The price is right (a bargain, really) for the features built into this camera. I highly recommend it.

The learning curve for this camera (at least in transitioning from film) is very steep. It is akin to learning a new language. It is not a camera I could recommend for the casual shooter. The LCD protector is a pain. When it is attached, it is too easy to accidentally breathe and fog it because the bottom is open to the air. It is a little annoyance, but an annoyance just the same. The design coul dbe improved.

I have always shot film (mainly 35mm transparency) in the past. It was a familiar medium to me, and as I was also working in the motion picture and commercial induistry at the time, I had a very strong aversion to anything digitally or tape originated. I will never forget being invited to the Sony HD video roll-out where they had built a two story set that was painted in brilliant colors. I commented to the colleague I was with: "Well, it's usable... assuming you have a light truck to go along with it. Just make sure you wear your sunglasses." The low-light contrast ratios were horrendous. I would have been impressed if they would have shown me a demo done on a cloudy day with neutral colored subjects, but it would not have held up. I tell this story to illustrate what I believed, and I felt that very same way about digital photography for a long time. The images could not even come close to film, but my opinion has changed with this new generation of digital SLRs. I purchased my D2H (after a considerable amount of stalling and research and not a little drooling over the D2X that was due out) from a wedding photographer who had owned it for one month and believed it to be too much camera for him. His loss was my gain. The D2H's (new) chip technology allows a smaller megapixal image to hold up when enlarged. It is more like a 12 instead of the 4.1 it is rated. I would not recommend going to fine art poster size prints, but I can print up to 14" with great results. The camera body size was an initial concern as I have small hands, but I have had no trouble with it even with an 80-200mm mounted. The controls are placed quite intuitively. Once I had read the instruction manual (I would highly also recommend the Magic Lantern Guides "D2H" Book as a companion as it goes into many things the factory manual does not have space for), it was quite easy to begin making images. Anyway, you can find better technical reviews than I can give. Check out the one by Bjorn Rorsledt for the detail at http://www.naturfotograf.com/D2H_rev00.html#top_page. Let me simply say that the adage is true: converts are the worst people to try to convince of anything different. This former "film only" photographer is firmly convinced that digital has a bright future. There will continue to be debates over how creative it is to take a digital image and Photoshop it (I use CS). I used to be one of digitals staunchest critics. But the power one has when combining the two for commercial photography is just too good to pass by. The possibilities are limitless, and as photobuyers come around to working with digitally originated images (some do now, for others it will take a while), I believe DSLRs will become an acceptable tool in the photographer's camera bag.

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Nikon F Canon

Excellent image quality, exposure metering, fast dynamic AF, huge buffer, great ergonomics, *superb* battery life. SB-800 strobe system is also excellent. Lightweight for a digital SLR. Superior results in RAW format.

Digital cameraas still have trouble holding tone with high contrast lighting situations. Color can be uneven in 8-bit JPEG mode, but this is not unusual. Noise apparent in available light exposures above 400 ASA (like many digicams).

The D2h is and extremely fast, and versatile digital SLR well suited for sports, documentary and other digital photography that doesn't require the highest resolution for large prints (above 12x18) or full-page display ads in CMYK print. The results are outstanding in RAW format. I think many of the people complaining about this camera are doing so based on their results shot in JPEG which does not make use of the full potential of what this digital SLR can do. There's definitely a learning curve with making digital exposures compared to film. As far as making pictures though the D2h is simple to operate and offeres many versatile features that are easy to implement (i.e. exposure compensation, auto bracketing to name a few) Yes Nikon is behind some of it's competitors, but resoltion isn't always the greatest asset. For the price and what this camera offers, it's a great piece of equipment and I'm glad I bought one rather than switching to Canon just to have a higher res digital SLR I don't need.

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Similar Products Used:

Coolpix 5000, Nikon F5, Nikon FM2