Amateur Photographer - UK (2019-06-07)

subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 1 June 2019 49

d i g i ta l s ta r s testbench

expected if the same lens was used on
a full-size 35mm film frame. The future
of digital for photography had arrived.
What could possibly go wrong?
Well, the size and weight of the
camera required to house the
technology for one thing; and the
price for another.
The Nikon E2 was based on the
subsystem of a Nikon F4. But the
conversion bloated the body to the
shape of a big fat triangle measuring
16x20x14cm with a standard lens and
weighing nearly 2 kilograms. And the
cost? Around £13,500 for the body
alone, another £280 or so for a
standard autofocus lens, £80 for a
battery, £475 for its charger, £1,000
for a 15MB memory card and £750
for the card reader to plug into your
computer – all this to deliver a 1.3-
million-pixel image.

The optics
In the E2, light entering the lens is
reflected off the reflex mirror and up
to the pentaprism in the viewfinder in
the usual way. But the reflex mirror is
semi-silvered so that while reflecting
light it also allows light to pass through,
where it meets a second mirror at the
back of the body, to be reflected down
to a third mirror on one side of the
base, then sideways, through the
reduction optics and onto the sensor.
Unfortunately, along the way, quite a
lot of light is swallowed up. No matter
the maximum aperture of the lens, the
actual maximum aperture allowed by
the camera is f/6.7. Fortunately, the
sensor offers a choice of ISO 800 or
ISO 1600 settings, which makes up
for the light loss.
True to Nikon’s well-established
philosophy, the camera retains the old
Nikon F-mount, dating back to 1959,
although not all lenses are completely
compatible. The E2 accepts Nikon AI

and autofocus lenses, but

the characteristics of the optical

reduction technology mean that

some lenses do not work fully

or only in part, leading to

unusual colouring around

the edges and often serious

vignetting. Back in 1996,

Nikon published a list of which

lenses were best to use and

which were best to avoid.

The camera in use

Recommended battery

charging time is six

hours. With a fully charged battery

inserted, a dial on the right of the top

plate, familiar to any modern Nikon

user, turns the camera on and off.

Thumbwheels at the front and back of

the body are used in conjunction with

four buttons at the opposite end of the

top plate to control multiple functions,

all indicated on a liquid crystal display

(LCD) next to the viewfinder hump.

By juggling the use of the buttons

with the left hand, while adjusting the

thumbwheels with an index finger and

thumb of the right hand, and at the

same time keeping an eye on the LCD,

the user chooses between high and

standard sensitivity. Image quality can

also be chosen: Hi – which saves the

images as TIFF files – or fine, normal

and basic – which refers to JPG

compressions of 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16. The

controls also set and display the chosen

exposure mode: shutter priority at

1/8-1/2000sec, aperture

priority, manual or

program. Also displayed

are the choice of

centre-weighted, spot or

five-segment multi-

pattern metering; the

shutter speed and

aperture in use;

Top and side

views of the E2

compared to a

Nikon EM 35mm

SLR, giving an idea

of its sheer size

Above left: Used

with an AF Nikkor

35-70mm lens,

major vignetting

has occurred at the

35mm wideangle

end of the range

Above right: Used

at the 70mm end

of the zoom range,

vignetting is not

seriously apparent