The first Nikon D800 books

Amazon is now taking pre-orders for the first D800 books – “Mastering the Nikon D800” by Darrell Young (publisher: Rocky Nook):

Mastering the Nikon D800 by Darrell Young provides a wealth of experience-based information and insights for owners of the new D800 camera. Darrell is determined to help the user navigate past the confusion that often comes with complex and powerful professional camera equipment.

This book explores the features and capabilities of the camera in a way that far surpasses the user’s manual. It guides readers through the camera features with step-by-step setting adjustments; color illustrations; and detailed how, when, and why explanations for each option. Every button, dial, switch, and menu configuration setting is explored in a user-friendly manner, with suggestions for setup according to various shooting styles.

Darrell’s friendly and informative writing style allows readers to easily follow directions, while feeling as if a friend dropped in to share his knowledge. The learning experience for new D800 users goes beyond just the camera itself and covers basic photography technique.

Check also the Nikon D800 Digital Field Guide (publisher: Wiley).

In German languageNikon D800: Das Kamerahandbuch: Ihre Kamera im Praxiseinsatz. There are few other listings here.

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Nikon 135mm f/1.8 lens patent

Nikon filed a patent (201048125) in Japan for a 135mm f/1.8 lens:

  • Patent release date: March 8, 2012
  • Patent filing date: August 30, 2012
  • Focal length: 132.9mm
  • Aperture: 1.8
  • Angle of view: 18.3°
  • Lens design: 15 elements in 9 group, 2 ED elements
  • Internal focusing (IF)
  • Vibration reduction (VR)
Update: here is the US patent 20120050872 application for the same lens.

Nikon currently has the AF DC-Nikkor 135mm f/2D lens ($1,329.00) in their catalog (lens design: 7 elements in 6 groups).

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Nikon D4 and D800 pre-orders are back on Amazon with a March 20th release date

The Nikon D4 camera is again open for pre-order on Amazon with a release date of March 20th, 2012. Amazon stopped taking pre-orders just few hours after the D4 announcement. They probably now know how many cameras they will get in the first shipment and started taking pre-orders again.

Update: Nikon D800 and D800E pre-orders are also opened:

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New Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28mm f/1.8G full frame lens to be announced in 2012

The discontinued Nikkor 28mm f/1.4D AF lens

In addition to the rumored 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6 (see patent) and 16-85mm f/4 (see patent) DX lenses, Nikon will also announce a new Nikkor AF-S 28mm f/1.8G full frame lens. The new lens will not have VR and it will be small in size (I guess compared to the 24mm and 35mm f/1.4 versions). I don’t know the exact announcement date, but I believe it will be this year (2012).

Nikon discontinued the very popular Nikkor 28mm f/1.4D AF (read more about it here) long time ago – this lens is still selling for record amounts on eBay.

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Rumor: Nikon D700 discontinued in Canada

Update: all Canadian dealers received an email yesterday from Nikon that the D700 is discontinued as there is no stock nationwide.

Nikon D700 was listed as discontinued in Japan over a month ago, probably because of the new battery regulations in Japan. In the US, the price of the D700 dropped by $500. The latest rumor I received is that the D700 is also officially discontinued in Canada:

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Is this the stolen Nikon AF-S 600mm f/4G ED VR lens?

A month ago, Nikon’s NPS roadshow gear worth over $150,000 was stolen in Dublin, Ireland. Last week I received a tip that a Nikkor AF-S 600mm f/4G ED VR lens matching the serial number on the stolen equipment list (205164) was listed for sale in an European photography forum for $5000 (new price is $9,799.95). The listing has been removed since.

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Nikon D3s discontinued?

This could be a mistake, but Nikon USA removed the D3s camera from the DSLR section of their website. The Nikon D90, D3000, D300s, D700, D3x are still listed. Adorama currently has the D3s in stock.

Update: it’s not a mistake – the D3s is listed in the “Archived Digital SLR Cameras” on the same Nikon USA website.

Back in December, there were some rumors that Nikon D3s is already out of production.

The D3s is also listed as discontinued on the official Nikon Japan website (this was not the case a month ago):

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