Nikon Blog
Roger Cicala: Imaging Before Photography, Part III — The Showman and the Sheriff
Enter the Showman In my last article, we discussed the first image makers, up until the late 1820s when Niepce had actually been able to make images using a camera obscura and silver plates coated with Bitumen of Judea. On his way to England, Niepce had been introduced to a most interesting man, Louis Daguerre, by Charles Chevalier, the lensmaker they both used. Daugerre was in almost every way the opposite of Niepce. Unlike the landed Niepce, Daguerre was the son of a clerk. Because of Louis’ artistic talent his father had apprenticed him to...
read moreWhen and How to Upsample an Image
Upsampling is a tool in most post-processing software that allows you to increase an image’s resolution after taking it. Upsampling lets you boost, say, a 24 megapixel image to 48 megapixels, 96 megapixels, or 240 megapixels! But doing so doesn’t mean you’re actually capturing more detail. This article covers everything you need to know about upsampling, including the best upsampling software today and my recommendation for how much to upsample a photo. Table of Contents What Is Upsampling? Upsampling is a tool in post-production...
read moreThe DPReview TV camera shoulder bag roundup extravaganza
Published Aug 21, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] Chris and Jordan review six popular camera shoulder bags, including models from Peak Design, Lowepro, Think Tank, Wotancraft, Vanguard and Manfrotto. Find out what they like about each, and which ones they picked for their own use. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. ProMediaGear is well-known within the photography industry for their long-lens gimbals and flash brackets , but with the Pro-Stix TR344, this family-run company is making a play...
read moreQualcomm releases the first-ever 5G, AI-enabled drone platform
Qualcomm technology was involved in developing the Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, for the first powered flight on another planet four months ago. Now they’re back to focusing on this planet. Recently, Qualcomm announced the first-ever commercial drone platform that’s enabled with 5G connectivity and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The chipmaker’s Flight RB5 5G Platform enables both technologies making this drone suitable for a multitude of industries including mapping, photography, film, inspections, and emergency response. It...
read moreZenfolio launches ProSuite plan offering all-in-one solution for professionals
Zenfolio has launched a new all-in-one business solution for professional photographers, Zenfolio ProSuite. It’s the third new plan that Zenfolio has launched since revamping earlier this year, in addition to the previously announced Portfolio and Portfolio Plus plans. While Portfolio and Portfolio Plus were designed for photographers of any skill level, particularly aspiring and part-time photographers, ProSuite is aimed squarely at advanced professional photographers. Where Portfolio offers 15GB of storage and Portfolio Plus includes...
read moreBlackmagic announces 40% price reduction for URSA Mini Pro 12K camera, plus DaVinci Resolve 17.3
Blackmagic Design has announced a major price reduction for its URSA Mini Pro 12K camera. The new price is $5,995, a 40% discount from its previous $9,995 MSRP. Blackmagic has also announced a new version of DaVinci Resolve, bringing the version to 17.3, adding native Apple Silicon support and more. The URSA Mini Pro 12K has a 12,288 x 6480 12K Super 35 image sensor with 14 stops of dynamic range with a native ISO of 800. The 80MP image sensor works with new color science and records Blackmagic RAW files. Blackmagic writes,...
read moreFilm Friday: An alternative approach to picking your color negative film stock
In this week’s edition of Film Friday, photographer Matt Wright, writing for 35MMC, breaks down everything you should consider before picking a film stock to shoot with. His in-depth guide starts on the technical side of things, wherein he explains the intricacies involved with digitizing negatives and provides examples that highlight how important the scanning hardware and post-processing workflow can be towards getting the best scan. From there, he breaks down the different characteristics of film stocks and explains how each may — or may...
read more5G-enabled drone captures elaborate footage from the MLB’s ‘Field of Dreams’ game
[embedded content] Recently, we covered Parrot’s new Anafi AI drone – the first to use 4G connectivity as its main data link between the drone and remote. It effectively guaranteed to do away with any and all transmission limitations, especially with obstacles involved. Now the stakes have been raised. Drone Racing League (DRL) and T-Mobile partnered to create a 5G racing drone that was able to capture footage on the same field where the movie Field of Dreams took place. The Magenta 5G, one of the first unmanned aerial racing vehicles...
read moreThis $579 watch was inspired by the twin-lens reflex cameras of yesteryear
Watchmaker TACS has unveiled a new camera-inspired watch, the TACS ATL. The watch features a design based on the classic twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera, and ATL stands for Automatic Twin Lens. The new ATL watch joins the company’s Lens Series, (https://tacs-image.com/lens-series/) which also includes the Nato – Lens, Vintage Lens, and AVL II watches, all photography-themed. [embedded content] The TLR-inspired ATL watch packs a lot of neat detail into its 46.5mm watch face. A twin-lens reflex camera includes a pair of objective lenses...
read moreOppo shows off new RGBW sensor, 85–200mm OIS zoom camera module, 5-axis OIS module and more for future smartphones
Today, at its ‘Future Imaging Technology Launch Event,’ Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo revealed a collection of new and improved technologies it plans to bring to its devices in the future. Amongst the new technologies is a new RGBW sensor, a continuous 85–200mm optical zoom camera module, a five-axis optical image stabilization (OIS) camera module and a ‘next generation’ under-screen camera solution. New RGBW sensor The first new technology is its next-generation RGBW sensor, which Oppo claims can capture 60% more light than...
read moreNikon Z fc added to studio test scene
Nikon recently announced the Z fc, its newest APS-C offering with a design reminiscent of the company’s film cameras like the FM2. While we’re working on our full review, we thought we’d present our studio test scene results here for your perusal. Below is our standard studio scene comparison tool, offering a look at the camera’s image quality performance in both daylight and low illumination (tungsten) lighting at a variety of ISOs. The scene was shot using the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.8 S lens. You can toggle the comparison...
read moreWe now know a little more about the ‘accessory shoe’ on Canon’s forthcoming EOS R3 camera system
It seems we may know a little more about the ‘accessory shoe’ Canon has confirmed will be onboard its forthcoming EOS R3 mirrorless camera. Earlier today, Canon unveiled its new XF605 professional camcorder. This is the first device to feature the company’s new ‘accessory shoe,’ likely the very same one we can expect to see in the EOS R3. While Canon hasn’t directly confirmed the multi-function shoe onboard the XF605 is the same we’ll see on the EOS R3, a new development announcement from audio company Tascam seems to all but confirm as much....
read moreAtomos brings EOS R5 8K ProRes RAW to its NinjaV+
Atomos has announced a firmware update for its Ninja V+ monitor/recorder enabling 8K output from the Canon EOS R5 to be encoded as ProRes RAW. The upgrade allows the camera’s Raw video stream to be recorded for extended periods (typically up to the capacity of the Ninja V+’s media or the battery life of the camera), in an industry-standard format that reduces the need for import plugins. The Raw footage allows control over both ‘ISO’ and White Balance, in software such as Final Cut Pro. The ProRes RAW captured should...
read moreVideo: Blasting away a sensor’s Bayer array with a laser and building a DIY Raspberry Pi spectrometer
Les Wright of the YouTube channel Les’ Lab has figured out how to remove the Bayer filter from a Raspberry Pi camera. By doing so, Les expanded the sensitivity of the CCD image sensor for use in a Raspberry Pi-based spectrometer. A spectrometer is an instrument used to analyze the property of light as a function of its wavelength or frequency. A Bayer array, or Bayer filter, is an array of many tiny color filters that cover an image sensor to allow it to render color information. Without this filter, an image sensor captures more...
read morePhotoshop 2021’s Sky Replacement Explained
There are many reasons why Photoshop has so far managed to hold its ground as the undisputed king of the image processing world. One of the primary reasons is that it keeps evolving every year, as it has for thirty-one years. It stays up to date in two main ways. First, it improves upon existing features like selection and healing tools. And second, it keeps coming out with new features every year or two. One of the key new features this year – and also one of the most anticipated – is a sky replacement option. Let me demonstrate in this...
read moreCanon XF605 professional 4K camcorder and new 8K broadcast lens announced
Canon has unveiled a new professional 4K camcorder and a new 8K-suitable pro BCTV zoom lens. The Canon XF605 is a ‘compact’ 4K camcorder designed for solo shooters. The XF605 is 10% smaller and 600g lighter than the Canon XF705. The new lens is the 10×16 KAS S, an addition to Canon’s 1.25″ 8K broadcast camera lens lineup that includes 10x optical zoom from 16mm to 160mm. Looking first at the XF605 camcorder, it includes a 1″-type CMOS image sensor paired with Canon’s DIGIC DV7 processor. The camera...
read moreYou can now buy Tilta’s Canon EOS R5, R6 cooling fan for $165
More than a year after first showing off its concept, camera accessory manufacturer Tilta now has its Cooling Cage for Canon’s EOS R5 and R6 mirrorless cameras available to purchase. As the concept laid out, the Tilta Cooling Cage is effectively a fan that you attach to the rear of a Canon EOS R5 to help keep the camera cool while recording video. While many joked about attaching fans to the back of Canon’s EOS R5 mirrorless camera in light of overheating issues, Tilta sought to make it a reality. The final version is nearly identical to the...
read moreApple patent shows yet another design for an optically-stabilized periscope camera module.
Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max has a 5x ‘zoom’ camera (65mm full-frame equiv.), the longest yet used in an iPhone. To quote Ricky Bobby’s father, ‘If you’re not first, you’re last.’ While poignant, that mantra has never seemed to bother Apple, who has historically held off on newer technologies to ensure they’re ready for prime-time use by the masses. The latest example of this is a new patent from Apple that details the schematics for a periscope camera module that we may one day see inside new iPhone models. Periscope cameras,...
read moreDPReview TV: Nikon Z 14-24mm F2.8 S review
Published Aug 18, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] The Nikon Z 14-24mm F2.8 S is an update to a Nikon classic, but one that’s smaller, lighter and better than its F-mount predecessor. Learn about its design, performance and how it handles the bamboo wall of doom in this episode of DPReview TV. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Nikon Z 14-24mm F2.8 S sample images from this video Gear in this story This year, despite the disruption, plenty of amazing cameras, lenses, accessories and...
read moreNikon Z 14-24mm F2.8 S sample gallery (DPReview TV)
Published Aug 18, 2021 | dpreview staff Chris and Jordan just reviewed the Nikkor Z 14-24mm F2.8 S, the wide angle zoom in Nikon’s ‘holy trinity’ of lenses. Check out this gallery to see full resolution sample images from their review. View the Nikon Z 14-24mm F2.8 S sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story This year, despite the disruption, plenty of amazing cameras, lenses, accessories and other products came through our doors. Now, as the year winds down, we’re highlighting some of our standout products of...
read moreRokinon / Samyang AF 24mm F1.8 FE sample gallery
The Rokinon / Samyang AF 24mm F1.8 FE is a fast-aperture, wide-angle autofocus prime lens for Sony’s E-mount mirrorless cameras. We’ve tested it on a 61MP Sony a7R IV, but it’s also compatible with the company’s APS-C mirrorless cameras as well. From the foothills of the Cascade Mountains to the Northwest Washington Fair near the Canadian border, we’ve put this new lens to the test, including aperture runs looking at both sharpness and bokeh quality, positioned at the end of the gallery. Take a peek to see just...
read moreVideo: FPV drone takes a deep dive down world’s tallest waterfall
[embedded content] Swiss-based remote pilot Ellis van Jason has spent thousands of hours practicing his FPV flight skills. It paid off on a recent trip to Venezuela, where he was able to produce a video depicting a ‘birds-eye’ perspective of a deep dive down Angel Falls – the tallest waterfall in the world. FPV drones are paired with goggles that give the pilot a live transmission feed and a sense of being in a virtual driver’s seat. Their maneuverability coupled with enhanced speed allows the aircraft to capture dynamic,...
read moreVideo: 20 pieces of video gear that cost less than $20
[embedded content] Getting into filmmaking isn’t cheap. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive either. To highlight how you can get decent gear on a budget, Caleb Pike of DSLR Video Shooter has shared a helpful video showcasing 20 pieces of filmmaking equipment that costs less than $20. The 12-minute video is part buying guide and part mini-review, with Pike sharing anecdotes about his experience using each piece of equipment he features. Lighting, mounting, power, protection and more, Pike hits on some of the most-used accessories...
read moreVideo: 20 pieces of video gear that costs less than $20
[embedded content] Getting into filmmaking isn’t cheap. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive either. To highlight how you can get decent gear on a budget, Caleb Pike of DSLR Video Shooter has shared a helpful video showcasing 20 pieces of filmmaking equipment that costs less than $20. The 12-minute video is part buying guide and part mini-review, with Pike sharing anecdotes about his experience using each piece of equipment he features. Lighting, mounting, power, protection and more, Pike hits on some of the most-used accessories...
read moreApple now lets you permanently turn off Night Mode for iPhone 11, iPhone 12 devices
Two years after first introducing its ‘Night Mode’ image captures, Apple has made it possible to turn off the feature permanently. In 2019, when Apple first introduced its then-new iPhone 11 smartphone lineup, the Cupertino company showed off a new low-light image capture method it dubbed ‘Night Mode.’ While this feature does help to improve the image quality in low-light environments, there are times when it can interfere with iPhone users intentionally trying to capture a low-key photograph. Until now, turning off Night Mode was a slow and...
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Started out doing photography at the age of 6 using an uncle's old 1940 kodak brownie box camera. At 15 years of age, I decided to buy my very own 1975 Praktica SLR camera. I now shoot with a Nikon D850. I do unpaid TFP and commercial paid work.