Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Get $100K for 140 Seconds of Your Time

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Here’s a cool contest with some really cool folks involved.

Nikon is giving away $100,000 for a 140 second video about your day.  The theme is “A Day through Your Lens.”  The above video is Rainn Wilson’s hilarious take on the concept.

Of course, Nikon is promoting the capabilities of its D-Movie function on several of its DSLRs like the D300s, D3s, D5000 and D90; however, the contest is open to anyone shooting with any kind of gear.  Kudos to Nikon on that.

The winner will be chosen by pioneering photographer and filmmaker Chase Jarvis actor Rainn Wilson from NBC’s The Office, internet queen and actress “iJustine” Ezarik.  Chase seems pretty stoked about this.

You can enter at NikonFestival.com.

Check out the press release below for full details. [Read more…]

 

Nikon D3s Hands-On Review

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The Nikon D3s is the successor to the Nikon D3. The camera is not much of a change from the previous model except for higher ISO settings and the addition of a new video mode. Nikon users will still appreciate that much of their beloved D3 has not been touched and that this camera is still meant for its intended audience. Sports shooters and photojournalists alike will very much so enjoy the capabilities offered to them on this camera.

[Read more…]

Hands-on: Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 85mm F3.5G ED VR

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The Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 85mm F3.5G ED VR that was recently announced received some fondling by me at this year’s Photo Plus. If you’re a Nikon shooter, you will appreciate quite a bit of the design, weight and engineering that went into the lens. Seemingly targeted more towards the lower-end prosumer audience, Nikon D300s users especially will love this lens. [Read more…]

Windows 7 Photography Solutions and Applications

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Windows 7

If you haven’t heard already, Windows 7 is here and available everywhere.

If you use Windows Vista on your computer, you may be more than ready for the upgrade.  Microsoft has been hyping Windows 7 as a better solution for a long time.  What follows are some of the latest developments for photographers, along with a brief look at what casual photographers can expect out of Windows 7 for helping organize and edit images. [Read more…]

Nikon D800 Before Christmas?

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A tipster has sent in some info on the rumored Nikon D800 that he purports originates with a “very reliable source.”  According to the tipster, Nikon will not be revising the D700 for a “S” model, as was the case with the D300 and D3.

Instead, Nikon will release a completely new model to replace the D700 – the D800.

Rumored Nikon D800 features from the tipster include the following:

1) Video mode 1080p video recording (full HD)
2) High resolution 24.5 MP.
3) High frame rate: 7 fps without battery grip (similar to D300s)
4) 51-area Nikon Multi-CAM 3500FX (same technology as D3X)

He also tells me that the D800 will launch before Christmas.

I can’t confirm the veracity of this info or the reliability of the tipster yet.  I am reaching out to him for further details in hopes to substantiate these rumors. Keep in mind that these D700x/D800 rumors have been rattling around for over a year now.

Stay tuned for updates on the D800 or whatever else Nikon decides to throw at us.

Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 85mm f/3.5G ED VR Announced

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Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 85mm f/3.5G ED VR

The Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 85mm f/3.5G ED VR is a new lens for Nikon DX-sensor cameras like the D300s, D5000 and D3000.  The new 85mm lens should be available in December 2009 at an initial retail price of $529.95. Check availability on Amazon.com.

More details in the press release below. [Read more…]

Nikon APS-C Compact Camera = Leica X1 Clone?

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Ok, “clone” may be strong words; however, word on the street is that the Leica X1 sensor is manufactured by Sony – and that same sensor is set to be placed in an upcoming (and as-yet unannounced Nikon camera).  More specifically, the sensor is 23.6 x 15.8mm with 12.2 “effective” megapixels.  13 million pixels in total sit on the sensor.

At recent press event in Singapore, Sunil Kaul, regional director of Asia Pacific for Leica Camera AG spilled the beans as to the sensor’s origin and its future home inside a Nikon camera, which he “cannot disclose.”

I haven’t read any news lately about Sony developing a new 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, which seems like it would have surfaced by now if it was newly developed.  That’s roughly the same size sensor that the Sony A700 and the Nikon D300 have been sporting for a long time.

I really can’t imagine Nikon moving away from its 12.3-megapixel CMOS sensor that has been such a workhorse in it’s recent DSLR lineup.  I also can’t imagine Nikon dropping another 12.3-megapixel DSLR into its lineup right now.  So, the compact, rangefinder-style camera sounds like the logical next step for this sensor.

Anyone with more knowledge about Sony’s CMOS sensor lineup feel free to chime in via the comments below to confirm or rebut my assumptions.

[Cnet Asia via DPR Forums]

Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF] Lens

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Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF] Lens

The Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF] is made exclusively for Nikon-mount DSLRs with an internal focusing motor.  This lens is equivalent to an 26-78mm angle of view on a full frame camera.

The Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens will be available in September 2009 at an initial price of approximately $650.  Check availability on Amazon.com.

You can also check availability of the coming Canon version of this lens via this link.

More details in the press release below. [Read more…]

Nikon Capture NX 2 Update Available

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Nikon Capture NX 2

Nikon has release an update to Capture NX 2.  Version 2.2.2 is now available for download.  Updates in this version include:

Windows:

Support for the Service Pack 2 versions of 32-bit Windows Vista Home Basic/ Home Premium/ Business/ Enterprise/ Ultimate has been added.
Support for RAW images captured with the D300S and D3000 has been added.
An issue that caused Capture NX 2 to quit unexpectedly with batch processing to save RAW images captured in portrait (“tall”) orientation, with specific enhancements applied, in JPEG or TIFF format has been resolved.

Macintosh:

Support for Mac OS X version 10.5.7 has been added.
Support for RAW images captured with the D300S and D3000 has been added.
An issue that caused Capture NX 2 to quit unexpectedly with batch processing to save RAW images captured in portrait (“tall”) orientation, with specific enhancements applied, in JPEG or TIFF format has been resolved.

Visit Nikon’s website to download the update.