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December 28, 2009

News Flash Extra- Interviewing Nikonian Brian Hatch

We thought it might be interesting to find out what Nikonians are doing around the globe. Today on News Flash Extra, Ray speaks with Nikonian Brian Hatch from Afghanistan.
Brian is working there as a paramedic.

Download Nikonians News Flash Extra (NPC-NF-2009-12-30.mp3;
18:00; 16.4MB; MP3 format)

Show notes:

Local Nikonians:

A day in the life:

Background:

Movie trivia:

Mr. Hatch www.hivemindphotography.com

Equipment:

Medical photos:

Photographic bio:

Returning home:

Nikonian plugs:

Contact Nikonians News Flash: newsflash@nikonians.org

Thank you for joining me.

Your Nikonians podcaster Ray Valdovinos

Posted by rayvaldovinos at 3:20 PM

December 27, 2009

Nikonians News Flash #142

This week Ray passes along the latest photographic news relating to Nikon:
-Newest DSLR replacement schedule
-NASA to purchase D3S
-Judging open for Nikon Video contest
-Adobe launch
-Nikonian membership bonuses
-Nikonian Brian Hatch reports from Afghanistan

Download Nikonians News Flash #142 (NPC-NF-2009-12-28.mp3;
5:00; 4.57MB; MP3 format)

Show notes:
New cameras when?

NASA's new cameras

Nikon video contest

Adobe updates

Nikonian Membership bonus

Nikonian in Afghanistan

Contact Nikonians News Flash: newsflash@nikonians.org

Thank you for joining me.

Your Nikonians podcaster Ray Valdovinos

Posted by rayvaldovinos at 4:22 AM

December 25, 2009

Peaceful holidays to all Nikonians

No matter where you are on this beautiful, blue planet of ours, Ramón and I are wishing you peaceful holidays. 2009 has been a tough year on many of us, though the Nikonians community, the waterhole for anything Nikon, has grown steadily and we're ready for launching new inventions, software and website features for the community in 2010, the year of our 10th anniversary.

Sail safe and enjoy your photography!
Bo Stahlbrandt & J. Ramón Palacios

Posted by bgs at 2:18 PM

December 24, 2009

ID#107: The Image Doctors

Rick heads to Adobe headquarters in San Jose, California to interview Tom Hogarty, Lightroom product manager.

Download The Image Doctors #107 (NPC-ID-2009-12-24.m4a; 48:18; 11.7 MB; MP4 format)

For the MP3 version of this podcast (audio only) click here (13.9MB).

[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

December 21, 2009

Nikon D3S in Orbit

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced today that the Nikon D3S digital SLR and the Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 optics will be used to photographically document missions and activities aboard the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS).

Eleven of Nikon's flagship cameras and seven of the high-end wide-angle lenses have been ordered, and no special modifications have been made to the equipment. The latest additions will join existing D2X DSLRs, lenses and Speedlight flashes onboard the ISS. Since 1971, Nikon has been a critical part of NASA's equipment inventory, starting with the venerable Photomic FTN. To date, more than 700,000 images in NASA archives have been taken with Nikon equipment. Congratulations Nikon! (via Nikon Press Release)

Posted by covey22 at 8:56 PM

December 20, 2009

Nikonians News Flash #141

This week Ray passes along the latest photographic news relating to Nikon:
-MAC versions of Nikon Software releasing in January
-Nikon Picture Yourself Survey
-Nikon Holiday Photo hints
-Retrevo's Andrew Eisner on camera sales trends in 2009
-Nikonians Academy workshop update
-Upcoming News Flash Extra Announced
-Nikonians e-Zine 44 free download available now

Download Nikonians News Flash #141 (NPC-NF-2009-12-20.mp3;
5:36; 5.13MB; MP3 format)

141 episode show notes:
Mac OSX versions awaited

Andrew Eisner on cameras 2009

Nikonians Academy Workshops

Download the latest Holiday Edition of the eZine

Best of Nikonians - 2009 Images Photo Contest

Shopping at the Nikonians PhotoProShop

The book Mastering the Nikon D5000 by Darrell Young
********************************************************************************************************

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night."

Contact Nikonians News Flash: newsflash@nikonians.org

Thank you for joining me.

Your Nikonians podcaster Ray Valdovinos

Posted by rayvaldovinos at 7:16 PM

December 18, 2009

The Nikonian - eZine 44 now available

Our Holiday edition of The Nikonian is now available for free download. This latest edition features lucky Nikonians representative and Team Moderator Albert Esschendal (alberte) reporting on his trip to printing heaven (Epson's Europe ProPhoto Headquarters) and prolific Nikonians blogger Rick Paul (rickpaul) sharing important wedding photography tips.

It also includes:
■ Update on our Best of Nikonians - 2009 Images Photo Contest
■ Holiday shopping opportunities from the Nikonians PhotoProShop
■ A sample excerpt from the newest book in the "Mastering" series from the NikoniansPress/Rocky Nook partnership authored by Nikonians Writers Guild member Darrell Young (DigitalDarrell).

Posted by flashdeadline at 2:15 PM

30 days extra for Silver, Gold & Platinum

If you are on Silver, Gold or Platinum level membership with Nikonians and you renew, you will receive an additional 30 days extension to your membership at no additional cost.

If you decide to upgrade to a higher level, e.g. from Silver to Gold, whatever is left of your current level will be upgraded to the new level as well, also at no additional cost.

All services available to our financially supporting members are listed in the membership overview.

Posted by bgs at 12:05 PM

December 17, 2009

Mastering the Nikon D5000 book is printed and shipping

The Christmas Holiday season will surely include many new owners of the Nikon D5000, and for those of you who have placed your pre-orders on the latest book from NikoniansPress/Rocky Nook -- Mastering the D5000 by Darrell Young, we have great news. The book has finished the printing phase and is now shipping.

Our editing and publication team has already received their copy and we have a shot showing the book has also included our special NikoniansPress/Rocky Nook arrangement to include a Gold Membership Discount Voucher near the back. All five books in the series include a special Nikonians 50%-off voucher discount for a one year Gold Membership in the Nikonians community. This will save $37.50 on Gold Membership.

This same special arrangement has been available for Nikonians members purchasing the previous books in the series.

The previous four books in the NikoniansPress/ Rocky Nook partnership are:
• Mastering the Nikon D300, by Darrell Young
• The Nikon Creative Lighting System: Using the SB-600, SB-800, SB-900, and R1C1 flashes, by Mike Hagen.
• Mastering the D700, by Darrell Young and James Johnson.
• Mastering the Nikon D90, by Darrell Young

Posted by flashdeadline at 5:36 PM

December 14, 2009

Nikonians News Flash #140

This week Ray passes along the latest photographic news relating to Nikon:
-Nikon 300MM 2.8 VRII
-Nikon TC 20E III Teleconverter
-ThinkTankPhoto
-Canadian D3S Will be hard to come by
-Nikonians Rewards for Christmas
-Nikon's My Picturetown

Download Nikonians News Flash #140 (NPC-NF-2009-12-13.mp3;
3:51; 3.52MB; MP3 format)

Program Notes:
Nikon 300MM 2.8 VRII

TC20E III

Think Tank Photo

Nikonians https://www.nikonians.org/rewards/ for Christmas

Nikonians PhotoProShop for Christmas

Nikon My Picturetown

Contact Nikonians News Flash: newsflash@nikonians.org

Thank you for joining me.

Your Nikonians podcaster Ray Valdovinos

Posted by rayvaldovinos at 2:15 AM

December 12, 2009

Holiday Savings: Hot Nik Plug-Ins and Great Used Gear

The Nikonians Rewards for the holidays keep getting better and better with great discounts on the hottest software tools and outstanding used camera gear!

Nik Software is offering 20% off on all products and upgrades like the outstanding RAW editor Capture 2 NX or the awe-inspiring filters of Color Efex 3.0.

And what better way to test your new software than with pictures taken with some great used gear? Savvy shutterbugs know that gently used equipment can take fabulous images just as well as brand new. And with an additional 5% discount for Nikonians, your holiday money will go a long way.

Can't access our Rewards? Sign up today and enjoy this and many other benefits as a part of the Nikonians community!

Posted by covey22 at 2:51 AM

New Popular Camera Model Data at DxO Labs

DxO Labs announces today the publication of detailed RAW-based image quality data and DxOMark Sensor rankings on its popular www.dxomark.com website for a range of Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony digital cameras, including some of the latest models in the advanced compact and DSLR categories.

Many of the new models featured in the DxOmark database fall into the "advanced compacts" category, such as the new Olympus EP-1 and the Canon G11. DxOLabs found the data to be compelling, particularly when comparing it against entry level digital SLRs such as the Nikon D3000 and the Sony A230; both categories are comparable in terms of price and feature set. Current findings show both categories to be very close in image quality at the JPEG level, with a 1 to 2 stop advantage to the reflex cameras; an advantage that may be closed by using the compact's RAW capabilities.

In addition to the compact comparisons, dxomark also has the latest intelligence on the performance of popular enthusiast and advanced amateur models like the Nikon D300S, the Sony A500/A550, the Canon 7D and the Pentax K7.

Posted by covey22 at 2:20 AM

December 10, 2009

Two Useful Lens Tools from Nikon

Nikon has made available two very useful tools for shooters looking for guidance on their next lens acquisition - a graphical chart of all the current lens lineups and a simulator tool showing the effective field-of-view of a particular lens or focal length.

The graphical lens chart looks extremely busy (hint: turn thumbnails OFF), but once you get the hang of it, it's quite a powerful sorting tool. You can break out lenses not only as DX or FX, and primes or zooms, but individual buttons allow you to filter for specific features, such as Silent-Wave Motors or the rare Defocus Control.

But the Lens Simulator is the most valuable of the new features, especially to budding photographers who want to make the most of their future purchases. While other manufacturers such as Tamron started this interactive tool trend, Nikon takes it to the next level by allowing you to select a combination of lenses and bodies - say DX lenses on an FX body, and you can use any existing current lens in the line up and even save that combination for comparison against other combinations.

Posted by covey22 at 5:12 PM

Nikon boosts FX-Format lens arsenal

Sports and wildlife shooters using Nikon's FX-format D3-series and D700 digital-SLR cameras will soon be looking for extra space in their camera bags and some extra cash in their budgets.
Nikon today announced the release of the new AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II telephoto lens and the new AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III.

The AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens is equipped with vibration reduction (VR II) that reduces the effects of camera shake equivalent to a shutter speed increase of approximately four stops. The AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III, is the world’s first teleconverter to utilize an aspherical lens element.

Nikon's Press Release quotes Edward Fasano, general manager for marketing, SLR Systems Products at Nikon Inc. describing the new 300mm lens as advancing "one of the most popular fast-aperture focal lengths for sports, nature and wildlife photography, demonstrating Nikon's commitment to professional photographers through the continued development of the optical fidelity and sharpness for which NIKKOR lenses are famous."

The Press release goes on to say the aspherical element in the new TC-20E III teleconverter is designed to virtually eliminate coma and other aberrations even at wide apertures.

The AF-S DX NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens is scheduled to be available at Nikon authorized dealers in January with an estimated selling price of $5,899.95. The Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III will be available at an estimated selling price of $499.95 (also in January).

Posted by flashdeadline at 7:07 AM

ID#106: The Image Doctors

Jason and Rick present their first hands-on review of the new 70-200mm f/2.8G AFS VRII Nikkor lens.

Download The Image Doctors #106 (NPC-ID-2009-12-10.m4a; 57:06; 13.9 MB; MP4 format)

For the MP3 version of this podcast (audio only) click here (16.4MB).

[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

December 9, 2009

Think Tank Photo recognized with Industry Awards

Congratulations to the Team at Think Tank Photo for earning Professional Photographer's 2010 HOT ONE AWARD with the Airport TakeOff® rolling backpack.

The Professional Photographer Hot One Awards competition recognizes products that possess exceptional quality, innovation, design and performance as judged by a distinguished panel of industry experts. Think Tank's winning backpack will be featured in the March edition of the Magazine

Designed to comply with international airline carry-on requirements, the Airport TakeOff accommodates pro-sized photography gear, including two pro or regular size DSLR bodies with or without lenses attached. It is designed as a transportation solution that combines the portability of a backpack with the ease of a rolling suitcase. Converting it to and from a rolling camera bag to a comfortable backpack is so easy because the straps can be simply tucked away to start rolling immediately, or, they can be completely zipped inside the rear panel.

Think Tank Photo's Shape Shifter backpack has also been recognized by an industry leading publication. Here's the scoop, directly from a recent Think Tank Photo newsletter:
Popular Photography named our Shape Shifter® backpack one of the 30 best products of 2009. In their own words: "We tried them, we loved, them, and now we laud them. Here's a round of applause for the photo products that wowed our editors the most this year."

They added: "The Shape Shifter is one of the only camera bags we've used that gets better after you've taken your camera out of it. A zipper around the sides of this backpack lets your shrink its depth, so it won't stick out very far while you shoot: Loaded with gear, it's 7 inches deep, but zipped tight, it's only 3 inches--no more smacking people with your pack when you turn to grab your shot."

Nikonians Rewards Reminder:
As a special offer, when you order $50 or more of Think Tank gear online using this special Nikonians link at checkout you will be able to select a bag to receive for free.

Posted by flashdeadline at 3:54 PM

December 6, 2009

Nikonians News Flash #139

This week Ray passes along the latest photographic news relating to Nikon:
-New Sigma 17-70 Macro for DX
-Nikon's Holiday photo tips
-Response to Nikonians cap giveaway prompts series of interviews
-Nikonians Rewards for Christmas savings

Download Nikonians News Flash #139 (NPC-NF-2009-12-06.mp3;
3:35; 3.39MB; MP3 format)

Program notes
Sigma 17-70

Nikon Holiday photo tips

News Flash Nikonian interview entries

Nikonians Rewards for the Holidays

Contact Nikonians News Flash: newsflash@nikonians.org

Thank you for joining me.

Your Nikonians podcaster Ray Valdovinos

Posted by rayvaldovinos at 7:33 PM