Nikon D2H

Original D2H Review & Opinions | Firmware 2 User Notes
D2H Settings v1 A&B | D2H Settings v2 A&B

Firmware 2.0 A&B User Notes 07.20.04

Nikon released today rmware update for the D2H. This firmware update brings both A & B up to vs. 2.0. This firmware update takes care of some housekeeping issues and really doesn't radically change the D2H's performance. The D2H autofocus receives the most attention with this upgrade. The updates are:

Better AWB when used with flash
EXIF now conforms to 2.21
Exposure Compensation analog display has a slight change
Playback zoom can now go as high as 30x
File naming possibilities has changed (see below)
Custom Setting a1 has a new option (see below)
Custom Setting a3 has been changed with a new additional Center Area feature(see below)
Custom Setting a4 has been changed with a Lock-on disable (see below)
The D2H can work with CF Cards greater than 8GB
ICC Profile will not be attached with Jpeg files
Image sensitivity has been added to EXIF tag
Decrease in FPS when shooting in Continuous has been corrected
Linked to the above fix, FPS decreases to 7FPS when shooting in Auto ISO cs#b1
Histogram display calculation has been changed
There is now a limit on how many times the camera can be fired without a CF card inserted.
The numbering of some of the CS has been changed

I've not had an opportunity to thoroughly investigate all of these updates. Rob Galbraith has done an excellent job of explaining the firmware advantages. Here's what I know right now that might be of help to you.

Update: The question that has plagued many a forum board has been answered once and for all. The D2H is a user firmware upgradeable camera. All the confusion generated in the first hours of the release of the update makes me wonder how wise this really is, but any ways, the question has been answered. Upgrading the firmware is really easy when you READ the instructions.

There is a firmware update for A and for B and you can only update one at a time! Before starting the process, make sure you have a full charged battery, just in case. The actual camera update processing time is only 3 minutes which isn't a problem for the D2H battery to handle.

Setup Screen First thing to do is make note of all your settings. While the firmware update only resets the Shooting Menu options and does not effect the other menu settings, I've already had one email report of “pilot error” and the miss pressing of the buttons resetting all the settings. Next, format a CF card in the camera and then follow the excellent and explicit directions from Nikon to perform the firmware update for both A & B (READ the instructions thoroughly once before performing the update). Note: if you don't copy the update to your CF card correctly, you will not see the Version UP message when you go to the Firmware Version dialog in the Set Up menu.

Be sure to FORMAT the CF card after you've updated your camera. You might want to do a couple of test shots prior to updating just to see for yourself how the updates might effect your photography.

Firmware Updates

As I mentioned above, this firmware update takes care of some housekeeping in the D2H. In my quick tests, I can confirm the upgrade does not effect the noise in D2H captures. Here, in generalities are the “fixes” this firmware provides the D2H shooter.

Better AWB when used with flash

When the SB-800 is attached to the D2H and is the main light with the ambient light being the fill, with vs. 1.0, the AWB (Auto White Balance) was only able go down to a color temp of 3500k. Preliminary testing shows this lower limit of the AWB when used with flash in vs. 2.0 has been lowered to the low 2000k range.

EXIF now conforms to 2.21

This brings the EXIF data written by the D2H into the image files up to the industry standard of 2.21 so all programs can read the data correctly. You can also link this update in EXIF with the ICC Profile will not be attached with Jpeg files and Image sensitivity has been added to EXIF tag.

The basic change here is that the Nikon Adobe RGB ICC profile is not embedded into the Jpegs created by the D2H when the D2H is set to Color Mode II (Adobe RGB). It would seem that the ISO info wasn't being read by all programs either. The bottomline, the EXIF data can now be read by more programs. (Note: while not a Canon guru, it would seem with a little web searching that Canon made this same EXIF update not to long ago.)

Exposure Compensation analog display has a slight change

The D2H now has an additional Exposure Compensation warning when EC has been dialed in (other than when cs#b5 is in use). When EC has been dialed in, the “0” above the analog scale blinks as an additional warning of EC being dialed in. This blinking “0” appears in the viewfinder and top LCD panel.

Playback zoom can now go as high as 30x

When in Playback mode (viewing an image on the monitor), you can now zoom in to 30x (this does not effect cs#f1). You access this 30x zoom by first depressing the Monitor Button, then the Enter Button, then the Checkerboad Button while rotating the Command Dial. You'll see a red/blue zoom area box appear. Rotating the Command Dial makes the box bigger or smaller and when you let up on the Checkerboard Button, the image is enlarged based on the size and placement of the zoom area box.

File naming possibilities has changed (see below)

This is kinda cool. With the upgrade, file names when you're shooting in Color Mode II have changed (they look like D70 file names now). Rather than the traditional DSC_xxxx, they appear as _ DSCxxxx. Color Mode I & III files names retain the traditional DSC_ xxxx. With the upgrade, you can change the DSC portion of the filename. For example using my initials, the filename for Color Mode I & III would be BMP_xxxx and for Color Mode II _BMPxxxx. (Note: great and easy way to distinguish files from different camera bodies for the same shoot!)

Custom Setting a1 has a new option

Custom Setting a3 has been changed with a new additional Center Area feature(see below)

Custom Setting a4 has been changed with a Lock-on disable (see below)

Nikon has made some changes to the D2H Autofocus system which involves the above three custom setting changes. This seems to be the major emphasis in this firmware update and will only make the D2H a faster AF performer. Since the introduction of the D2H and its 11 AF sensors and Patterns, there has been some confusion what to use and when. Not sure this will clarify things for you but it will help some folks make more of the D2H's AF system.

CS#a1 now has the additional option of FPS rate + AF. This is basically the same as FPS rate (default) except that when this is selected, the FPS slows down so when shooting in lower light levels or with subjects with low contrast, the firing rate and AF rate can match up and perform better.

CS#a3 has been modified with the addition of a Center Area option. This option is a no-brainer to me! I personally don't like the Closest subject option, never have. This new option when in Pattern Dynamic mode (selected with the AF mode lever on back of the D2H), the D2H focus priority is on the center AF sensor for the particular group selected. You'll need to refer to the D2H Instruction Book Update to see the various pattern options/sensor selected.

What this means for you the D2H user is much faster AF response time! Since the D2H doesn't have to poll each AF sensor to see where the closest subject might be, it simply flies to the center AF sensor in the group and focuses. Way cool!

CS#a4 permits you to disable the Nikon Lock-on feature. The Lock-on feature which is linked to Nikon's Focus Tracking, enables the D2H to hold focus on a subject even though the AF sensor might not always have 100% site of the subject. Why would you want to disable this? Personally, I won't because knowing me, I'll forget it's not on when I need it and forget I can turn it off when it might possibly cause me to miss a photo. But for those wanting to know what problem this might solve, I suggest reading Rob's dialog which spells it out really well! Nikon states that “this option controls how autofocus adjusts to sudden large changes in distance to the subject.”

The D2H can work with CF Cards greater than 4GB

This update is pretty self explanatory.

Decrease in FPS when shooting in Continuous has been corrected is linked with Linked to the above fix, FPS decreases to 7FPS when shooting in Auto ISO cs#b1

It would seem that some incredibly bright and observant sport shooters had noticed that when you changed the ISO there was a decrease in FPS. This has been corrected.

Histogram display calculation has been changed

I always thought it was just me, but I guess there was a discrepancy in the histogram seen on the D2H and in Nikon Capture. Since that's one of the fixes this deals with, someone else must have noticed it. The vertical scale on the histogram has been improved and so should be more readable now.

There is now a limit on how many times the camera can be fired without a CF card inserted.

I didn't realize this was a problem, guess so. When you have no CF card inserted into the D2H, the number of firings will be no greater then the number set cs#d2.

The numbering of some of the CS has been changed.

Duuuh!

I'm sure that in a short time, there will be web tails of “secret” and “hidden” fixes this firmware upgrade performs that folks have discovered. Since this is the same basic firmware upgrade I've know about for months, I personally know that what you see here is what you get.

Perform the upgrade and then go out and make magic with a great camera driven by the imagination of the person behind the camera!

Download Firmware Update and Settings

Now that you've read about it... download the update and grab Moose's v2 Settings for the D2H.

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Nikon D2H Firmware