Nikon Launches New Pro DSLRs

March 18, 2005: Nikon’s latest professional DSLR camera, the D2X is now available in Australia and the new, high-speed D2Hs will be released next month.
Featuring a new dual-area CMOS image sensor with a top output resolution of 12.4 megapixels, the Nikon D2X is available now at an RRP of $7999. The new model has been designed for high-precision, high-speed photography and is capable of recording 12.4 megapixel JPEG or RAW images at a rate of 5 frames per second in continuous shooting mode. Continuous shooting at a rate of up to 8 frames per second is possible using a new “High Speed Cropped” function that crops the centre of an image at 6.8 megapixel resolution. The D2X also supports the broad-gamut sYCC colour profile found in many recently-released printers, allowing a wider range of colours to be reproduced for printing JPEG data than available with a conventional colour profile. Professional photographers can also shoot in any of three Adobe RGB colour settings, allowing them to match colour reproduction to pictorial requirements.
The new camera also benefits from improvements to all major image-processing functions. New algorithms have refined the performance of Nikon’s acclaimed 3D-Colour Matrix Metering II and the enhanced accuracy of digital processing in the ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) provides smoother shading in gradual colour changes. Useful controls like an R (red), G (green) and B (blue) channel-specific histogram display, World Time function and the ability to create multiple exposures composed of 2-10 images are also provided. Advanced interface options include i-TTL flash control and command, support for Nikon’s Advanced Wireless Lighting system and IEEE802.11b/g-compatible wireless transmission of images via Nikon’s Wireless Transmitter WT-2. The camera can also be optionally connected to a conforming GPS device for including information such as latitude, longitude and altitude at the time of capture, together with shooting metadata captured within a file.

Nikon’s new D2Hs has been designed for high-speed shooting and is capable of shooting at 8fps for a continuous burst of up to 50 images at 4.1 effective megapixels. Due for release in April, it carries an RRP of $5999 and supports many of the same advanced interface options as the D2X. It also offers the same performance features that made its predecessor, the D2H successful: instant start-up, an almost imperceptible shutter time lag of 37 milliseconds, and an improved implementation of the 11-area AF system that makes focusing fast and easy. The large 2.5-inch LCD monitor has a display resolution of 232,000 pixels and a new selectable RGB Histogram makes colour channel-specific exposure confirmation quick, easy and accurate. World Tim and chronological Recent Settings have been added to the display options.
Both the new models feature styling by the famed industrial designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, whose association with Nikon goes back some 35 years. Both are bundled with PictureProject, an easy-to-use software application for managing, editing and sharing image files and both are compatible with Nikon’s Capture 4 version 4.2.1 (optional). Further information can be found at www.maxwell.com.au.