Nikon d2xs?

Jiffy

Jiffy

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Graham
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Ok, I have a couple of questions.

I would really love to own a nikon d2xs, however I am findin it very difficult to find anywhere that sells them. I know its a case of when a place gets one in but it seems like they are none existant.
Also, I would love to know what they're like to have and how they perform.

Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

Graham
 
Meant o actually put a question in there, so il pop it in here. Where would be a good place to look for one? Lol
 
Grays is the Mecca for Nikon, although slightly pricier at times, but it's all totally kosher,

ApertureUK has a D2x in - basically a D2Xs without the built in crop mode mask in the viewfinder. D2x can have the firmware upgraded to basically become a D2Xs. That's what I've done with mine.

Those that Dave has mentioned are very trustworthy. :)

In terms of performance, I use two D2x bodies and love them for my magazine shooting.

Pros:
Build quality that is regarded as the best ever on a Nikon DSLR
Bright viewfinder
AF is 11-point but very fast
Built-in grip is handy and gives brilliant handling
Button layout is superb
High megapixel count so useful for A3+ outputting
Base ISO100 compared to ISO on modern bodies
Battery life is immense; expect going on 2000 shots per charge on a new EN-EL4a
Works in any weather (I have the pics to testify)
DX - good for getting more from your long lenses

Cons
Large body that people with small hands find too big
Heavy when combined with big zooms and primes
ISO noise isn't to everyone's taste above ISO 800
No built-in flash for CLS control

I used a D200 before and bought a D2X because I was a bit keen with the 'bid' button on ebay. But, when it arrived I knew I'd made the right choice; the build is supremely good, as is the handling. It's actually better than a gripped D200 or D300 because it's not as tall so button, IMO, are easier to locate without looking.

Colour rendition is brilliant, especially at ISO 100-400, and noise at these speeds is totally unnoticeable at 100 and 200, a little noticeable at 400. ISO 800 is a regular shooting ISO for me and I have no problems doing magazine covers and A3 double-page-spreads at that speed. I've even done shots at ISO 1600 (hi1) without any complaints, although you do have to get your exposure nailed at this ISO, otherwise you do start to bring out the colour noise. Mind you, I run everything through LR3 and that deals with colour noise brilliantly. ISO 3200 (hi2) is useable to get a shot, but it's not one for everyday shooting.

Majority of my stuff on flickr is shot with the D2x if you want examples :)

AF is superb, write speed is very, very good, and 5fps is good for action. The Crop mode gives you approximately 7mp at 8fps, so great for fast action.

WB options are good and AUTO WB is very, very reliable.

In general these cameras, like the 1D MkII for canon, are a great way to get into the (gripped) pro-body world without spending tonnes of dosh. 12mp is more than enough for most shooting and it's built to last.

I picked up my first one for £650 boxed (20,000 clicks) and my second for £750 boxes (5,000 clicks) - these days (especially on ebay) you can get them for around £550 with 20-30,000 clicks.
 
They are pretty hard to find now though - at least the good ones are. :(
This is the last pro DX body Nikon made - before they went on to produce half cams like the D300. I wish they'd bring out a new full spec DX body to replace the D2Xs - I doubt they will though.
 
awp said:
They are pretty hard to find now though - at least the good ones are. :(
This is the last pro DX body Nikon made - before they went on to produce half cams like the D300. I wish they'd bring out a new full spec DX body to replace the D2Xs - I doubt they will though.
Click to expand...

Would be good... think D2s..... D300-type DX chip (but better) with great high ISO noise handling.....


...will never happen I fear :(
 
specialman said:
Grays is the Mecca for Nikon, although slightly pricier at times, but it's all totally kosher,

ApertureUK has a D2x in - basically a D2Xs without the built in crop mode mask in the viewfinder. D2x can have the firmware upgraded to basically become a D2Xs. That's what I've done with mine.

Those that Dave has mentioned are very trustworthy. :)

In terms of performance, I use two D2x bodies and love them for my magazine shooting.

Pros:
Build quality that is regarded as the best ever on a Nikon DSLR
Bright viewfinder
AF is 11-point but very fast
Built-in grip is handy and gives brilliant handling
Button layout is superb
High megapixel count so useful for A3+ outputting
Base ISO100 compared to ISO on modern bodies
Battery life is immense; expect going on 2000 shots per charge on a new EN-EL4a
Works in any weather (I have the pics to testify)
DX - good for getting more from your long lenses

Cons
Large body that people with small hands find too big
Heavy when combined with big zooms and primes
ISO noise isn't to everyone's taste above ISO 800
No built-in flash for CLS control

I used a D200 before and bought a D2X because I was a bit keen with the 'bid' button on ebay. But, when it arrived I knew I'd made the right choice; the build is supremely good, as is the handling. It's actually better than a gripped D200 or D300 because it's not as tall so button, IMO, are easier to locate without looking.

Colour rendition is brilliant, especially at ISO 100-400, and noise at these speeds is totally unnoticeable at 100 and 200, a little noticeable at 400. ISO 800 is a regular shooting ISO for me and I have no problems doing magazine covers and A3 double-page-spreads at that speed. I've even done shots at ISO 1600 (hi1) without any complaints, although you do have to get your exposure nailed at this ISO, otherwise you do start to bring out the colour noise. Mind you, I run everything through LR3 and that deals with colour noise brilliantly. ISO 3200 (hi2) is useable to get a shot, but it's not one for everyday shooting.

Majority of my stuff on flickr is shot with the D2x if you want examples :)

AF is superb, write speed is very, very good, and 5fps is good for action. The Crop mode gives you approximately 7mp at 8fps, so great for fast action.

WB options are good and AUTO WB is very, very reliable.

In general these cameras, like the 1D MkII for canon, are a great way to get into the (gripped) pro-body world without spending tonnes of dosh. 12mp is more than enough for most shooting and it's built to last.

I picked up my first one for £650 boxed (20,000 clicks) and my second for £750 boxes (5,000 clicks) - these days (especially on ebay) you can get them for around £550 with 20-30,000 clicks.
Click to expand...

First of all thank you very much, thats covered all the bases. Fantastic info. And secondly how the hell did you come across a d2x with 5000 clicks? Thats an amazing deal. Congrats on that. Haha. I currently have a gripped d200 and not sure if going full rame is worth the money, also I have fallen in love with a d2x(s). Along with the cash, i mean 1700 for a d700 give or take 100 is a lot and thats not including a lens.

What lenses also work best with the d2x? Im guessing the 17-55 2.8 would be one?
 
I fear that aswell. I think Nikon, much like everyone else are going full frame for all their pro cameras now. The dx format is heading more in the amatuer and keen photographers direction, from the companies marketing point of view. The impression I get anyway. Like no real quality dx lenses for instance?

Shame, theres nothing wrong with the dx format :)
A d2s sounds awesome
 
specialman said:
Grays is the Mecca for Nikon, although slightly pricier at times, but it's all totally kosher,

ApertureUK has a D2x in - basically a D2Xs without the built in crop mode mask in the viewfinder. D2x can have the firmware upgraded to basically become a D2Xs. That's what I've done with mine.

Those that Dave has mentioned are very trustworthy. :)

In terms of performance, I use two D2x bodies and love them for my magazine shooting.

Pros:
Build quality that is regarded as the best ever on a Nikon DSLR
Bright viewfinder
AF is 11-point but very fast
Built-in grip is handy and gives brilliant handling
Button layout is superb
High megapixel count so useful for A3+ outputting
Base ISO100 compared to ISO on modern bodies
Battery life is immense; expect going on 2000 shots per charge on a new EN-EL4a
Works in any weather (I have the pics to testify)
DX - good for getting more from your long lenses

Cons
Large body that people with small hands find too big
Heavy when combined with big zooms and primes
ISO noise isn't to everyone's taste above ISO 800
No built-in flash for CLS control

I used a D200 before and bought a D2X because I was a bit keen with the 'bid' button on ebay. But, when it arrived I knew I'd made the right choice; the build is supremely good, as is the handling. It's actually better than a gripped D200 or D300 because it's not as tall so button, IMO, are easier to locate without looking.

Colour rendition is brilliant, especially at ISO 100-400, and noise at these speeds is totally unnoticeable at 100 and 200, a little noticeable at 400. ISO 800 is a regular shooting ISO for me and I have no problems doing magazine covers and A3 double-page-spreads at that speed. I've even done shots at ISO 1600 (hi1) without any complaints, although you do have to get your exposure nailed at this ISO, otherwise you do start to bring out the colour noise. Mind you, I run everything through LR3 and that deals with colour noise brilliantly. ISO 3200 (hi2) is useable to get a shot, but it's not one for everyday shooting.

Majority of my stuff on flickr is shot with the D2x if you want examples :)

AF is superb, write speed is very, very good, and 5fps is good for action. The Crop mode gives you approximately 7mp at 8fps, so great for fast action.

WB options are good and AUTO WB is very, very reliable.

In general these cameras, like the 1D MkII for canon, are a great way to get into the (gripped) pro-body world without spending tonnes of dosh. 12mp is more than enough for most shooting and it's built to last.

I picked up my first one for £650 boxed (20,000 clicks) and my second for £750 boxes (5,000 clicks) - these days (especially on ebay) you can get them for around £550 with 20-30,000 clicks.
Click to expand...

First of all thank you very much, thats covered all the bases. Fantastic info. And secondly how the hell did you come across a d2x with 5000 clicks? Thats an amazing deal. Congrats on that. Haha. I currently have a gripped d200 and not sure if going full rame is worth the money, also I have fallen in love with a d2x(s). Along with the cash, i mean 1700 for a d700 give or take 100 is a lot and thats not including a lens.

What lenses also work best with the d2x? Im guessing the 17-55 2.8 would be one?
 
It was an ex-pro who used it as his 3rd back-up body, hence the low shutter count. He was moving over to a set of D3 bodies.

I'm moving over to a D3 this year, only for the high ISO capabilities. I'll be keeping one of the D2s in the interim, just for the crop factor with long lenses. Thought about the D700 but with the grip, it's just too big, and TBH, it's either D3 or nothing for me.

It's easy to fall for the D2 series - they were the start of Nikon's quest for supreme pro-quality handling and I think there's little to rival that body design.

I use the following lenses:

Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8 fisheye - impact lens for novelty shots
Sigma 14mm f/2.8 - general wide lens for scenics
Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 - great walkabout lens; will replace with Nikon 17-55
Nikon 50mm f/1.8 - nice little lens for grab shots in low light
Nikon 60mm f/2.8 - old design but beautiful optics
Nikon 85mm f/1.8 - creamy bokeh is enough for me to keep this
Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 - Built like a tank. Good optics. Up for sale ATM
Nikon 70-200mm VR - New addition. looks like a splendid buy

If I'm replacing any in the near future it'll be the Tamron. Brilliant lens (I paid £160 on ebay, used) but it's got to the point where it's taken a battering and when compared to the 17-55 I rented, can compete optically but just isn't built to last. But it's soooo much cheaper than the Nikon.

Nikon 17-55 is brilliant, but it's massive. Optics good, AF superb. Price....hmmmmm - good used buy if you have £650.

A lot of people go for the 24-70mm f/2.8 because it's amazing, but on DX I think it's not wide enough; the 17-55 is a much better option for general shooting.

I did have a 12-24 f/4 which was brilliant, but severely underused at anything but 12mm, hence the move to the Siggy, which has a faster max aperture. I had the Tokina 12-24 as well, which was nearly as good. Buying new I'd go for the Tokina unless I had £900 for the Nikon.

Because it's a gripped, pro body, the D2 range have seriously good AF motors for use with AF-D (screwdriven) so they perform nearly as good as the later AF-S designs. Stick an AF-S lens on and it flies.
 
Sometimes you need a DX body for the extra reach - that's why I keep my D2Hs bodies - thay are also wonderful BTW.
 
specialman said:
If I'm replacing any in the near future it'll be the Tamron. Brilliant lens (I paid £160 on ebay, used) but it's got to the point where it's taken a battering and when compared to the 17-55 I rented, can compete optically but just isn't built to last. But it's soooo much cheaper than the Nikon.

Nikon 17-55 is brilliant, but it's massive. Optics good, AF superb. Price....hmmmmm - good used buy if you have £650.
Click to expand...


agreed 100%. The tamron is fantastic, if I could tell any difference between the pictures out the back of it, and from the nikon 17-55, I'd move to the nikon in an instant... but I really can't. Awesome lens, and I could break 3 of them for the price of one nikon...
 
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