→ The Vello Nikon F lens to Sony E-Mount camera AF lens adapter is now in stock (more info available here).
→ Adobe released Lightroom CC 2015.6 and Camera Raw 9.6 with added support for the Nikon Coolpix B700 camera and two Tamron lenses for Nikon F mount.
→ The new DZoptics Kerlee 35mm f/1.2 full frame DSLR lens will be available also for Nikon F mount.
My name is Thorge Berger (reisefotografie.de) and I am a travel photographer from Germany who also organizes photo expeditions.
For me it all started in 2010 when I had my first India experience on a photo trip with Steve McCurry. Part of it was that we visited a place called Haridwar north of Delhi for a festival called ‚Kumbh Mela‘. Honestly I had no idea what to expect. When we arrived there it turned out to be the biggest event on planet earth with millions of pilgrims! We are talking about a Hindu festival which is happing every 12 years in the same place but altogether in four different places at different times. Only 3 years later I had the chance to travel to another of these four places: Allahabad. The festival there was a so called‚ Maha Kumbh Mela‘ which is happening only every 144 years! So it is literally a ‚once-in-a-lifetime chance‘ to see it. A Kumbh Mela usually lasts approx. one month and over the time there were 120 million people (!!!) coming to Allahabad! What makes a ‚Kumbh Mela‘ so appealing is that the Hindu believe during this particular time the water of the according holy rivers turns into ‚Amrit‘ again, the nectar of immortality. If you take a holy dip there during this time you can wash away all sins of your current life and of the lives you lived before (as the Hindu believe in the cycle of rebirthing). So it is almost a ‚short-cut to Nirvana’. This is why so many people are attracted. But not only this. During a ‚Kumbh Mela‘ also the spiritual leaders (Gurus, Swamis etc.) are approachable, hold their lectures, you can get blessed and there is free medical service and food for the pilgrims. There is so much going on during a Kumbh Mela that you could shoot for weeks. But there is one particular thing which is very unique – even for India: only during a ‚Kumbh Mela‘ you will have the chance to see (thousands of) the so called ‚Naga Babas‘ (naked teachers). These holy warriors live a life of asceticism, many of them secluded in the mountains of the Himalayas. They live a solitary life, practice meditation and yoga and live naked and cover their body with holy ashes. And they only show up in public for a ‚Kumbh Mela’! And most certainly they are the ‚rockstars‘ of any Kumbh Mela!
The Japanese website DC.Watch reports that the Nikon D3300 DSLR camera ($389.95) is now officially discontinued (listed as “old product” in Japan).
Today Nikon released a new C firmware update version 1.31 for the Nikon D4s camera that contains a single fix for the WR-R10 wireless remote controller:
For the month of June, Nikon USA introduced new “lens-only” rebates that offer up to $200 in savings on selected Nikkor lenses. See the details at B&H and Adorama (Amazon should also have the new prices online).
→ Tamron issued new firmware updates for the SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD (Model F012) and SP 45mm f/1.8 Di VC USD (Model F013) lenses for Nikon F mount. The new Tamron TAP-in console for Nikon F mount is currently in stock.
→ N-Photo’s 60th issue is now on sale and you can get it for free when you start a no-obligation free digital trial on your Apple device (direct links: iPhone | iPad). You’ll also get a free guide to RAW worth £7.99/$9.99. More on the issue:
Find out why the D500 is the best D-SLR Nikon have ever made – and why this matters even if you’re not in the market for a new camera. Plus, enjoy photos of British astronaut Tim Peake, a low-light seascapes masterclass and join the debate, is RAW dead?
→ Rating and Investment Information Inc. affirms Nikon’s rating at “A” and says stable outlook
Moose Peterson on the Nikon D5.
“Nikon D500 review, a wildlife photographer’s perspective” by Steve Perry (website | YouTube | Facebook, you can check also his previous [NR] posts here):
OK, I’ll admit it.
As a wildlife photographer, I had resigned myself to the idea that DX was dead. It was too bad, really. Although I do enjoy using a full frame camera, I longed for the D300 days where you could have a modern, high performance crop sensor body.
See, here’s the thing, – I was stuck. I wanted a DX body for the crop factor / pixel density – and the D7200 fit the bill nicely – but I also wanted the sheer performance of my D4. I thought it was just too much to ask…
And then Nikon announced the D500, confirming that the photography gods do indeed hear the prayers of wayward photographers. (In fact, at first I thought the announcement might be nothing more than a cruel prank perpetrated on the Nikon community, but thankfully that wasn’t the case.)
