The D2H is in a neither here nor there state in modern photography. It was intended to replace the D1H as the flagship high speed journalist/sports camera, and it did that well for it's time. However, that was six years ago, and the low resolution now counts against it. Whether or not you will find the camera useful depends on what you expect from it.
To clear up some confusion about Nikon's naming scheme, the original pro DSLR was the D1, followed by the D1H (high speed), D1X (high resolution) and D100 (advanced amateur.) Nikon never made a D2, but did make the D200/D2X/D2H and an improved D2Hs. The scheme is even more tangled in the D3 series as the D700 is really the camera the D300 should have been.
Strengths:
High frame rate, 8FPS is fast even today.
Can meter with manual focus lenses, which is programmed in the menus. This is a very important feature to me and the sole reason I got this camera, as a backup to my D700.
Uses the still current EN-EL4a battery that is used by the D3 and as an option in the D700's battery grip.
It has very good ergonomics, fitting your hand well and is lighter than a D700 with it's battery grip and I believe also the D3.
Is essentially still a "modern" Nikon, so anyone using a newer pro body will feel right at home with it, and can shoot in jpegs or raw as needed.
Has a Type III compact flash slot, so you can use either Compact Flash or SD cards in those Type III adapters all over the place on Ebay. 2GB will be plenty for this camera.
Weaknesses:
My example has 94,000 on the shutter count and has the "lazy first shot" problem where the first shot of the day results in an "err" message, as the shutter sticks on closing. Pressing the shutter button again finishes it and the camera is good for the rest of the day. Set it down for a few hours and it comes back. When researching how much it would cost to replace the shutter I've found this is a problem that sometimes comes back even when the shutter is fixed, and have decided to ignore it until the thing actually breaks.
The D2H has issues with noise at higher ISO settings and is not really a good camera for low light shooting. I believe this is due to the limitations of the technology at the time and the camera's emphasis on speed.
At this stage of the game 4MP can be considered a liability, but it depends on how the pictures are used. If you don't use heavy cropping/enlarging then it won't matter.
The camera has a separate white balance sensor and "tone compensation" settings that I believe are contrast/balance curves applied to jpegs and tiffs. Raw files do not use these.
The tone compensation was used on the D1 series but is absent on newer cameras, on the D2H it's essentially another option to have to be aware of and adjust as needed.
Similar Products Used:
D50, D90, D700.
Customer Service:
Haven't used yet, I checked the shutter issues in newsgroups.
This is a great camera. The speed, build quality, ergonomics, durability, and images are all first rate. I also own a D3 and D300, and I find I favor the D2h under most circumstances. It is not as complex as the newer cameras, but produces excellent images when shooting RAW. Also, the small image files make post processing very fast. I've produced some of my best shots with this camera. On the down side, low light photography is a real challenge with this camera, but I use the other cameras for that. This is one of the great tools, and if you have an opportunity to pick one up, I highly recommend it.
Strengths:
Speed, durability, battery life, ergonomics, image quality (even at 4 mp), and "feel"
Weaknesses:
low light performance
Similar Products Used:
D3, D200, D300
Customer Service:
not had any experience, but overall I hear good things
Love the camera, the speed, the accurate exposure, the built quality, I also have a Canon 20D & Nikon D200, but still using the D2H, love the image quality, as for as 10X8, its as good as the others.
Strengths:
Speed
Built quality
image quality
Weaknesses:
Heavy
hi iso performance if you don't get the exposure correct
I am very dissapointed in all recent Nikon Cameras, and the d2 is no exception. The autofocus is auful in low light and the color balance setting are all off. The flash system is not as good as it used to be. The one bright spot for Nikon is the Battery system on the newer cameras.
If you are trying to decide between Nikon and Canon, do yourself a favor and buy a Canon.
I am stuck using Nikon's because my employer (a daily newspaper) supply's them.
Strengths:
Battery like is much inproved over the D1h
Weaknesses:
Color Balance is poor, Flash sysem has gotten worse not better in past 10 years, Nikon autofocus is 15 years behind Canon.
Similar Products Used:
D1h, d200, D300, Various Canon products
Customer Service:
Nikon customer service has been poor IMPO, it has taken 3 trips to the shop to fix a 300 mm 2.8 lens used by our company. Nikon is slow with service.
This is an excellent camera. It is lightning fast and handles very well. I am surprised at the bad reviews. If you are considering one of these remember this is designed for working professional photojournalists. If you do not need the fast speed and tank like body choose another and cheaper camera. Photojournalists find the 4.1MP sensor just fine. There is no need for higher resolutions on magazine or newsprint. (And little need for more by about 90% of photographers.)
Image quality is excellent. Noise is well controlled. The controls are intuitive. The cameral is very, very fast. Shutter lag is nonexistant. Flesh tones are well rendered and color is accurate. I like the flesh tones so well that I used this camera for a calendar shoot last year. Autofoocus is noticably faster than the D100 and D70. Somewhat faster than the D200. Battery life is good. I can shoot all day on one battery.
This camera is a tank. At the end of the day you know you have carried it.
This is a professional camera. It is all wrong for the hobbiest or casual shooter. It costs too much and is way too heavy. It is aimed at folks like me. Editorial and sports photogs and photojournalists. If you are not working in this field the D200 is a much better choice. So would any of Nikon pro-sumer SLRs for that matter.
I rated the camera 5/5 for photojournalist. As you read above for an amature I would not recommend this camera at all unless your passion is sports.
Strengths:
Ultra Fast. For sports it is a dream.
No shutter lag to speak of.
Excellent skin tone and accurate color.
Built like a tank.
Smaller files to handle.
Ultra fast autofocus.
Voice annotation. (No more pockets full of note papers to loose)
Weaknesses:
The rubber gets loose.
4.1 MP (if you think this is a weakness. I really dont)
Just about any film camera you want to imagine.
No room for all of the lenses but if you can find a way to get the 70-200 F2.8 AFS G Vr , get it.
Customer Service:
Nikon's customer service is wonderful. 24 hour tech support if you can imagine that.
I just sent mine back to Nikon for some service. They were great. They called me to explain my repair issues. While there for an electronic problem they replaced all of the rubber, cleaned the sensor, made all of the necessary adjustments and upgrades and had it back to me on the exact day that I had told them I needed it. It looks about new now.
Nikon service is pricey but a professional should plan to send his/her camera in for service at least once a year. Broken or not. It is just the cost of doing business. Just like your car a professional camera shooting thousands of shots a week needs service too. I have little sympathy for those who do not do routine maintenance. Plan on spending about $250.00 per year on maintenance for this camera. Of course, if you use it very little this is not necessary.
My camera is back looking and working great. I could not be happier with Nikon service.
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