Back to Ethiopia by Dino Brusco

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Back to Ethiopia is by Dino Brusco. The trip took place in April-May, 2014 (click on images for larger view):

Good morning everyone. Before approaching this trip, let me briefly introduce myself. I’m 40 yrs old, live in Northern Italy and photography became my passion since April 25th, 2004 when – thanks to a mistake, I did something “different”, that I liked so much to sparkle a real fire inside myself.

Fast forward till February 2012 when my wife and I concluded an adoption in Ethiopia of a very little boy. Unfortunately at the time we stayed only 1 week in Addis to fill all forms and paper and knew nothing but his birthdate and birthplace, Nekemte, 330 km west of Addis Ababa. When in 2014 I hinted I might have quit my company very soon, I booked a trip before it was too late. What I didn’t know was that right a few days before I left, several violent university revolts with Molotov’s, barricades, burned banks and cars etc had sparkled right in that area and soldiers were sent to stop them with use of force and gunfire. We even stumbled upon them, but let’s go with order.

Here’s a home-made map I prepared to show you the area where I wandered in these 4 days out (“punti panoramici” means “landscape viewpoints”):

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Keep in mind most of the pictures have been taken from a running van for safety reasons. Thus, this isn’t a showcase of shining, perfectly exposed and pp’ed pictures, rather a series of images and stories I’m sharing with you. This is a summary of a 144-pages long photo book I prepared for my adoptive son.

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Nikon offers firmware update fix for the VR issues found in the Nikkor 300mm f/4E PF ED VR lens

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Nikon is now offering a firmware update for the VR issues found in early shipments of the Nikkor 300mm f/4E PF ED VR lens (serial number under 205101). The problem: when shooting at around 1/125 or lower shutter speeds with a D8xx cameras, handheld shots with the VR OFF were much sharper than the shots taken with the VR ON (see the user reviews on Nikon USA for more details).

Nikon quietly stopped shipping the lens shortly after it was released. My understanding is that a new batch that has the issue fixed was already distributed in the US. The lens is still currently out of stock.

The firmware update is not available for download – you will have to send your lens to Nikon for service.

Full text of the Nikon service advisory:

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Posted in Nikon Lenses | Tagged | 127 Comments

New rebates – Nikon D750: $300 off, D750 lens kit: $900 off, Nikon 1 J5: up to $150 off

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The Nikon D750 DSLR camera is now $300 off (as previously reported). The D750 kit with the 24-120mm f/4 lens is now $900 off. Here are the links:

Update – two special Nikon D750 bundles:

The price of grey market Nikon D750 cameras is still at around $1,760 but I expect it to drop in the next few days.

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The Nikon 1 J5 camera also got new rebates (up to $150) at Adorama and B&H. This is strange since the camera is not even shipping yet.

Check out also the latest April Nikon combo rebates. All instant rebates are good through April 25th, 2015.

Posted in Deals, Nikon 1, Nikon D750 | Tagged , | 42 Comments

Nikon 1 j5 camera and accessories shipping dates announced

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Nikon Japan announced the shipment dates for the Nikon 1 J5 camera and accessories:

Product name Release Date
Nikon 1 J5 camera April 23, 2015 (Thursday)
Rechargeable Li-ion battery EN-EL24
Battery charger MH-31
Power connector EP-5F
Body case CB-N2220SA

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The US shipping date is currently listed as April 30th.

Posted in Nikon 1 | Tagged | 11 Comments

Nikon announces the winner of the “I am generation image” photo contest

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Nikon USA announced the winner of their “I am generation image” photo contest: Daniel Newman of Katonah, NY for this picture and story:

“A year and a half ago my younger brother endured his seventh sports concussion. His head trauma left him with disabling migraines, difficulty reading, and memory problems that, despite an extensive hospital visit, still greatly interfere with his social life and his studies as a medical student. The real issue is not my brother’s specific injury, but the culture within the sports world that minimizes the importance of concussions. If his previous concussions were taken more seriously and coaches did not push him to continue playing his symptoms would never have become so severe. In this photo the doctor is demonstrating how a nerve block is administered. My brother had the actual procedure done later that day; unfortunately it like all the other treatments he received have not relieved his symptoms. I hope this contest allows me the opportunity to educate the public about the disabling nature of concussions and migraines.”

Press release:

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Nikon MB-D16 battery grip for D750 finally in stock

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Quick update: the Nikon MB-D16 battery grip for the D750 camera is finally in stock at B&H and Amazon – right on time for the upcoming $300 instant savings.

Posted in Nikon D750 | Tagged | 32 Comments

Nikon price increase coming to Canada on May 1st

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I already briefly mentioned that few weeks ago, but now I can confirm that a price increase on Nikon gear is coming to Canada on May 1st, 2015. I do not have any details on what products will be impacted and how big the price increase will be.

Posted in Other Nikon stuff | Tagged | 14 Comments