Rumor from Korea: entry level Nikon D5000 @ PMA

By [NR] admin | Published: February 19, 2009

According to Slrclub the next entry level Nikon DLSR will be the D5000: near D90 quality pictures, no AF motor just like D40/60, more than 3 points AF.

Is this going to be Nikon’s solution for the next entry level model number – D5000?

Update: here is better translation of the above text (thanks k):

“Nikon plans to announce a new D5000, which would follow the D40, D60 line of entry level DSLR. Specific details are to be revealed on the day of the announcement, however, it is said to have improvements on the 3 focus points (i think 9 would be just fine), and the performance in terms of image would be almost identical to D90. This is according to a person he/she know in Nikon headquarters, who claims to have received an official document mentioning the above. Also, like D40 and D60, restrictions on AF motor will stay.”

Posted in Nikon D5000| 82 Comments

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX again

By [NR] admin | Published: February 19, 2009

The reviews of the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX triggered enormous interest. Another one (with test shots) popped up on this Czech site (I think I have to move to Eastern Europe – they get the goodies before us).

Posted in Nikon Lenses| Tagged | 9 Comments

Carl Zeiss Distagon T*18mmF3.5 ZF

By [NR] admin | Published: February 19, 2009

Nevermind – this lens was released few months ago – false alarm… it’s not a new lens

…and another lens rolled out this time from Carl Zeiss (just two days after the release of Leica’s Super-Elmar-M 18 mm f/ 3.8 ASPH). This lens will be available as a ZF version (F bayonet mount support). Here is a link to Cosina website.

Source

Posted in Nikon Lenses| 6 Comments

Nikon Control Beta 1

By [NR] admin | Published: February 18, 2009

Please note that this post is not about Nikon’s Camera Control Pro software, but rather for an app developed by a reader (to prevent confussions the name of the app will be changed soon).

nikon-control

First was the D700 video capture software, which revealed the existence of the Nikon SDK package, then was my “quest” for other interesting implementations and now I have something to show you:

“The result is an early version of Nikon Control. The application should work with any Nikon D3, D2, D700, D300 and D90 (I’ve tested it with my D90 and a friend did the same with his D300). When you connect your camera to your Mac the application will automatically detect the camera (if the model is supported) and display the most important settings in the bottom bar. In this version you can either capture a single picture by clicking the toolbar item or pressing the trigger on your camera. When you are using autofocus the camera might not be able to focus thus don’t take a picture. In addition you can do bracketing by selecting minimum and maximum shutter speeds. The application then will take a picture for all shutter speeds in the range.”

The main benefit? You can take more than 3 pictures in bracketing mode.

If you try out this software, please give you feedback to the author on the above link and remember that this is a beta version. Read the readme file on how to install. For Mac only. The app has also a built-in EXIF viewer.

Thanks Stefan!

Disclaimer: Please note that this software is not created by Nikon and it is probably a good idea for Stefan to change the name.
Posted in Nikon Software| Tagged | 34 Comments

So, was it fake?

By [NR] admin | Published: February 18, 2009

This is a hard reading, but you can give it a try – 3D rendering explained and the verdict for the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 10-18mm f/4 G ED N is “fake”.

This would be also the first time our poll is wrong: 2289 (48%) readers said the lens looks real (vs 1718, 36% for fake).

190038_12348482811

Source

Posted in Nikon Lenses| Tagged | 60 Comments

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/4G ED VR lens discontinued?

By [NR] admin | Published: February 18, 2009

Update: B&H contacted NR and reported that this was a programing error. The lens is not discontinued.

According to B&H – yes:

nikon-500mm-lens-discontinued

Posted in Nikon Lenses| 15 Comments

More on the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX review from Optyczne

By [NR] admin | Published: February 17, 2009

Here is some more info and a better translation of the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX review posted few days ago (link):

“In fact, in your translation, there is a lack of the one serious adventage: exceptional sharpness in the center of the frame. The behavior at the center is really good and comparable to much more expensive Zeiss Distagon 2/35, which we already tested. All these lenses were tested using RAW files from Nikon D200 (converted using dcraw and analyzed by Imatest). Nikkor 2/35 was additionally tested on Nikon D3.”

Posted in Nikon Lenses| Tagged | 41 Comments