I've been waiting for a long time to finally switch to digital. For the last four years, I've shot 35mm transparencies and scanned them with a film scanner. For me, switching to a digital SLR (and justifying the expense of these cameras) meant getting all the functionality and performance I came to expect with my F5 and images that I could easily print at 13x19 without any (or much) interpolation.
The D2X does all of this, and continues to blow me away each time I use it. Here's my general highlights of what I find important;
1) Build quality and ergonomics are outstanding. The viewfinder image is bright and I can manually focus my lenses in most situations if I want to. I don't have huge hands, so some of the controls require a little stretch, but nothing that is too difficult to manage.
2) The 3D Matrix II meter is AWESOME. I get great exposures, even better than my F5. In addition, the Auto whitebalance is excellent. It is possible to fool it, but it gets the situation right 95% of the time, especially outdoors.
3) Autofocus is incredible. The 11-point AF system gives me MUCH better frame coverage than I had with the F5. It's also more sensitive and faster to aquire focus, even in low-light situations. Although there are reports out there about focusing issues with the D2X, my camera does not have any problems. What I HAVE discovered, however, is that it's REALLY EASY for the camera to lock-on to an object that is slightly offset from where the focus indicator is. This is partly due to operator error-you have to be really careful with your technique, and the fact that the actual AF sensors are MUCH larger than the little reticles in the viewfinder. At least I can check my image on the LCD to see if I need to redo it.
4) The LCD and camera menus are great. More custom settings than anyone could imagine, but they are easily navigated and you can group them in banks. The camera also has the nice ability to recall the last several functions you modified, so it's easy to get back to where you were if you change something.
5) Battery life is excellent. The Li-ion battery is small and light, and I routinely get about 700-900 images in one charge. WAY better than my F5!
6) Image quality. Nothing short of outstanding. This camera can out-resolve some of my lesser lenses. I REALLY can see the difference between hand-held and tripod-mounted shots if I'm not careful. I have as much resolution as I could possibly need. NOISE: I don't have any problems using the D2X all the way up to ISO 800. In fact, compared to ISO 400 slide film, there is less noise with the D2X at HI-1 (ISO 1600) than film grain at comparable ISOs. At ISO 640 or less, there really isn't any noise issues at all. Anyone who says otherwise is either reading too many test results or pixel-peeping. Images viewed at a normal distance look FANTASTIC.
In summary, the D2X is a total replacement IMO for slide film. It may even compete with medium-format in terms of resolution. This camera is a tool for professionals, and it will DEFINITELY expose any flaws in your technique or lenses. That being said, I gotta go work on my technique some more!
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