A Nikon D1 – arguably the first successful digital SLR
There are roughly four generations of ancient sensors from the Nikon D1, which many would call the first true DSLR, to what I’m calling the first generation of modern sensors. The first generation around 1999 (let’s use geologic names and call it Cambrian) was represented by the D1, D1x, D1h and many of the old Kodak DSLRs. Dynamic range was less than seven stops by most measures and color was charitably defined as “interesting” – meaning “missing large chunks of sRGB and somewhat unpredictable”. Resolutions were generally 3 mp and below (the D1x was higher, although it used oddly shaped pixels to get there). These were all CCD sensors, and they were at their best at ISOs around 100, with even ISO 400 showing clear noise and artifacts. The second generation, Permian sensors like Canon’s EOS-D30 of the very early 2000s had a couple of important advances over their Cambrian forebears – they had much more standa...
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Dan Wells, "Shuttterbug" on the trail, is a landscape photographer, long-distance hiker and student in the Master of Divinity program at Harvard Divinity School. He lives in Cambridge, MA when not in wild places photographing and contemplating our connection to the natural world. Dan's images try to capture the spirit he finds in places where, in the worlds of the Wilderness Act of 1964, "Man himself is but a visitor". He has hiked 230 miles of Vermont's Long Trail and 450 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail with his cameras, as well as photographing in numerous National Parks, Seashores and Forests over the years - often in the offseason when few people think to be there. In the summer of 2020, Dan plans to hike a stretch of hundreds of miles on the Pacific Crest Trail, focusing on his own and others' spiritual connection to these special places, and making images that document these connections.
Over years of personal work and teaching photography, Dan has used a variety of equipment (presently Nikon Z7 and Fujifilm APS-C). He is looking for the perfect combination of light weight, ruggedness and superb image quality.
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