Nikon’s D1 has been on the market for more than a year now, having been formally introduced on June 15th, 1999, but we’d seen plenty of “behind glass” prototypes before that date. In September of last year, I was the first to get my hands on a prototype of the D1 product.
When it came to professional SLR cameras, Nikon’s D1 was their response to Kodak’s dominance of the industry. In terms of history, it was significant since it was the first digital SLR developed and constructed completely by one of the major manufacturers (“homegrown”).
As a result, it signified a significant shift in consumer expectations about the cost of this type of equipment, as it was at least half (if not a third) the price of its nearest Nikon-based competitor, Kodak DCS 620, at the time of its release. Better still, it had a 2.7-megapixel sensor as opposed to the DCS x20’s 2.0-megapixel sensor, allowing the camera to capture images big enough to print and produce high-quality prints.
This is a good opportunity to clarify why it has taken me this long to publish this review. I did have a loan D1 at the beginning of this year, but my relocation from Singapore to the United Kingdom put a stop to the work on this review. I’m sharing this review in order to assist round out the spectrum of digital SLR reviews available online (also Canon EOS-D30, Fujifilm S1 Pro, Kodak DCS 520, 620 & 620x).
CCD sensor with a resolution of 2.74 megapixels
The D1 is equipped with a 2.74 megapixel CCD measuring 23.7 mm by 16.7 mm, which produces 2.62 million pixels (2000 x 1312). This sensor is slightly larger than the one used in Canon’s new D30, but it is still significantly smaller than either the APS or 35mm film formats. Because the D1 has a 1.5x focal length multiplier, like other digital SLRs, a 28-mm lens on the D1 will produce an equivalent image of a 35-mm lens on an SLR. 42 mm is the focal length of the lens.
Nikon D1 Specs
| 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 |
| Imager size | 15.6 mm x 23.7 mm |
| Imager system output | 36-bit (12-bits per colour) |
| Imager filter | Primary (RGBG) colour 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, 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 lens with 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 selected for 3D Colour Matrix Metering. |
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| Focus | |
| Auto focus | 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 normal 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 AE-L/AF-L button or lightly pressing 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 automatically activated by subject’s status in (S) or (C) AF |
| Lens aperture | Instant-return type, with 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 | 3 mode TTL metering: 256-segment Matrix, Center-weighted, Spot |
| Self-Timer | Custom 2 – 20 seconds |
| Bracketing | Auto Exposure Bracketing 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), |
| Colourspace | 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 analogue display, battery power, CF Card confirmation, number of shots taken, number of shots remaining, frame number at playback battery power for 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 analogue display, frame counter, ready-light, 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) |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
