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January 31, 2006

Photoshelter announces "Seamless Customization"

BitShelter LLC has announced the addition of the "Seamless Customization Option" to PhotoShelter (www.PhotoShelter.com), their professional, online image archiving service and marketplace.

From PhotoShelter's Press Release:

The new product, developed for photographers who maintain their own
websites, makes it easy for PhotoShelter subscribers to add a searchable
e-commerce-enabled archive to their website while matching its
look-and-feel.

By using special PhotoShelter "widget" tags inserted into a website's
standard HTML code, the PhotoShelter Seamless Customization Option is able
to fit into nearly any website design. Photographers with basic HTML skills
are able to complete the customization process themselves. Customization
setup assistance is also available from PhotoShelter for an hourly fee.

Examples of The Seamless Customization Option at work, can be viewed at:
https://www.photoshelter.com/tour/?c=customize

Posted by drjay32 at 3:44 PM

Nikonians and the Open Raw International Survey

We are strong supporters of open RAW standards.

Our support of open documentation standards is a priority in matters that pertain to our community.

Wider dissemination of the art and science of photography, wider choices of better tools for the craft and ensuring the preservation of its recordings for the future are of our primary interest and concern.

It is due to this conviction that we fully endorse the Open Raw Initiative International Survey, launched today, January 31, 2006, which for 8 weeks will collect information about the experiences, requirements, preferences, and concerns of digital photographers and other interested parties regarding RAW imaging technology.

Many photographers involved in this debate come from the film background and may remember the problems regarding proprietary issues raised by different manufacturers of film and chemistry.

The single binding force through these years has been our ability to use cameras, made by distinctly individual and highly competitive companies, to create history-making images, with at least a knowledge that once we had a "negative" - we had the ability to produce and reproduce the photographs that achieved a desired result.

The cameras were only the light-capturing devices that used different schemes and technologies to record the moment. Some were excellent (like the Nikons we prefer) and some were not. However, regardless of the camera manufacturer, we always had that standard of a workable negative to produce our efforts.

Proprietary RAW eliminates that opportunity to a large extent.

Photography as an art has not changed.
Photography as a profession has not changed.
However, photography has become a nightmare for those entering the digital age.

Camera manufacturers need to level that "playing field" and rely on the merits of their products, without resorting to digital proprietary schemes that force the consumer to rely on their brand.
Of course we at Nikonians are confident in the Nikon brand, but we also recognize that this is a matter of photography at large - not "photography with a certain camera."

Our support of open documentation standards is a priority in matters that pertain to our community.

Wider dissemination of the art and science of photography, wider choices of better tools for the craft and ensuring the preservation of its recordings for the future are of our primary interest and concern.

It is due to this conviction that we fully endorse the Open Raw Initiative International Survey, launched today, January 31, 2006, which for 8 weeks will collect information about the experiences, requirements, preferences, and concerns of digital photographers and other interested parties regarding RAW imaging technology.

openraw_survey2006_120.gif

Although these topics have being discussed in our forums and others, there is little systematic information about the experiences, requirements, preferences, and concerns of photographers regarding RAW.

We therefore encourage our community members and readers to participate in this survey, anonymous and confidential, with no connection to any business or commercial interest, which will make available the statistical results to camera manufacturers, software development firms, and other key participants in the digital imaging industry, making sure our collective voice is heard, in the hope that the future of the craft will benefit.

Our appreciation and support to our friends Juergen Specht, Nikon photographer and founder of the OpenRAW initiative, and Calvin Jones, statistical research consultant, sponsors of the Open Raw International Survey.

The results will be made widely available and also published at our Nikonians community.

Posted by jrp at 12:16 AM

January 26, 2006

Nikonians Talk Radio: The Image Doctors #5

Image-Doctors.png The Image Doctors are at it again.

Download The Image Doctors podcast for January 26, 2006: NPC-ID-2006-01-26.mp3 (38:24, 17.7 Mbyte, mp3 format).

For detailed show notes, click to continue reading this story.

Show Notes for The Image Doctors, January 26, 2006

-Jason Odell talks with Rick Walker and describes his experience meeting Nikonians and seeing the exhibits at the recent ImagingUSA Expo in Austin, Texas, and information about the Nikonians Booth at PMA 2006 in Orlando, Florida.

-Listener mail regarding Nikon's newest lens, the 18-200 AFS VR.

-"The Announcement" by Nikon to discontinue the bulk of their 35mm film camera line-up.

-Travel Photography: topics, equipment, what to pack, how to pack it, and the new Nikonians Travel Forum.

As always, feel free to suggest a show topic or ask us a question-- email the Image Doctors.

Posted by drjay32 at 3:29 PM

January 25, 2006

Imaging USA a success for Nikonians

I've recently returned from Austin, Texas and the Imaging USA Expo. It was wonderful being on the show floor, where I met many Nikonians! Hopefully, those of you I met will enjoy your new Op-Tech Nikonians camera straps, courtesy of the Nikonians Photo Pro Shop. Thanks to all the friendly people at the Nikon booth who answered all my questions!

Posted by drjay32 at 4:13 PM

January 24, 2006

Alien Skin's Exposure Film Effects

Plug-in maker Alien Skin has released their latest creation called Exposure. The newest addition is a film emulator, which allows you to simulate current and discontinued film stock like Velvia or even darkroom techniques like cross-processing.

Posted by covey22 at 4:29 PM

January 23, 2006

Think Tank Photo Bag System: The Nikonians Review

Nikonians Team Member Jason Odell reviews the Think Tank Modulus Speed Bag and Airport Addicted System and arrives at very interesting conclusions for photographers on the go.

Posted by covey22 at 8:13 PM

Lensbaby 2.0: The Nikonians Review

Nikonians Team Member Jason Odell reviews the Lensbaby 2.0 - "If you are a photographer looking to spark your creativity, the Lensbaby is the kind of product that can do just that."

Posted by covey22 at 5:08 PM

High Speed Cropping Screen for D2X

Nikon is now offering a special viewing screen for the D2X specifically for shooters who use the high-speed cropping function regularly. The Type W III Focusing Screen paints the 1.5x area a translucent gray and leaves the 2x HSC area clear, but still maintains markings for the centerweighted metering and the 11-area AF system.

Posted by covey22 at 4:11 PM

January 20, 2006

Adobe Camera Raw 3.3 Beta with D200 Support

Members in our forums report the availability of Adobe Camera RAW 3.3 Beta which supports the D200.

Posted by covey22 at 3:48 AM

January 19, 2006

Editorial: An Upside to Recent Events

Although recent events such as Konica-Minolta's departure are seen as a harbinger for further declines in the camera manufacturing industry, our members should take comfort in the fact that Nikon has taken a strong stance to continue on as a household name in photography. Being the first of the major manufacturers to publicly acknowledge that film was on the decline, proclaim digital as the future, and sweepingly streamline their product set in a single move was seen as such a risky proposition. And yet, given the latest developments, it now seems a decision wiser than it first appeared. K-M's decline will likely force the remaining film powerhouses, Kodak and Fujifilm, to scale back their own analog operations, furthering the decline of emulsion-based photography. But Nikon has chosen to keep one of the finest of the F-series alive. Such a move marks the end of the film era, but also the beginning of a new one. The future of digital SLRs starting with the new D200 and follow-on models is starkly bright. The arrival of Carl Zeiss lenses is only the beginning of new innovations that will grace the use of Nikon cameras.

Posted by covey22 at 10:07 PM

Konica-Minolta Folds Up Film and Camera Segment

The first of the giants has fallen: Konica-Minolta has announced their withdrawal from the film and camera business. Camera sales will end in March of this year, with film expected to cease by 2007. An undisclosed portion of their digital SLR assets will be transferred to Sony Corporation. The latter move is not a surprise, as Sony had been planning to enter the digital SLR market using an established maker's body.

Posted by covey22 at 4:21 PM

January 18, 2006

It's Official - Zeiss Lenses for F-Mount

Following several weeks of "teaser ads," Zeiss has finally made it official - they will be producing high-quality full-frame lenses for the F-Mount. First up is a Planar T* 50mm/f1.4 ZF, followed by a Planar T* 85mm/f1.4 ZF. Although not a surprise to shutterbugs who follow the news closely (the teaser ads were downplayed by unintended releases of information in the form of lens images), everyone is still wondering what these highly-touted lenses might cost. The Zeiss press release simply states "competitive with similar items in the Nikon F-system." The new lenses will be sold through a separate sales organization.

Posted by covey22 at 2:12 PM

January 17, 2006

Think Tank Photo Releases First Secure Rolling Airline Carry-on Bag

Think Tank Photo's new Airport Security rolling carry-on bag (www.thinktankphoto.com) not only allows photographers to roll their bodies, lenses, and accessories onto an airliner and legally store them in an overhead bin, it features front- pocket and main compartment combination locks and a cable from a secret rear hatch that allow them to secure their bag to posts, trees, and other immovable objects.

Posted by covey22 at 5:18 PM

Lexar's New 133x Professional Line

Lexar has raised the bar yet again on high-performance flash cards with their new 133x Professional line. Featuring a 20MB/sec minimum sustained write speed and available in CompactFlash (CF) and Secure Digital (SD) formats, the cards will come bundled with Image Resuce Pro 2.0, a trial of Photo Mechanic 4.0 and Corel Paint Shop Pro 9. In addition, the 2GB SD card versions will come with a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed reader to proactively address any compatibility issues with the larger capacity. These cards are currently available now at all major retailers.

Posted by covey22 at 4:47 PM

Sigma announces 17-70/2.8-4.5 DC MACRO

Sigma Japan announces the newest lens to the DC lineup - a 17-70mm/2.8-4.5 Macro exclusively for use with APS-C sized Digital SLRs.

Posted by covey22 at 4:43 PM

Volunteer at PMA 2006 and get free admission to the convention!

To our Silver, Gold and Platinum Nikonians: We are seeking enthusiastic volunteers to assist in spreading the word about Nikonians at the 2006 PMA Trade Show in Orlando, Florida. In exchange for your help, Nikonians will provide you with a coupon good for free 1-day admission to the PMA Trade Show. We need volunteers for February 26th through March 1, 2006 at the Orange County Convention Center. Here's your chance to help our community and get the inside scoop on all the new product announcements at PMA. See the Nikon booth, and meet the Nikonians founders in person!
For more information, contact Jason Odell.

Posted by drjay32 at 4:25 PM

PMA Hotel Bookings Close January 20th, 2006

Bookings for hotel accomodations to the Photo Marketing Association's 2006 Convention in Orlando Florida close on January 20th.

Posted by covey22 at 3:50 PM

S3Pro Upgrade Now Available in USA

Fujifilm has announced the availability of the memory upgrade for S3Pro users in the USA. The upgrade will cost USD379.95 plus applicable taxes, and the website mentions a possible discount if certain conditions are met. In addition to previously announced features, the upgrade now includes a "wake-up" feature for the camera's vertical shutter.

Posted by covey22 at 3:39 PM

January 16, 2006

Come to Imaging USA and get a free Nikonians camera strap!

ImagingUSA_2006.jpg

Nikonians is pleased to announce that our very own Jason Odell will be in attendance at Imaging USA in Austin, Texas.

The Imaging USA Expo is being held from January 22-24th at the Austin Convention Center. Jason, one of the Nikonians "Image Doctors", will be roaming the trade show floor on January 22nd and 23rd. If you run into him, chances are he'll have a special-edition Op-Tech camera strap emblazoned with the Nikonians logo for you.

Posted by drjay32 at 6:06 PM

January 14, 2006

Tool to find DSLR info

Nikonians has the tool for you to find anything on Nikon and photography and imaging in general. If you are a pro or amateur, digital or film user doesn't matter. The NikoScope.com search engine is fast and its multiple indexes are updated several times per week.

We have collected some of the most useful local, resource, forums and web-based searches on Digital Nikon Cameras and accessories right here at Nikonians.org. If you, for example, are looking for more info on the Nikon D200 on the web, you can find that through NikoScope right here.

Enjoy! - The Nikonians Team

Posted by bgs at 4:04 PM

January 13, 2006

PDN's Top Knots Deadline Extended

For those wedding shooters who couldn't meet the original cutoff, PDN's Top Knots - The New School of Wedding Photography - has extended it's deadline for entries to February 24th, 2006. Each category winner will receive a Nikon digital camera and other prizes.

Posted by covey22 at 5:57 PM

January 12, 2006

Apple releases iLife '06

Apple has updated it's iLife multimedia software suite - of interest to shutterbugs are new features in iPhoto 6, such as support for up to a quarter-million shots and PhotoCasting - a new way to immediately share your photos via .Mac.

Posted by covey22 at 4:45 PM

The End of the Tale? Sigma Flash Woes with D200

Sigma has posted yet another incompatibility service notice with the D200, this time with their flashgun products.

To our valued customers,

Responding to enquiries received recently regarding the Nikon NA-iTTL version of the Sigma EF500 DG Super, Sigma EF500 DG ST and the EM140 DG when used with the Nikon D200 DSLR. We would direct you to the compatibility chart on our website which states that these flashguns do not support either the D2X, D2H or D200 i-TTL system.

To overcome this, we will be supplying a free-upgrade service to our customers. This free upgrade aims to respond to the demand of our customers by providing greater compatibility with Nikon fit flashguns (EF-500 DG SUPER NA-iTTL, EF-500 DG ST NA-iTTL, EM-140 DG NA-iTTL).

This firmware update service will allow the above mentioned flashguns to be compatible with the i-TTL systems of the D2Hs, D100, D1X, D1H, D1 and D200.

We will post further information regarding service procedure and time-scales in due course.

Posted by covey22 at 4:19 PM

Nikonians Talk Radio: The Image Doctors #4

Image-Doctors.png

Happy New Year from The Image Doctors! In today's show, Rick and Jason discuss how to get started in wildlife photography, from setting up a kit to fit your budget to improving composition. They also review some products from ThinkTank Photo, and discuss upcoming appearances at photo shows. As always, you can make a suggestion for a show topic or ask a question-- just email the Image Doctors.

Download The Image Doctors podcast for January 12, 2006; NPC-ID-2006-01-12.mp3 (54:17, 12.6Mbyte, mp3 format).

Posted by drjay32 at 3:38 PM

January 11, 2006

PDN PIX Digital Imaging Contest Winners

PDN has posted the winners of their 2005 PIX Digital Imaging Contest. The winners definitely show creative vision.

Posted by covey22 at 9:59 PM

CNET Deal of the Day: Coolpix P2 for USD240

CNET is listing the best deal they could find for the Coolpix P2: USD240 on Amazon.

Posted by covey22 at 9:18 PM

Nikon Reduces 35mm and Film Product Line

In a press release, Nikon has announced a manufacturing stop on all large format and enlarging lenses. This will also apply to the majority of film camera bodies, interchangable manual focus lenses and accessories. Products that will continue to be produced are the F6 and FM10 cameras and the following manual focus lenses:

Nikkor 20mm f/2.8
Nikkor 24mm f/2.8
Nikkor 28mm f/2.8
Nikkor 35mm f/1.4
Nikkor 50mm f/1.2
Nikkor 50mm f/1.4
Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/2.8
Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8
PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D

Posted by covey22 at 7:51 PM

Sigma Woes Part II: Exposure Issues with D200

Sigma's tale of start-stop performance with the D200 continues; this time affecting a number of their wide-to-tele zooms and a prime. Sigma claims use of these lenses without modification on the D200 will result in improper exposure. The list includes:

Fixed Focal Length Lenses
28mm F1.8 DG ASPERICAL RF

Zoom Lenses
20-40mm F2.8 EX DG ASPERICAL
24-70mm F2.8 EX DG MACRO
24-70mm F2.8 EX ASPHERICAL DF
28-70mm F2.8 EX DG
28-105mm F2.8-4 DG
28-105mm F2.8-4 ASPHERICAL

Sigma will offer a free upgrade, but owners will have to send the lenses into the nearest Sigma repair depot for service.

Posted by covey22 at 3:07 PM

January 10, 2006

Coolpix Makes PC Mag's "Last Gadget Standing"

The Coolpix P1 was honored as a finalist in PC Magazine's Last Gadget Standing Contest at CES 2006.

Posted by covey22 at 9:35 PM

January 9, 2006

Lightroom: Adobe's Aperture Killer?

In a stunning move on the opening day of Macworld, Adobe unveiled their new RAW Workflow application called Lightroom. While paralleling many of Aperture's features, Adobe claims that their workflow app will support more RAW camera formats than it's competitor; emphasizing DNG support which is now a native file format in Hasselblad's H2D DSLR and Leica's upcoming Digital-Modul-R back. Lightroom apparently has less strenuous requirements than Aperture - observers of the demo noted the new arrival was running smoothly on a Powerbook G4. A beta of the application (Macintosh only) is available for download. Adobe will be providing PC support, but only under the new Windows Vista Operating System.

Posted by covey22 at 3:04 PM

January 6, 2006

SDHC Specs Nearly Complete

The SD Card Association announced at the CES convention that it is hoping to finalize the specifications by February 2006. This will allow increases beyond the current 2GB storage limit as well as improvements in speed and security.

Posted by covey22 at 4:18 PM

January 5, 2006

Zeiss Secret Slowly Unveiled

Over the past few weeks, Zeiss has captured the attention of Nikon owners with hints of building F-mount compatible lenses. The latest teaser has revealed a 50/1.4 Planar T* (see the image at the top of screen at this link).

Posted by covey22 at 1:44 PM

January 4, 2006

Looking for the Best Online Print Prices?

PMA International posted the latest online prices at a variety of retailers. At the top of the list is York photo at 10 cents (USD) for a 4x6 and EZ Prints at USD3.45 for an 11x14.

Note: PMA changes content on a daily basis. The online print prices were posted as of 01/05/2006.

Posted by covey22 at 5:48 PM

Kodak and Lexar Team Up on Hi-Performance Cards

On the heels of recent announcements, Lexar has also teamed up with Kodak to produce a line of high performance memory cards suitable for digital still and video camera use. Initially available in SD format, the cards will come in 512MB and 1GB capacities with more formats and sizes anticipated later on in 2006.

Posted by covey22 at 5:43 PM

January 3, 2006

Sports Editor Uses Nikon D2H To Show Venue Changes

AJC Sports Photo Editor Dave Tulis compresses life under the Georgia Dome into a series of time-lapsed photographs showing how the venue's appearance changed as it hosted three football games over the course of four days.

Posted by covey22 at 11:14 PM

Lexar Updates Platinum Line; Bundles Corel

In separate announcements, Lexar will be showcasing the Platinum II line of professional memory cards at CES 2006 and will also bundle select Corel products - Paint Shop Pro 9 and Photo Album - across various memory card lines.

Posted by covey22 at 5:04 PM

Holiday Product Updates

A collection of updates have crossed our news desk over the holiday season - the Epson P-4000 has a new firmware upgrade to 4.51 which includes support for 2GB SD cards among other improvements, Apple's Aperture goes to 1.01 including fixes for WB accuracy, and Bibble Labs has updated Bibble Pro to version 4.5 to include support for the Nikon D200.

Posted by covey22 at 4:45 PM

The Holiday Flipside: Store Returns

In a recent PMA Newsline edition, the topic that every shopper dreads came up: returning items to the retailer. There is a growing trend among retailers to become more aggressive on return conditions as well as identifying customers who have been abusing return policies. With the explosion in consumer electronics purchases, shutterbugs should pay particular attention. The PMA article recommends the following:

* Consumers should check the return policies of the retailer carefully - i.e., the "brick-and-mortar" stores may have differing policies from that of the website.

* Some larger chains have specific date-ranges for purchases made over the holiday season, but high-end items such as computers and digital cameras may have even more restrictive periods.

* For items or gifts that cannot be returned, consider reselling them. Receller, an eBay spinoff, has simplified the selling and marketing process by providing a full-up middleman service for individuals who have no time or interest in the traditional DIY process.

Posted by covey22 at 3:33 PM