Home / Romanas Naryškin

Latest Nikon DSLR Firmware Updates

Apr
2
2013
April 2, 2013
By 36 Comments

Nikon has just released a firmware update for a number of current and older DSLR cameras. These include the D4, D3s, D3x, D3, D800, D600, D7000 and, finally, the D3200. Last generation cameras, namely the D3, D3s, D3x and D7000 now support the new super-telephoto Nikkor AF-S 800mm f/5.6 VR lens, so changes aren’t really big. Current cameras, however, have seen additional changes, among which are AF improvements for the D800 and D600 in continuous mode.

Nikon D4 Menu - Firmware Update

Read on for more detail and download links.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Photography News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Nikon Lens Instant Rebates Reminder

Mar
29
2013
March 29, 2013
By 18 Comments

A while ago, Nikon extended their instant rebates program which allows you to save up to $350 on new Nikkor lenses. This program expires on March 30th, so if you haven’t yet made up your mind whether to use it or not to purchase new lenses, you don’t have all that much time left. As of now, we are being told that these rebates will NOT be extended, since Nikon’s financial year is about to end. If you’re planning on purchasing a new lens but are unsure of which to get, we have plenty of thorough lens reviews that may help you out.

Nikon Lens Rebate Program

Quality Nikon lenses are, frankly, rather expensive, so don’t miss out on these great rebates!

Filed Under: Photography News Tagged With:

Canon 700D/Rebel T5i and 18-55mm STM Lens Announced

Mar
20
2013
March 20, 2013
By 2 Comments

Along with the diminutive 100D, Canon has also announced a replacement for the upper entry-level 650D, the 700D (Rebel T5i). The new 700D, however, isn’t actually all that new, but a mild refresh. Despite Canon’s claims, improvements are as minor as they get. There’s the same 18 megapixel sensor with built-in phase-detect AF points, the same DIGIC 5 processor with the same ISO sensitivity and the same 9-point AF system with cross-type sensors. In fact, almost all the specifications are identical between the two models, except that 700D comes with a slightly different mode dial, has live preview of Creative Filters and a slightly different body finish. Are camera manufacturers taking the habit of announcing cameras for the sake of announcing? In any case, 650D was a popular and likable model. There’s no reason to think 700D will be any different (pun intended). What’s likely more interesting is the renewed kit lens. The EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM now comes with Canon’s stepper AF motor for silent video recording during focusing.

Canon 700D Rebel T5i

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Cameras and Lenses Tagged With: , ,

Canon Announces World’s Smallest APS-C DSLR

Mar
20
2013
By 36 Comments

Camera industry has been obsessed with size lately and Canon has moved the standards of small DSLR cameras with the introduction of 100D (Rebel SL1). As of today, this is the smallest and lightest APS-C DSLR camera. At this point, you could say – big deal! Mirrorless cameras are the way to go if you want small. Well, perhaps in most cases. But the 100D is indeed tiny, not just as a DSLR, but even compared to some mirrorless cameras. The Panasonic GH3 – a compact system camera with a smaller sensor – is actually bigger in every dimension. Quite a feat by Canon, I’d say.

Canon 100D Rebel SL1 Announced

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Cameras and Lenses Tagged With: , ,

Instagram More Popular than Ever

Mar
12
2013
March 12, 2013
By 31 Comments

I’ve never been much of a fan when it came to Instagram and the currently popular “artistic filter” trend many photo-editing software developers as well as camera manufacturers tend to include with their products. Perhaps because I saw such one-click manipulations contradictory to the word “artistic” – they’re too accessible, too wide-spread. To such an extent, in fact, that there’s often no input from the actual person behind the image left. You could go as far as say most of the images enhanced with the mentioned filters look as if they were made by one person, and not thousands and millions who took those photographs. I find such filters, when used by masses of inexperienced photographers, rob their work of anything other than basic, technical look, character of the filter used. There’s no artist left, no person, no photographer, just the simple, instant effect of the filter. “Artistic”, in my dictionary, stands somewhere close to “unique”. It’s hard to call something unique when it’s used about a million times every day. Or more. Possibly much more. As if that isn’t enough, most of the time these filters are used to turn mediocre photographs into something that’s “deeper”, with a concept, with an idea behind it, even if it’s yet another “duck face” (a rather funny terminology) portrait. In the same way as some people use B&W conversion just because it looks more “artistic”. The look – whether it’s a grainy, high-contrast B&W or one that distorts color in an attempt to mimic cross-processing from film days – covers up all imperfections (often with different, aesthetically pleasing imperfections). You look at the image and you see effects, not the content. The filter fools you if you allow it to. It’s sometimes rather hard not to be fooled, frankly, given the fact that there are indeed some awesome images on Instagram.

Instagram (4)Instagram (2)

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: ,

Mastering Lightroom: Post-Processing Portraits

Mar
9
2013
March 9, 2013
By 19 Comments

Many of our previous Mastering Lightroom series articles focused on specific Lightroom 4 features and tools, as well as ways of using them in your everyday workflow. I’ve explained how to use the Basic Panel and talked about the Tone Curve in great detail. We’ve also learned how to use External Editors, Spot Removal Tool and Virtual Copies. However, simply learning what each feature does is not our goal with these articles. After all, theory makes sense only when put to practice. In the end, we want to teach you how to actually edit your images, start to finish, no matter the subject or scene or desired result. We want you to be able to use what Lightroom has to offer without thinking about it, just as we should use our cameras and lenses. Learning what each tool does individually is essential, but what matters in the end is how we make them work in conjunction with one another. Perhaps then it is time to shift away from features and theory for a while and move towards editing images to achieve desired look in practice? There are many aspects of Lightroom we haven’t covered so far. Many tools, options, modules and tabs yet await our attention. But this time, instead of explaining specific settings, we will do some simple portrait post-processing focusing most of all on color and tones.

Mastering Lightroom Basic Portrait Post-Processing

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Post Processing Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Nikon Coolpix A Compact Camera with APS-C Sensor Announced

Mar
6
2013
March 6, 2013
By 33 Comments

We were most surprised by the launch of Nikkor 80-400mm lens, but surprised in a very good way. The first thought I had was – “Finally!” And not just because it’s a long awaited lens, but because it was a lens in the first place and not yet another mildly refreshed camera. I admit that, at first, I didn’t really pay much attention to other products Nikon announced. Perhaps I should have (let me tell you a secret – I’m just trying not to be judgmental in advance). Say hello to Nikon’s first APS-C compact camera, the Coolpix A.

Nikon Coolpix A

Nikon is, obviously, not exactly the first to launch a compact camera with such a large sensor. Sigma have their DP1 with slightly smaller sensors, Leica has its luxurious X1 and X2 and Sony had a go with a full-frame RX-1. And then, of course, there’s the equally loved as it is hated, Fujifilm with X100 and, more recently, X100s. In other words, Coolpix A has no room for mistakes if it is to beat all that competition led by Fujifilm’s excellent cameras. So what exactly does the Nikon offer? Well, it kicks off with a 16.2 megapixel APS-C sensor with ISO range of 100-6400 and 1080p Full HD video. Judging by the specs, it is likely the same unit used in Nikon D7000 camera, as well as some Sony SLT and Pentax cameras. Now, if D7000 is of any indication, that sensor is amazing. It may be several years old and, today, at the lower resolution scale of current sensors of this size, but great high ISO performance and dynamic range are a given. More than that, let’s be fair, 16 megapixels is more than enough for most situations, especially in a compact camera you’re unlikely to use for work that requires large printing. The biggest plus point Coolpix A offers, however, is it’s minuscule size. Measuring 111x64x40mm, it’s not that much bigger than other higher-end compacts, and much smaller than Fujifilm X100s. Take a look at this comparison at CameraSize.com – it really is tiny!

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Photography News Tagged With: , ,

PocketWizard PlusX Transceiver Announced

Mar
1
2013
March 1, 2013
By 25 Comments

Reputation for reliability and functionality has made PocketWizard the professional’s choice when it came to wireless flash triggers. However, being such a renown brand, there was always a price tag much too steep for many amateurs and hobbyists, especially when you consider buying several of them. For this reason those into strobe photography would often choose other manufacturers (Phottix in particular seems very competitive). Today, PocketWizard attempts to enter budget market as well with PlusX transceiver. While not exactly cheap at $100, it is sure to be within financial reach of most enthusiasts.

PocketWizard PlusX

The PlusX combines both a receiver and transmitter into one package and offers standard 10 channels for controlling your flashes. Simplicity seems to be PlusX’s main point, so a lot of features are automated – for example, it will choose between receiver or transmitter modes automatically. There isn’t any serious manual control available. However, PlusX is compatible with higher-end PocketWizards, which means they will still be useful once you upgrade. Flash sync speed is 1/250s for focal-plane shutters found in DSLRs and 1/500s when used with leaf-shutter cameras, such as Fujifilm X100s.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Accessories Tagged With: ,

Adobe Lightroom 4.4 and Camera RAW 7.4 Release Candidates Available

Feb
26
2013
February 26, 2013
By 10 Comments

Adobe has made their almost-finished versions of Lightroom 4.4 and Camera RAW 7.4 available for download. These Release Candidates (RC) have been thoroughly tested, but are subject to improvement over the next few months before final versions are available. So far, Lightroom 4.4 RC is a free download for all current Lightroom 4 customers and will expire by 31st of May. Adobe Camera RAW 7.4 RC will expire on 30th of April. Why are these RC updates important? Well, first of all because of the added support for newest camera models:

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
  • Canon EOS-1D C
  • Casio Exilim EX-ZR700
  • Fujifilm X100S
  • Fujifilm X20
  • Hasselblad Lunar
  • Leica M
  • Nikon 1 J3
  • Nikon 1 S1
  • Pentax MX1

Now, you may notice the rather peculiar addition of Hasselblad Lunar mirrorless camera which is said to be based on NEX-7, but with a full-frame sensor. There is a reason why I chose words “said to be”, because the camera is yet unfinished and thus unavailable. A rare feat making software support available before the actual camera is even officially announced.

New lens profiles are also present:

  • Canon 24-70 f/4L IS
  • Sigma 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC MACRO HSM for Sony and Pentax
  • Sigma APO MACRO 180mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM for Sony
  • Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM for Canon, Sigma and Nikon
  • Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM for Canon and Sigma

There is a possibility that new cameras and lenses in addition to the ones mentioned above will be supported when final versions are released.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Photography News Tagged With: , , , ,

New Sony Lenses Announced

Feb
25
2013
February 25, 2013
By 2 Comments

Previous Sony SLT-A58 and NEX-3N announcement may not have been all that exciting for the majority of current Sony users, but new and updated lenses usually make a more interesting topic. After all, cameras come and go. As of late, they seem to come and go rather too often – almost as if manufacturers decided to race each other and see who can push more “new” cameras into the market in the shortest amount of time. But good lenses, they tend to stay a while longer. Fine as your camera may be, it doesn’t exactly change the way you photograph all that much, be it a new D7100 or an older D7000, while a new lens – often and quite understandably – can make a much more worthwhile addition to your camera bag. Sony has made sure at least two of the three new lenses are of that kind. Let’s start with the smaller one.

1) Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 Lens

If there was ever a serious reason why I considered Sony DSLRs (namely, the Alpha A850 model), it’s Carl Zeiss lenses. Don’t get me wrong – Nikkor and Canon L lenses can be just as good and, perhaps, even superior. There’s more of them. More choice. Broader second-hand market. But somehow I always admired the legendary German manufacturer. There isn’t any real reason I can base my preference on – it’s neither sharpness nor price. But the few Carl Zeiss lenses Sony did have on offer were, in my opinion and experience, spectacular – the 85mm f/1.4 and 135mm f/1.8 most of all. Now, a new prime joins their ranks, and it’s a standard 50mm f/1.4 class lens. For around $1500.

ZA Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Photography News Tagged With: , ,