Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Nikon Shoots D5100 Commercial with a D5100

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We are excited acclaimed Director of Photography Matthew Libatique shot our “Man of Action” D-SLR spot with the Nikon D5100. All elements of this DSLR campaign were shot with the Nikon D5100 demonstrating its high quality photo and HD movie capabilities. -Lisa Baxt, senior communications manager for Nikon Inc.

Kudos to Nikon for stepping up to the plate and making a commercial with its own DSLR.  Perhaps other companies should consider doing the same.

As has been the case with recent Nikon campaigns, Ashton Kutcher is front and center showing off the D5100.  Check out the commercial spot below. [Read more…]

 

Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G Lens . . . It’s About Time!

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If there has ever been demand for a company to produce a single lens, it’s the Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8 lens.  Ever since the Nikon D40 came out (with it’s lack of AF motor), Nikon users have been clamoring for something to replace the staple 50mm f/1.8D lens.  Heck, I even wrote an open letter to Nikon last year pleading for this lens with a built-in AF motor.

And, finally, it appears that they have. [Read more…]

Nikon D5100 Incoming [Updated: It’s Here]

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With press releases already leaking out on the web, it looks like Nikon is about to lower the hammer with its new D5100 DSLR, which sports a 16.2MP sensor, 11-point AF system and 1920 x 1080/24p video capture.  Other juicy specs are a new HDR feature, video special effects and 4 fps still frame rate.

The most obvious new addition to the D5100 is a swivel LCD, which attaches to the side of the camera.  This is a bit of change up from the D5000, which sported a swivel LCD that attached to the bottom of the camera. The LCD itself is a solid 921k-dot res display that weighs in at a full 3 inches.

The D5100 offers a sensitivity range of ISO 100-6400, and is expandable to ISO 25,600.  What’s more, the D5100 sports a new “Night Vision” mode for video capture that records in low light up to ISO 102,400.

The D5100 captures both 1080p and 720p at 24p or 30p frame rates.  Notably absent is the ability to record at 60p when shooting 720p video (like the Canon 7D and 60D models).  Of course, this isn’t new to Nikon HDSLRs – with the recent Nikon D7000 locked down to the same frame rate options.  Manual exposure control is confirmed for video mode. [Update: DPReview confirms that the D5100 suffers from the same, frustrating aperture lock that cripples the D7000 when in Live View mode.  This seriously hampers the use of the D5100 as a video-centric tool.]

Those interested in using the D5100 to capture video will find the addition of a stereo mic input will be a welcomed bonus.

Speaking of mic inputs, Nikon looks to be launching the Nikon ME-1 stereo mic alongside the D5100 – although its spec sheet is hardly inspiring.  Nikon Rumors picked up word that the frequency response only covers 70Hz to 16kHz.  It will be powered by the camera and will sport a switchable low-cut filter (not sure what the low-cut boundaries are though).  Given that the ME-1 appears to be strictly intended for using on-camera and mounted in the hot shoe of a consumer-grade camera, it might be good enough.

[via Nikon Rumors]

Full Nikon Canada (replaced with US version) press release follows. [Read more…]

Compatible Lenses for Nikon D40, D60, D3200, D3300, D5300, D5500

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Nikon-D5500

Users of the Nikon D40 through Nikon D5500 cameras are probably aware of the fact that these cameras cannot autofocus with all Nikon-compatible lenses.  These cameras lack a built-in autofocus motor and, therefore, must rely on the motors inside the lenses in order achieve autofocus.

Since the introduction of the D40, Nikon has shown a commitment to making lenses that are compatible with all its DSLRs by putting autofocus motors inside. The cameras listed below all share the same AF motor characteristics and, therefore, need the appropriate lenses:

The following list contains those current lenses from Nikon and will be amended as new, compatible lenses are introduced. [Read more…]