below, occasionally venturing to 800, even shooting at F2 or with an F2.8 zoom.

The colors are better IMHO on the D700 and later. Certainly the Auto WB was pretty hit and miss and I remember spending hours tweaking WB on just about every shot.

Gear does matter!
 
Dcurve said:
Hi,

I just saw this thread and decided to create an account to reply. I too an a fan of this piece of kit...

Lately, I've developed a bit of a passion for collecting some of these old classic cameras. To date my "best" photos have come from my D1H - there's something about the warmth of the colors that is just so appealing... of course you have to be close to the subject since there is no ability to crop...
Click to expand...
I know what you mean.

I picked one up last year, and when it died (electronically, my fault) I picked up another (both from EBay), because I enjoy the results.

Once you know its limitations, you can work with it and have fun with it. :-D

Steve
 
for my liking and I know this is a very relative subject. As far as the photographs themselves go, they are very nice and I always maintain that the age of a camera has nothing to do with the photos it takes today.

I mean there was a time when the 1DS, D2H, etc. were professional tools in their days. I haven't seen the light gathering quality of the shutter deteriorate and as long as the shutter fires, the camera will still take good pictures. Why wouldn't it?
 
I love the D1 series for what they are able to do despite being old technology. I own a D1x (with three batteries), a d2xs, a d3s and one each of the F through F6 film Nikons.

When I get nostalgic for the F5 and I want to shoot with it, but I don't want to buy and process film I use the d1x. I can experience 99% of the F5 experience with it. It just lacks the full sized viewfinder image and wide angle coverage of full frame 35mm. Otherwise, in decent light or tripod situations suitable for film, I can bang away with it as if it were an F5 with free AA batteries and endless instant free film processing. Ditto with the F6 and the d2xs combo. Colors, grain, ISO performance are very close to quality fujifilm for prints. They are useful to me. Of course the D3s is way beyond everything else in IQ in my experience.
 
stork4 said:
I love the D1 series for what they are able to do despite being old technology. I own a D1x (with three batteries), a d2xs, a d3s and one each of the F through F6 film Nikons.

When I get nostalgic for the F5 and I want to shoot with it, but I don't want to buy and process film I use the d1x. I can experience 99% of the F5 experience with it. It just lacks the full sized viewfinder image and wide angle coverage of full frame 35mm. Otherwise, in decent light or tripod situations suitable for film, I can bang away with it as if it were an F5 with free AA batteries and endless instant free film processing. Ditto with the F6 and the d2xs combo. Colors, grain, ISO performance are very close to quality fujifilm for prints. They are useful to me. Of course the D3s is way beyond everything else in IQ in my experience.
Click to expand...
Thanks for posting your thoughts. This isn't the first time someone has drawn a comparison between Nikon's old school CCD colors and Fuji colors.

I'm running my D1X off of two DSTE replacement batteries. I know someone's modified their battery packs to hold lithium ion cells, but I'm too busy to attempt building that myself. Wish it could be done as a service, I'd buy several.

fPrime

--
Half of my heart is a shotgun wedding to a bride with a paper ring,
And half of my heart is the part of a man who's never truly loved anything.
 
Last edited:
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