Camera controls are identical, and the menu layout is almost identical. A nice improvement to the menu is an easier to read text, and an additional recent settings menu, that keeps track of the last 10 items you have changed, making common changes easier, and faster. The CF card door modification is an improvement over the D2H. The door now pops open when depressing the button, a true one fingered (or thumb) operation. The door opens a few degrees further, allowing easier access when inserting or removing a card. The modification to the vertical AF-ON button will be a welcome improvement to photographers who are wearing gloves.

The D2X has already changed my shooting habits in less than two months. Due to the quality and size of file that can be delivered, every effort is made to attain an excellent image.

This review will not cover the technical details about the camera. They are available at the various Nikon corporate sites around the world. Instead, this review will concentrate on the areas that have been improved the most, and a users opinion on some new features.

IMAGE QUALITY After having compared 35mm Velvia 100F Slides, and NEF files from the camera, to include making 11x14 prints, the images from the D2X are cleaner, AND sharper! I also compared the D2X image files to scans from 6x4.5, and they are very comparable. This is the camera that has finally come closest to convincing me I can drop my need to shoot 35mm film. I will soon be listing my Medium Format equipment in the classifieds. Click on the sample image at right to see it from 4,288 x 2,848 pixels, shrunk and slightly cropped to 900 x 600 pixels, that is, less than 1/4 possible size and compressed for relatively fast downloading to 368Kb ->