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Fujifilm X-Pro1 Firmware v2.0 to Add Significant Improvements

Sep
6
2012
September 6, 2012
By 2 Comments

Continuing to bring improvements to existing products, Fujifilm today announced a v2.0 firmware update, developed for the highly popular X-Pro1. The biggest downside of the X-Pro1 for us when we reviewed it, was its somewhat slow AF speed. However, given how Fuji has been addressing problems in the Fuji X100 with firmware updates, we knew it was a matter of time until we see a major firmware update with autofocus tweaks. With the v2.0 firmware update, Fujifilm is bringing us all the auto focus, manual focus and write speed improvements the newly announced X-E1 has to the X-Pro1. Many X-Pro1 owners will be extremely happy with this firmware. We will update our Fuji X-Pro1 review as soon as we get to test v2.0 firmware.

With the new firmware, Fujifilm promises the X-Pro1 will focus significantly faster (in low-light, where it matters most), while also offering a closer focusing distance before the camera has to be set to macro mode, which is very welcome. Also, manual focus should now be much more usable, for, as Fujifilm states, “the speed of the image coming into focus when turning the focus ring has been vastly improved.” In other words, you should expect a shorter focus throw (more feedback from the focus motor) allowing faster change of focus distance. There are also some changes to how AUTO ISO operates, with maximum value allowed increased to ISO 6400 (as you can find out in our review, the X-Pro1 is very good in low-light, so don’t be afraid to use such a high setting if necessary), and you should expect a significant writing/processing speed boost, making your X-Pro1 more responsive.

Fuji X-Pro1

Set your reminders! The firmware will be available for download from Fujifilm website, “Support” page, on September 18th at 6AM GMT. Fujifilm urges X-Pro1 users to update their lens firmware at the same time in order to fully take advantage of the improvements.

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Fujifilm Brings X-E1 Mirrorless

Sep
6
2012
By 10 Comments

Ever since the often-mentioned X100, Fujifilm has been working very hard not to let their luck slip. Today, they made yet another step (actually – not one, but three steps) into winning over more customer hearts with the introduction of the second X series interchangeable lens camera, the X-E1, and Fujifilm has been bald again – the new baby X-Pro1 will surely attract many buyers, and likely even steal some from the (much) more expensive brother.

Fujifilm X-E1 - Front

What’s Different?

The new X-E1 is strikingly similar to X-Pro1 in both looks and functionality, and, while missing on a couple of features, they do seem to be compensated in other areas. The most notable omission is the loved optical viewfinder, first found in the X100. Instead, Fujifilm chose to focus strictly on EVF with this mid-range model. Many users will miss the optical viewfinder, and I am one of them, but Fujifilm has made sure the (new) OLED EVF is up to the task of pleasing even most demanding photographers by offering a very high 2.36 megapixel resolution, compared to 1.44 megapixel EVF found in X-Pro1. Also, leaving out the optical viewfinder has allowed Fujifilm to make X-E1 smaller and lighter than it’s bigger sibling. Also, the camera seems to be beautifully made, featuring die-cast megnesium front and top covers, and while the screen size has been reduced to 2.8″ (with 460k dots, down from 3″ 1.2 million dot screen of the X-Pro1), it’s unlikely to be of huge relevance for most photographers.

Fujifilm X-E1 - Rear

Other than that, and also dimensions, weight (350g with card and battery, compared to 450g X-Pro1) and price, X-E1 is identical to the older member of the X series camera system. It even features the same highly acclaimed APS-C sized, 16 megapixel X-Trans CMOS sensor found in X-Pro1, and, as before, Fujifilm promisses Full Frame comparable sharpness and noise. We’ve already tested the sensor and you can read about it in our X-Pro1 review. One has to wonder – how good would a Full Frame X-Trans sensor be? So far, we can only guess.
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Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 Review

Sep
2
2012
September 2, 2012
By 66 Comments

Overview

This is an in-depth review of the Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 DI VC USD – world’s first image stabilized standard zoom lens for 35mm sensor cameras that was released in April of 2012. I have been shooting with the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G for a while and although I love it for its super fast and accurate autofocus and durability, it has its share of problems. It is huge and heavy, has rather poor corner performance at fast apertures and suffers from field curvature issues (where sharpness is not uniform across the frame). In addition, it lacks image stabilization, which I am a huge fan of. So when I found out that Tamron released a professional 24-70mm f/2.8 lens with image stabilization, I knew I wanted to test it out and compare it head to head to the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G.

Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8

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Interview with Norman Koren of Imatest

Aug
20
2012
August 20, 2012
By 5 Comments

A couple of weeks ago I had an opportunity to visit Norman Koren, founder of Imatest, LLC. I have been fascinated by his software for a while now and after evaluating the software, decided to purchase it to use in our lens reviews. When I found out that his company is right here in Boulder, Colorado (where I lived for over 5 years), I gave him a call and asked if I could come over and interview him. Despite his busy and hectic schedule, he was able to accommodate me for an hour during his lunch time. Below is the text version of the interview.

Nasim: Thank you for giving us the opportunity to visit your office and learn more about you and your company. Let’s get started with your background, your company and how it all started.

Norman: You are most welcome Nasim. I grew up in Rochester, NY, about a mile from the George Eastman House, which I visited frequently. Both the technical and artistic exhibits made a deep impression on me—it was there that I first saw the beautiful prints of Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. I had a long career in magnetic recording technology, where my job involved simulating the performance of read, write, signal processing and detection in disk and tape drives. It started back in 1967 at Honeywell in Boston. I then worked for a number of companies including, curiously enough, Kodak in San Diego. Kodak at the time— we are talking 1985— believed that very small tape drives would be used in digital cameras. Well, it didn’t turn out to be a winning technology, but I had an interesting 12 years there. At the same time, I’ve always been a passionate photographer.

Norman Koren

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Nikon 24-85mm VR Review

Aug
18
2012
August 18, 2012
By 74 Comments

Overview

This is an in-depth review of the new Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G VR lens, also known as “AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR”, which was announced together with the Nikon 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX in June of 2012. The lens was kindly provided by B&H – the largest photo equipment reseller in the world that we use more than any other to buy our photography gear.

Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR

The Nikon 24-85mm VR is an affordable consumer-grade lens targeted at photo enthusiasts that need a mid-range zoom lens with optical stabilization for everyday photography. It is an update to the short-lived Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED that was introduced in 2002 and discontinued in 2006, and it might also replace the older Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4D IF that is still in production as of today. With an equivalent focal length of 36-128mm on DX sensor, it is better suited to be used on full-frame cameras. With rumors of an entry-level Nikon D600 full-frame DSLR to be announced later in 2012, the Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR might be packaged as a kit lens to go along with it.

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Amazing Nikon, Canon and Sigma Deals

Aug
13
2012
August 13, 2012
By 15 Comments

Folks at B&H notified me that Nikon, Canon and Sigma are running some amazing deals that will expire in September for DSLRs, Lenses and Speedlights. Nikon is currently offering bundled deals with up to $450 in savings. Canon is running various instant rebate programs for lenses and speedlights and also doing camera + lens bundles for additional savings. And Sigma is also running an instant rebate program for their lenses and speedlights. Below are the links for these deals:

Nikon Buy Together and Save (Expires August 25, 2012):

Nikon Bundled Savings

Canon Lens and Speedlite Rebates (Expires September 1, 2012):
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The Importance of Having a “Good” Lens

Aug
11
2012
August 11, 2012
By 76 Comments

After testing a set of brand new 28mm lenses for my Nikon 28mm f/1.8G Review a couple of weeks ago, I was rather disappointed by the overall performance of the lens. Both samples that I tested exhibited visible focus shift and field curvature issues, which impacted performance in a “wavy” pattern. This weekend, I decided to give another Nikon 28mm f/1.8G a try and see if it has the same optical issues (borrowed from our team member Bob Vishneski).

To my surprise, the third lens sample performed much better in comparison to the first two. Here is the original chart that I published in my review:

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Nikon DSLR Firmware Recommendations

Aug
9
2012
August 9, 2012
By 51 Comments

When Nikon releases a new generation DSLR camera, it seems to often make little changes to the camera firmware. We typically see slight tweaks here and there, but every once in a while (especially when a new piece of technology makes it into the camera) we see some new interesting and useful features getting added into the camera firmware. In this article, I would like to point out current firmware issues that I believe Nikon needs to address, along with some recommendations (wishlist) on what Nikon should do in their future cameras. Or, perhaps Nikon might consider to implement some of the below firmware fixes/recommendations on current DSLRs – I am sure many of the Nikon owners would get excited about some of these requests.

Nikon DSLR Firmware Recommendations

1) Add DNG Support

As a Nikon shooter, you already know how painful it can be to constantly keep updating post-processing software, image codecs and photo viewing programs every time Nikon releases a new camera. Upgrading a camera should be easy and we as consumers should not have to go through this process every time. DNG has already become a universal format and companies like Hasselblad, Leica, Pentax and Samsung have already adopted it. Why not do the same? I am not asking Nikon to abandon its NEF file format. Just give us a choice to pick either NEF or DNG please!

2) Allow AF Fine Tune Calibration of Each Focus Point

Thanks to the recent Nikon D800 Asymmetric Focus fiasco, we now know that each autofocus point is calibrated at the factory during the QA process. We also know that Nikon keeps the ability to tune these AF focus points to their own calibration software. Why not add this capability to every advanced Nikon DSLR where AF fine tune is already provided? Sure, this seems like a headache to implement and could result in a some improperly calibrated cameras out there (due to user error). But for those of us who know what they are doing when it comes to lens and camera calibration, why not give this capability? Nikon would save a lot of money on not having to re-calibrate so many cameras. Adding this feature, of course, would not be an excuse for improperly calibrating cameras, but it would certainly make the AF Fine Tune feature way more useful.

3) Allow AF Fine Tune Calibration for Different Focal Lengths

Those of us that have attempted to calibrate zoom lenses know that one AF Fine Tune value is often not good enough for the whole zoom range. The AF Fine Tune feature would be a lot more useful if we had the ability to use different AF Fine Tune settings depending on the focal length of the lens.

4) Live View at 100% Pixel Level Should be Standard

Nikon’s implementation of Live View on the Nikon D90 was terrible, due to its interpolated output. Since then, Nikon has made many new cameras that had a 100% pixel view, which was very useful in obtaining precise focus on subjects. With the D800, Nikon brought an interpolated live view back (which is one of my biggest complaints on the D800). Nikon should fix this as soon as possible on the D800 and make 100% pixel level live view a standard on all future cameras.

5) Fix Custom Settings Banks

The Custom Settings Banks implementation on Nikon DSLRs is bad and completely impractical. I personally do not bother using them on any of my cameras, because I do not have the time to either switch them in multiple places (Shooting Bank and Custom Settings Bank), or constantly review the settings to make sure that they have not changed. First of all, memory banks should apply to all camera menu items. Second, these settings need to be “lockable”, meaning if anything gets changed, the setting should not get overwritten unless I want it to.

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Nikon 1 J1 and V1 Firmware v1.2 Released

Aug
8
2012
August 8, 2012
By 3 Comments

Today, Nikon released a firmware update for their popular Nikon 1 J1 and V1 compact system cameras. Updates bring minor improvements to camera operation and fix a couple of bugs previously affecting some of the cameras. Here is the list of changes for both J1 and V1:

  1. The exposure control program used with shooting in Smart Photo Selector mode, or still image shooting mode with Exposure mode set to P Programmed auto or Scene auto selector, has been revised for faster shutter speeds to prevent blurred subjects.
  2. Auto white balance performance has been increased.
  3. Exposure accuracy with ISO sensitivity set to Auto 100–3200, Auto 100–800, or Auto 100–400 has been increased with shooting using the optional Speedlight SB-N5 (built-in flash for for J1 owners) to photograph subjects at close distances.

Also, the following issues have been resolved:

  1. An error message was sometimes displayed during interval timer shooting, preventing capture of the specified number of shots.
  2. When the camera was turned on by releasing the retractable lens barrel lock on applicable lenses, there was sometimes a slight delay before the shutter could be released.

Nikon 1 J1

You can download the new firmware for your J1 from the official Nikon Support website by following this link, and if you have the V1, this link is where you need to go.

If you are currently thinking about buying either of these great little cameras, maybe our review of the V1 will help you decide?

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Nikon 1 J2 and 11-27.5mm Lens – A Minor Update for Less

Aug
8
2012
By 1 Comment

On August 9th, Nikon announced a mild refresh to the popular entry level Nikon 1 J1 camera – the J2. While it doesn’t seem to improve much on the camera it replaces, Nikon made a smart move by lowering the initial price by $100 compared to J1. It makes for a very sensible choice for those who were thinking of buying the “older” camera.

Along with the new compact system camera, Nikon also introduced an underwater housing for Nikon 1 J1 and J2 cameras, and a new zoom lens.

What’s New?

1) The Underwater Case

The new underwater case WP-N1 is suitable for both J1 and J2 and will house one of these cameras with a 10-30mm VR lens attached (read review). The case is waterproof up to 40m (approximately 131 feet), which is likely enough for any kind of vacation you may take your J1/J2 to.

2) The Lens

While it’s hard to say what advantages the new 11-27.5mm F/3.5-5.6 lens may have over the basic 10-30mm VR kit lens without properly testing it first, Nikon wouldn’t have released it just for the fun of it. The lens, being equivalent to 30-75mm (in 35mm format), is very small (3cm/1.22″) and lightweight, and thus would suit your J1/J2 camera very well. It features one aspherical element and internal focusing.

1 Nikkor 11-27.5mm Lens (white)

3) The Camera

Likely the biggest change J2 brings us is the higher resolution screen (921k dots versus J1′s 460k dots) previously used in the higher-end V1. Hopefully, these sharp screens will now be default choice even for low-end devices. Also, the J2 is built around a metal body (J1 has an aluminum front panel), so it should be ever so slightly tougher than its predecessor. While other changes, like the Creative Mode (artistic filters) and more body color options (now available in orange, too) make it a nicer camera on paper for some, the biggest omission still is the lack of EVF – a potential deal-breaker for many buyers. But then, there has to be something to separate the J2 from V1, and EVF is one of such features.

Nikon 1 J2

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