Nikon introduces new DX-format DSLR D5300

From Professional Photographer magazine we hear about a new Nikon DSLR

On sale on 14 November, the D5300 is an upper entry-level DSLR. The camera’s 24.2-megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor is specifically designed with no optical low-pass filter (OLPF) – the result being more detail and texture in images. Photos can be shared fast with its inbuilt Wi-Fi function which connects the camera directly to a smartphone or tablet, and the GPS function adds geo-tags to pictures in-camera. “This new model is bursting with impressive features, from the high ISO (12,800) capability for low light shooting, to the powerful new EXPEED 4 image processing engine, and large vari-angle screen for a unique view,” says Simon Iddon, senior product manager at Nikon. “Built-in Wi-Fi makes it easy to share stunning images with friends and family, plus you can have some fun by tracking your route thanks to the camera’s GPS functionality. Ultimately, the Nikon D5300 is a pleasure to use and raises the standard of images we share.”

The body only will cost £729.99 and the D5300 kit with 18-55mm VR lens, £829.99

FEATURES LISTED BY NIKON INCLUDE:Built-in Wi-Fi
Photos can be sent directly from the camera to any iOS or Android smart device – after you’ve downloaded the free wireless mobile utility – ready for easy upload to social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. The Wi-Fii function also makes it possible to control the camera remotely using a connected smart device, plus you can preview the scene you’re shooting on the smart device’s screen.Built-in GPS
The D5300’s built-in GPS integrates with the in-camera Wi-Fi function. Images can be geo-tagged simply, without using any external adapters, by logging location information such as latitude, longitude, and altitude in the image’s EXIF data. The GPS logger function works when the camera is turned off, so you can continue to keep track of your route when you’re not taking pictures. Nikon’s View NX 2 software can help create travel on social networking or photo-sharing sites that support GPS.Image quality
At the core of the D5300 is a 24.2-megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor that has been designed without an optical low-pass filter (OLPF) to make the most of every megapixel, to render exactly what the lens sees.High ISO light sensitivity (up to 12,800, extendable to 25,600 equivalent) combined with Nikon’s new image processing engine, EXPEED 4, allows for better photos and movies when shooting in low light. The 2016-pixel RGB metering sensor sends data to the scene recognition system, enabling optimum auto exposure, AF and auto white balance. It has continuous shooting speeds of up to five frames-per-second and a 39-point AF system, which has nine cross-type sensors in the centre……MORE FROM PP

The always excellent DP Review site has a pre-view of this new camera

Tis the season for iterative updates, apparently. The D5300, Nikon’s second new DSLR in as many weeks comes less than a year after the announcement of its predecessor, the D5200, and while it doesn’t represent a massive upgrade to the older camera it is improved in some meaningful ways.

As Nikon’s ‘advanced beginner’ DSLR, the D5300 takes the D5200’s place between the entry-level D3200 and the enthusiast-targeted D7100 in the company’s APS-C lineup. The D5300 offers 24MP resolution (like its APS-C stablemates), an articulated rear LCD and more physical controls than the D3200, but without the twin-dial interface and professional grade AF system of the decidedly higher market (and much more customizable) D7100.

Both visually and ergonomically the D5300 is a near-clone of its predecessor (it’s fractionally lighter and a tiny bit smaller), but under the hood it is a stronger camera in a couple of important ways. The D5300’s 24MP sensor lacks an anti-aliasing sensor, which – if our experience with the D7100 and D800E is any guide – should give it the edge in terms of resolution over the D5200. We’d expect the difference to be subtle (especially with a kit zoom attached), but it’s always nice to see improvements to critical image quality potential, especially in mid-range models.

The D5300 also offers a beefed-up video mode, which is now capable of true 1080/60p HD video. This, plus the slightly enlarged (3.2in compared to 3in) fully-articulated 1.04 million-dot LCD screen should mean that the D5300 is attractive to videographers as well as stills photographers. Easy to miss, but useful features include built-in Wi-Fi and GPS – both firsts for Nikon’s DSLR lineup. Battery life gets a boost too – according to CIPA figures the D5300 offers an endurance of 600 shots, compared to 500 from the D5200. Remember though that this figure does not take features like Wi-Fi or GPS into account, and we’d expect both to have an impact on battery life.

READ MORE FROM DPR HERE

Nikon have their seasonal cash back offers when you buy new gear

Nikon UK is launching a bumper Christmas promotion, offering cashback on a huge amount of products including selected D-SLR cameras, selected lenses and speedlights, selected Nikon 1 cameras, as well as the EDG binocular range.The promotion is limited to one claim per person per product and will run from 16 October 2013 – 26 January 2014 (inclusive) and all claims must be received by 28 February 2014 in order to qualify. Details here

Nikon D610 First Impressions Review

DP Review gives us the heads up on the new D610. Yes if you bought the recent D600 you might be wondering what Nikon are up to.

Nearly a year after the arrival of Nikon’s full-frame D600, its replacement has arrived. The new D610 is a very minor upgrade to the D600, with just three new features. They include faster continuous shooting, a ‘quiet continuous’ mode, and an improved auto white balance system. The first two features are courtesy of a newly designed shutter mechanism.

The D610 can now shoot at 6 fps, up from 5.5 fps on the D600. A new ‘quiet continuous’ mode shoots at 3 fps and, as its name implies, makes a lot less noise while doing so. Finally, the auto white balance system has been updated to produce more accurate color in artificial lighting, and more realistic skin tones.

The D600 was an excellent digital SLR, with top-notch photo quality, a well-built body, and impressive movie recording capabilities. Unfortunately for Nikon, the D600 is probably best known for collecting oil on the sensor – an issue for which the Company issued a service advisory, without admitting the actual cause of the problem. The official line in the US remains ‘as with all of our products, if any users find they cannot get their sensor clean using the methods outlined in the user manual, they should return it to a Nikon service center’.

Internet theorists have already suggested that the D610 was created to leave the troubles of the D600 behind. And the appearance of a new model so soon after the D600’s launch, with almost no changes other than a new shutter mechanism, seems to give that theory some credence. However, given the company’s refusal to acknowledge a problem with the D600, it’s not possible to get confirmation that the oil issue has been resolved.

With that out of the way, let’s take a more in-depth look at the D610, and what’s changed.

Nikon D610 key features

24.3MP Full-frame CMOS sensor (10.5MP DX-format crop mode)
ISO 100-6400 (expandable to ISO 50-25,600 equivalent)
Maximum 6fps continuous shooting; new quiet continuous mode shoots at 3 fps
39-point AF system with 9 cross-type AF points
Refined auto white balance system
Wireless flash control
3.2in 921k-dot LCD screen
Dual memory card slots
1080p30 full HD video
Uncompressed video recording via HDMI

 

If you want the full SP then go here

 

New Nikon D7100 digital SLR

The arrival of the 24MP D7100 comes two-and-a-half years after the announcement of its predecessor theD7000, and it’s a pretty serious upgrade. Significantly, Nikon Europe’s presentation of the camera describes the D7100 as the company’s ‘flagship DX model’, and omitted mention of the D300S in the company’s DSLR lineup. Certainly, the gap between the D7100 and D600 now leaves little obvious room for a ‘D400.’

It was only a matter of time before 24MP resolution became standard across Nikon’s entire range of DX-format APS-C DSLRs, and lo and behold – the 24MP D7100 is the latest in the series, but this isn’t just the sensor from a D5200 packaged a newer body. In fact, this would be a fundamental misunderstanding of the new camera.

The critical thing here is that despite the fact that the D7100 is Nikon’s third DX-format 24MP DSLR, its sensor is new, and unique in Nikon’s stable. In a first for Nikon, the D7100’s sensor lacks an optical low-pass filter (OLPF). The D800E, Nikon’s highest-resolution DSLR has the effect of its OLPF ‘cancelled out’, but the D7100, like the Pentax K-5 IIs, omits it altogether. The result should be higher resolution than is possible from the conventional 24MP sensors in the D5200 and D3200, and Nikon clearly feels comfortable with the associated higher risk of moiré in fine patterns – one of the few black marks against the 36MP D800E when we tested it last year. Read more here

Nikon D5200 new camera

With only a few weeks of the year left Nikon have decided to release a new camera, the D5200. From the BJP we learn:

The Nikon D5200 is an upper entry-level DSLR that improves on the D5100 by offering a 24MP CMOS sensor, 1080i60 movie capability, a side-articulated 921K dot 3.0″ tilt/swivel LCD and new processing filters. Interestingly, the D5200 is equipped with a significantly upgraded AF system, based around the same Multi-Cam 4800DX AF sensor that is used in the D7000, and the same 2016-pixel RGB metering sensor.

Less than two years after the launch of the D5100, Nikon has unveiled its successor – the D5200. But, in a press presentation held yesterday in central London, Simon Iddon, product manager for DX products at Nikon UK, says that D5100 will continue to be sold alongside the D5200.

“The D5200’s target audience is for the real hobbyist,” adds Iddon. “It’s skewed towards the male [user], in the age range of 25 to 50 years old, with a very big interest in photography. The focus for this audience is on creative expression rather than recording moments. It’s all about the artistry of the shot. They want to focus on special moments rather than everyday snapshots.”

The D5200 weighs 505g and will retail from £720 (body only) or £820 with a 18-55mm VR lens. The camera will be available in time for Christmas, however, Nikon has yet to communicate an exact release date.

Surely any camera allows for “artistry” it is the user that creates, if Nikon have been making dslr cameras that eschew this as an intention we have to consider why and how they see themselves in the market place. For me this press release just sounds like marketing bollocks but I do think Nikon should feel a bit ashamed at marketing a camera at a male audience and one that claims to get back to artistry as a reason for taking photographs, what have they been making cameras for otherwise.

There is the usual excellent preview and review at dpreview.com        You can buy it here

Nikon D600 Released September 18th

New cameras come along at an alarming rate, is it true that we are expected to buy a new camera every three years, I am sure I read that somewhere. There is no doubt that as technology improves daily it is very tempting to want the latest and best, not because it is the latest but because we can produce better images under more difficult conditions. One thing I don’t particularly like about the march of technology is the way that the camera manufacturers always seem to want to wrest control from us, the photographers, and have us use their, the cameras, automatic functions more. The idea seems to be that the camera knows best and can make better judgements about the picture we are about to take. WRONG. A camera that delivers better quality, images with smoother tone, less noise, better colour, able to handle subject brightness range better, all the things that make an image just better are to be applauded but e.g. some auto focus gizmo that means it is harder for me to focus where I want is not a help, it is a hindrance.

There is a new Nikon camera that will no doubt have many salivating. It is a full frame dslr 24 megapixel with HD video, sounds like a competitor for the Canon 5D.

Here is a bit from a Nikon website The D600 is a new model added to the Nikon FX-format digital SLR lineup with a smaller size and lighter weight–approx. 141 x 113 (H) x 82 (D) mm, 760 g*¹ for excellent portability, yet offers the superior image quality and rendering performance, operation, and durability of high-end FX-format D-SLRs. The D600 is a compact and lightweight camera that offers excellent cost performance. In addition to a new FX-format CMOS image sensor with an effective pixel count of 24.3-million pixels and the same EXPEED 3 image-processing engine built into high-end models, the D600 inherits a number of advanced features from its high-end cousins, including an optical viewfinder with frame coverage of 100%*², a large and clear, 3.2-inch LCD monitor with a wide viewing angle for superior visibility, and the same dust- and water-resistance as the D800

The best go to site for camera reviews DP Review only has a preview so far but anything they have to say is always worth reading, you can find that here

Nikon D600: Key Specifications

• 24.3MP Full-frame CMOS sensor (10.5MP DX-format crop mode)
• ISO 100-6400 (expandable to ISO 50-25,600 equivalent)
• Maximum 5.5fps continuous shooting
• 39-point AF system with 9 cross-type AF points
• 3.2in 921k-dot LCD screen
• 1080p30 full HD video mode with stereo sound recording
• Headphone jack for audio monitoring in movie mode
• Uncompressed video recording via HDMI
• Single-axis electronic level in viewfinder, duel-axis (pitch and roll) in live view
• Dimensions: 141mm x 113mm x 82mm (5.5 × 4.4 × 3.2 in).
• Weight: 760 g (1.6 lbs) (camera body only, no battery)
• Calumet here in the UK say the camera will be released on September 18th the price listed in the US is about $2100 so expect to pay about the same in pounds here