If you have the chance to come by, we are raffling daily prizes, including a Markins Q3, Nikonians t-shirts, camera straps and more. Just do not forget your username! :)
If you bring your favorite shot on a USB stick, you also have the chance to get it printed on a large format photo printer.

Gary Fong (USA) will be on hand for demonstrations during the weekend. Stop by the Nikonians booth (Hall 2.1, E014) early to double check on his demonstrations schedule for the day.

Hope to see you there!
The Nikonians team
www.nikonians.org
Photokina, Hall 2.1, E014

Posted by flashdeadline at 2:22 PM

September 25, 2008

Nikon and HP Create Fine-Art Repro System

Nikon and Hewlett-Packard have joined forces to create a fine-art reproduction system featuring the full-frame sensor D3 digital SLR, StudioPrint RIP software and the DesignJet Z3200 photo printer. The venture aims to put a capture-to-print system for that is superior in workflow and efficiency to large-format DFA offerings. (via WebWire)

Posted by covey22 at 7:53 PM

Nikons Figure In Toronto Crime Reduction

The Canadian city of Toronto is using Nikons to combat crime, but not in the way one would usually expect. Instead of preventing crime by active photography, the metropolitan police department is offering Nikons as trade-ins for it's upcoming gun amnesty campaign. Unwanted or obsolete weapons will be picked up by the authorities and those turning in the guns will get a Nikon Coolpix camera plus photo lessons for free. The trade-in packages are being sponsored by Henry's Camera, a prominent national store chain. (via Toronto Globe & Mail)

Posted by covey22 at 7:37 PM

Photokina Nikonians bracing for weekend rush

Each new days brings a heavier volume of visitors to the Nikonians booth at Photokina 2008, in Cologne, Germany. Thanks to a steady stream of Nikonians volunteers, the Team has been able to take time to welcome distinguished visitors, sell some Photo Pro Shop favorites, and award daily prizes.

Nikonians co-founders J. Ramón Palacios and Bo Stahlbrandt welcomed Markins President Byung-Ik Mah to the booth for a meet and greet session that included a nod of approval for the unveiling of our new MAGICA camera support system. Mr. Mah, founder of the Markins Company whose products are solely distributed through Nikonians.org, was asked if he had to design the MAGICA from scratch would he make any changes. His reply came after a big smile. With no official announcements of a Markins line of tripod products in the near future, Mr. Mah says he has been developing some prototypes for the past two years.
The prototypes have been available only to a select few close business contacts, while he continues testing to meet his design goal. Just as with his now famous Markins ballheads, Mr. Mah intends to have the lightest weight yet sturdiest product on the market. It took more than five years for his ballhead designs to go from design to production, so don't start placing any orders for a Markins tripod yet.

One of the hardest working volunteers at the Photokina has been Thomas Berg, shown here explaining the benefits of a Gary Fong Lightsphere to an interested visitor. He told us his positive approach during three day-long sessions on his feet came from experience. He's attended the Photokina shows since 1982 and as he explains it: "I've seen if from the visitor's side-- and I've always wanted a chance to be in the booth."

Nikonian Bram van de Kerkhof (Bamvdk), at left, is one of our recent daily drawing winners, earning a Markins Q3 Emille ballhead after registering at the our booth. The Nikonians prize award team is: Katarina Mintalova and Jürgen Plessing.
Free t-shirts will be handed out to a few lucky Nikonians from a limited daily supply throughout the week, and we also have a limited number of camera straps to give away to members. If you bring your favorite shot on a USB stick, you also have the chance to get it printed on a large format HP photo printer.

Hope to see you there!
The Nikonians team
Photokina, Hall 2.1, E014

Posted by flashdeadline at 12:09 PM

September 24, 2008

Photokina Update - Nikonians in line for a sweet deal

Day Two at Photokina 2008 in Cologne, Germany includes news of an HP printer cash back offer for Nikonians, the first Pascal Baetens fine art nude photo demonstration session
and a spotlight on a husband-wife team of volunteers.

The opportunity to receive free large prints produced by an HP Designjet Z3200 printer offered for Nikonians members drew many members to our booth in Hall 2.1. One of our members, shown here (on the left) admiring his fresh print is Lars Peter (EpsilonZero), who took advantage of the free offer to print a photo he took of his brother Arne kite surfing. Lars was standing in knee-high water when Arne nearly ran him over. His blow-up, which was prepared with the help of Apple computer consultant Mitch Enzmann (on the right).
The HP Z3200 is big brother to many of the HP Photosmart Pro printers, and in Photokina special extended to all Nikonians, HP has set up a Photokina cash-back deal for HP B9180, B8550 and B8550 printers up to 100 Euros.
The offer is open to all HP customers; however, for those living outside of Germany, HP has set up a special phone number to call to make arrangements. The number in Germany is +49 7031 763 418.
For more information visit www.hp.com/de/promotions/photokina08.

Pascal Baetens kicked of the first of his twice daily fine-art nude photo sessions Wednesday morning. Within less than an hour, he demonstrated more than just lighting techniques and posing. The mini-workshop also showed visitors to the Nikonians booth how to work with models to make the shooting session comfortable for his model. The narrative, presented by Pascal with German translation provided by Nikonians Photo Pro Shop Director Jürgen Plessing, included real-time samples of his images on screens outside of the booth. This photo was taken by our own ¨on Location¨ podcaster Martin Joergensen, who was on hand to record segments for a special Photokina podcast he will be posting on Monday.

The Nikonians volunteers dropping in to help distribute flyers and direct Photokina visitors to the Nikonians booth included the husband and wife combination of Jan R. Smit (JRSMIT) and his wife Ella. They arrived ready for a full day, and spent the majority of their time traveling the many halls at Photokina, telling visitors to visit the Nikonians booth.

Tomorrow´s schedule includes two more Pascal Baetens fine art nude demonstrations.

Posted by flashdeadline at 6:04 PM

September 22, 2008

The Nikonians On Location #34 - Forest Adventure

Some thoughts about the model shoot in the forest by the stream. We had four models dressed up as a bird-like lady, a witch, a troll and an elf.

Click here to download Nikonians On Location Podcast #34 (NPC-OL-2008-09-22; 20:56; 19.5MB, MP3 format).
Video supplement available here (NPC-OLV-2008-09-22; 6:05; flash format).

Show Notes: September 22, 2008

The podcast tells about setting flashes and camera for a shoot like this combining ambient light and flash as well as a little about shooting with models.

Video supplement:

The video supplement shows some examples from both myself and Jesper - the other photographer (and a Canonian BTW).
Click here to view Nikonians On Location Video Supplement #34 (NPC-OLV-2008-09-22; 6:05; flash format)

Music used on today's show:

Reflections by Hans Christian from Magnatune

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Nikonians Podcast directly in iTunes

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Questions, Comments, Announcements?

Email Martin at onlocation@nikonians.org, or drop us a line in the Podcast Feedback forum!

Posted by martinj at 7:22 PM

Long Overdue - the Nikon 50mm f1.4 Silent Wave Lens

On the eve of Photokina, Nikon revealed one more gift to the faithful - the long-awaited 50mm f1.4 G lens with Silent Wave motor. This prime will beautifully match up to the new FX sensor D3 and D700, giving the classic "normal" perspective of 35mm SLRs, while providing a fast, short "tele" for DX body owners. Nikon has tweaked the optical formula and applied the Super Integrated Coatings on the elements. Not so hot: the price. This is one of the lenses D40 and D60 shooters have been clamoring for, but the USD440 MSRP may give a lot of owners pause if they're looking for bang-for-the-buck.

Posted by covey22 at 3:32 PM

September 21, 2008

Photokina Schedule

This year we're again exhibiting at the largest imaging and photo exhibition, Photokina in Cologne, Germany (Sep 23rd - 28th). Even if you are not able to come and visit the crew at our booth (Hall 2.1, E014), do not miss the daily Photokina updates in our blog, showcasing what is new in the imaging world.

If you have the chance to come by, we are raffling daily prizes, incl a Markins Q3, Nikonians t-shirts, camera straps and more. Just do not forget your username! :) If you bring your favorite shot on a USB stick, you also have the chance to get it printed on a large format photo printer.

Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th of September, Pascal Baetens (Belgium) shoots fine art nudes. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Gary Fong (USA) does model shooting and presents his innovative flash-enhancing products.

Hope to see you there!
The Nikonians team
www.nikonians.org
Photokina, Hall 2.1, E014

Posted by bgs at 5:44 PM

2009 Nikonians Academy classes and adventures preview

Nikonians Academy Director Mike Hagen has a hefty slate of classes, workshops and travel adventures in store for next year.

Here's just a quick sampling of what is posted and what is
coming:
— Nikon D300 In Depth and D300 Advanced
— Nikon D700
— Nikon D90, D40/D60
— Nikon Wireless Flash In Depth and Advanced
— Nikon Capture NX 2
— Travel Workshops to Santa Fe, Triple D Game Farm, Galapagos, Africa, Yosemite, Black Hills, African Safaris, Hawaii and Garden of the Gods.

A number of our workshops are already posted at www.nikoniansacademy.com right now and we'll be posting more over the next few weeks. These always sell quickly, so don't hesitate to sign up!

We've just had a seat open up in our Africa Safari trip from November 11 - 23, 2008. If you've been waiting for an opportunity to photograph wildlife in one of nature's most impressive geographical locations, then this is your chance! Check the Africa Safari info page for details.

Our travel workshop to California's Death Valley National Park also has one last seat remaining. This photo adventure will run from November 13th - 16th, 2008 and will be led by AP photographer Michael Mariant.

Posted by flashdeadline at 5:19 AM

September 19, 2008

NIKONIANS PHOTOKINA FALL CLEARANCE SPECAL

Effective immediately, all purchases from Nikonians PhotoProShop will be discounted by 15 percent across the board. The discount is part of many in-house Photokina specials designed to celebrate our second appearance at the Cologne, Germany event (23-28 Sept).

While preparing for the show, we realized we will need to make room for some of the new items we'll be arranging for as our Team meets with the top imaging suppliers in the world. The NIKONIANS PHOTOKINA FALL CLEARANCE SPECAL will last only until the last day of the Photokina, September 28, so if you've been thinking about gift giving (to others and even yourself) --- Now is the time to make your purchase.

To take advantage of this NIKONIANS PHOTOKINA FALL CLEARANCE SPECAL please make sure you use this voucher code when ordering: NIKONIANS-FALL

If you are attending Photokina, make sure you stop in and visit the Nikonians Team at Hall 2.1, Booth E 014.

Posted by flashdeadline at 3:43 PM

Nikonians cover Photokina

We (www.nikonians.org) are covering Photokina daily from the floor in Cologne, Germany: Just make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed. Also make sure you are visiting us at Photokina, Hall 2.1, Booth E014

Posted by bgs at 11:04 AM

Nikonians Business Directory launched

Nikonians visiting the Home Pages of both our English and German sites will see a new addition at the top of the page. The Nikonians Orange Directory, launched today, is a directory service for members and visitors of Nikonians, where businesses and their products and services (similar to yellow pages) are listed. The directory has a focus on imaging and photography.

The "Biz Directory" button leads you straight to the newly established service, which currently has already listed more than 40 ads.
The focus of this service is business oriented, so used equipment sales and private ads are not eligible. Nikonians have access to used equipment postings in our "Want to Buy" and "Want to Sell" discussion areas located in the General Forums.
The Nikonians Orange Directory has been added to the list of benefits for all Nikonians Platinum members.
The members were recently sent notices prior to the launch advising them "As a platinum member, you have free access to the directory for the duration of your membership. This means you can post your own ads in there to advertise your own business."

To be listed in the directory you will find an entry form, upload directions and payment options based on Business User Account level. Nikonians Platinum members enjoy the benefit of no additional charge because their annual contributions cover the requirement for a Business User Account.

Photokina Special

To help celebrate the launching of the Nikonians Business Directory during Photokina, every customer who subscribes between now and the last day of the Photokina (September 28) will get free access to the directory for three months or 40% off if they buy a Business Standard and 35% off if they buy a Business Gold Membership or a Business Platinum Membership.
This special offer is available by sending an email to photokina-2008@nikonians.org, and stating your username and the level of Business Membership you wish to attain. The discounts and free directory listing periods will be manually processed during the Photokina (valid until September 28th 2008).

Posted by flashdeadline at 10:10 AM

Photokina Countdown: Five Days to go

Pascal Baetens, Curator of the Nikonians Fine Art Gallery is preparing for another round of fine art nude shooting shows at Photokina 2008, in Cologne Germany. His shows two years ago were a popular Photokina attraction.

Pascal is ready to present his shows twice daily at the Photokina, which is open to visitors from Tuesday, September 23 to Sunday, September 28, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The fine art nude shooting shows are scheduled for two shows a day;
» 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Tuesday
» 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

When he's not busy with his shows, you will likely find Pascal gathered with the Nikonians Team at Hall 2.1, Booth E 014, where a number of other activities will be under way.

The Team will be ready to show you the latest gear available from our Nikonians PhotoProShop, including the unveiling of our new MAGICA camera support system.

Nikonians co-founders Bo Stahlbrandt & J. Ramón Palacios will be available for meet and greets as well as Jürgen Plessing from the PhotoProShop and Hendric Schneider & Katarina Mintalova from our Ad Sales Team. They will be joined by a dedicated group of volunteers who will help bring visitors to the booth throughout the week.

Once the visitors arrive they will be eligible to register for a daily raffle of a Markins Q3 Emille Ball Head (Value 284 Euro). They will also be able to see demonstrations of XXL prints produced by an HP Z3200 Printer and XL Prints from an HP9180.

For a full listing of Nikonians Booth activities check our Photokina page.

Posted by flashdeadline at 6:28 AM

September 18, 2008

Nikonians eligible for Chris Weston discount

Chris Weston, author of over twenty books, has made his newest wildlife photography book available to Nikonians for half-price. Chris lectures in photography and wildlife and leads several UK and overseas-based workshops and safaris.

The book, entitled Wildlife Through a Nikon Lens covers shooting techniques and camera equipment used to capture stunning images in a six year period from 2001 to 2006.

Chris was featured in a Nikonians Behind The Lens podcast discussing his wildlife photography adventures in Africa with Briant Tilley. The 52-minute podcast is available for download.

Details on the book and the gateway to your Nikonians discount are available here. Arrangements have been made for payment in U.S. Dollars and Euros.

Posted by flashdeadline at 4:27 PM

ID#75: The Image Doctors

Black and White extravaganza!  Rick and Jason dedicate this entire episode to processing digital images into beautiful black & white photographs, and review a new plug-in, Nik Silver Efex Pro. This is an enhanced (MP4) podcast with embedded images. Read the show notes if you prefer to download the MP3 version of this episode.

Looking for an Image Doctors Episode? Check the show archives here.

Download The Image Doctors #75 (NPC-ID-2008-09-18.m4a; 59:12; 16.3MB; MP4 format)

Show Notes:September 18, 2008

0:54 Black and White Imaging

29:56: Review of Nik Silver Efex Pro

54:40: Photo Prescription: Blue Loc-Tite

For the MP3 version of this podcast (audio only) click here (20.4MB).

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Image Doctors directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add the Image Doctors feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically to you.
[Vote] Vote for us on Podcast Alley!

Posted by drjay32 at 6:00 AM

All eyes focus on Photokina

Nikonians co-founders J. Ramón Palacios (jrp) and Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) are preparing to meet with fellow Nikonians at the 30th edition of Photokina, in Cologne, Germany.

The Nikonians gathering spot will be in Hall 2.1, Booth E 014. Highlights for the week (23-28 Sept) include a full schedule of events:

• A daily drawing to award a Markins Q3 Emille Ball Head (Value 284 Euro).
  
• Two live model shooting sessions a day hosted by fine art nude shooting expert Nikonian Pascal Baetens.
  
• Opportunities to meet Gary Fong (Founder of Gary Fong Inc.) and Mr. Byung-Ik Mah (Founder of Markins Professional Photographic Products).

Posted by flashdeadline at 5:03 AM

September 17, 2008

Nikon Updates Software Suites for D90, Coolpix P6000

Nikon has updated both Capture Control Pro and Capture NX2 with support for the D90's RAW images. Also receiving a refresh is Nikon Transfer, with both D90 and P6000 support. All versions can be downloaded in full and updater binaries. (Nikon USA site)

Posted by covey22 at 8:39 PM

Canon Returns The Volley: EOS 5D Mark II with HD Video

Canon finally reveals the much anticipated EOS 5D Mark II, and this time it's got HD Video with Stereo sound. The new model also trumps the D90 with a maximum movie time of 29 minutes. The tiering positions the EOS 5D Mark II to be a direct competitor to the D700, but the feature set of the video functions are definitely beginning to encroach upon entry-level movie cameras.

Posted by covey22 at 3:13 PM

September 15, 2008

On Location gone fishin'

Literally... Martin has been out fishing these past few days and must regretfully announce that he has concentrated more on scaly creatures than on Nikonians (with good luck he says). Because of this the podcast On Location is cancelled this week, but will be back in full force next Monday.

Posted by martinj at 1:57 PM

September 9, 2008

Sony's Response - A900 24MP Full-Frame DSLR

Sony has hit the Photokina announcement circuit hard with the premiere of the A900 - a 24MP full-frame DSLR. As befitting a flagship product, the camera delivers high-end features such an all-glass 100% viewfinder, image stabilization, dust removal, 5fps rate and a relatively light-weight mag-alloy body.

As expected, the high pixel density is accompanied by some compromises. The A900 has an ISO upper limit of 3200 and has an on-board noise reduction system. It also sports a very capable live-view sensor that allows true previewing of a shot including fine-tuning white-balance, checking histograms, adjusting dynamic range options and applying exposure compensation. All of those operations are done without occupying more space on the storage card. Expected price is about USD3000 and the units should be on shelves by November.

Posted by covey22 at 9:43 PM

September 8, 2008

The Nikonians On Location #33 - Location Scouting II

A walk in the forest - with a purpose. Looking for a good location for an upcoming shoot with several photographers and models and an adventure theme.

Click here to download Nikonians On Location Podcast #33 (NPC-OL-2008-09-08; 17:59; 8.4MB, MP3 format).
Video supplement available here (NPC-OLV-2008-09-08; 3:15; flash format).

Show Notes: September 08, 2008

Martin found the perfect spot for the shoot, and this slideshow shows a few of the many options. But he will have to do further preparations to gain access in car.

The sound file:

1. Intro
2. Forrest views
3. Traffic
4. Goodbye

Video supplement:

Short and sweet: Trees, stream, shallow water, steep banks, great views. The perfect place for an adventure themed shoot.
Click here to view Nikonians On Location Video Supplement #33 (NPC-OLV-2008-09-08; 3:15; flash format)

Music used on today's show:

Balance by David Modica on Magnatune

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Nikonians Podcast directly in iTunes

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Questions, Comments, Announcements?

Email Martin at onlocation@nikonians.org, or drop us a line in the Podcast Feedback forum!

Posted by martinj at 8:48 AM

September 4, 2008

ID#74: The Image Doctors

Rick and Jason travel to Indianapolis to shoot the 2008 Indianapolis Air Show. For the first time, this episode is presented in AAC format with embedded images, viewable in iTunes, or on video-capable players. For an MP3 audio-only version of this episode, check the show notes for the download link.

Looking for an Image Doctors Episode? Check the show archives here.

Download The Image Doctors #74 (NPC-ID-2008-09-04.m4a; 57:10; 20.2MB; AAC format)

Show Notes:September 4, 2008

00:08 Indianapolis Air Show

39:12  Football (American Style)

40:57 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

44:06  Visit To Roberts Imaging

46:36  Flight on the B-25H "Barbie III" from Warbirds Unlimited

For the MP3 version of this podcast (audio only) click here.

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Image Doctors directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add the Image Doctors feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically to you.
[Vote] Vote for us on Podcast Alley!

Posted by drjay32 at 6:00 AM

September 2, 2008

Tamron's Nikon Goodness

As part of the continuing wave of Pre-Photokina product announcements, Tamron has unveiled two lenses - one is a refresh of the AF 90mm f2.8 1:1 Macro lens with a built-in motor that will appeal to D40 and D60 owners, and a new AF 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 wide-angle zoom designed exclusively for digital SLRs.

Posted by covey22 at 10:53 PM

September 1, 2008

The Nikonians On Location #32 - Location Scouting

An eclectic podcast with Martin Joergensen - briefly covering the D90, a strobist meetup and shoot and scouting for locations.

Click here to download Nikonians On Location Podcast #32 (NPC-OL-2008-09-01; 18:18; 8.5MB, MP3 format).
Video supplement available here (NPC-OLV-2008-09-01; 7:26; flash format).

Show Notes: September 01, 2008

Martin covers preparing for shoots - in particular looking for suitable locations, a task which can make you a lot more productive and efficient when you are shooting with assistants, models and other photographers.

The sound file:

1. Welcome
2. D90
3. Scouting for locations
4. Strobist meetup
5. Bye

Video supplement:

Pictures of the D90, from location scouting trips and from the Copenhagen Strobist Meetup
Click here to view Nikonians On Location Video Supplement #32 (NPC-OLV-2008-09-01; 7:26; flash format)

Music used on today's show:

Chansons sans paroles (1989) op. 2 Humoresque by Gerard Satamian on Magnatune

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Nikonians Podcast directly in iTunes

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[Vote] Vote for us on Podcast Alley!

Questions, Comments, Announcements?

Email Martin at onlocation@nikonians.org, or drop us a line in the Podcast Feedback forum!

Posted by martinj at 12:21 PM