Nikon Blog
Documenting humanity’s journey into space: Over 2,400 iconic space images are up for auction
Lead image: ‘The ‘Blue Marble’, the first human-taken photograph of the Earth fully illuminated, December 7-19, 1972, Harrison Schmitt [Apollo 17]. Estimate: £15,000-31,500. Offered in Voyage to Another World: The Victor Martin-Malburet Photograph Collection, November 6-19, 2020, Online’ Caption and image courtesy of CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2020 Christie’s has placed up for auction a massive collection of images, many of which document the American space program from the 1940s through the 1970s. The...
read moreNew DJI Mavic Air 2 firmware update includes remote control compatibility with Mini 2
Recently, DJI announced the Mini 2 drone. While it improves greatly upon its predecessor, the Mavic Mini, it won’t exactly replace the Mavic Air 2. To ensure that they can charge roughly $300 USD more, DJI has continued to improve upon the drone that falls below its Mavic 2 Pro and is a step above the Mini 2. With firmware version v01.00.0460, DJI has added support so that the Mavic Air 2’s remote controller can also be used with the Mini 2. It is recommended that DJI’s Fly app v1.2.0, or higher, is installed on your...
read moreASUS ProArt PA278QV Monitor Review
ASUS has been known for making quality PC components, but few people know that the company also makes mid-range and high-end monitors for professional photographers, graphic artists, and content creators. Specifically, the “ProArt†line has been designed for those who want high-end IPS displays for accurate color reproduction. The ASUS ProArt PA278QV represents the lower end of the line. With its sub-$300 price, this is one of the cheapest 27″ IPS budget monitors on the market. I recently had a chance to test this monitor out to see if...
read moreCanon brings its macOS EOS Webcam Utility out of beta and updates Windows version to 1.1
Canon has announced a full production version (1.0) of its EOS Webcam Utility software for macOS and a version 1.1 update for Windows computers. Less than a week after Nikon announced its webcam utility was out of beta, Canon has done the same. Canon says its beta program has been downloaded more than one million times around the world and with this new update comes new support for a total of 43 compatible EOS interchangeable lens and PowerShot cameras. Below is a complete list of the cameras currently supported: EOS 1DX Mark III EOS 1DX Mark...
read moreDPReview TV: DJI Pocket 2 review
Published Nov 12, 2020 | dpreview staff [embedded content] DJI’s second generation Pocket camera includes many useful upgrades and is lots of fun. It may even get used behind the scenes to help produce our DPReview TV videos. Watch our review to learn more about this versatile little camera. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. The Leica Q2 Monochrom is a version of the Gold Award-winning Q2 that only shoots images in black and white. It’s a niche (and pricey) product to be sure, but so...
read moreSony a7S II vs a7S III: Which is better?
The five-year gap between the launch of the a7S II and the announcement of the a7S III had some people wondering whether Sony had given up on the idea of a video-focused a7 model. The enhanced video capability of the core a7 line made that seem plausible (the a7 III does many of the things the a7S II did). But the Mark III is here and it represents more than just a Mark II brought up to competitive spec. Instead it’s the most serious video camera the Sony Alpha range has ever seen and makes the older camera look rather basic, by...
read moreSony a7S II vs a7S III: What’s new and why it matters
The five-year gap between the launch of the a7S II and the announcement of the a7S III had some people wondering whether Sony had given up on the idea of a video-focused a7 model. The enhanced video capability of the core a7 line made that seem plausible (the a7 III does many of the things the a7S II did). But the Mark III is here and it represents more than just a Mark II brought up to competitive spec. Instead it’s the most serious video camera the Sony Alpha range has ever seen and makes the older camera look rather basic, by...
read moreHow Joe Biden’s drone light show came together — and what it could mean for the industry
A composite of two of the formations seen in the drone show Saturday, following the announcement that Joe Biden was projected to become the next president of the United States. This past Saturday, major news outlets announced former Vice President Joe Biden and his running mate, senator Kamala Harris, as the projected winners of the 2020 presidential election. Biden and Harris addressed the world later that evening with speeches that concluded with a drone and fireworks light show. [embedded content] The drone show especially excited many in...
read moreGoogle is killing off free unlimited storage in Google Photos next year
Google has announced that it is ending its unlimited free photo and video storage through Google Photos. On June 1, 2021, users will be capped at 15 GB of free ‘high quality’ photo storage per account. This change will take place alongside additional changes with Google Drive’s storage programs, including counting Google Workspace documents and spreadsheets against the same cap, per The Verge. Google will also begin deleting data from inactive accounts (accounts that haven’t logged in for at least two years). While...
read morePhotographer captures the highest resolution snowflake photos in the world
Image credit: ‘Ice Queen’ by Nathan Myhrvold For many in the northern hemisphere, winter’s cold grip is just around the corner. With the cold comes snow, a beautiful photographic subject. Few photographers capture snow quite like photographer Nathan Myhrvold. His microscopic images of snowflakes showcase extraordinary detail and natural beauty. Of his snowflake subjects, Myhrvold says, ‘Snowflakes are a great example of hidden beauty. Water, an incredibly familiar thing to all of us, is quite unfamiliar when you see it...
read moreHelp wanted: Google Photos wants your assistance in training its machine learning algorithms
Android Police is reporting that Google Photos has been asking its users to help improve its algorithms. While this is not Google’s first foray into crowdsourcing help in improving its recognition software, the latest survey, which is rolling out to users on Android, is asking for volunteers to label their images. Last year, Google Photos asked users to identify faces in images to help improve its facial recognition technology. More recently, Google added a survey to the app, asking users to confirm the accuracy of search results. The...
read moreProfoto’s new $299 OCF Adapter makes it possible to mount OCF light modifiers to A-series speedlights
Profoto has announced the release of the OCF Adapter, a new adapter that makes it possible to use all of Profoto’s OCF light shaping tools with any of its A-series flash units. Image credit: Profoto The OCF Adapter looks similar to many other speedlight to speedring adapters: it has a coldshoe mount for securely attaching a Profoto A-series flash and a mounting point for any of Profoto’s OCF light shaping tools, which the head of the flash fits into. Profoto has over a dozen OCF light shaping tools, including the OCF Magnum Reflector, a...
read moreLeica Q2 Monochrom sample gallery (DPReview TV)
Published Nov 11, 2020 | dpreview staff Take a black and white journey through southern Alberta with the Leica Q2 Monochrom, courtesy of our team at DPReview TV. We knew Canada was cold, but penguins? View the Leica Q2 Monochrom sample gallery Gear in this story What better time to test out an all-black-and-white camera than late autumn? We used a pre-production Leica Q2 Monochrom to capture some of the moody scenes of the season. DJI’s second-generation Pocket camera includes a long list of useful upgrades including a wider, faster...
read moreThe Canon EOS R6 is the best camera for around $2000
Published Nov 9, 2020 | dpreview staff Previous 1 Introduction 2 Next As you approach the $2000 price point you’ll find flagship APS-C and Four Thirds cameras, built for speed and durability. You’ll also find a handful of full-frame ILCs and DSLRs, with their own unique selling points. Even though they cost more, we’ve considered the Canon EOS R6 and Panasonic DC-S5 in this group because their specs and performance are consistent with their ~$2000 peers. Our pick: Canon EOS R6 The Canon EOS R6 is the most expensive camera in...
read moreRoger Cicala: the difference between sample variation and a ‘bad copy’ (Part 2)
I compare a lot of lenses. They aren’t all exactly the same. In today’s article we’ll look at variation versus bad copies a bit differently to last time. Plus, I’ll explain how people get three ‘bad copies’ of a lens in a row. Variation versus bad copy frequency Imatest type graphs are easier to visualize so I’m going to use those today. These graphs allow us to visualize center resolution (toward the top on the y-axis of the graph) and overall resolution (toward the right on the x-axis), with individual...
read moreThis $95 lens attachment turns the world around you into a globe using a little glass marble
We’ve come across a number of weird lenses and lens accessories over the years, but the Soratama from Zenjix certainly stands out from the crowd, for better or worse. The lens attachment features a 72mm filter thread and is designed to go in front of nearly any lens you can find step down/up rings for. It uses a single sheet of glass with what is effectively a clear marble to turn the world around you into a little globe of sorts. [embedded content] These globe-style shots aren’t new, per se, but unlike photos that use larger glass orbs,...
read moreHands on: Leica Q2 Monochrom
entoman brownie – “why B/W?” Because if you use a camera that is only capable of monochrome, you’ll find yourself visualising every scene in front of you with “monochrome eyes”. You’ll be looking for shapes, textures and tones, instead of looking for colours. It’s a different way of thinking, and a different type of art. Yes, it’s a small niche user base and only fanatical monochrome photographers will buy it, although numbers will certainly be boosted by people who want it as an...
read moreStep aside, Intel: Apple shows off its first Macs powered by its new M1 chipset
[embedded content] Apple today unveiled its first Mac computers powered by its new M1 chipset, ushering in a new era for Apple hardware as it leaves behind Intel in favor of its own silicon. Apple M1 Chipset Behind all of the new computers Apple showcased at today’s event is its new M1 chipset, the first chip designed specifically for Mac. Unlike past Mac computers, which required multiple chips from multiple suppliers, Apple’s new M1 chip puts all of them into a single system on a chip (SoC) design. This includes the CPU, GPU, I/O,...
read morePergear releases $165 12mm F2 lens for APS-C mirrorless camera systems
Budget photo accessory manufacturer Pergear has announced the release of its new 12mm F2 wide-angle APS-C lens for Fujifilm X mount, Micro Four Thirds (MFT) mount, Nikon Z mount and Sony E-mount camera systems. The new manual-focus lens is constructed of 12 elements in 9 groups, including two aspherical and two high-refractive elements. The 12mm focal length offers a full-frame equivalent of 18mm on Fujifilm X mount, Nikon Z mount and Sony E mount cameras and 24mm on MFT mount cameras. The lens features an aperture range of F2 through F22, a...
read moreLeica Q2 Monochrom initial review
Introduction Product shots: Dan Bracaglia The Leica Q2 Monochrom is Leica’s latest dedicated black-and-white camera, joining the M Monochrom and the M10 Monochrom manual-focus rangefinders. The Q2 Monochrom has a 47MP sensor that only produces black and white images, a fixed 28mm F1.7 ASPH lens with 17cm (6.7 in) macro mode and a claim of better dynamic range and noise performance compared to the color Q2. The Q2 Monochrom certainly won’t be for everyone, but for dedicated black-and-white shooters there is a lot to love about this camera....
read moreDPReview TV: Leica Q2 Monochrom review
Published Nov 10, 2020 | dpreview staff [embedded content] Our team at DPReview TV wanted a monochrome version of the Leica Q2 and they got it. Is this a case of ‘be careful what you wish for’? Nope. As Chris explains in our hands-on review, the Q2 might just be his new favorite camera. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Sample gallery from this episode Gear in this story What better time to test out an all-black-and-white camera than late autumn? We used a pre-production Leica Q2...
read moreLeica Q2 Monochrom sample gallery
Published Nov 10, 2020 | dpreview staff Leica’s black-and-white-only variant of the Q2 has just arrived, and what better time to shoot monochrome than late fall? Take a look at some samples captured with a pre-production Q2 Monochrom, including some Raw conversions that highlight the camera’s outstanding flexibility for post-processing. Gear in this story The Q2 Monochrom is a stealthy, niche camera aimed at black and white enthusiasts, and we’ve had one in our hands for a few days. Click through to read more. The Leica Q2...
read moreLeica introduces 47 Megapixel Q2 Monochrom for $6000
Published Nov 10, 2020 | dpreview staff Leica has introduced the Q2 Monochrom, a black and white version of the Q2 – a team favorite here at DPReview. It features a designed-for-monochrome full-frame 47MP sensor that Leica claims should capture 2 additional stops of dynamic range over the Bayer version (13EV vs 11EV). The maximum ISO is 100,000, up from 50,000 on the Q2. The Q2 Monochrom uses the same stabilized 28mm F1.7 ASPH lens as the Q2. It shares the same 3.68MP OLED EVF and touchscreen display, as well. The body is more discreet than...
read moreDaVinci Resolve 17 announced, includes over 300 new features and improvements
Blackmagic Design has announced DaVinci Resolve 17, the latest major release of its flagship video and audio editing software. DaVinci Resolve is ‘the world’s only solution that combines editing, color correction, visual effects, motion graphics and audio post-production all in one software tool.’ DaVinci Resolve 17’s primary new features include HDR grading tools, redesigned primary color controls, an AI-based magic mask, a next-generation Fairlight audio engine and much more. Blackmagic states that in total there are...
read moreSolarcan Colours promises easy tinted solargrams—from a soda can
The maker of the Solarcan has launched a new series of solargram cameras loaded with ready-tinted photo paper that will create colored images straight out of the tin. Solarcan Colours come in a choice of three versions to offer warm, cool or duotoned traces of the sun’s passage across the sky. Solarcan cameras are literally a drink can with a pin hole drilled into the side and a sheet of 7x5in photographic paper loaded and sealed inside. The idea is to strap the camera somewhere outside so it is facing south and then to leave it there as...
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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.