Nikon D100 Nikon D100 Review, July 2002, Phil Askey

Preview based on a production Nikon D100, Firmware v1.00 The D100 enters that new segment of the digital camera market which was created when Canon released the EOS-D30. Its the middle ground between the high end $1,000 prosumer digital cameras and professional D-SLRs. This years PMA saw the announcement of no less than four new D-SLRs all aimed at that $2,000-$3,000 segment. Its still pretty amazing to think that you can now pick up a six megapixel D-SLR for around $2,000.Since this article was first published as a preview Canon, Fujifilm and Nikon have announced their pricing. The Canon EOS-D60 full kit weighs in at $2,199, the Fujifilm S2 Pro at $2,399 and the Nikon D100 at $1,999. The D100 has a six megapixel sensor, a body loosely based on the F80 (although Nikon are keen to note that it shares only some of its components with that camera), a Nikon F mount and a set of features which make it an extremely attractive and capable proposition. Nikon D100 Major Features This list, supplied by Nikon Europe 6.1 effective megapixels rendering 3,008 x 2,000-pixel images Compact and lightweight (weighs approx. 700g/24.7 oz.)Low-noise CCD sensor 3D Digital Matrix Image Control for precise exposure control, adaptiveauto white balance and optimal color accuracyHigh-performance built-in Speedlight with D-TTL flash controlThree color modes offered for different workflow environmentsFive-Area Autofocus with Dynamic AF operationHigh-speed image processing provided by new one-chip system LSITop shutter speed of 1/4,000 sec. and flash sync speed up to 1/180sec.Plug-and-play USB 1.1 interface for quick computer connectionOn-Demand Grid Lines can be displayable in viewfinderCustom Settings can be selectable in the LCD monitorCompatible with CompactFlash™ cards Type I and Type II including 512MB / 1 GB IBM MicroDrive™Nikon View 5.1 software (supplied) enables easy transfer and viewingof images on your computer also includes rudimentary RAW file manipulationand conversionOptional Nikon Capture 3 software for excellent image management andremote operationOptional Multi Function Battery Pack MB-D100 accepts six 1.5V LR6(AA-size alkaline) batteries or one or two Li-Ion batteries for extendedshooting capability. Features voice memo recording/playback function,vertical shutter release button, Command and Sub Command Dials, AF startbutton and a 10-pin remote terminalWhose sensor is it anyway? About a week before Nikon revealed the D100, Sony announced an APS sized six megapixel sensor. Putting two and two together (and considering the specs are identical) its been fairly easy to ascertain that Nikon is using Sonys six megapixel sensor in the D100. In the picture on the right (from Sonys press release) you can see the size of the six megapixel CCD compared to a standard consumer digital camera 1/1.8" CCD. In that announcement Sony revealed the specifications of this particular CCD:

Optical Format	1.8" / diagonal 28.4 mm (APS sized)
Aspect Ratio	3:2
Colour filters	Primary GRGB (Bayer Mosaic)
Transfer method	Interline frame readout (requires mechanical shutter)
Total number of pixels	3110 x 2030 (6.31 million)
Number of effective pixels	3032 x 2016 (6.11 million)
Active pixels	3000 x 2000 (6 million square pixels)
Active imager area	23.4 x 15.6 mm
Unit cell size	7.8µm x 7.8µm
Optical black	Horizontal: Front 20 pixels, Rear 50 pixelsVertical: Front 4 pixels, Rear 2 pixels
Saturation signal	900 mV
Smear	-80 dB
Frame rate	3.06 fps (single channel mode)5.09 fps (dual channel mode)

Review notes

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are basedon the opinion of the author.Images which can be viewedat a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottomright corner of the image, clicking on the image will display alarger (normally 960 x 720 or smaller if cropped) image in a newwindow.To navigate the review simplyuse the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular sectioneither pick the section from the drop down or select it from thenavigation bar at the top.DPReview calibrate theirmonitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted)PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can makeout the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscaleblocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you shouldbe able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideallyA,B and C.

This article is Copyright 2002 Phil Askey and the review in part or in whole may NOT be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author. For information on reproducing any part of this review (or any images) please contact: Phil Askey.

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