Comments for Nikon Watch

Comment on No D700x? by Matthew Saville

Matthew Saville — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:35:15 +0000

It’s incredible that, (after 21 years for example) all of a sudden video and 21 megapixels are absolutely mission-critical in a camera. Even if you’re a professional photographer trying to stay at the cutting edge of your business, I doubt you’re going to lose a job just because the other guy has an A850 and you don’t.

Good luck, though. I actually doubt this rumor is true, a D700X, or some incarnation of affordable 24 megapixel body, will come sooner or later.

=Matt=

Comment on No D700x? by scalesusa

scalesusa — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:15:25 +0000

The issue may very well be one of the price Sony is charging Nikon for the sensors. If Nikon can’t sell a D700X for $3,000 and make a profit, they have their hands tied.

If so, look for them to acquire CMOS manufacturing capability by purchasing someone already in the business. It would be very expensive, but might be the best long term solution for Nikon. They might also get business from others wanting to get away from Sony.

I do not have any information, this is just speculation about what seems a possibility.

Comment on No D700x? by MarkH

MarkH — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 01:36:31 +0000

I’m sad to say if Nikon don’t come out with something to compete with the 5D Mkll soon (capabilities and price) they are going to loose me, 21 years shooting Nikon but I can’t wait much longer.

Comment on Rumor Round-up: Christmas Tomorrow? by matt

matt — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:10:52 +0000

Sigma- I’d be happy to have a beer at the picnic table with it- but I’m not sure I’ll ever get over the horrid 80-300mm (or similar) zoom that came with my first big-boy camera- the Minolta 650si I bought in college for what was a vast sum of ~$600.

My next camera was a 20 year old hassy cm and the different in rendition between those zeiss mf and the sigma zoom was the difference between puke and filet mignon.

I know the comparison is not fair- but I’ll never put another sigma on any camera I own again.

Comment on Rumor Round-up: Christmas Tomorrow? by Deep Bokeh

Deep Bokeh — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:19:35 +0000

Well, you’re no Amazing Karnak, but you have learned the “Eternal Truth of the 18-xxx Lens.” Like crime and disease, there will always be another 18-xxx lens. It’s an intrinsic condition of human existence.

But what is it with your seething hatred of Sigma? The zooms might be mediocre, but they make some fantastic primes. You two should have a beer together.

Comment on Rumor Round-up: Christmas Tomorrow? by scalesusa

scalesusa — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 04:17:22 +0000

It looks like ?Nikon rumors 99.99% predection of the D300s, D3000, 70-200mm Zoom, and 18-200mm Zoom was 100% correct.

Comment on Nikon VL1 – the 50 Megapixel Rumor by Chagall

Chagall — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 03:27:07 +0000

I have to agree. With all those specs, the camera would be more than $9999.00. Eventually someone hopefully will make a camera that is not a bulky medium format SLR. A simple rangefinder that has 3 lenses available would work.

It could be at that magic price of a few pennies under 10k with something like a 16 to 21MP sensor.

Comment on D5000 Service Advisory: She’s Hard to Turn On! by plasmon

plasmon — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 00:08:42 +0000

In a back-handed way this recall shows Nikon has pretty decent configuration management on their production line. That is, they are keeping good records on what their designing and in which final products any changes appear. Rather than having to recall every D5000 they were able to limit the recall to a limited series of serial numbers. If there were sloppier in their build process they would have to extend the recall to many more, or all, D5000s. And as mentioned before, sometimes changes don’t go perfectly, but that is normal. Annoying if you’re one of the ones affected.

Comment on D5000 Service Advisory: She’s Hard to Turn On! by scalesusa

scalesusa — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:56:48 +0000

Its pretty common to have daily changes in minor parts during a production run. The most common thing is that the factory runs out of a part like a resistor and asks engineering for a substitute so the production line can keep going. They do some quick calculations and checking to see whats in stock, and hand carry a marked up and signed drawing copy out to the factory to keep it going. Been there, done that.

Of course, sometimes a unexpected tolerance buildup or a change in suppliers results in problems as well.

Comment on D5000 Service Advisory: She’s Hard to Turn On! by jikester

jikester — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 05:45:31 +0000

Good point, especially with my 600mm F4…

Comment on D5000 Service Advisory: She’s Hard to Turn On! by matt

matt — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:28:41 +0000

Didn’t you know? You don’t just stick in your lens without getting her ready, do you?

Comment on D5000 Service Advisory: She’s Hard to Turn On! by jikester

jikester — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:36:00 +0000

What, now cameras require foreplay?

Comment on Nikon Jetisons Firmware Development for New Nikon + Fujitsu Joint. WTF? by scalesusa

scalesusa — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:01:11 +0000

I can think of a couple of similar reasons why they might do this.

1. Create a new company that effectively bypasses stodgy management to be more flexible and faster responding. The Japanese are noted for finding ways to work around managers that have one foot in the past, maybe both.

2. Cut overhead. Similar to your idea, the software company is not saddled with a high overhead which results from having the deprecation of multiple factories, advertising, etc added into their operating cost. This way, they might show a profit.

Comment on Olympus Makes the Camera Nikon Was Supposed To: The E-P1 by bMallory

bMallory — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:01:56 +0000

a good thing with this micro 4/3 mount is that you can mount almost any lens you want : http://www.flickr.com/photos/smaedli/3581980712/in/set-72157613635656740/

Comment on Nikon Says “Sayonora” to 1000 Contract/Temp Workers by matt

matt — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:02:32 +0000

>‘Auf wiedersehen’

Good one!

Zoetmb: yes, agree

Comment on Nikon Says “Sayonora” to 1000 Contract/Temp Workers by sologrande

sologrande — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:20:33 +0000

At least they didn’t say ‘Auf wiedersehen’ — that would have confused the workers too much.

Comment on Nikon Says “Sayonora” to 1000 Contract/Temp Workers by zoetmb

zoetmb — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:00:34 +0000

Yes..Nikon is having financial problems, but it is mainly businesses other than the photo business that are having problems. Considering the economy, Nikon Imaging actually did pretty well for the fiscal year ending March 09:
In terms of units, they beat the previous fiscal year by 6.8% in DSLR bodies, 17% in the Coolpix line and 3.4% in DSLR lenses. From a unit standpoint, it was a record year for all three categories. In Yen, revenue was up 1.8%, but profits were down 52.3%, but this beat their last projection, which was down 2.8% in revenue and 58.3% in profit.

Some of the profit decline was due to declining margin associated with currency conversion. That’s why we saw the price increases. As recently as 2007, the dollar was over 120 yen, but it was 114 for fiscal 2008 and only 101 for fiscal 2009. Nikon is projecting fiscal 2010 to come in at only 95 yen to the dollar.

But that certainly doesn’t account for all of the profit decline and that’s why Nikon needs to cut costs. In fiscal 2008, Nikon netted almost $84 billion yen. For fiscal 2009, it was down to 40 billion yen. For fiscal 2010, they’re projecting 25 billion yen net income for the imaging group, but Nikon always beats their estimates by a fairly wide margin.

Comment on Ken “Reviews” Nikon’s Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G DX ED Lens by zoetmb

zoetmb — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:21:27 +0000

I think much of what KR writes is absurd, but your logic makes no sense. If he was only concerned about kickbacks from the purchase links, then he would be very positive about every product and he would favor the higher priced lenses because he would get more. He’s actually negative more often than he’s positive. If he wanted sales, he’d say, “this lens is great. Everyone must buy one. Click the link now before they sell out!”

And while his supposed equipment purchases, travels, etc., (although not his eating habits) seem to indicate that Ken is wealthy, I really doubt he’s making a robust living from clicks.

Comment on Ken “Reviews” Nikon’s Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G DX ED Lens by mrdat

mrdat — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:33:17 +0000

Of course he liked the 10-24mm. It’s cheaper and more people will buy it than the 12-24m. If more people buy it, he’ll get a kick back from the links.

Comment on Nikon D5000 is Official! by zoetmb

zoetmb — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:58:14 +0000

>>Still confused about the model number though- maybe we’ll be seeing single digits for Pro bodies, triple digits for advanced amateur to pro range, and double and quadruple digits for consumers?

The old scheme didn’t make sense – it went 1 digit, 3 digits, 2 digits down the line.
D2, D3, etc., Pro
D100, D200, D300, D700: Semi-pro
D40, D60, D70, D80, D90: Amateur

I think you won’t see any more 2-digit model numbers. I suppose Nikon could have released a D45, D65 and D95, but that would have “sounded” like minor updates to existing cameras.

So I think what we’re going to see now is:
Single digit: Pro
Three digits: Semi-Pro
Four digits: Amateur

The only problem with that is why did Nikon start the new nomenclature at 5000? If they intend to have an equal number of cameras “below” it and “above” it, it makes sense, but if not, they’re only leaving room for four more major updates (6000, 7000, 8000, 9000) unless they plan to number these like Coolpixes in which you have almost no freaking idea what the number means. And in the semi-pro FX line, they’ve only got room for a D800 and D900. In the DX line, they’ve only got room for a D400, D500 and D600. So what happens after that?

I think they’re going to start new alphas: DX and FX. But if they come out with an DX100, that’s going to be confused with the original D100. But unless they start giving the cameras alpha names, they might not have a choice.

Comment on Nikon D400 – 14MP is FX and D3x – 24.8MP? New Lenses? by Photography & Writing, Professional & Personal » Grab Shots

Photography & Writing, Professional & Personal » Grab Shots — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:17:40 +0000

[...] Rumor Focus: Nikon Watch keeps the full-frame Nikon mill churning with word of 12mp D400 and a 24.8mp [...]

Comment on Nikon D700 Real-world Shots- Extreme Weather by Photography & Writing, Professional & Personal » Grab Shots

Photography & Writing, Professional & Personal » Grab Shots — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:17:24 +0000

[...] * Shoot a Tornado: The new Nikon D700 apparently takes great weather pictures. (Via Nikon Watch.) [...]

Comment on Next Nikon SLR is DX Format? by zoetmb

zoetmb — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:42:21 +0000

Well..since the D300 came out eight months before the D700, it certainly makes sense that its replacement would be released first. Also, being less expensive, the market for the D400 will be larger than the market for the D800. Thus the D400 will be released before the D800. I don’t think there’s any great mystery about this.

Having said all that, the next DX camera is probably not the D400. It’s something on the low end.

Comment on PMA 2009- Rumors that Flew, then Crashed, Now Just Debris by matt

matt — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:26:32 +0000

Please see my comments here:
http://www.nikonwatch.com/2009/02/27/pma-march-1-5-nikon-d5000-slr/

Comment on PMA 2009- Rumors that Flew, then Crashed, Now Just Debris by the_free_ipod

the_free_ipod — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:14:43 +0000

Envy is one of the 7 deadly sins. When was the last time this blog had a rumor that turned out to be true? Actually the name is correct: you are just watching… and if you had guts or any knowledge you should have posted this before PMA not after.

Comment on PMA 2009- Rumors that Flew, then Crashed, Now Just Debris by cuzzle

cuzzle — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:08:25 +0000

Nikon is produceing a lot of cameras ando gears….
High quality as usual…
what’s next?

Comment on PMA 2009- Rumors that Flew, then Crashed, Now Just Debris by scalesusa

scalesusa — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:55:40 +0000

Yes, the reality of the current world financial situation is that newspapers and other media big $$ buyers of high end camera and video equipment are dropping like flies. Many newspapers will not survive, and they certainly will not be buying lots of camera or video equipment.

I re-read Thom Hogan’s 2009 predictions written last November. While lots of items will not happen, the one predicting failure of large camera stores certainly has, and thiis may just be the start.

Certainly, launching new products will be done very carefully, it takes a big investment to produce a lot of new product in advance of shipping it to outlets that may not be able to sell it.

Its a much better idea to reduce manufacturing costs, because pressure on prices will be severe. Those price increases are being made so the upcoming sales will look better.

Comment on PMA – What Have We Got? Wet Matches. by hayesk

hayesk — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:02:47 +0000

This is exactly why companies are dropping out of trade shows.

Why should a company revamp their entire product development cycle around the whim of trade show scheduling? And if they have something ready early, why would they hold it secret instead of releasing it right away, which Nikon has done with the D3x, AF-S 35mm DX, AF-S 50mm /f1.4, etc.

Trade shows are to go and see what the company has to offer, not necessarily to see what’s new. And if you already know what they have to offer, then the trade show is not for you. Don’t expect them to come up with earth-shattering new products every time a third party company puts on a show.

To zebra, why would you expect the D700 price to drop? The only way that would happen is if they release a successor to the D700 – it’s far too new for that. If you are a professional, then you should recognize when you have a need for the camera and go buy it – it will pay for itself if you actually need it. A few hundred dollar price drop will be meaningless after a few months of using it.

Comment on PMA – What Have We Got? Wet Matches. by zebra451

zebra451 — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:42:39 +0000

Same here. I was expecting Nikon to introduce new cameras and thus a price drop on the D700. Then I could do my part to stimulate economy by buying a D700 and 24-70mm lens, but I guess that ain’t gonna happen any time soon.

Comment on Ritz Camera- Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Restructuring by mcv

mcv — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:22:17 +0000

Perhaps we don’t but Nikon sure needs their $26.6 million from them!
See here:
http://tinyurl.com/ddzyxf

Comment on Pointless Speculation from Ken- Nikon MX Format Forecast by BigzThanB

BigzThanB — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:00:31 +0000

The guy has always been a quack. Back in the day he used to write about Nikon stuff, which is repsectable, even though the content is questionable. But now he just pumps out pure garbage and asks for a handout.

Comment on Nikkor 10-18mm! Come On, It’s Fake by matt

matt — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:34:13 +0000

yeah, I’m sure they could design it, I don’t see it being worthwhile for Nikon though.

the latter 3d modeling example- yes, search 3d love dolls

Comment on PocketWizard Puts Out New Models, Strobist Reviews by cuzzle

cuzzle — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:01:29 +0000

Good news!
Will try it ass soon as possible!

Comment on Nikkor 10-18mm! Come On, It’s Fake by rthomas

rthomas — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:04:57 +0000

This “lens” is probably fake but I don’t doubt Nikon could (and might) make such a lens; Tokina and Pentax both have similar optics and somebody is buying them…

However, I definitely agree with you about the “far better use of 3d modeling” – are there any more where that came from?

Comment on PocketWizard Puts Out New Models, Strobist Reviews by scalesusa

scalesusa — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:39:39 +0000

Although I don’t read the site, certainly a parody site is legal. Companies sometimes mistakenly think they can take a site down that they do not like, but almost always lose in court, and sometimes get slapped pretty hard by the judge.

As long as it is clearly a parody, it is protected by law. Unfortunately, someone has to put up money to fight for their rights and risk losing or not getting re-imbursed for legal defense.

Comment on Camera Pr0n: The Ever-Lovely F3 by matt

matt — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 02:32:21 +0000

I’ve got 2 now and I don’t shoot with either- this one was at that pawn shop I mentioned here http://www.nikonwatch.com/2009/01/26/d3x-prices-down-in-canada/ .

Also, I spent a while with a wad of q-tips, a bit of water, and STP Son of a Gun (http://www.stp.com/appear_protectant.html) which is GREAT for plastic, rubber, leather.

That brings out the shine a bit. I’ve also used it on the rubber on my f5, d2x, d3 and it keeps all of that looking nice and clean.

Do NOT get that on your glass surfaces though!

Comment on Camera Pr0n: The Ever-Lovely F3 by zoetmb

zoetmb — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:49:28 +0000

Wow…my F3HP looks like it’s been through a war. How is yours so pristine? It looks brand new!

Comment on Oh Noes! Fake Chuck West Blog Gets Takedown Notice by matt

matt — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:24:19 +0000

>But would anyone think Fake Chuck was real Chuck?

No, Canon’s just trying to throw things onto the wall and see what sticks.

Unfortunately, given that the US does not have a ‘loser pays’ system of lawsuits, lawyers and big companies get to play these games effectively.

Comment on Oh Noes! Fake Chuck West Blog Gets Takedown Notice by zoetmb

zoetmb — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 03:14:16 +0000

I was speaking in general terms, not in terms of this case. I have since read the legal document and Canon based most of their arguments on the fact that the person violated WordPress’ terms of service…basically, Canon “cried to Mommy”.

If Canon’s arguments are accurate, this guy did use very bad judgement. But would anyone think Fake Chuck was real Chuck? There was also some guy posing as Steve Jobs, but everyone knew it was a joke and I don’t think even over-paranoid and over-sensitive Apple went after the guy.

Comment on Oh Noes! Fake Chuck West Blog Gets Takedown Notice by matt

matt — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:10:20 +0000

Zoetmb- I differ- Fake Chuck did post some stuff could have been interpreted as violent as well as personal data (which isn’t secret, but isn’t sporting either).

He also used the Canon logo, but that objection was thrown in by lawyers just because.

He altered the logo, removed the possibly offensive violent reference and left everything else. Hopefully, that will be sufficient.

Comment on Oh Noes! Fake Chuck West Blog Gets Takedown Notice by zoetmb

zoetmb — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:55:49 +0000

I don’t see how any manufacturer can stop a blog about their cameras unless the site posts unauthorized undisclosed information from insiders. About the only leg they have to stand on aside from “trade secrets” is trademark infringement, but that’s pretty weak.

That’s why Apple was able to stop one rumor site, but not the other two.

Of course, some guy operating out of his bedroom doesn’t want to incur the wrath/expense of lawyers and that’s what Canon was probably counting on. But Canon has no legal standing to do so…this is just harassment. Unfortunately, the laws do nothing from stopping big companies from engaging in this kind of behavior.

Comment on You wanna 35mm f/1.8 AF-S? You got it! by tomames

tomames — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:13:24 +0000

QUOTE:
zoetmb Says:

February 9th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
I am absolutely stunned. I was totally wrong about this rumor – I thought “no way.” I know it’s priced at $200 and therefore not really comparable to an FX version which would probably be priced the same as the new 50 – about $500 based upon the new prices, but STILL.

I don’t understand Nikon’s strategy on this. In my opinion, they’ve completely lost it. They can only put out so many lenses per year and they do this BEFORE they do additional primes for pros? For the first 3/4 of this fiscal, they only sold 1.39 lenses per body and I really can’t see most D40/D60/D80 users buying a prime, even though it’s much faster than the kit zooms. And I can’t see a D200/D300 users buying this lens because most of them are thinking of upgrading to FX.
unquote

Have you completly lost it? Why would me and the majority of D200/D300 think of using FX (sorry, it’s not right to call it an upgrade)? This not what I read in forums around the great web.

I’m gonna buy the new 35mm and I know several D40/D60 users I know of, that will buy it too.

Comment on Bj0rn’s Got a Nikkor 35mm AF-S f/1.8G! by matt

matt — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 01:25:18 +0000

What’s worse, is sometimes it wasn’t totally clear to me if he actually had it or if he was just writing about it from the specs. Not going to pains to tell people that he hasn’t even seen the damned things with his own eyes is highly misleading.

Comment on Bj0rn’s Got a Nikkor 35mm AF-S f/1.8G! by rthomas

rthomas — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:52:01 +0000

“s opposed to the other guys who “review” gear they’ve never touched, for example.”

Oh, c’mon, who does that???

Comment on Hell Freezes Over- The Nikon DSLR SDK Can Be Obtained! by Nikon Watch » Blog Archive » Nikon NEF Format Info- Rumors and News - D3x, D700, D800, D400, Digital Rangefinder

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:25:47 +0000

[...] Thanks to Laurent for correcting the attribution of the code! Also, the Nikon NEF SDK decrypts the WB info [...]

Comment on Nikon Revenue- DOWN by AlexFStop

AlexFStop — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:43:49 +0000

When revenue goes down a little, profits go down a lot. It has to be this way. For most businesses, the first 85-90% of the revenue goes to covering costs, and the rest is profit. So if revenues are down 15%, profits are down 100%. So what happens when revenue goes down 40-50%? DISASTER, that’s what.

Comment on Nikon NEF Format Info by lclevy

lclevy — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:21:18 +0000

Hello,

I’m not the author of the reverse engineering of Nikon White Balance encryption scheme, but Dave Coffin, the author of Dcraw is.
http://www.cybercom.net/~dcoffin/dcraw/
Dave has written this code in April 2005.

The code source on my page is only to illustrate/explain the decryption.

To write this page, I personnally use only public resource and information, as listed in references, include Dcraw code source.

Laurent (http://lclevy.free.fr/raw/)

Comment on You wanna 35mm f/1.8 AF-S? You got it! by cuzzle

cuzzle — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 07:44:26 +0000

I would like to have a 35 AF-S for FX body

Comment on You wanna 35mm f/1.8 AF-S? You got it! by hayesk

hayesk — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:31:21 +0000

Actually, my first reaction was “Finally! Where can I pre-order!”

FX users don’t specifically need AF-S. AF will do. Go buy your AF 50mm f/1.4.

D40/40x/60 are just waiting for AF-S solutions for them that aren’t expensive. It’s good to see Nikon paying attention to this market they created.

Comment on You wanna 35mm f/1.8 AF-S? You got it! by matt

matt — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:31:19 +0000

Martin- well, if the d40/60 guys are like me when I bought my first SLR (Minolta Maxxum 650si), the stores will be pushing the body with 1 or 2 Sigma kit lenses, and they’ll be dazzled by getting a long zoom and a low price.

I really wonder how many Nikon lenses they’ll buy in addition to the kit lenses by the 3rd parties.

This also brings up the potential (because of the low $200-ish price), that Nikon is trying to carve some of that kit lens market out of the sales of Sigma et al.

Comment on You wanna 35mm f/1.8 AF-S? You got it! by dpnsan

dpnsan — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:03:07 +0000

zoetmb; I can speak for at least one D300 user and plan on sticking with DX for at the foreseeable future. At $200 list, it’s almost a no-brainer, and if the IQ is good, I will have no hesitation recommending it to friends who have D40s and want to get a little more out of their cameras.
Even hobbyists can appreciate the difference a prime makes, and evidently Nikon understands this. DX sales represent the large majority of Nikon SLR sales, so this can only help fund pro glass development at the mothership. Have patience, you’ll get your 35/1.4.

Comment on You wanna 35mm f/1.8 AF-S? You got it! by Martin Joergensen

Martin Joergensen — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 05:58:27 +0000

Sheesh NW,

10’s of people?

Can you say gazillions of D40-, D60 and D-whtanot-owners who’ve wanted a normal lens?

The DX-market is huge, the FX-market is small.
A DX-lens is inexpensive to make, an FX lens not.

Simple math,

Martin

Comment on You wanna 35mm f/1.8 AF-S? You got it! by matt

matt — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 02:38:03 +0000

zoetmb: I’m half willing to bet that, given the long lens-design lead time, this lens could have been on the drawing board before the FX format was officially even given the go.

This lens makes pretty good sense, as a f/..G-compatible 50mm, if there is no FX format- I would have bought one if it was good. But at ~$200, one wonders how good it’ll be.

Comment on You wanna 35mm f/1.8 AF-S? You got it! by zoetmb

zoetmb — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 02:11:39 +0000

I am absolutely stunned. I was totally wrong about this rumor – I thought “no way.” I know it’s priced at $200 and therefore not really comparable to an FX version which would probably be priced the same as the new 50 – about $500 based upon the new prices, but STILL.

I realize this lens was probably planned long before the economy collapsed, but why would put out a lens that only a percentage of your customers can use (ignoring crop mode) instead of a version that everyone can use? Is the market too big for Nikon so they wanted to make it smaller?

About the only positive thing this does for Nikon in my opinion is send out the message that DX isn’t dead.

Comment on You wanna 35mm f/1.8 AF-S? You got it! by rthomas

rthomas — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 01:58:14 +0000

I would like to know how similar this lens is to the old Nikon RF 35mm f/1.8. I know that lens didn’t have an aspherical element… but it was a Gauss design, which this lens probably is too given that it’s a “normal.” I like it, except that it has no focusing scale.

Comment on You wanna 35mm f/1.8 AF-S? You got it! by dpnsan

dpnsan — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:48:12 +0000

As a D300 user, I’m excited about this lens, and will buy one if the image quality matches the similarly-priced 50/1.8. I have no doubt that they will release an FX 35/1.4 for five times the price. FX users have had many lenses that they should be rejoicing about, instead of complaining about this small bone thrown to us DX users. Hey, it’s only 200 bucks. How much resources do you think they put into a $200 lens? The 28/1.4 took ten years to develop!

Comment on What’s Next for Nikon? by zoetmb

zoetmb — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:35:55 +0000

Cuzzle:
I agree that increased dynamic range is the future. There’s a number of people looking at this, but most of the techniques involve measuring exposure on a pixel by pixel basis and adjusting as such. What I’ve always pictured (and should have patented, but figured I wasn’t that smart and someone probably already did) is the equivalent of an auto-variable density filter that sits on top of each pixel and adjusts for proper exposure.

I would imagine in this case, one would expose for the shadows and let the filter bring down the highlights so they don’t burn out.

An alternative approach would be to develop a sensor that has a lot more dynamic range so that you don’t have to limit exposure.

Another alternative approach would be to do HDR in a single frame where the camera recognizes which part of each image to use the replacement exposure for. Or maybe it still takes different exposures in separate frames so you can manipulate them later (a special version of auto-bracket where the exposures are farther apart), but it also automatically generates a “sum” frame where it generates its own “shot” at HDR.

I think remote functionality and tethering (wired or wireless) improvements will be addressed. Those connections and workflow are not as smooth as they should be.

And I think we’re also see continuous improvements in improving noise performance at high-ISO and high resolutions. And unless rejected by the market, we’ll see continuous improvements in motion video quality and to a lesser extent, associated audio.

Comment on WT-4: So Ugly, You’ll DEFINITELY Stand Out as a Pro! by Nikon Watch » Blog Archive » What’s Next for Nikon?- Rumors and News - D3x, D700, D800, D400, Digital Rangefinder

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:08:21 +0000

[...] physical is next to nothing, and the battery usage is tolerable. IMO- only Nikon trying to sell us WT-4a’s has prevented this so [...]

Comment on What’s Next for Nikon? by dpnsan

dpnsan — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:40:23 +0000

Bluetooth would be nice. I’d love to be able to use a standard GPS receiver, and a standardized remote would also be nice. It would open the door for other devices like a console for controlling CLS, a mic for recording annotations, or even a keyboard for entering metadata.

Comment on What’s Next for Nikon? by cuzzle

cuzzle — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:34:10 +0000

I would like to have more dynamic range in the CMOS sensor.
Multi iso in the same frame?
What do you think?

Comment on Prices by zoetmb

zoetmb — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 05:06:29 +0000

New prices at B&H are all over the place. Technically, if this increase were only about currency conversion, all prices should have risen by the same percentage, but they didn’t. Or, you could argue that older lenses, for which development costs have been fully recovered, should have had lower price increases. That’s not the case either.

Here are old and new prices for Nikon lenses at B&H in which the selling price is >$1000. Note that the “old” prices are from 1/20/2009 and many had already been risen then and have risen again with the 2/1 increase.

80-400: $1300 to $1370
14: $1420 to $1680
85 1.4: $1025 (no increase) but used to be around $1000
105 2.0: $925 to $1000
135: $1070 to $1260, but OS anyway

AF-S:
14-24: $1540 to $1650
17-35: $1500 to $1550
24-70: $1470 to $1700
70-200: $1620 to $1730
200-400: $5000 to $5600
200: $4000 to $4600
300 2.8: $4449 to $4800
300 4.0: $1125 to $1350 but OS
400: $7900 to $8300
500: $7900 to $8200 but OS
600: $9500 to $9700 but OS

DX:
17-55: $1129 (no change)

Micro:
200 4.0: $1350 to $1620 but OS

Tilt-Shift:
24mm: $1900 to $2000
45mm: $1800 to $1900 but OS
85mm: $1595 to $1700
old 85PC Micro: $1350 (no change) but OS

Comment on Nikon D60 – Special Gold Edition – $50 More by Nikon Watch » Blog Archive » What’s Next for Nikon?- Rumors and News - D3x, D700, D800, D400, Digital Rangefinder

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 03:16:16 +0000

[...] Special Editions: Hey, remember the horrific gold-edition D60? Want a gold-edition [...]

Comment on New Camera Board- MyCanikon.com by cuzzle

cuzzle — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:43:36 +0000

Finally something intresting, I don’t like the old fights like windows-linux … Nikon-Canon. Just go out and draw with light!

Comment on Nikon Pricing- When to Buy by matt

matt — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:29:26 +0000

I’ve also had good experiences with BuyDig.

Comment on Nikon Pricing- When to Buy by bobcooley

bobcooley — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:46:28 +0000

Love the blog,

I’m a pro Nikon user of 24 years – Just wanted to drop you a note about a couple of stores I use; One brick-and-mortar, one online.

When you’re in NYC I also highly recommend Adorama on West 18th Street; I’ve found their service (in-store) to be a little more personal; They don’t have as big a show-room, but they stock everything that B&H does…

Alas, they are are also an orthodox-jewish-owned store (like B&H), so they are also not open on Saturday (but are on Sunday).

Truth is, almost ALL camera stores in NYC are closed on Saturday, so plan trips accordingly

Its sad that there are SO many scammers online (and who advertise in the back of magazines – the Brooklyn stores you mention and link to are the worst of them); but one resource that I’ve found that has the BEST prices (especially on release of a new product) is buydig.com

They have the same pricing as B&H, and OFTEN have specials that will beat B&H Pricing (plus free shipping). They also have great prices on media (CF cards, etc).

They don’t have a full line of photographic products, but they do carry the ‘hot’ items (like the D700, D3, D3x on release date)…

I’ve bought equipment from them 4 times now and every time they have exceeded my expectations on speed of delivery (and the prices were as advertised with no delays, up-sells, credit-card holds on out-of-stock, or other sham tactics).

Check the forums at DPreview, nikonians, etc. you’ll find other nikon users who endorse them.

just thought I’d pass this along…

I’ve bookmarked your blog in my Nikon Info file

cheers!

Bob Cooley
NYC
http://www.eyekon.com

Comment on Nikon D3 Professional Technical Guide- For Sports Shooters, Mainly by btrabucco

btrabucco — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:33:12 +0000

Link doesn’t seem to work

Comment on Nikon D700 Shoots Video (basically…) So Can Your Live-View Capable Body by matt

matt — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:51:36 +0000

It’s a set of DLL’s (for Windows, I don’t know mac), so essentially any lang that can interface with a dll.

The sample itself is a vstudio 03 C (don’t recall it being C++ specifically) app.

Comment on Nikonians.org Going Pay Membership Only by Mel

Mel — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:24:15 +0000

So you have a photoblog, a Flickr account or similar, and probably something like Facebook, where is the added value in joining Nikonians?

Yeah you get access to forums and they post some good podcasts but is that worth $25 dollars per year? I would be willing to donate some money through Paypal or similar, when I hear or read something of value but to commit is not for me.

I also got fed up with the intrusive “you can upgrade your account now” pages. It left me with a feeling of them rooting through my wallet. Not a good experience.

Comment on Nikon D700 Shoots Video (basically…) So Can Your Live-View Capable Body by max123

max123 — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:37:39 +0000

what language is it? C, C++, .NET?

Comment on Circuit City Owes Nikon $14,926,445 by zoetmb

zoetmb — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:22:18 +0000

$15 million really isn’t a lot of money. Circuit City has 1300 stores in the U.S. and Canada. That’s $11,538 per store. At an average wholesale price of $500 per unit, that’s about 23 units per store. It could have been far worse. Nikon USA probably stopped selling to them several months ago. And Nikon USA will probably recover some small percentage of it in bankruptcy court proceedings.

Comment on Nikonians.org Going Pay Membership Only by driggett

driggett — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:17:42 +0000

I would not mind paying $25 to a site where I can get good knowledgeable answers to my questions. I am sick of DPR because of all the non helpful posts.
Paying a little money for a well run site should not be a bad thing. This site can then weather the ups and downs of an economy. I am not saying that nikonians is a good site or not I am just going against the idea of there can be only free sites.

BTW I enjoy Nikon Watch. Please keep up the good work.

Cheers,
Chris

Comment on Nikonians.org Going Pay Membership Only by stratocaster

stratocaster — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:38:11 +0000

I agree that this will kill Nikonians. I enjoyed the site greatly when I first discovered it 7 or 8 years ago. However, the members never seemed to want to accept anything unless JRP chimed in in agreement. I got bored with answering the odd question only to be challenged until JRP agreed with me.
(that’s not a shot at JRP)
Who needs that?

Also, people ask a lot of questions they could easily solve themselves if they looked it up. Maybe there are just a lot of beginners on the site. Still; the site is a real treasure trove of information.

Comment on Nikonians.org Going Pay Membership Only by greenosity

greenosity — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:49:17 +0000

You got that right. I just replied to their email about requiring a membership fee and told them what I think of that idea (in a nice way). I rarely visited that site anyway.

Comment on Nikon Australia – Sends Dealer’s Prices to Customers! by Nikon Watch » Blog Archive » Price Increases?- Rumors and News - D3x, D700, D800, D400, Digital Rangefinder

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:49:54 +0000

[...] we’re seeing a lot of chatter about price increases in February. Specific countries like Australia apparently are getting 15-20% increases soon, the UK has also been mentioned. I haven’t seen anything solid on the US [...]

Comment on Nikon D900 Is Coming – More Megapixels by skinnytires

skinnytires — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 06:56:10 +0000

In a perfect world, we expect the latest affordable technology in our hands, but it takes lot of capitol to bring a truly new camera to market. I don’t expect to see the Nikon D900 for quite some time because Nikon will release camera only when it’s feasible to do so.

If you look at the D3x release, it contained almost nothing new when compared to the D3; yet Nikon has been selling them at a huge price. Large return for little investment. What can be better in such an economy?

Things were so much simpler in the film days!

Comment on Nikon Digital Rangefinder? MX Format? Medium-Format-ish?! by steeplechase

steeplechase — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:33:49 +0000

What benefits Nikon to be on the “Rumor” watchlist as opposed to going public with upcoming designs?

What!! Betamax coming back to town?
With everything going digital, would be interesting to see the spin and design of this rangefinder.

For one thing, my Dad’s already sold on the concept, but then again, what old timer wouldn’t?
He had a Bessa-T 35mm, if memory serves me right, way back when black and white film was the only film in town, and not a choice.

There’s no mistaking the longevity factor with rangefinders, like a lifetime guarantee or something to that effect.

I’m a sucker for the Nikon D80 SLR Camera, chiefly because of its Wow factor derived from the best parts of its predecessors, especially the D70’s processor and large LCD.

Not sure how long I’ll hold onto this before eying the D90 but, price, weight and ISO speed, My D80’s still the best camera I’s ever had!

Comment on A Word About Advertisers- Warning. by Nikon Watch » Blog Archive » Another Word About Advertisements- Rumors and News - D3x, D700, D800, D400, Digital Rangefinder

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:57:32 +0000

[...] I’ve posted about this before, but Pete wants me to point it out again: [...]

Comment on D700 HDMI Doesn’t Use the Regular Connector? by troy

troy — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:12:32 +0000

Thanks for the post, I tried to plug my D700 into a TV the other day and to my surprise found the Type A cable didn't fit. You can also pick up these Type C to Type A HDMI adapters for $4 at MonoPrice which I've used for years and can highly recommend.

Comment on Nikon Australia – Sends Dealer’s Prices to Customers! by the_free_ipod

the_free_ipod — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:21:26 +0000

Does your “source” Tim work for NikonRumors?

Comment on Nikon Australia – Sends Dealer’s Prices to Customers! by matt

matt — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:25:39 +0000

I don’t mean ‘taken’ in all that bad a way, small items like eyepieces normally have ridiculous markups and I’m reasonably comfortable with that.

I think it’s harder to justify the markups on lens hoods though.

Comment on Nikon Australia – Sends Dealer’s Prices to Customers! by Ever wondered what dealer margin on Nikon is? - AVForums.com

Ever wondered what dealer margin on Nikon is? - AVForums.com — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:42:42 +0000

[...] wondered what dealer margin on Nikon is? whoops – Nikon Australia dealer price listed sent to customers by accident What?s the upshot? * Coolpixs: You?re paying 19% margin * Bodies: D3, D3x kits ~14%, [...]

Comment on Nikon Australia – Sends Dealer’s Prices to Customers! by Ranger 9

Ranger 9 — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:49:50 +0000

I enjoy knowing this info, but I think it’s off base to think of a profit margin as “being taken.” It’s the cost of providing a service.

For example, a 100% profit margin on diopter eyepieces sounds stiff. But even at that margin, it’s hard to find local dealers who stock them. Considering the different diopter values and eyepiece shapes Nikon uses, and how infrequently the average dealer probably sells a diopter eyepiece, it’s no wonder few dealers want to maintain an inventory.

But if you need a diopter eyepiece, you really do need to find someone who stocks them — since everybody’s eyes are different, and different camera models have different built-in diopter values, the only way to be sure you’re getting the right one is to look through them. Maybe 100% isn’t a high enough margin on this type of item…

Comment on Nikon D3x Tests by matt

matt — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 02:16:10 +0000

Don’t know, but on my D3, I had to dial down type a couple stops or so to get it to match what I saw.

May be something similar.

Comment on QUICK Noise Comparison – Nikon D700 vs the Canon 5D Mark II by Pierre-Luc Daoust

Pierre-Luc Daoust — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:51:41 +0000

It’s a little bit like comparing oranges and apples, I think. Two full-frame sensors, yes, but the D700’s has 12 MP while the 5D Mark II’s has 21. It’s totally normal that the D700’s sensor is having less noise.

Comment on FWIW: Ken Rockwell Reviews Nikkor 50mm F/1.4g AF-S by bogrod

bogrod — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:35:54 +0000

One of Ken’s most fundemental problems is that he gives opinions on glass that he has never used. He also has a tendency to be overly flamboyant. He seems to have a problem with lenses made in China, but never ever has stated that one of these Chinese-produced lenses, construction-wise, has ever failed on him. But then he’ll also remind you that images are what is important.

I don’t know how or why he became an authority on Nikon gear. I suppose it is because he speaks to the masses, but that alone doesn’t make him worthwhile to listen to.

Anyways, I find it interesting that Bjorn Rorslett said this regarding the barrel distortion of the new 50:

“The barrel distortion, typical for this class of lens, is kept under good control.”

I suppose that this might be a matter of sample variation. But I am going to take Bjorn’s word on this, no Ken “Top Googlesearch” Rockwell.

Comment on FWIW: Ken Rockwell Reviews Nikkor 50mm F/1.4g AF-S by hayesk

hayesk — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:16:31 +0000

Give the guy a break. He’s not for photography-nerds who are more into specs than actually appreciating pictures. He’s for amateurs that want things written and explained for them at their level.

matt, the D40 comment has to be one of his comments that is most misunderstood and taken out of context. Perhaps you should ask him what he meant. He must know since he doesn’t shoot exclusively with a D40.

max123, is your sense of self-worth so low that you have to insult him and anyone who reads it. I find his writing interesting, are you saying I have an IQ of 50. You don’t even know me. Get over yourself. If you don’t like his writing style, fine, but having to insult him and his readers is just immature.

Matrix, I enjoy both Bjorn’s and Ken’s reviews for different reasons. Sometimes raw spec numbers don’t tell the story and I want to read actual words instead of just charts and numbers.

Comment on Nikon D3x Tests by Matrix

Matrix — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:48:00 +0000

Anyone know why he underexposes by -0.7 EV?

Comment on FWIW: Ken Rockwell Reviews Nikkor 50mm F/1.4g AF-S by Matrix

Matrix — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:16:47 +0000

The guy is a complete joke, for lenses Bjorn Rorslett is great, his write ups on Zeiss VERY interesting too.

Comment on FWIW: Ken Rockwell Reviews Nikkor 50mm F/1.4g AF-S by max123

max123 — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:21:53 +0000

if your IQ is around 50 Ken should be an interesting reading for you.
and his “findings” interesting and correct too.

Comment on FWIW: Ken Rockwell Reviews Nikkor 50mm F/1.4g AF-S by matt

matt — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 01:25:57 +0000

conventional wisdom says we should ignore whatever Ken says… His “d40 is good enough for us” remark throws him out of the running for people I look up to.

For me- seeing the difference between performance in a Sigma lens and a Zeiss lens for a Hasselblad was a defining moment and it appears he’d be plenty happy with Sigma-level performance from that remark.

If your pictures don’t mean much to you- feel free to use whatever quality you like.

Comment on FWIW: Ken Rockwell Reviews Nikkor 50mm F/1.4g AF-S by mcspud1947

mcspud1947 — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:13:58 +0000

I’m confused by Ken’s report! ( nothing unusual ). Is this a great lens or not? He says it’s indispensible but then lists its shorfalls in no uncertain terms…..

Comment on Nikon D3x Noise Test at Various ISO’s by matt

matt — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:31:01 +0000

nah- this lets you know what your worst-case scenario is going to be and choosing between ’show me worst’ and ’show me best’, I’d choose ‘worst’ every time- then I can’t be surprised on the down-side.

Comment on Nikon D3x Noise Test at Various ISO’s by Teodorian

Teodorian — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 23:02:11 +0000

I mean D3X of course…

Comment on Nikon D3x Noise Test at Various ISO’s by Teodorian

Teodorian — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:40:05 +0000

This test sure looks bad and I don´t believe it will be representative för what the camera can deliver. The photographer have not just made the misstake with a blue background. The photo is underexposed, oversaturated and sharpened in camera with setting 3. I have downloaded a different ISO 3200 raw-file from D2X and converted it in View NX and that file looks much better.

Comment on Nikon D3x Noise Test at Various ISO’s by max123

max123 — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:46:54 +0000

too bad the background is blue

even a monkey knows the blue channel has the most noise on every camera…

basically another dumb “test”

Comment on More 50mm f/1.4g AF-S Sample Shots – They’re Shipping by PhotoGeek

PhotoGeek — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:57:37 +0000

Thanks for posting these all in one place man!
-peter

Comment on VR on a Tripod- It’s Even More Complex Than You’d Think by multimotyl

multimotyl — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:44:30 +0000

Do you think it is possible to damage lens if put on tripod when VR is on? Especialy 70-300 VR.

Comment on Get 8 FPS Frames per Second on Your D700 Without the Battery Grip by multimotyl

multimotyl — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:39:30 +0000

I tried this on D300 and i got 7 fps. I measured that by recording the shutter.

Comment on You Know Who Else Doesn’t Like CaptureNX? Hitler Rants About D3x! by zoetmb

zoetmb — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 03:00:35 +0000

Accurate or not, that’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I don’t usually laugh out loud at anything, and I think most of the stuff on YouTube is absurdly stupid and a waste of everyone’s time, but this one really cracked me up

I suppose if you understand German it wouldn’t be as funny because you’d hear the original script (I’m assuming it wasn’t over-dubbed). And the way a few words coincided (like Stalin), was absolutely brilliant. I hope they play this at Nikon headquarters because while it may not be accurate, there’s always a modicum of truth in any satire like this.