Nikon Blog
Retro Review: Gordon Laing tests out Canon’s 21-year-old PowerShot G1 camera
[embedded content] Gordon Laing, Editor of CameraLabs, has shared his latest Retro Review, this time putting the 3.3MP Canon PowerShot G1 to the test 21 years after its release. The PowerShot G1 was released towards the end of 2000 and retailed for roughly $1,100 (roughly $1,735 in today’s money). It was the first camera in a series that lives on to this day and was similar in size and features to its contemporaries, the Epson 3000Z and Sony S70, but also had a few additional benefits. At the heart of the G1 was a 3.3MP 1/1.8-inch CCD sensor...
read moreSony to announce a new camera in the next 24 hours
[embedded content] Earlier this month, Sony was set to release a new camera. However, the July 7th announcement was postponed for unspecified reasons. At the time, no information was provided as to when we could expect the new camera, but Sony has updated its website to announce the product will be released via a YouTube Premiere at 23:00 JST on July 27, 2021 (10am EDT, 7am PDT July 27). The initial announcement graphic, which shows the original expected announcement date of July 7, 2021. The updated announcement graphic, which shows the new...
read moreEngineering student created an impressive DIY cable cam with AI-powered tracking
The Cablecam is built around a single brushless motor and Raspberry Pi 4 with an Arducam attached to a two-axis gimbal. Uruguayan engineering student, Maximiliano Palay, has shared a detailed breakdown showing how he built Cablecam, a DIY cable camera. While this isn’t exactly your weekend Raspberry Pi project, if you have the engineering chops (as well as time and money), it is something you can piece together yourself. Max created the design for the Cablecam using Autodesk Fusion 360 (via an Education License). The Cablecam, as Max calls...
read moreHobbyist astronomer discovers new Jupiter moon 18 years after the photos were taken
In 1974, NASA’s Pioneer 11 spacecraft viewed Jupiter from above its north pole. Image credit: NASA Ames One might believe something as monumental as discovering a new moon would be the result of efforts from professional astronomers. However, an amateur by the name of Kai Ly discovered a new moon for the planet Jupiter on June 30th. Ly was scanning old datasets from 2003 when it was identified. ‘I’m proud to say that this is the first planetary moon discovered by an amateur astronomer,’ Ly tells Sky and Telescope. This...
read moreFujifilm XF 50mm F1.0 R WR field review
Introduction The Fujifilm Fujinon XF 50mm F1.0 R WR is an especially bright portrait prime for the company’s X-mount cameras. As its super-fast maximum aperture (and corresponding premium pricing) might suggest, it’s something of a niche product. With a roughly 75mm-equivalent focal length after accounting for the APS-C sensor size used by X-mount bodies, it’s aimed at both photographers and videographers seeking shallow depth of field for an aesthetic reminiscent of that from a full-frame camera. Available since Fall 2020,...
read moreUpdated: DPReview 2021 drone buying guide
Published Jul 24, 2021 | DPReview Staff Previous 1 Introduction 2 Next Until recently, aerial photography (and videography) was a costly proposition requiring helicopters, airplanes, or build-it-yourself rigs. Thanks to inexpensive drones this is no longer true. It’s not surprising that so many people have discovered drones and the unique perspectives they can provide. All of the products in this guide fall into the ‘buy and fly’ category, meaning they require no extra components or customizations. Options range from...
read moreIn-depth tripod review: Gitzo Systematic Series 3 (GT3543LS)
The Gitzo GT3543LS at the beach, with the Gitzo GFHG1 Fluid Gimbal Head on top, holding a 500mm lens and full-frame camera. Gitzo Systematic Series 3 (GT3543LS)Gitzo.com | $1000 Gitzo was founded in France as a tripod and camera company by Arsène Gitzhoven in 1917 and has been producing advanced tripods with interchangeable platforms, columns and leveling devices for more than 40 years. Their naming convention of designating sizes by numbered ‘series,’ and modular platforms as ‘systematic’ tripods, has been around so...
read moreHow to Tell If You Have a Good or Bad Copy of a Lens
After buying an expensive lens, it’s normal to wonder if you got a good or bad sample. However, if you don’t have multiple copies of the lens to test, answering that question may seem difficult. That’s what I hope to change with the process outlined in today’s article. The biggest issue that differentiates a good vs bad copy of a lens is decentering. In other words, one or more elements in the lens are tilted or off-center, which can lead to blurriness in certain regions of the frame. The process in this article is designed to figure out...
read moreDPReview TV: Nikon Z7 II versus Sony a7R IV for landscapes
Published Jul 24, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] In this week’s episode of DPReview TV, Chris compares the Nikon Z7 II and Sony a7R IV for landscape photography, with a close look at their displays, image quality, lens lineups and more. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Gear in this story The firmware updates are relatively minor based on the update notes, but no camera is left behind. With dual processors, dual card slots and more, Nikon’s Z7 Mark II is a more capable camera...
read moreRedditor ‘unwraps’ iconic Apollo 11 image, showing Buzz Aldrin’s perspective for first time
Michael Ranger, known as rg1213 on Reddit, used this famous image of Buzz Aldrin on the Moon from the Apollo 11 mission as captured by Neil Armstrong, to essentially ‘see’ what Armstrong saw. Credit: NASA Since Buzz Aldrin’s visor is basically a mirror ball, Ranger was able to ‘unwrap it’ to a 2D image and then open the photo in Google Street View to ‘see’ what Aldrin saw as Armstrong captured the iconic photo. Panorama created by Michael Ranger from the reflection in Aldrin’s visor Ranger...
read moreSlideshow: Winners of the 2021 iPhone Photography Awards
Recently, winners and finalists for the 14th annual iPhone Photography Awards (IPPA) were announced. The competition received thousands of submissions from 140 countries. Winning entries represent 17 countries in a variety of categories including Abstract, Architecture, City Life, Landscape, People, Panorama, and Nature. All winning photographs can be viewed on IPPA’s...
read morePelican releases new ‘Rugged Camera Lens Cover’ for keeping your lenses protected on the go
Pelican, who’s most known in the photography world for its protective carrying solutions for camera equipment, has teamed up with CM Brands to release a new Pelican Outdoor series, which includes a new silicone lens cover, not unlike the KUVRD lens cap from a few years back. The universal silicone lens caps are constructed of ‘Premium 25A Grade Silicone’ and come in both Black and Coyote (tan) color options. Pelican says it’s tested for lenses with front filter threads ranging from 67mm to 120mm. The covers feature a dozen columns on the side...
read moreFilm Fridays: Loving and hating the Kiev 60 TTL – a quirky Soviet medium format knockoff
Photos: Michael Elliott / 35mmc In this week’s Film Friday, photographer Michael Elliot describes his love/hate relationship with the mechanically quirky Kiev 60 TTL, a Soviet-era medium format evolution/knockoff of the East German Pentacon Six. Manufactured in Ukraine from 1984 to 1999, it shoots 6x6cm images and features swappable viewfinders, an unpredictable film advance mechanism, a mirror box prone to heavy flare and one of the loudest SLR mirrors known to humankind. This clunker of an SLR is as unwieldy to handle as it looks;...
read moreWe’re Nearing the End of the Nikon Z Lens Roadmap
It’s been almost three years since Nikon announced the Z mirrorless system in August of 2018. The initial Z6 and Z7 were accompanied by three lenses (24-70mm f/4, 35mm f/1.8, and 50mm f/1.8) as well as a roadmap which promised 20 more by the end of 2021. That’s about where we are today. To put things into perspective, here’s the first roadmap announced alongside the early Z-series cameras, with a total of 23 lenses (eleven of which had no identifying information other than a placeholder): This plan shuffled around a bit (the 70-200mm f/2.8...
read moreAfter a month of being offline, Hubble captures images showing off two ‘oddball’ galaxies
Following a computer anomaly aboard Hubble, which took a month to fix, NASA has released a pair of new images to demonstrate the spacecraft’s return to full scientific operations. Hubble’s scientific operations restarted on July 17 at 1:18 pm EDT. Following its operational return, Hubble’s early targets included globular star clusters in other galaxies and aurorae on Jupiter, plus a closer look at some bizarre galaxies. The two released images focus on peculiar galaxies and are part of a program led by Julianne Dalcanton of...
read moreVideo: Drone operator helps rescue fisherman he saw being attacked by a shark
[embedded content] Matt Woods was relaxing on his balcony in Bondi Beach, Australia, when he decided to launch his DJI Mavic 2 Zoom drone and capture some footage. To his horror, he discovered a lone spear fisherman in the water using a speargun to ward off an aggressive mako shark. The ordeal lasted 30 minutes, until help arrived. Woods, 36, took off from his beachside balcony around 4:00 pm. He expected to capture some scenic footage of the swimmers and surfers that frequent the beach on a daily basis. Occasionally he would spot whales but...
read moreCapture One 21 update released, adds new Magic Brush, improved Exporter and more
Capture One has released the latest update to Capture One 21, bringing the photo editing software to version 14.3.0. The new update adds new and improved features, expanded capabilities, bug fixes and new camera and lens support. Key new features added to Capture One 21 (14.3.0) include a new Magic Brush, designed to quickly create complex masks, a redesigned Exporter, improved organization tools, and improvements to tethering, particularly for Fujifilm and Leica cameras. Concerning tethering, it’s now possible to trigger an exposure...
read moreSlideshow: 2021 World Landscape Photographer competition winners
Over 1,400 photographers entered the 2021 World Landscape Photographer competition, with 6,512 total images being submitted for judging. When all was said and done, only six images were award prizes, including the overall winning image titled ‘Atlantic Winter Storm meets Ireland,’ captured by photographer Felix Sproll. The World Landscape Photographer competition was founded in 2020 by landscape photographer Nigel Danson. ‘The aim of the competition is to raise as much money for charity as possible whilst bringing together the best nature...
read moreDJI Air 2S vs. Mavic Air 2: which one is right for you?
It’s a great time to be a drone buyer. Just over a year ago, DJI launched the Mavic Air 2, a model released with several significant milestones. In particular, it was the first Mavic drone to offer 4K/60p video, 48MP still images, and a 1/2″-type camera sensor – bigger than the smartphone-sized sensors found on most consumer models to that point. Less than a year after the Mavic Air 2 hit the market, DJI released its successor, the Air 2S. Its build is almost identical, but includes some notable differences: primarily the addition...
read moreCorning’s new DX and DX+ glass composite materials plan to improve smartphone cameras, starting with Samsung
[embedded content] Corning has developed a new glass composite material that it claims will both reduce scratching and improve light transmission for smartphone camera systems. Corning Gorilla Glass with DX and Corning Gorilla Glass with DX+ use multi-layer coatings on the front of the optical elements of the camera module to increase light transmission from roughly 95% of non-treated camera systems to 98%, ultimately giving the sensor behind the lens array more light to work with. Both the DX and DX+ composites are claimed to let through the...
read moreNikon Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3 Review
By Spencer Cox 18 CommentsPublished On July 21, 2021 « » A relatively basic and sometimes overlooked lens in Nikon’s venerable Z-series lens lineup is the Nikon Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3. Selling for $400 on its own but $300 as a kit with any full-frame Nikon Z camera, this is a budget optic with a narrow zoom range and a slow maximum aperture of f/4 to f/6.3. But despite its underwhelming specifications, some photographers may be considering it as a lightweight kit lens, especially if it lives up to the reputation of the other (almost entirely...
read moreNegative Supply’s LM1 is a stylish, compact all-metal digital light meter
Negative Supply has launched a pocket-sized digital light meter on Kickstarter, the LM1. The LM1 is designed to measure ambient light, aiding in accurate exposures, and it also measures color temperature, aiding in determining which filters or film stocks to use in a given situation. The LM1 supports 1/3 stop adjustments for ISO, aperture and shutter speed via its 4-button design. The LM1 has a dedicated sync port for flash metering, complete with flash mode and remote triggering options. With an integrated rechargeable battery, the LM1...
read moreVideo: Hasselblad shows how it produces, tests its X System medium format cameras
[embedded content] Hasselblad has released the third video in its ongoing ‘Hasselblad Home’ series, showcasing how the Swedish company produces and tests its X System medium format cameras inside its Gothenburg headquarters. Throguhout the four-minute video, Hasselblad shows the five-step production and testing process it uses to ensure all X System cameras are properly constructed and programmed to get the best image quality possible. The first step in the process is a cosmetic check to ensure the camera body itself is undamaged from the...
read moreZeiss ZX1 review
Introduction Studio product photography by Dan Bracaglia The Zeiss ZX1 is the first-ever digital camera to come with Adobe Lightroom Mobile built-in, encouraging you to shoot, edit and upload images from a single device. It has a 37.4MP full-frame sensor, a fixed 35mm F2 lens and the largest screen we’ve ever seen on a modern digital camera at 4.34″ (11cm) diagonal. It’s also a camera that I wondered if I’d ever see; it was announced way back in 2018, and there was a stretch of more than a year and a half where we...
read moreDPReview TV: Great episodes you may have missed!
Published Jul 21, 2021 | dpreview staff Don’t be fooled by its colorful, family-friendly design – the new 24-inch iMac is capable of serious photo and video editing performance. The EOS M50 Mark II is a compact, likable interchangeable lens camera with a 24MP APS-C sensor and direct-to-Youtube live streaming capability – but it comes with one big caveat. Find out how the M50 II performs in our full review. The Vivo X60 Pro+ claims to be a smartphone for ‘pro photography.’ While that’s up for debate, there’s no...
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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. I also do Video Editing.