Nikon Blog
Nikon Z Firmware Update Wishlist (Updated 2021)
Without a doubt, camera firmware is one of the most important parts of any modern digital camera, and this is especially true for mirrorless cameras that have a lot more electronics compared to DSLRs. Nikon has been building its arsenal of Z-series cameras in both full-frame (FX) and APS-C (DX) formats since 2018, and as of early 2021 there are a total of 6 mirrorless cameras available: Z50, Z5, Z6, Z6 II, Z7, and Z7 II. Although they are all highly capable and solid, they do have their list of issues that we would like to see addressed in...
read moreNiSi releases its first lens, a 15mm ‘Sunstar’ wide-angle lens for RF, Z, X and E mount cameras
NiSi Optics has announced the release of its very first lens, a 15mm F4 ‘Sunstar’ wide-angle lens for Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z and Sony E mount cameras. [embedded content] The fully-manual lens features an all-metal construction and is comprised of 12 elements in 10 groups, including one double-side aspherical element and two extra-low dispersion elements. It has an aperture range of F4 through F22 and uses a ten-blade aperture diaphragm, which helps to create the signature sunstars this lens is named after. The angle of view is...
read moreThe Absolute beginner’s guide to film photography: Part 1 – Getting started
Photos Dan Bracaglia Film photography is alive and well. Though digital photography is by far the dominant medium, film is still around, and has been growing in popularity over the last decade as photographers discover (or re-discover) the joys of chemical, analog photography. There’s also a healthy supply of good used film cameras and many of varieties of film still on the market. So how does one take the plunge into analog photography? This edition of the ‘Absolute beginner’s guide to film photography,’ (our first) will...
read moreFujifilm GF 63mm F2.8 R WR sample gallery
We’ve been shooting with Fujifilm’s GF 63mm F2.8 R WR for some time now, usually on the 50MP GFX 50S and 50R bodies. Well, we’ve got some of those images here, but we also added a boatload of 100MP images from the GFX 100 to see just how well Fujifilm’s first GF lens stands up to that massive pixel count. Gear in this story Need a quick refresher? We’re always adding product overview videos to our collection, and just published a few detailing the Fujifilm GFX 50S medium-format camera and three GF lenses....
read moreOmniVision releases 40MP smartphone sensor with 1.0 micron pixels, 256x gain and more
OmniVision has announced the details of the OV40A, a 40-megapixel image sensor designed to be paired with the next generation of smartphones. The 1/1.7†sensor is built on OmniVision’s PureCel Plus-S stacked die technology, features 1.0 micron pixels and offers ‘super high gain and de-noise technologies for the best-in-class low light camera performance’ for its size. OmniVision says the OV40A offers multiple high dynamic range (HDR) options for both stills and video, as well as slow-motion video capture up to 240 frames per second...
read morePhotographer builds rig to mount his EOS R behind giant projection lens
Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens has created a mounting system that allows him to insert his Canon EOS R into the backend of a large format movie projector lens — a rig he used to shoot a series of skater portraits in Santa Monica. [embedded content] The lens was in Morgan’s storage unit for a while and says he’d always wanted to convert it to shoot stills with a modern camera. So, he built a wooden construction that allows the camera to slot into the rear of the lens and shift backwards and forwards to focus. He says the lens is an...
read moreVideo: A behind-the-scenes look at how Kodak manufactures its film
For anyone wondering what the inside of the Kodak film factory looks like Bill Manning’s video tour of parts of the plant might offer a bit of an insight. Bill, from film-enthusiast website Studio C-41, was invited to see the film manufacturing process at the company’s Rochester headquarters and made a video that combines a little history of the Yellow Giant as well as some behind the scenes footage that shows some of the steps. [embedded content] In the film a Kodak guide explains what is going on and what certain machines do, while...
read moreDPReview TV: Canon Powershot Zoom Review
Published Jan 7, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] The Canon Powershot Zoom is a product in a class of its own: part camera and part digital monocular. Can it successfully merge the two? Chris and Jordan show you how it works. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Sample gallery for this episode Gear in this story Temporarily out of stock. We are working hard to be back in stock. Place your order and we’ll email you when we have an estimated delivery date. You won’t be charged until the...
read moreCanon Powershot Zoom sample gallery (DPReview TV)
Published Jan 7, 2021 | dpreview staff The Powershot Zoom can’t compete with pro cameras for image quality, though it sure does fit in your pocket. But are the photos good enough for casual use? Check out our sample gallery and decide for yourself. View the Canon Powershot Zoom sample gallery Gear in this story Temporarily out of stock. We are working hard to be back in stock. Place your order and we’ll email you when we have an estimated delivery date. You won’t be charged until the item ships. Sigma’s 35mm F2 DG DN designed...
read moreOpenAI’s new DALL-E AI program generates images of anything with fascinating success
San Francisco-based artificial intelligence research firm OpenAI has created an artificial intelligence program, DALL-E, that creates images from text descriptions. The program utilizes a 12-billion parameter version of the Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3) autoregressive language model, which is itself developed by OpenAI. DALL-E creates illustrations, paintings, photos, renders, sketches and more of basically anything you can describe using text. In OpenAI’s paper about DALL-E, numerous examples are showcased. For example,...
read moreXiaomi partners with BlinkAI to bring AI-powered ‘Night Video’ mode to its Mi 11 smartphone
Xiaomi’s new Mi 11 smartphone, released on January 1, 2021, is the first Android device to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 system on a chip (SoC). While Qualcomm’s Snapdragon is already capable of incredible video capture with accompanying camera hardware, Xiaomi took it one step further by partnering with Boston-based artificial intelligence image enhancement experts, BlinkAI, to include a dedicated ‘Night Video’ mode for capturing high-quality video footage in extremely low-light environments. [embedded content] The Mi 11 already...
read morePhotographer shares schematics for LIDAR-controlled film digitizer
If you have a pile of medium format film that needs digitizing, as well as an understanding of 3D printing and electronics, you might be in luck. Montreal-based film photographer and programmer Seckin Sinan Isik has designed and built a film carrier that automatically advances each frame into position under a camera’s lens ready to be digitized. The carrier uses LIDAR to recognize when the film is loaded and in the right place, and can automatically advance a range of different formats as well as trigger the camera’s shutter. [embedded...
read moreEU has passed a uniform set of drone rules, paving the way for easier flight
On December 31st, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) passed a new set of uniform drone regulations for the European Union (EU). EU member states along with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, as well as the United Kingdom, now fall under the same regulatory blanket. Before, each country had its own set of rules. Now if you’re traveling from France to Italy, for example, the same laws for safely and legally operating a drone apply. EASA’s uniform regulations cover both hobbyist and commercial drone operators. Small...
read moreField review: Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN
The Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN is a fairly compact, weather-sealed medium-wide prime lens for L-mount and Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras. It’s designed as a more compact, reasonably priced alternative to ultrafast prime lenses already available in these systems, but that doesn’t mean Sigma has compromised on build or optical quality. For prime shooters, this could be a solid option as your main ‘walk-around’ lens, so long as you get along with the 35mm focal length. Let’s dig in and see what this lens can do. The Sigma...
read moreOmniVision reveals new 32MP OV32B selfie image sensor with 0.7 micron pixels, 1080p180 video capture and more
OmniVision Technologies has revealed the details of the OV32B, a new 32MP 1/3†image sensor for front-facing cameras in smartphones. The OV32B is built on OmniVision’s PureCel Plus stacked die technology and its pixels measure 0.7 microns across. The sensor integrates a 4-cell color filter array as well as on-chip hardware re-mosaicing and 2–3 exposure HDR timing. In low-light conditions, the sensor can use near-pixel binning to output an 8MP still image with approximately 4x the effective sensitivity for improved nighttime photography....
read moreDell announces new monitors ahead of CES, including 40″ ultrawide curved 5K monitor
Ahead of the upcoming virtual Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Dell has announced a new lineup of computer monitors. The lineup includes a wide range of sizes, features and price points, including a new curved 40″ ultrawide 5K monitor, which Dell is billing as the first of its kind. Dell UltraSharp 40 Curved Monitor Looking first at the 40″ 5K curved display, the Dell UltraSharp 40 Curved Monitor (U4021QW) is an IPS monitor with a 2500 radius curved screen. The resolution is 5,120 x 2,160, resulting in a pixel density of 140 PPI....
read moreSirui launches Indiegogo campaign for its new $749 24mm F2.8 1.33x anamorphic lens
[embedded content] Lens manufacturer Sirui has started the crowdfunding campaign for its next lens, a 24mm F2.8 1.33x anamorphic lens for Canon EF-M mount, Fujifilm X mount, Micro Four Thirds (MFT) mount Nikon Z mount and Sony E mount camera systems (full-frame cameras must be in APS-C capture mode). The lens, announced back in December, rounds out a trio of 1.33x anamorphic lenses from Sirui, which also includes the company’s 35mm and 50mm anamorphic lenses. The lens consists of 13 elements in 10 groups, features an aperture rang of F2.8...
read moreBest Camera for Landscape Photography in 2021
GFX 100 + GF23mmF4 R LM WR @ 23mm, ISO 200, 1/1000, f/16.0 If you are into landscape photography, you might be wondering which camera on the market today is the best. With so many great cameras out there, it is hard to pick a winner. We decided to put together a detailed guide that shows the top cameras we recommend for your landscape photography needs. It is important to note that every single tool in the list below has been tested extensively by our team members, so we only provide recommendations based on our real-world experience. While...
read moreDPReview Readers’ Choice Awards 2020: Product of the Year
Published Jan 5, 2021 | dpreview staff Product of the Year 2020: the results The final round of voting has closed and a winner has been chosen in our annual Readers’ Choice Awards! Beginning in December, DPR readers picked their favorite cameras, zoom lenses and prime lenses released in 2020. The winners of that initial round of voting were then pitted against each other for the title of Product of the Year. Take a look and see which products came out on top. Gear in this story We’ve taken a look back at our year of Instagram...
read moreDPReview TV: How to photograph snowflakes
Published Jan 5, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] DPReview TV’s Don Komarechka is famous for his snowflake macro photography. This week, he gives us a quick lesson on how it’s done. Give it a watch, then try it yourself! Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week As we press on with our full review, we’ve analyzed just how the Zeiss ZX1 stacks up in front of our standard studio test scene. See for yourself how it performs. Fujifilm’s latest X-S10 is a likeable mirrorless...
read moreGodox announces the AD100Pro flash, its most compact strobe yet
Godox has announced the AD100Pro strobe. The Pocket Flash AD100Pro includes features from Godox’s existing AD series, including compatibility with the Godox radio system, while incorporating an extremely compact, lightweight design. The Godox AD100Pro has a can-shaped design and weighs about 18.5 oz. (524g), including its battery. The round flash head includes magnetic capabilities, allowing photographers to use compatible Godox magnetic modifiers. Users can also attach the AD100Pro flash to an S2 bracket, which allows for the use of...
read moreGone but not forgotten: Adobe Flash is no more
Adobe Flash, a staple of the internet for much of its nearly 25-year life, is officially dead. Adobe promised that its support for Flash Player would end on December 31, 2020. True to its word, Flash has ridden off into the proverbial sunset. Beginning January 12, 2021, Adobe will block Flash content from running Flash Player. Furthermore, Adobe ‘strongly recommends’ all users immediately uninstall Flash Player ‘to help protect their systems.’ Adobe will no longer be issuing security updates for Flash Player, making it...
read moreThe end of an era: Olympus confirms it’s completed the sale of its imaging business to JIP
Olympus has confirmed in an announcement on its website that it’s completed the transfer of its imaging division to OM Digital Solutions, the subsidiary of Japan Industrial Partners Inc. (JIP) that now controls the Zuiko and OM brands. Olympus first agreed to sell its imaging business back in June 2020, when it announced JIP would be the new stewards of its camera brands. Further details were unveiled in September 2020, when Olympus laid out the framework for how the transfer would take place. This new announcement, embedded above, confirms...
read moreThe Really Right Stuff Ascend-14 might be the ultimate travel tripod – if you can afford it
Introduction Travel tripods are a bit like superzoom compact cameras. They offer the promise of extraordinary versatility, without the size and weight penalties typically imposed by more specialized gear. They can’t do everything but they can do enough – without weighing you down – to make up for their limitations. There are a lot of compact tripods out there, most of which are very cheap, and perform accordingly. You know the kind of thing I mean – at some point you were probably gifted one by a well-meaning relative at...
read moreSmall claims process finally passed into law for US copyright infringement victims
[embedded content] Photographers and other creative individuals in the United States now have a more accessible means of pursuing copyright claims against those using images and works without permission. In a recent round of new laws passed as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021, a new Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act (CASE) has been passed after a decade of campaigning by copyright pressure groups. The law introduces a Copyright Claims Board to deal with claims below $30,000 which will make pursuing cases...
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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.