Nikon D2X

Manufacturer: Nikon
Type: Camera (DSLR, professional)
Year introduced: 2004 (announced September 16), 2005 (shipping February 25)
Resolution: 12.4 megapixels (CMOS, DX-format APS-C sensor)
ISO range: 100-800
Frame rate: 5 fps (full frame), 8 fps (high-speed crop at 6.8 MP)
Flash sync: 1/250th second with high-speed iTTL sync
Compatibility: iTTL and dTTL
MSRP: $6,299.95 (street price: $4,999.95)
Viewfinder: 0.86x magnification, 100% coverage, diopter -3 to +2
LCD: 2.5-inch
Battery: Lithium-ion (1,000+ shots per charge)
Successor: ^[1] (announced June 2006)

Overview

The Nikon D2X was Nikon’s flagship professional DSLR and represented a pivotal moment for the brand in the underwater photography market. Announced on September 16, 2004 by James Wiseman on Wetpixel, it was widely characterized as “Nikon’s Last Chance” to retain professional underwater photographers who were increasingly defecting to Canon’s full-frame 1Ds line. Eric Cheng described it this way in the Nexus housing announcement article, noting the phrase was used by “most professional Nikon shooters I know” (^[2]). With 12.4 megapixels on a CMOS APS-C sensor, it offered the highest resolution yet in a Nikon body, though it remained a crop-sensor camera while Canon offered full-frame alternatives (^[3]).

The camera shared the same magnesium alloy chassis as the Nikon D2H (a 4 MP press-oriented camera), which gave housing manufacturers a critical head start — several were able to design and even build housings before the D2X shipped. As James Wiseman noted in the announcement: “Excellent news for underwater shooters is that a number of housing manufacturers have already developed housings for the Nikon D2h which shares the same body as the D2x so hopefully housings will be available soon” (^[4]). This immediate housing availability significantly boosted the D2X’s appeal for underwater photographers.

Alex Mustard, Wetpixel’s co-admin, confirmed in his review that “for existing Nikon users there is no longer a need to look enviously at Canon,” while acknowledging that both systems had different strengths at low ISOs (^[5]). Ken Knezick, writing for Wetpixel, called the D2X the camera that stemmed “that tide of desertions, at least for the high-end side of the market,” noting that “many Nikon underwater photography stalwarts have felt compelled to forsake their time-honored brand, switching to Canon, and even Fuji” before its arrival (^[6]).

The defection narrative was vividly illustrated by Tim Rock’s “Confessions of a Nikon Traitor” article, in which the veteran photographer (a Nikon shooter since 1978) described switching to Canon 20D bodies because “I waited like a faithful puppy for Nikon to jump on the bandwagon and kick Canon’s rear but it never happened. I just became an old dog while everyone else was shooting bigger and faster with their Canon cameras” (^[7]).

Key Features for Underwater Use

The D2X introduced several features that proved particularly valuable for underwater photographers, as documented across multiple reviews:

Viewfinder: The D2X had a significantly larger, brighter viewfinder with 0.86x magnification showing the entire frame area — a major improvement over the D1x for manual focusing on macro subjects and shooting in reduced light or at night. Dennis Liberson wrote: “But no longer will I miss my old Nikon film camera. The Nikon D2x with its larger, brighter viewfinder and the outstanding optical qualities of the Seacam S-180 Sport Finder combine for a giant leap forward” (^[8]). The diopter adjustment (-3 to +2) helped photographers with different vision needs, and Ken Knezick noted the viewfinder was “appreciably larger than that of the D-100, a critical point of sale for me and my ‘old eyes’” (^[9]).

LCD screen: The large 2.5-inch LCD with improved zoom function and four-channel histogram display made it practical to assess exposure and check sharpness while still underwater. Liberson praised the combination of the D2X LCD with the Seacam’s large viewing window: “Exposures can be accurately assessed with the improved four channel histogram display” (^[10]). Knezick found the “rapid write speed” gave “virtually instant access to the image on my display screen when shooting the highest resolution Jpeg files, and only a brief delay for Raw files” (^[11]).

Battery life: The new lithium-ion battery was a major step forward from the D1x, whose limited battery had required changing every dive (and removing the camera from the housing). Liberson stated: “The battery on the D1x was an inconvenience for topside shooting but a real problem underwater. With its limited capacity and tendency to run down quickly and without notice, the battery on the D1x needed to be changed every dive.” The D2X battery lasted “a full day of shooting” with “power to spare,” and the battery information menu showed “the percent of battery power remaining and the number of shots taken on the current charge” (^[12]). Knezick reported capacity of “1,000 or more shots per fill,” going “two or three days between charges” (^[13]).

Menu banks: The D2X allowed saving four “Banks” of settings in both the Shooting Menu and Custom Setting Menu. Liberson documented creating a dedicated “Underwater” bank with pre-configured white balance (5600K), NEF raw format, and customized continuous shooting speed. He also recommended reversing the function of the Command and Subcommand dials for easier aperture control underwater, and setting the focus area to “wrap” mode for easier navigation (^[14]).

Improved autofocus: The D2X had notably improved AF speed and accuracy, even in low light. Liberson set a customizable continuous-low shooting speed to 3 fps to stay within strobe recycle times, demonstrating the ability to track Caribbean reef sharks across 1.3 seconds with four consecutive frames maintaining sharp focus (^[15]). Knezick praised the “excellent auto-focus capability, even in low light situations” (^[16]).

Storage capacity: Shooting highest-resolution JPEG to a 2 GB CompactFlash card yielded approximately 400 images; RAW files yielded 100-120 shots — a transformative improvement over 36-exposure film rolls. Knezick invoked veteran photographer James Watt’s concept of “fire control,” noting that digital capacity eliminated the old dilemma of “reserving a few frames at the end of the 36-exposure roll for the whale shark, or mating nudibranchs, that we hoped were just around the next coral head” (^[17]).

Enlarged buttons: Nikon increased button sizes on the D2X compared with previous models. Liberson noted that “the oversized buttons on the Nikon D2x camera combine to deliver an amazing level of precision and functionality” with the Seacam housing (^[18]).

Housings

The D2X attracted housing offerings from all major manufacturers, with the shared D2H body shape giving manufacturers a head start:

Subal ND2

The first housing available, Subal began manufacturing an initial batch of 10 units before the D2X even shipped, based on the D2H chassis. At the Antibes Festival 2004 in October 2004, Subal displayed a housing prototype, and observers noted that “the first batch of D2Xs are already pre-sold in the UK and will probably also sell out in Eurozone — so Subal’s efforts to get the housing out fast are really going to pay off” (^[19]). Alex Mustard obtained his Subal ND2 from Ocean Optics in London the day before the camera’s international release and completed 16 dives in the Red Sea for the first underwater review, published March 2005 (^[20]). Berkley White used the Subal ND2 with the FE2 dome and 12-24DX lens for a Socorro Island trip, posting a gallery in June 2005 (^[21]). The Subal required a hotshoe pin modification for reliable strobe firing, documented by Luiz Rocha in December 2005 (^[22]).

Seacam D2X

Seacam was reported working on a D2X housing at Antibes 2004, though no prototype was shown — the company expected “very strong demand” noting that “in the Wetpixel bubble we sometimes don’t realise how many of the top UW photographers are still shooting on Nikon 35mm SLRs” (^[23]). In North America, Kasey Canton was the first person to take delivery of a Seacam D2X housing in July 2005, calling it a “transparent” housing where “wheels and buttons are exactly where you’d expect them to be, and you never need to take your hands from the handles” (^[24]). Dennis Liberson then published an extensive field report based on a four-day trip to the Bahamas with Stephen Frink, calling it “the best camera and underwater housing combination I have ever used.” He praised: “The engineering of the housing is superb. It is simple to install the camera in the housing. Just drop it in, tighten the mounting screw, close the housing and it is ready to shoot. No adjustments of any kind were necessary. Every switch on the camera was touched and every control worked perfectly” (^[25]). Alex Mustard noted in the comments that the Seacam appeared “more transparent to the camera than my Subal” and “better looking than the slab sided Subal” but was concerned about the lack of button labels on the housing rear, noting “There are more than 25 controls on this camera” (^[26]).

Nexus D2X

Nexus published pre-production photos of their D2X housing in January 2005, with availability expected in late March (^[27]). Additional images were sent by Marine Camera Distributors in May 2005 once housings reached domestic dealers, with detailed specs: weight 6 lbs without camera/port (9 lbs with camera), 12.75” wide with handles, depth rated to 250 feet, two Nikonos sync sockets, two spare ports for remote controls or video out, one spare gland port for optional zoom or focus control, optical finder, five stainless latches, and “special formulated aluminum casting” for saltwater corrosion resistance (^[28]). Ken Knezick reviewed the system after ten days diving at Wakatobi Resort in Sulawesi, Indonesia, finding the rig “only minutely negatively buoyant, weighing but a few ounces” in water. He praised the “well balanced and comfortable” grips “for my relatively large hands” and the ability to shoot single-handed, though noted the AF-lock button “rendered the control unreachable while operating the shutter” (^[29]).

Aquatica D2X

Aquatica released prototype photos of their D2X housing in July 2005, showing a unit machined from solid aluminum (similar to Subal and UK-Germany), with compatibility for all existing Aquatica bayonet-mount ports. MSRP was $2,999 — making it one of the cheapest D2X housings available (^[30]). The pre-production unit appeared in the Wetpixel forums in August 2005 with new features including a quick-release tray with lock, spring tensioner on command/sub-command controls, and a built-in eyepiece showing the entire finder area. Wetpixel member Jean Bruneau was among the first to take it diving (^[31]).

Sealux D2X

Sealux also produced a D2X housing, first noted in the Wetpixel forums in September 2005 as a “lower-cost alternative to the Subal housing with almost all of the features.” James Wiseman commented it had many comparable features, and the housing was available via the Sealux website in Germany (^[32]).

The Hotshoe Syndrome

The D2X was plagued by a significant reliability issue that became known as the “hotshoe syndrome” — a problem that affected the camera across all housing brands. The symptoms were that images would “inexplicably go missing”: a photo would shoot, appear on the LCD, but never write to the CF card. The problem only occurred underwater, and specifically with dual-strobe configurations (^[33]).

Stephen Frink published a detailed diagnosis and fix in November 2005, noting: “While this report was written with Seacam housings in mind, the issue and fix apply to all housings for the Nikon D2x.” For Seacam users, the fix involved removing specific hotshoe connector pins. Seacam’s pins were designed to be user-removable without tools — “simply pull out the pin with your fingernails.” Harald Hordosch of Seacam Austria recommended removing pins 1 and 4 for most strobes (Hartenberger, Subtronic), leaving pins 2 and 3 in place. When using two strobes, pins 1, 3, and 4 should be removed — losing the viewfinder ready-light signal but ensuring reliable image writing (^[34]).

In January 2006, a follow-up article published the official Seacam hotshoe pin configuration sheets for both Canon and Nikon cameras, noting that Seacam had developed “a special DUAL STROBE CONNECTOR which will be built into all shipped housings for 2006, and also can be retrofit by authorized SEACAM service centers” (^[35]).

For Subal housings, Luiz Rocha documented that the problem manifested as erratic strobe non-firing or failure to save random images. The issue occurred with Subtronics and Sea & Sea strobes but appeared not to happen with Ikelite strobes. The fix involved removal of one hotshoe pin (^[36]).

The hotshoe issue was extensively discussed in the forums before the official fix was published, with a 41-reply troubleshooting thread (topic 7791) where community members documented the problem and shared workarounds. Another thread on “Nikon D2X strange behavior” (topic 8307, 34 replies, 14 participants) covered the same symptoms from multiple users’ perspectives.

White Balance Encryption Controversy

The D2X’s encrypted white balance information created a notable controversy in the photography world, one that Eric Cheng covered extensively on Wetpixel under the headline “Nikon - stupid NEF format statement.” In April 2005, Nikon issued an advisory stating that “NEF and Capture software are a tightly knit system” and that the “only legal way to convert a NEF file to an image is through their SDK.” Adobe stated they “may not be able to fully support RAW files from the Nikon D2X and D2H in their Camera Raw plugin because the white balance information in the new NEF files are encrypted.” Cheng noted that both Dave Coffin (author of Dcraw) and Eric Hyman (Bibble Labs) had broken the code, ensuring third-party RAW converter options (^[37]).

Community reaction was sharply negative. James Wiseman explained the technical mechanism: “The Nikon cameras store the white balance in the ‘makers mark’ tag in the EXIF. When you open the RAW file in Capture, it grabs the white balance info, decrypts it, and then saves it in the CORRECT white balance tag.” One commenter called it: “We want to make you buy our product” (^[38]).

Thom Hogan, a noted Nikon author and speaker, published a comprehensive review in May 2005 calling the D2X “arguably the best camera ever made” but identified one significant flaw: “Encryption of white balance information.” He stopped short of an outright recommendation, urging photographers to “decide for yourself whether the encryption is an issue or not” (^[39]).

The controversy was partially resolved in September 2005 when Adobe and Nikon jointly announced cooperation on RAW file format support. The joint statement read: “Adobe wants to ensure that our common customers get the very best quality from their photos when using our products together.” Nikon stated it “intends to cooperate with Adobe and other industry members.” Photoshop CS2 subsequently gained the ability to read as-shot D2X white balance information from NEF files (^[40]).

Firmware Updates

Nikon released firmware version 1.01 for the D2X in November 2005, “which makes improvements to auto focus, fixes an AF assist bug when using certain Speedlights, improves flash performance, and fixes a manual white balance bug.” Simultaneously, Nikon issued a voluntary recall of some EN-EL3 batteries (for D50, D70, and D100) due to a shorting/overheating problem (^[41]).

A major firmware version 2.0 followed in October 2006, bringing over a dozen new enhancements to the D2X and D2Hs, alongside support for the WT-3 wireless transmitter and image authentication for the D200 (^[42]).

Notable Users

• Alex Mustard — First underwater reviewer, used with Subal ND2 in the Red Sea; posted additional Cayman Islands fish behavior and portrait images. Later used D2X with Subal housing, Subtronic Alpha strobes, and Zen 230 dome for macro work, noting that the 105mm VR with 5T close-up lens and Subal housing produced supermacro results at “1/250th @ F22” (^[43], ^[44])
• Brian Skerry — National Geographic photographer who switched to the D2X for his professional assignments, shooting with “a couple of Nikon D2X digital SLRs” (^[45])
• Dennis Liberson — Published extensive Seacam D2X field report from the Bahamas, previously shot Nikon D1x since 2001. Called it “the best camera and underwater housing combination I have ever used” (^[46])
• Berkley White — Used Subal ND2 with FE2 dome and 12-24DX lens at Socorro Island (^[47])
• Ken Knezick — Reviewed D2X with Nexus housing at Wakatobi, Indonesia; his first SLR since the Nikon N-90 film era. Called it “as fine a photography system as I could have hoped for, well exceeding my considerable expectations” (^[48])
• Stephen Frink — Contributed photographs to the Seacam field report; authored the hotshoe syndrome fix article (^[49], ^[50])
• Rand Mcmeins — Pioneered supermacro technique using D2X with 105mm lens, 2x teleconverter, and Woody’s dioptre on the APS-C sensor, “becoming well known” for his high-magnification work (^[51])

Successor: Nikon D2Xs

Nikon announced the D2Xs on June 1, 2006, featuring incremental improvements over the D2X: a larger 2.5” LCD monitor, electronic masking of the viewfinder in high-speed crop mode, modified metering in crop mode, a longer-lasting battery, black and white mode, Adobe RGB color space in all color modes, custom tone curves, 1/3-stop ISO boost, in-camera trim, image authentication compatibility, and the ability to save/load settings between cameras (^[52]).

Community Discussion

The D2X generated enormous community engagement on the Wetpixel forums, becoming a “hot topic” shortly after release (^[53]):

• D2X Gossip (89 replies, 22 participants) — Pre-release speculation and excitement about Nikon’s flagship, the highest-engagement D2X thread on the forums (topic 7589)
• Housings for the D2x (59 replies, 19 participants) — Comprehensive discussion comparing housing options from all manufacturers (topic 7673)
• D2X Flash Issues (41 replies, 8 participants) — Extensive troubleshooting thread for the hotshoe syndrome where community members documented the strobe misfiring problem and shared fixes (topic 7791)
• Seacam D2x housing arrives! (41 replies, 13 participants) — Kasey Canton’s first delivery and community reactions (topic 8973)
• Nexus D2x Housing (35 replies, 12 participants) — Pre-production photos and early user reports (topic 7403)
• Subal ND2 for D2X (38 replies, 20 participants) — Discussion of the first available housing option (topic 7601)
• D2X Underwater Images (19 replies) — Early underwater gallery showcasing the camera’s 12.4 MP resolution advantage (topic 8098)
• D200 vs D2x (35 replies, 18 participants) — Comparison with the more affordable D200 alternative (topic 11571)
• D2X or D200 (27 replies, 16 participants) — Buyer’s guide discussion for the two Nikon options (topic 10522)
• Aquatica D2x pictures (48 replies, 14 participants) — Community reactions to the budget-friendly Aquatica housing (topic 9252)
• Aquatica D2X Review? (33 replies, 16 participants) — User experiences with the Aquatica housing (topic 10320)
• Nikon D2X strange behavior (34 replies, 14 participants) — Additional hotshoe syndrome troubleshooting (topic 8307)
• Using two SB 800 U/W with D2X (55 replies, 16 participants) — Discussion of using Nikon Speedlights with the D2X underwater (topic 9439)
• D2x+105mm+2xTC+Woody’s diopter (63 replies, 10 participants) — Supermacro lens combination showcase by Rand Mcmeins (topic 9568)
• D2X pic and thoughts from Australia Trip (23 replies, 14 participants) — Early field results gallery (topic 8032)
• Upgrade bug time, where to go from D2X (55 replies, 7 participants) — Later discussion of D2X upgrade paths (topic 33642)
• Sealux housing for D2X is out (6 replies) — Discussion of the Sealux alternative housing (topic 9887)

External Reviews

• DPReview — Phil Askey posted an in-depth review, described as a “must-read” for underwater photographers considering the camera (^[54])
• Steve’s Digicams — Steve Sanders posted a simultaneous in-depth review (^[55])
• Thom Hogan — Called it “arguably the best camera ever made” with reservations about white balance encryption (^[56])
• UwP Magazine — Issue 27 (Nov/Dec 2005) featured “full reviews of Nikon D2x housings by Charles Hood and Ken Knezick” along with workflow techniques and other content (^[57])

Timeline

• 2004-09-16: Nikon announces the D2X: 12.4 MP CMOS, 5 fps, iTTL/dTTL compatible, 1/250th flash sync. Housing manufacturers already have D2H housings with compatible body (^[58])
• 2004-10: Subal displays D2X housing prototype at Antibes Festival 2004; initial batch of 10 being manufactured. Seacam working on D2X housing, expects “very strong demand” (^[59])
• 2005-01-28: Nexus D2X housing pre-production photos published; availability expected late March (^[60])
• 2005-02-25: D2X begins shipping at street price of $4,999.95 (MSRP $6,299.95) (^[61])
• 2005-03-03: D2X becomes “hot topic on the forums” with threads covering comparisons, housing options, and early excitement (^[62])
• 2005-03-15: Alex Mustard publishes first underwater review with Subal ND2 after 16 dives in the Red Sea (^[63])
• 2005-04-06: Alex Mustard posts additional D2X underwater images from the Cayman Islands focusing on fish behavior and portraits (^[64])
• 2005-04-22: Nikon issues advisory about NEF format encryption, sparking white balance controversy (^[65])
• 2005-05-04: Thom Hogan publishes comprehensive review, calling it “arguably the best camera ever made” with white balance encryption caveat (^[66])
• 2005-05-09: Brian Skerry switches to D2X for National Geographic assignments (^[67])
• 2005-05-11: Nexus D2X housing reaches US dealers via Marine Camera Distributors; detailed specs published (^[68])
• 2005-06-01: DPReview and Steve’s Digicams publish in-depth reviews (^[69])
• 2005-06-17: Berkley White posts Socorro D2X gallery shot with Subal ND2 and 12-24DX lens (^[70])
• 2005-07-07: Tim Rock publishes “Confessions of a Nikon Traitor” documenting his switch from Nikon to Canon 20D (^[71])
• 2005-07-14: Aquatica D2X prototype photos published; machined from solid aluminum, MSRP $2,999 (^[72])
• 2005-07-17: Kasey Canton takes first North American delivery of Seacam D2X housing (^[73])
• 2005-07-20: Dennis Liberson publishes Seacam D2X field report from the Bahamas with Stephen Frink (^[74])
• 2005-08-05: Aquatica D2X pre-production housing appears in forums; Jean Bruneau among first divers (^[75])
• 2005-09-15: Adobe/Nikon announce cooperation; Photoshop CS2 gains ability to read D2X as-shot white balance from NEF files (^[76])
• 2005-09-26: Sealux D2X housing noted as available in the forums (^[77])
• 2005-10-13: Ken Knezick publishes D2X + Nexus housing review from ten days diving at Wakatobi, Indonesia (^[78])
• 2005-11-08: Nikon releases firmware v1.01 with AF, flash, and white balance improvements (^[79])
• 2005-11-27: Stephen Frink publishes hotshoe syndrome diagnosis and fix for Seacam users (^[80])
• 2005-12-19: Luiz Rocha publishes Subal D2X hotshoe pin modification for reliable strobe firing (^[81])
• 2006-01-04: Seacam publishes official hotshoe pin configuration sheets for Canon and Nikon, announces dual strobe connector for all 2006 housings (^[82])
• 2006-06-01: Nikon announces D2Xs successor with incremental improvements (^[83])
• 2006-10-11: Nikon releases firmware v2.0 for D2X with over a dozen enhancements (^[84])