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June 6, 2017

New gear from Nikon - Members react

NKR-8-15-FSH_SQ_110.jpg

Here are some of the topics and news items we're tracking for our community this week. --- Members react to three new NIKKOR lens announcements, congrats to our April competition participants, Nikon D5 error message mystery, what does FLC mean?--- PLUS more....

1 - New gear from Nikon - Members react

Nikon announced three new lenses and an updated version of a popular all-weather COOLPIX late last week and our members are looking forward to the creative possibilities. Here is a rundown along with links to our member reactions:

AF-P DX NIKKOR 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR -- an ultra-wide zoom and lightweight DX-format  lens described as an excellent value for budding shutterbugs and novice shooters looking to explore a wide-angle point of view. Manufacturer Suggest Retail price (MSRP) of $309.95 USD with availability in late June.

AF-S Fisheye NIKKOR 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5E ED -- an FX-format circular fisheye noted as the first NIKKOR fisheye lens with zoom capability and the first NIKKOR fisheye zoom lens to support both circular and full-frame fisheye effects. Manufacturer Suggest Retail price (MSRP) of $1249.95 USD.  Also being discussed here.

AF-S NIKKOR 28mm f/1.4E ED a superior prime lens featuring a fast f/1.4 maximum aperture and nine blade rounded diaphragm, making it a great choice for shooting low light landscapes, interiors and events. Manufacturer Suggest Retail price (MSRP) of $1999.95 USD with availability in late June.

COOLPIX W300, a rugged compact camera featuring 4K UHD in a body designed to be waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof and dustproof.  Ideal for hiking, camping, skiing or relaxing on the beach. It also allows users to seamlessly share their latest adventures with built-in Wi-Fi3 and Bluetooth2 via the Nikon SnapBridge app1. Manufacturer Suggest Retail price (MSRP) of $389.95 USD.

Editor's Note: Berger Bros is now taking orders for the three new Nìkon lenses that were announced May 31st. Nikonians will get early allocation preference and free shipping (continental USA). Contact Brad Berger 516-816-4921 or Brad@Berger-Bros.com. - BradBerger@mac.com.


2 - April Contest Congrats

Nikonians Contest Coordinator David Summers (dm1dave) has posted the results of the April contests. Congratulations to our winners! The Wildlife category has one of our rare ties.

Check our winning images legend below and scroll down for the names of the winners. Each photo title serves as a link, which will lead you to explanations behind some of the photographs and an overall look at the competition.



Here are the winners of the April Contests:

1-A -- Wildlife - "Wildlife Interacting with Water" theme winner Mark Morrison (Lunastar) from Minnesota, USA with his image titled Loon Wing Tips Cutting Water.

-- and --

1-B -- Gary Paige (JazzDoc) from New York, USA with his image titled Tufted Puffin at Takeoff.

2. -- Landscape -  "Symmetry" theme winner Scott Ashley (scottashley) from Colorado, USA with his image titled Maroon Bells reflection.
3. -- Macro - "Insect Detail" theme winner Donna Knodle (dgknodle) from Michigan, USA with her image titled Spotted Spreadwing Damselfly.
4. -- Travel  - "Night-time" theme winner Russell Whittemore (rosewood_ltd) from Ohio, USA with his image titled Night Rainstorm, Santa Fe.
5. -- Digital Artistry -  "Start with C" theme winner Darryl Hodson (skibreeze7) from Oregon, USA with his image titled Classic Car.
6. -- Assignment -  "Young" theme winner Jeff Atchley (Graceland) from Tennessee, USA with his image titled Eyes of Innocence.


Interested in submitting your photos?
If you want to participate, please be sure to enter one of the monthly competitions listed in David Summers' contest guide.

The Online Photo Assignments category is coordinated by Rob Migliaccio (rmigliaccio) from Rhode Island, USA. You can check his recap of past assignments here.

The current (June) assignment is "The Color Black."
Here is Rob's description:

My suggestion is to Google "the color black" to get a sense of this month's assignment. You will come up with a ton of ideas that are associated with this color - what it means, what it evokes, how it affects us, etc.

Your job is to convert what the color means to you into a photograph. The assignment is easy, yet it will be hard.


3 - Big Day - Shot List?


Silver member Mel Lim (mel_klim) from California, USA is looking for advice on how help to honor an influential member of his community. This will be a big day and he wants to use every possible creative approach to mark the occasion.

Here's the background from Mel:

The minister of our church is retiring and a special church service will be held in his honor. I was asked to photograph the service which I've done in the past.

There will be the usual number of guest speakers and the giving of commendation, plaques, etc. Besides taking pictures of the handing of the plaques and certificates as they stand on the stage, what else can I do beyond the usual pics?

This sounds like an ideal question for our members who have photojournalism or wedding photography backgrounds.

One obvious approach is to try telling the story of the day from start to finish. What shots would you be recommending?


4 - Profiled: Karen Gottschall (scenicshutterbug)

Moderating Team member Marsha Edmunds (meadowlark2) has posted her latest chapter in the Nikonians member profile "I am Nikonians" series of articles.

Her subject in this installment is Gold member Karen Gottschall (scenicshutterbug) from South Carolina, USA.

Karen moved south three years ago, having departed Michigan where she was a member of the local Chapter of Nikonians.

She tells us:

I learned of Nikonians through a co-worker who was a member. I was impressed with the breadth of knowledge of the members of the community and the willingness of everyone to share information and offer suggestions for improvement and troubleshooting. I continue to value the community for these reasons and have found so many more things to appreciate.  The community provides a great opportunity to explore new areas of photography, to learn about post processing, to better master the equipment I have and learn about more that I may need/want, and to learn from other very talented members.  Every forum I explore at Nikonians adds a new dimension to my photography.


Check out the full article, and make sure you have a look at her gallery. It is a truly inspirational body of work.


 

5 - Sparkle to the rescue

Gold member David Gerhardt (thetardis) from California, USA got a strange error message from his Nikon D5 and he could not find what the "error" was. 

If you have a Nikon D5, you will be happy to know our members helped David understand the meaning behind "FLC."

Here is the original question:

I've had my D5 for about a year now, and recently (while on a trip to Japan), I got a strange error message of: "FLC", in the viewfinder. Note, this was NOT the "FuL" that indicates a card capacity problem; I'm virtually CERTAIN that it was "FLC". So,

1. Has anyone ELSE come across the uppercase error of "FLC"?

2. Is there a site either ONLINE, or a 3rd party compiled LIST of ALL the error codes which can occur with the D5? (with their meaning)

The list on pages 362-365 of the D5 User's Manual is pitiful for it's lack of information. If it helps, at the time I was using a Lexar 2933X, 128GB, "XQD" memory card during the error. I quit using the card when the error appeared (used a different 32GB card)... and the error NEVER reappeared.

Thanks for any help that is available!

Valerie Shoaps (Sparkle) from California, USA had the immediate answer, along with further follow-up. Have a look if you have seen this unusual error message on your Nikon camera. Here's a hint: It's not an error.



6 - Lens purchase options

Silver member Tyler Kenney (kenneyty) from California, USA is looking for lens advice, and we're getting suggestions for lenses that don't bear the famous "NIKKOR" name.

Here is the original question:

I've been trying to get a lot more serious with my photography, really learning to use my gear and slowly upgrade from all my kit lenses. I'll be going on a trip to Croatia this fall and want to make sure I have a good lens for capturing all the fantastic landscapes. My current gear is comprised of the following:

• D7100

• 24-70mm 2.8 G ED (yay!)

• 55-300mm 4.5-5.6 G ED VR

• 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 GII VR

• 50mm 1.8 D


Now, obviously the DX format camera is not the first choice for this task, but I am probably a year or two from picking up a D810 or whatever the then-equivalent is. For now, I'm focusing on glass. I'm of the mind that I'd rather just buy a good lens now than buy something I'm just going to trade in the not too distant future if I can manage it (as evidenced by the 24-70). That strategy works OK on the middle and long length lenses because I'm just gaining reach, but not as well with the wide where I don't want it.

Is my strategy making sense or should I just be focusing on DX lenses like the newly announced 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR? What lens would you pick up to shoot landscapes on a D7100? Buy for now, or buy for the future? Pretend cost isn't the issue. I'm more curious about the technical aspects. - Thanks ~ Tyler

Should he hold out for that new NIKKOR, or would a Tamron or Sigma do the trick?



7 - Your Magazine cover shot

Moderating Team member Dan Wiedbrauk (domer2760) has posted a fun challenge in our Digital Artistry Contest forum. This is your shot at creating your own magazine cover!

Dan gives us the rules:

This contest features images that have been significantly manipulated for creative effect. The final output can be realistic, surreal, abstract, or fantastic.

The June challenge is-- Magazine Cover .

This challenge is inspired by Rob Migliaccio (rmiglaccio), the moderator of the Photo Assignments challenge. In 2014, Rob gave us a series of cover photo challenges that were a lot of fun. You can see the results by following the link and looking at the Cover Shot entries.

This challenge has some special rules:

-- The images must be in the vertical format. Vertical images display best when they are 900px tall.

-- If you submit without a cover logo, please let us know which magazine you are submitting to and the theme. In my example, the theme is Low Light Photography.

-- You have complete freedom to choose the magazine (whether real or imagined) and any subtext so long the image and content meets the Nikonians terms of use.

Your digital artistry skills will come in handy for this challenge. To get you started, I am including an image from a fictitious photo magazine (North Country Photographer).



8 - Digital Darkroom laptops - Your choice?

Gold member John A. Meiers (Dakotaboy) from North Dakota, USA has been looking into laptops for quick digital darkroom work. Here's your chance to tell us whether you prefer Mac or Windows platforms. Avoid the urge to yell at each other.

Let's start with the question:

Looking through this forum there was a similar discussion back in the late fall of 2014. I am figuring laptops have changed somewhat since then. What I am researching is a laptop for ease of portability when on photography tours. Nothing huge like my wife carries around on trips. A monster size HP with a 20" screen(?) that barely fits into a carry- on suitcase. Last trip we found out at check in that it weighs 8 pounds as we had to shift it to a different suitcase.

How small can one go with a laptop with a decent screen and enough room for Lightroom? Just need something to download my photos for the day and do a brief look at them for any group review. Any major processing will be done at home on my desktop.  - John Meiers

Suggestions so far include an assortment of MacBook Pros' and Windows based systems.

Check it out.  What did you choose?


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That's it for this week. Make sure you grab your favorite camera and capture some images to share with family and friends (especially us at Nikonians). -- Tom Boné (flashdeadline)




Posted by flashdeadline at June 6, 2017 11:04 PM