After months and months of hints, rumors, leaks, speculations, and teasers, Nikon just finally officially unveiled the highly-anticipated Z Series, its first full-frame mirrorless camera system.
Nikon is launching the Z Series with two cameras, three lenses, and one lens adapter. Many industry watchers believe the move is critical to the Japanese firm’s future, at a time when smartphones have decimated demand for fixed-lens compact digital cameras.Sales of mirror-based DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) cameras have also been weakening.
The New Z Lens Mount
“We have been refining our optical technologies for over 100 years,” Nikon stated at its global launch event. The Z Series features a brand new lens mount that’s designed to “redefine possibilities” and elevate optical performance for Nikon over the coming decades.
“This is the new light that Nikon will use to pioneer the future,” Nikon says. “It is indeed mirrorless reinvented.”
The Z mount uses a large 55mm inner diameter and a 16mm flange focal distance that allow for apertures as fast as f/0.95 and a slim body design. It also opens the door to other lens properties that weren’t previously possible with Nikon’s F mount.
F-mount lenses will be fully compatible with Z mount cameras using the new FTZ Mount Lens Adapter.
Nikon says the new lens mount will also allow its Z mount to be future proof, allowing for cameras with higher and higher resolutions and optics with greater and greater sharpness.
Nikon Z7: A Flagship High-Res Mirrorless Camera
The new Nikon Z7 is Nikon’s flagship full-frame mirrorless camera, featuring high-resolution photography and “revolutionary” autofocus.
The camera features a 45.7-megapixel backside-illuminated full-frame CMOS sensor with a native ISO of 64-25,600. It has an EXPEED 6 image processor that supports 9fps continuous shooting.
The Z7 packs a groundbreaking autofocus system that boasts a whopping 493 AF points that cover 90% of the viewfinder area.
The Nikon Z6 is $3,996.95 and available for Pre-order. It will be released on 27th Sept, 2018
Nikon Z6: A High-Speed, Low-Light Powerhouse
The new Nikon Z6 is designed to be an all-around, high-speed, low-light camera. It features a backside-illuminated 24.5-megapixel full-frame sensor with a native ISO range of 100-51200. Backed by an EXPEED 6 image processor, the Z6 can do 12fps continuous shooting.
There’s a 273-point on-sensor phase-detect autofocus system that operate on both shooting stills and videos. Nikon is billing the Nikon Z6 as an all-rounder and it’s aimed at enthusiast photographers, especially existing Nikon photographers. Nikon sees the Nikon Z6 as the mirrorless partner to the Nikon D750 and it’s a natural competitor to the Sony A7 III
The Nikon Z6 is $2,569.95 and will go on sale in late November.
Both cameras feature durable, dust- and drip-resistant builds and a large, firm grip for secure and comfortable holding. On the top of the cameras is a relatively large information display, two dials, a dedicated video recording button, an ISO selection button, and an exposure compensation button next to the shutter button. They also feature a hybrid AF system that uses an algorithm to automatically switch between focal-plane phase-detection AF and contrast-detect AF. For the first time, in-camera 5-axis vibration reduction is appearing in a Nikon camera. The system provides 5-stops of compensation and is also compatible with F-mount lenses mounted to the lens adapter.
Check the complete specs of these cameras [here]
A winning entry in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition has been disqualified for featuring a “stuffed” anteater. The picture by Mr. Cabral was a winner of the 2017 Animals in their Environment category. The Natural History Museum, which runs the contest, said it was “highly likely” that Marcio Cabral’s image featured a taxidermy specimen. The picture, titled The Night Raider, shows an anteater beside a termite mound in Emas National Park in Brazil. But an anonymous whistleblower contacted the museum last month to say the animal bore an uncanny resemblance to a stuffed anteater that can be found at a visitor centre in the reserve.
Mr Cabral denies the allegation, but could not supply any other pictures of the anteater in a different pose.
In a statement, the Natural History Museum said: “Evidence was presented to the Museum by third parties that it is highly likely the animal in the awarded photograph is a taxidermy specimen. “After a thorough investigation, the Museum concluded that the available evidence points to this allegation being true. As a result, the Museum believes that the image breaches the competition rules, which state that ‘entries must not deceive the viewer or attempt to misrepresent the reality of nature.”
The museum called on five experts – two of its own mammals experts and a taxidermy specialist, and an external South American mammals expert and anteater researcher.
They all concluded there are elements of the animal’s posture, morphology, raised tufts of fur and patterns on the neck and head that are too similar for the images to show two different animals.
The museum said Mr Cabral cooperated fully with the investigation and provided images before and after the winning photo was taken, none of which included the anteater. He gave an explanation as to why he had no other images of the anteater and provided a witness who says he saw the live anteater. Mr Cabral, who has won many awards in his 20-year career, strongly denies the anteater in his image is a taxidermy specimen.
Roz Kidman Cox, a member of the museum’s 2017 judging panel and current chair of the competition’s jury, said: “I find it disheartening and surprising that a photographer would go to such lengths to deceive the competition and its worldwide following.
“The competition places great store on honesty and integrity, and such a breach of the rules is disrespectful to the wildlife photography community, which is at the heart of the competition.
“This disqualification should remind entrants that any transgression of the rules and spirit of the competition will eventually be found out.”
The caption alongside Mr Cabral’s winning photo stated: “Marcio had been visiting the National Park for three years waiting for the right conditions to capture the glowing termite mounds.
“After days frustrated by rain, he was in for a surprise.
“A giant anteater ambled out of the darkness and stayed just long enough for Marcio to take a single picture, using a long exposure and flash to highlight his unexpected companion.”
Mr Cabral will no longer be considered the winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year category and has been banned from entering the contest in future years.
The museum said a new winner cannot be announced in his place.
Featured image credit: news.sky.com
Weekenders Photography club celebrated its 5th Anniversary with an informative and educative workshop by bringing in macro Guru and International award winning photographer “Yuwaraj Gurjar” from India for a macro Photography workshop titled “The Amazing Tiny World”.
The workshop was presented by ShutterXpose Photography in association with Tamron Kuwait, garnered lot of positive feedback from the participants which was held in the Murjan Ballroom, Crowne Plaza, Kuwait on 18th November 2016 from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. A souvenir was released during the event highlighting the activities and achievement of the Photography club over the last 5 years. Tamron and Naser Al-Sayer Communication has been a key associate of Weekenders Photography club and has been supportive through each of the club activities. Tamron Kuwait introduced an exclusive special discount lens offer during the workshop which truly amazed the participant expectation. Mr. Salman Al-Basha, Tamron Kuwait Development Manager spoke on Tamron lens and its active development and new technology included in some of their latest lenses. Mr. Adil Javed, Tamron lens ambassador spoke on his personal experience of using Tamron lenses and how it has helped him at professional front.
The macro photography workshop had an extremely informative morning session followed by a practical demonstration of various techniques with tips on approaching macro subject, composition, and controlling light to get a good macro photograph. Post lunch the participants moved on to the workshop desks where they photographed to their heart’s content the various macro subjects displayed. The participants enjoyed one to one interaction and guidance from the experts. Lumen Store, the main dealers of Elinchrom Lighting and lighting accessories in Kuwait supported the event as lighting associates. At the end of the workshop each participant was handed over certificates. The organizers also had arranged for a raffle draw for the participant.
ShutterXpose Photography is completing it’s 5th year Anniversary with a vision to Inspire, Promote and Educate Photography. To commemorate the occasion, A Macro Photography workshop “The Amazing Tiny World “by Award winning Internationally acclaimed Photographer “Yuwaraj Gurjar” at the Crowne Plaza Banquet Hall on Friday 18th November 2016. The event is brought in association with Tamron Kuwait, one of the leading lens manufacturers for DSLR cameras.Photokina, the largest dedicated biannual photo show in Europe, has opened its doors and shown off its various camera goodies this year.
However, it’s been a tumultuous time in the world of cameras, with the Kumamoto earthquakes in Japan having a devastating affect not only on its communities, but production lines. Which has meant a quieter show for some manufacturers than previous years.
Here are the best camera and the latest Sigma Lens announcement from Photokina 2016
Canon EOS M5
Canon had already made great announcement of the EOS M5 mirrorless camera to the 5D Mark IV earlier this year. Canon joins the club of mirrorless manufacturers offering hybrid (optical plus sensor shift) stabilization, with 5-axis compensation. It has a far more dSLR-like appearance. This is the first Canon mirrorless to incorporate a built-in electronic viewfinder and a real grip. The touchscreen display tilts down for selfies.Canon plans to ship the body and a kit with the EF-M 15-45mm f3.5-6.3 IS STM lens in November for $980 and $1,100, respectively. That new EF-M 18-150mm lens is a compact substitute for the older 18-135mm IS STM, with a longer maximum focal length of 240mm-equivalent, intended as a general-purpose option for the single-lens customer.
Panasonic Lumix GH5
The top dog of the G-series gets its much rumoured update. The GH5 goes one better than the GH4 by including “6K Photo” which can extract a still image from the file. There’s also 4K video capture at up to 60fps.
Other than the video focus the camera remains a similar top-end mirrorless model: delivering super-fast autofocus in a body that houses heaps of customisable buttons and controls, along with built-in viewfinder and vari-angle rear touchscreen.
The camera will be out in early 2017, but there’s no official price just yet
Sony A99 Mark II
After more than three years on the market, the Alpha 99 gets its replacement, the aptly named A99 Mark II.
This full-frame SLT (that’s single lens translucent, if you’re wondering) brings together a 42.2-megapixel full-frame sensor, with a new hybrid face detection autofocus – which combines 399 phase detection points on the sensor, paired with 79 phase detection points on a separate sensor that work continuously together.
Add 5-axis image stabilisation, 12fps continuous shooting, 4K video capture with no pixel binning, and Sony has got one mighty fine stills or video capture device on its hands. It’s not cheap though: the A99 II will cost $4,000 body-only when it launches in November.
Nikon KeyMission Action Cameras
Nikon has gone full action camera: with its already-announced KeyMission 360 ($550) being joined by the KeyMission 170 ($430) and KeyMission 80 (£325). That’s the option to choose 360-degree all-around VR capture, an ultra-wide angle 170-degree angle of view, or a less wide 80-degree angle of view. That’s three different products rather than three different options within the one camera, though. Which seems like an odd choice, given the plethora of action cameras already on the market. The clip-on wearable KeyMission cameras are all tough and waterproof, with easy-to-use touchscreen and SnapBridge sharing built-in.
There was no mention of anticipated 2017 kit either. However like Canon, Nikon had earlier announced their top-end full frame D5 and crop sensor D500, along with the recently announced entry level D3400.
360 MALL vertical garden is an innovative eco-friendly creation offering a unique experience. Designed by Patrick Blanc, a famous botanist and researcher at the National Center for Research in Paris, it features over 21,000 individual plants and more than 60 plant species from all over the world. Besides being visually stunning, the Vertical Gardens function as a natural bio-filter, improving the Mall’s air quality. The plants have been chosen for their diverse form, color and texture to create a soothing and relaxing canvas of a tropical forest that adorns the wall and vertical structures alongside several restaurants at ‘The Gardens’ zone.
Through an innovative photography contest, aimed at talented individuals in Kuwait, to capture ‘The Gardens’ at 360 MALL – Kuwait’s iconic shopping mall owned by Tamdeen Shopping Centers Company, the mall hopes to raise awareness of the benefits of a green environment to visitors. In Kuwait, 360 MALL was the first place to house Blanc’s creation.
The photo contest is organized by Phoenix Services in collaboration with Tamdeen Group, it’s open to public and will commence on May 10 until 10.00 pm of May 21. The photographs have to be exclusive of ‘The Gardens’ and have to be taken in the most creative manner. (more…)
Nik Collection are a package of seven powerful editing plug-ins photography tools, now completely free. Previously, Google sold the plugins for a steep $149. These plug-ins includes filter application that improve color correction, to retouching, image sharpening, noise reduction as well ability to make adjustments to tonality of images.
Google acquired Nik Collection with 2012 purchase of Nik Software, the German company that is better known for the Snapseed apps for Android and iOS. While Snapseed is a simple yet powerful for mobile users, Nik Collection is geared towards professionals and enthusiasts. The suite sold for $500 before Google acquired it, and it later went down to $150. Now Google has decided to offer the package free for everyone. Well, it could also mean that there would be no more new releases of this great collection, moreover there had been no updates in the last 3 years.
Note that, these are plugins, not standalone tools, so you will need the programs listed below. If you bought Nik Collection since January 1, 2016, you will automatically receive a refund over the following days.All said, these collections are one of my best plug-ins. (more…)
ShutterXpose organised it’s Season 2 of Photography workshop for upcoming photographers titled ”Digital Photography 101”. The workshop was held at Avanti Palace, Salmiya on 10th April 2015.
Aimed at the Novice and Amateur group of photographers in Kuwait, the 5 hours long session covered various topics from the Basics of photography, Fundamental Pillars of Photography, Lenses and peep thru on Post Processing. Topics on Fundamental of Photography, Depth of Field were explained through with live demo and slides.
ShutterXpose Team leaders Dr. Yogee Tumkur, Dr. Vinod Kumar and Mr. Sanath Ramesh guided participants on various aspects/tools available in their cameras during the workshop.
ShutterXpose has been one of the pioneer photography groups in Kuwait with the aim and vision to nurture novice and amateur photographer to become Better Photographers. The group also conducts weekend photo-shoots exploring the scenic beauty of Kuwait.
The workshop was well attended and received good feedback. Keep checking for future workshop.
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Nikon has officially unveiled its latest Digital Camera “Nikon D810”. Nikon earlier shocked the DSLR world when it released the D800 and D800E both a 36 Megapixel Full-frame camera two years back. The latest D810 is an improved update over the earlier 800-series model.
In a first for a D-SLR, the D810’s ultra-wide native ISO range starts at ISO 64 for cleaner, better-defined images when shooting in bright light, and you can shoot at up to ISO 12800, or extend the range from 32 to 51200 ISO equivalent. Equipped with the same EXPEED 4 image processing engine as used in the flagship D4S, the D810’s overall performance gets a significant boost: image rendering and ISO capability is vastly improved in both stills and video, with sophisticated new algorithms enabling remarkable clarity and enhanced gradation with a tangible sense of depth across the entire sensitivity range.
Augmenting the D810’s spectacular imaging potential is the full power of Nikon’s total imaging system. The highest calibre optics are vital for such a high-megapixel camera and Nikon’s wide range of NIKKOR lenses will draw out the full potential of the D810’s 36.3-megapixel sensor with ease. With their exceptionally high resolving power, NIKKOR lenses meet the demands of photographers in every field. Also fully compatible with Nikon’s industry-leading Creative Lighting System, the D810 works with a range of versatile Nikon Speedlights for creative flash photography on- or off-camera.
Nikon D810: Key Specifications
- 36.3MP Full-frame CMOS sensor (no AA filter)
- ISO 64-12,800 (expands to ISO 32-51,200)
- Electronic first-curtain shutter and redesigned mirror mechanism
- New ‘RAW Size S’ 9MP Raw mode
- Expeed 4 engine
- Max 5fps shooting in FX mode, 7fps in DX (with battery grip + EN-EL18 / AA batteries)
- 3.2in 1,229k-dot RGBW LCD screen with customizable color
- OLED viewfinder information display
- Improved Scene Recognition System allows face detection in OVF mode
- ‘Split screen zoom’ display in live view allows horizons/lines to be leveled precisely
- 51-point AF system with new ‘Group Area AF’ mode (inherited from D4S)
- New ‘flat’ Picture Control mode (intended to appeal to videographers)
- Auto ISO available in manual exposure mode
- Zebra strips for focus checking in video mode
- Uncompressed HDMI output with simultaneous recording to memory card
- Built-in stereo microphone
Price and Release Date
If you are excited about the new Nikon D810, it is available on pre-order via Amazon, B&H Photo Video and Adorama., priced at $3296.5 for body only, with a release date set for 17 July 2014.
