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August 26, 2014

Nikon D810 Service Advisory

Nikon issued a Service Advisory last week for the brand new Nikon D810.

The advisory warned that the D810 had a problem where, "noise (bright spots) are sometimes noticeable in long exposures, and in some images captured at an Image area setting of 1.2? (30?20)."

The problem is limited to the initial Nikon D810 cameras released worldwide. The problem was discovered and a fix put in place for D810?s released later. Nikon offers a serial number check point to see of your camera is affected by the spot problem.

Some Nikonians members have reported being able to duplicate this white spot problem by shooting at exposures longer than about 20 seconds, where small, white, long-exposure noise spots will appear in the dark areas of their images. Other Nikonians have reported not being able to cause the spots to appear. Below is a sample of the white spot problem in an exposure of 30 seconds and at 100 percent pixel-peeping level:

While this problem does affect photographers who regularly take long exposures, such as for star trails and certain other time exposures, for the majority of photographers this is not a serious problem. Images with normal exposure times from the Nikon D810 usually do not exhibit any sign of this problem.

According to Nikonian author Darrell Young (DigitalDarrell), "Having long exposure noise is a common problem for all digital cameras, which is why Nikon gives us the Long exposure NR (noise reduction) function. In fact, most members report that once Shooting Menu > Long exposure NR is enabled the problem disappears or is greatly reduced."

If you are concerned that your style of photography will be affected by this problem, it may be a good idea to send your camera in to Nikon, at their expense, to have the image processing system recalibrated. Nikon says the turn-around time for the repair is about 10 to 14 days. If you are currently using your camera heavily and do not have time to send it in immediately, you can wait until a more convenient time. A Nikonian member contacted Nikon and was informed that a service advisory lasts at least as long as the warranty of the camera and often longer. Therefore, during the warranty period of the camera, at the very least, fixing this problem will be a cost free process. If you are not seriously affected by the spot problem you may have some flexibility in choosing the best time for your camera to go in for service.

A general firmware update will not fix this problem because the camera must be connected to a computer at Nikon to recalibrate the image processing system during firmware installation. New firmware is installed as part of the recalibration process, with a firmware number of C 1.01.

Your Nikon D810 may not be affected due to being a camera outside the serial numbers Nikon provides at their checkpoint. Also, if your camera has firmware version C 1.01 installed and has a black dot inside the tripod socket, your D810 has already been recalibrated, even if it is within the serial numbers having the spot problem.

Darrell Young is currently working on his newest book, Mastering the Nikon D810, and he has praise for the quick reaction by Nikon:

"They are to be commended for issuing this service advisory very quickly after the problem was discovered and providing cost free relief for affected Nikon D810 owners."

Posted by flashdeadline at 11:36 PM

August 21, 2014

New version of Nikonians Uploader for Mac available

Keeping up with the technology upgrade promise, Nikonians is coming with the newest version of Nikonians Uploader for Mac. This handy application allows you to easily upload images to the Nikonians galleries directly from your Mac.

With the uploader, you can upload one or more images easily to the Nikonians galleries. Just drag & drop the image(s) you want to upload to the open window of the application, select where they should be uploaded and hit the "Upload" button.

As soon as you hit the upload button your images will be uploaded to Nikonians. Please note that the images will be placed in the image upload queue in your gallery and that your browser will automatically open with the queue showing after the upload has been done.

You can then fill out additional information you want to attach to the images. If you are happy with how things are, just hit the "Process" button at the bottom of the web page in your browser.

The Nikonians Uploader v1.1.0 works on Mac OS X Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6) and later up to and including Maverick (10.9). If you are on Mac OS X Leopard (10.5), you should use v1.0.2, which is however no longer officialy supported by us.

Download Nikonians Uploader from Apple iTunes for $9.99

Download Nikonians Uploader from Nikonians website for FREE (Silver, Gold and Platinum members)

Nikonians Rewards Program currently features more than 20 other rewards. Be sure to check them as well!

Posted by Ronny89 at 10:27 AM

August 13, 2014

Spotlight on Acadia

Nikonians Academy Director Mike Hagen invites you to join Lester Picker for our Acadia National Park Photography Adventure this October.

Les Picker spent ten years in Maine and did his graduate research in Acadia National Park. Few people anywhere know the park as well as he does. Combine his photographic knowledge with his detailed knowledge of the park and you have a recipe for a fantastic photography event.

Acadia, Maine is one of the premier photo destinations on the Eastern Seaboard. Even though it is one of the nation's smallest national parks, it is one of the most diverse.

Wildlife abounds and the colors are stunning in the fall. In a manageable area, we have mountains and rocky coast, forests and meadows, streams and lakes.

Our annual trips to Acadia National Park perennially get great reviews from participants.
The workshop dates are October 16-20, 2014. For more information check our recent FAQ and Interview with Les Picker and Feedback and Images From Previous Attendees.

Coming very soon -----------------------------

September is a big month for workshops, with some of the most popular curriculum items in the lead. Richard Hulbert brings his 4-day Urban and Street Photography Workshop to Houston and San Antonio in the coming month. 

This workshop series is designed to improve your photography regardless of whether you consider picture taking a hobby, or you are a serious enthusiast, or a professional photographer, or earn your living as a member of the global real estate, design, and construction industries.

There are rules for photographing buildings and other man-made structures, and knowing these rules will make you a better photographer. Mastering these rules will allow you to learn how “break” them in a deliberate, meaningful way.

You will learn how a basic understanding of street photography will assist in your architectural and urban photography. 

You will discover how the fundamental principles of travel photography will enhance your architectural and urban imaging.

The Masters Series ----------------------

Steve Simon will be bringing the Masters Series to San Francisco.

His schedule includes:

▪ Master the Nikon D600, D610, D7000 and D7100 - In Depth 1 (Sept 9) 

▪ Master the Nikon D600, D610, D7000 and D7100 - In Depth 2 (Sept 10)

▪ Master the Nikon D800, D810, Df, D4 and D4s - In Depth 1 (Sept 11)

▪ Master the Nikon D800, D810, Df, D4 and D4s - In Depth 2 (Sept 12)

▪ The Passionate Nikon Photographer Two-Day Mastery Workshop (Sept 13-14)

 

Sri Lanka ------------------

Only three seats remain for Lester Picker's Sri Lanka: Culture and Wildlife photo adventure (September 13-24). Join Lester for a 12-day (11-night) exploration of the unparalleled photographic possibilities in this island nation.

Located off the southernmost coast of India, Sri Lanka is replete with some of the oldest Buddhist and Hindu temples in the world (many still in use), some of the friendliest and most photogenic people on Earth, and wildlife that rivals Africa’s best locations − all at a fraction of the cost.

In this photography tour you will intimately explore Sri Lanka’s landscape, from vaunted mountains to its pristine seashore, from its tidy and colorful tea plantations to its lush forests.

 

Eastern Sierra and Owens Valley ----------------------------

Michael A. Mariant leads the 4-day Eastern Sierra and The Owens Valley photo adventure beginning September 18.

California's Eastern Sierra, a jagged and prominent escarpment rising over 10,000 feet above the Owens Valley, is one of the hidden photographer's gems in California

Many prominent landscape photographers, including the late Galen Rowell, have called Bishop and the Eastern Sierra home and their base for their photographic expeditions into the stunning surroundings

No other region in the country offers the dramatic granite peaks, glacier-carved valleys, dense foliage and roaring mountain streams. And the Fall Season is the time of year prized by all Sierra photographers, as the colors of the Eastern Sierra explode into a visual contrast against the stark gray of the granite, bleached white of the mountain glaciers and the deep blue sky.

A rare and special treat, exclusive only to the Eastern Sierra & Owens Valley workshop, is an evening at a Deep Space Satellite Dish Array Complex to photograph star trails and the Milky Way, while surrounded by giant satellite dishes. ]

Each workshop participant gets to pick out their own satellite dish on the pad to use in the foreground of their astrophotography. 

Past workshop participants remark that this is the highlight of the entire workshop!

 

Yellowstone Wildlife and Landscapes -----------------

Join one of North America's most successful wildlife photographers as he leads you to the amazing wildlife and scenics of Yellowstone National Park (September 22-25). Jim Stamates will bring you to Yellowstone National Park during an exciting time.

Bears have entered hyperphagia so they feed constantly, preparing for hibernation. Most of the deer species are in full rut with giant bull elk bugling and chasing females. Pronghorn bucks gather their harems and chase off the competition.

Wolves are active in the early mornings in Lamar Valley as the young pups join the pack to hunt their prey. Bison herds roam the meadows as autumn colors return after a summer of love.

The air has the smell of changing seasons and winter is just around the corner. Join Nikonians Academy and Jim and Kathy Stamates for four wild days to learn, experience, and capture the essence of Yellowstone National Park in its prime.

 

ANPAT 14 -----------------------

Last but not least, starting September 28, Nikonians founders Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) and J. Ramón Palacios (jrp) team up with event coordinator Mike Hagen to host the 14th edition of the Annual Nikonians Photo Adventure Trip (ANPAT). The ANPAT is the Nikonians field event of year, where we live our motto: Share, Learn Inspire.

This year's location is Rocky Mountain National Park, a photographer's dream location with classic landscapes, sweeping panoramas, and giant mountain vistas.

Each and every day, our intrepid crew of photographers will explore the mountains of Colorado. Your hosts have put together a detailed daily itinerary that highlights the best the area has to offer and traveling on our own time table gives us the flexibility to stay on location as long as we wish.

The daily goal is to capture the beautiful golden hours of sunrise and sunset as it washes across the grand landscape. Every effort has been made to provide a fun, educational, safe, adventurous, and most of all photography-rich adventure.

It's not uncommon for participants to stay up all night shooting star trails, then spend the entire next day photographing the landscapes at sunrise and sunset. The enthusiasm and camaraderie on the ANPAT is contagious, and is something you truly have to experience to believe. Even though this trip isn't a traditional photography workshop, people who come always are amazed at how much they learned from each other and how many new tips & tricks they take away for their own photography.

Looking ahead

Check your Masters series workshops schedule carefully when we mention upcoming cities. In some, we've brought back Lightroom 5 workshops and iTTL Wireless Flash workshops. Masters series workshops are set for Los Angeles, Seattle and New York.

The Tanzania Wildlife Photo Safari (November 4-11) will be led by Nikonians Academy Director Mike Hagen. You will have access to unbelievable wildlife photography, stunning scenery and fantastic accommodations. We operate with only three people per vehicle, so there's lots of space to move around and great opportunities for photographs.

 

Posted by flashdeadline at 1:43 AM

Contest congratulations - June winners

Nikonians Contest Coordinator David Summers (dm1dave) has posted the results of the June Contests.

Congratulations to our members who submitted the images in our composite key. Scroll down to find links to the original entries, along with explanations behind the photographs and an overall look at the competition.

Posted by flashdeadline at 1:12 AM

August 6, 2014

Giant September curriculum ahead from Nikonians Academy

September is a big month for workshops, with some of the most popular curriculum items in the lead. Richard Hulbert brings his 4-day Urban and Street Photography Workshop to Houston and San Antonio in the coming month. 

There are rules for photographing buildings and other man-made structures, and knowing these rules will make you a better photographer. Mastering these rules will allow you to learn how “break” them in a deliberate, meaningful way.

You will learn how a basic understanding of street photography will assist in your architectural and urban photography. 

You will discover how the fundamental principles of travel photography will enhance your architectural and urban imaging.

The Masters Series

Steve Simon will be bringing the Masters Series to San Francisco.

His schedule includes:

▪ Master the Nikon D600, D610, D7000 and D7100 - In Depth 1 (Sept 9) 

▪ Master the Nikon D600, D610, D7000 and D7100 - In Depth 2 (Sept 10)

▪ Master the Nikon D800, D810, Df, D4 and D4s - In Depth 1 (Sept 11)

▪ Master the Nikon D800, D810, Df, D4 and D4s - In Depth 2 (Sept 12)

▪ The Passionate Nikon Photographer Two-Day Mastery Workshop (Sept 13-14)

 

Sri Lanka

Only three seats remain for Lester Picker's Sri Lanka: Culture and Wildlife photo adventure (September 13-24). Join Lester for a 12-day (11-night) exploration of the unparalleled photographic possibilities in this island nation.

Located off the southernmost coast of India, Sri Lanka is replete with some of the oldest Buddhist and Hindu temples in the world (many still in use), some of the friendliest and most photogenic people on Earth, and wildlife that rivals Africa’s best locations − all at a fraction of the cost.

In this photography tour you will intimately explore Sri Lanka’s landscape, from vaunted mountains to its pristine seashore, from its tidy and colorful tea plantations to its lush forests.

 

Eastern Sierra and Owens Valley

Michael A. Mariant leads the 4-day Eastern Sierra and The Owens Valley photo adventure beginning September 18.

California's Eastern Sierra, a jagged and prominent escarpment rising over 10,000 feet above the Owens Valley, is one of the hidden photographer's gems in California

Many prominent landscape photographers, including the late Galen Rowell, have called Bishop and the Eastern Sierra home and their base for their photographic expeditions into the stunning surroundings

No other region in the country offers the dramatic granite peaks, glacier-carved valleys, dense foliage and roaring mountain streams. And the Fall Season is the time of year prized by all Sierra photographers, as the colors of the Eastern Sierra explode into a visual contrast against the stark gray of the granite, bleached white of the mountain glaciers and the deep blue sky.

A rare and special treat, exclusive only to the Eastern Sierra & Owens Valley workshop, is an evening at a Deep Space Satellite Dish Array Complex to photograph star trails and the Milky Way, while surrounded by giant satellite dishes. ]

Each workshop participant gets to pick out their own satellite dish on the pad to use in the foreground of their astrophotography. 

Past workshop participants remark that this is the highlight of the entire workshop!

 

Yellowstone Wildlife and Landscapes

Join one of North America's most successful wildlife photographers as he leads you to the amazing wildlife and scenics of Yellowstone National Park (September 22-25). Jim Stamates will bring you to Yellowstone National Park during an exciting time.

Bears have entered hyperphagia so they feed constantly, preparing for hibernation. Most of the deer species are in full rut with giant bull elk bugling and chasing females. Pronghorn bucks gather their harems and chase off the competition.

Wolves are active in the early mornings in Lamar Valley as the young pups join the pack to hunt their prey. Bison herds roam the meadows as autumn colors return after a summer of love.

The air has the smell of changing seasons and winter is just around the corner. Join Nikonians Academy and Jim and Kathy Stamates for four wild days to learn, experience, and capture the essence of Yellowstone National Park in its prime.

 

ANPAT 14

Last but not least, starting September 28, Nikonians founders Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) and J. Ramón Palacios (jrp) team up with event coordinator Mike Hagen to host the 14th edition of the Annual Nikonians Photo Adventure Trip (ANPAT). The ANPAT is the Nikonians field event of year, where we live our motto: Share, Learn Inspire.

This year's location is Rocky Mountain National Park, a photographer's dream location with classic landscapes, sweeping panoramas, and giant mountain vistas.

Each and every day, our intrepid crew of photographers will explore the mountains of Colorado. Your hosts have put together a detailed daily itinerary that highlights the best the area has to offer and traveling on our own time table gives us the flexibility to stay on location as long as we wish.

The daily goal is to capture the beautiful golden hours of sunrise and sunset as it washes across the grand landscape. Every effort has been made to provide a fun, educational, safe, adventurous, and most of all photography-rich adventure.

It's not uncommon for participants to stay up all night shooting star trails, then spend the entire next day photographing the landscapes at sunrise and sunset. The enthusiasm and camaraderie on the ANPAT is contagious, and is something you truly have to experience to believe. Even though this trip isn't a traditional photography workshop, people who come always are amazed at how much they learned from each other and how many new tips & tricks they take away for their own photography.

Looking ahead

Check your Masters series workshops schedule carefully when we mention upcoming cities. In some, we've brought back Lightroom 5 workshops and iTTL Wireless Flash workshops. Masters series workshops are set for Los Angeles, Seattle and New York.

Acadia National Park is beautiful in the Fall. Join Les Picker for this annual trip (October 16-20) that is sure to produce stunning colors and beautiful landscapes.

The Tanzania Wildlife Photo Safari (November 4-11) will be led by Nikonians Academy Director Mike Hagen. You will have access to unbelievable wildlife photography, stunning scenery and fantastic accommodations. We operate with only three people per vehicle, so there's lots of space to move around and great opportunities for photographs.

 

Posted by flashdeadline at 12:35 AM

August 5, 2014

Leading lines contest congrats

Nikonians Contest Coordinator David Summers (dm1dave) has posted the results of the Best of 2014 Contest Segment 2. The theme was "Leading Lines." Here the the summary comment from our judges: 

Posted by flashdeadline at 10:59 PM