Nikon DSLR and Lens Reviews and Articles - Nikon HQ

Smashed D300 found in Grampian mountains; owner sought.

June 22, 2010 – 5:26 pm

DSLR User are reporting that a Nikon D300 has been found smashed, along with the contents of a bag, in the UK's Grampian mountains.

Although the camera itself is wrecked, the water-damaged CF card survived with around 3.9Gb of photos intact. One of the images is show here; if you recognise any of the people in this photograph, please follow the link to the DSLR User website and use the contact details to let them know.

The date of the last photo recovered from the card is April 15 2010. More info when we get it.

Tagged D300, lost, photographer | Comments (0)

Nikon's "Medium Term Management Plan"

June 18, 2010 – 10:20 am

Nikon have published their corporate management plan as a PDF. It's nothing particularly exciting, but gives us some idea of where Nikon are heading over the next few years. Focus seems to be on finding a new direction and innovating - which is always good to hear!

Skip past the break for an overview of what Nikon's plans are.

Tagged business | Comments (0)

Russians to take Nikon equipment to the ISS

June 14, 2010 – 12:58 pm

Soyuz TMA-19 preparing for liftoff, Image Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi

Nikon today announced that the Russian Federal Space Agency will be taking cameras and Nikkor lenses up to the International Space Station (ISS). Due to launch 16th June, it will be carried to the Russian segment of the station aboard a Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft.

The equipment includes one D3s, two D3X, and four lenses including the 400mm f/2.8 AF-S VR.

Nikon are keen to stress that no special modifications have been made to the equipment, and that they are exactly the same as the versions available to the public.

Nikolay Cherlenyak, director of operations for Energia's ISS program, has commented as follows regarding this order.

The integration of Nikon photographic equipment in space exploration has a long history and goes back to the moment when there first arose the question of photographing research conducted in orbit. It was then when the first Nikon film cameras and NIKKOR lenses, notable for precision and reliability, were sent into space. They had been used even on the station "Mir". Since then, the range of photographic equipment has been frequently supplemented by new products and advanced developments of the Nikon Company. Now with the latest models of Nikon D3S and D3X digital cameras, photography in space will reach a new, previously unattainable level.

Image Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi

Nikon Press Release

Tagged D3s, D3x, lens, lenses, russia, Soyuz, space | Comments (1)

Coolpix survives being lost at sea for 6 months

June 14, 2010 – 11:33 am

Coolpix survives 1,100 mile ocean dunking

An interesting story was published by AP today, about a Nikon Coolpix in a waterproof case that was lost at sea during a dive in Aruba - and found washed up in Miami six months later.

Amazingly, the camera still worked, and included photos taken by the original owner and a surprise video, apparently accidentally filmed by a sea turtle during it's 1,100 mile journey.

The finder then proceeded to track down the owner via the internet. A story well worth reading on a Monday morning.

Read the whole story from the AP here.

Tagged coolpix, underwater, waterproof | Comments (0)

Carl Zeiss launch Distagon T* 2,8/25 ZF.2 lens

June 11, 2010 – 9:46 pm

Renowned lens manufacturer Carl Zeiss has launched a new 25mm f/2.8 optic in it's F-mount compatible ZF.2 range.

ZF.2 lenses improve upon the original ZF models by incorporating an electronic interface, allowing it to communicate information such as aperture and focal length to Nikon SLR bodies, in the same way Nikon's own lenses do.

Martin Klottig of Carl Zeiss explains: “Often, you’ll find that you’re pressed for time to capture that perfect shot, for example when photographing animals. The Distagon T* 2,8/25 ZF.2 enables the photographer to hold on to just the right moment and take unique shots with confidence each time.”

The new Distagon T* 2,8/25 ZF.2 is available at a retail price of 755,46 € (excluding VAT). The ZF.2 lenses come in eight additional focal lengths, 3,5/18, 2,8/21, 2/28, 2/35, 1,4/50, 1,4/85, and the two macros 2/50 and 2/100.

Full press release after the break.

Tagged distagon, lens, T*, zeiss | Comments (0)

Nikon Expands Learn & Explore iPhone App

June 8, 2010 – 3:14 pm

Nikon will be updating their free "Learn & Explore" iPhone app - release date as yet unknown, but due "this summer".

The new version of the app, developed by Isobar, will include "new categories of informative & inspirational photo content".

[ Nikon - Learn & Explore iPhone App ]

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Adobe releases Lightroom 3

June 8, 2010 – 6:20 am

LR3 After several betas, Adobe have finally announced that the retail shipping version of Lightroom 3 is available.

Headline features of the new version include:

Lens corrections - correct for distortion, CA and vignetting from within LR. Adobe will include profiles for many popular Canon and Nikon lenses, but more can be created by shooting a test chart.
Perspective correction - no need to go in to Photoshop for this now.
Improved noise reduction
New import dialog
Tethered capture - shoot directly into LR3 from your DSLR, no importing from SD/CF cards required.
Video import - now you can keep your DSLR video files in the same place as your photos.
Image watermarking. This was in LR2, but is much improved in LR3.
Print packages - create highly customizable print layouts and same them as re-useable templates.
Flickr Integration - Upload shots directly from LR3 to Flickr, and see Flickr comments in LR.

All in all, a very worthy upgrade. Available now for $299, or as a $99 upgrade.

[ Get Lightroom from Adobe ]

Updated: Adobe are offering a 30% discount if you upgrade to Photoshop CS5 (or the CS5 Suite) at the same time - Adobe Special Offers

Tagged adobe, lightroom, software | Comments (0)