Hardware/Software News

On September 8th, 2010 Nikon is expected to announce at least 3 new Coolpix cameras:

Nikon Coolpix P7000:

• 10.1MP 1/1.7″ CCD sensor
• 28-200mm equivalent zoom lens with f/2.8-5.6
• Lens shift stabilizer
• The same old Coolpix RAW mode (.NRW)
• 720p HD 24fps
• 3” LCD screen, 920k
• Neutral density filters
• 1.1 fps
• Zoom memory function
• Price: around $500

Nikon Coolpix S80 – replacement of S70:

• 14MP
• OLED touchscreen
• 720p 30p video
• Price: around $300-$400

Nikon Coolpix S810

• Back-illuminated sensor (Nikon filed patent for a back-illuminated sensor was filed last week)
• 12MP
• 1080p video
• Price: around $200-$300

Related posts:

1. New Nikon Coolpix cameras on February 2nd
2. New Nikon Coolpix cameras announced
3. New Coolpix cameras leaked (one of them with a projector)

Here are some visuals of the Nikon booth at Photokina:

Nikon Poland @ flickr via Fotoblogia

Posted by NikonRumors.com
This RSS feed is copyrighted and cannot be republished in any way without permission.

Related posts:

1. First NR picture from Photokina
2. Photokina ’08
3. More on Nikon@Photokina

I really hope Canon makes this concept compact 4k camera one day, even if Canon says it'll never come out just like this. It's like the looming future of cameras sculpted in black plastic, a photon blaster-cum-camera. More »

A full-frame image sensor, like in the 5D Mark II or Nikon D3s, is the equivalent of 35 millimeters. This image sensor is 300 millimeters. This is how well it can see in the dark: More »

It seems that Nikon just launched a new online store in the US. Here is the direct URL: http://shop.nikonusa.com/store/nikonusa/DisplayHomePage. I have not seen any official press release yet. Now you can buy your Nikon gear directly from Nikon!

Posted by NikonRumors.com
This RSS feed is copyrighted and cannot be republished in any way without permission.

Get a FREE Think Tank bag here

Related posts:

1. Official Nikon Store in Sweden sells only 5 DSLR models
2. Online petition
3. Store in Texas takes deposits for Nikon D4

This is a camera that shoots 120-megapixel panorama photos. And this is a photo it shot: More »

Update: here is the English version of Makoto Kimura’s interview with Reuters with some more quotes:

“We want to propose another type of photography. I don’t think there is any need to limit it to two categories. We want to create a new market.”

“We have tested things like a head-mounted display. We want people to have more ways of enjoying their photos rather than just going home and looking at them on their television or computer.”

Today Reuters Japan published a new interview with Nikon’s President Makoto Kimura. The Google translation is confusing, if someone has a better interpretation of his words, please post it in the comments section. Here are some quotes: “new area of digital cameras and compact SLR”, “the next generation camera concept has been changed” and “I will propose a different area, also with compact SLR. I want to create a new market here”. I think those references were for the upcoming Nikon EVIL camera.

Update#2: here is a better translation:

Mr Kimura revealed that Nikon is planning a next-generation product that is different from a compact or a mirrorless. He is quoted as saying “I cannot tell you when it will be launched because it is a strategic product” and also “We want to propose a domain that is different from SLRs and compacts. We want to create a new market.” He also said: “Various manufacturers have proposed mirrorless cameras and we are going to propose a new generation camera.” On timing he said it will be out during the mid-term management plan but will not comment further.

See the previous two interviews with Makoto Kimura here and here.

Posted by NikonRumors.com
This RSS feed is copyrighted and cannot be republished in any way without permission.

The latest Nikon products are now available for pre-order

Related posts:

1. Nikon’s President comments on the upcoming mirrorless camera again
2. Nikon: “we considered a variety of so-called mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras”
3. Nikon’s new President: Nikon will not have the same stable growth in the next ten years

You're not seeing the full picture—the picture that the world's first single-shot multi-band camera can see, because it's got six color filters mounted on its 50-megapixel CMOS sensor. Here's what it sees: More »

Here is another one (see 800×600 res @ flickr):

Picture of D90 and D300s for comparison after the break:

Nikon D90

Nikon D300s

Posted by NikonRumors.com
This RSS feed is copyrighted and cannot be republished in any way without permission.

Related posts:

1. Nikon D7000: fake or real?
2. Fake Nikon D400 pictures – body & box
3. Fake pictures of 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII lens

Continuation on my previous post from last week: the missing lens and flash for the September 15th announcement will be a new AF-S 35mm f/1.4 lens and a new Speedlight SB-650 that will replace the current SB-600 model. This is in addition to the D7000 DSLR and the 200mm f/2 refresh. The release of the Zeiss Distagon T* 1,4/35 ZF.2 lens is probably the reason why Nikon pushed the announcement of their 35mm f/1.4 (previous rumors pointed to a 2011 release).

I will do another recap later with the details of all expected products.

Posted by NikonRumors.com
This RSS feed is copyrighted and cannot be republished in any way without permission.

Related posts:

1. Zeiss to release Distagon ZF 1.4/35 ZF.2 in few weeks (Nikon mount)
2. Catching up: Zeiss Distagon T* 1,4/35 ZF.2 lens announced today
3. NikonRumors.com is back online

Picture found at Fotofabrikas. I say fake (what is with the red VR sign?).

For comparison, here is a picture of a Nikon D90 – bodies look almost identical:

Posted by NikonRumors.com
This RSS feed is copyrighted and cannot be republished in any way without permission.

The latest Nikon products are now available for pre-order

Related posts:

1. More (fake?) Nikon D7000 pictures
2. Nikon D700 poll – real or fake?
3. So, was it fake?

A quick update on my previous post: Flickr member “Mister Le” posted some more samples from the Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4 lens and of course the unboxing video:

Another update from a NR reader who purchased the Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S lens from Amazon:

“Hello from Amazon.com.
We now have delivery date(s) for the order you placed on August 19 2010 Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S NIKKOR Lens for Nikon Digital SLR
Estimated arrival date: September 07 2010″

This just in: Nikkor AF-S DX 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens is also about to start shipping, with arrival date of Sept 7th or 8th.

Posted by NikonRumors.com
This RSS feed is copyrighted and cannot be republished in any way without permission.

Related posts:

1. Nikon 85mm f/1.4 & 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lenses now shipping (overpriced)
2. Announced: Nikon D3100 and Nikkor 85mm, 24-120mm, 28-300mm, 55-300mm lenses
3. Patents for Nikon 24-120mm f/4 and 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lenses

Today Zeiss announced the previously rumored Distagon T* 1,4/35 ZF.2 lens (Nikon mount):

A full size sample photo can be seen here.

Full press release after the break:

Carl Zeiss presents a new moderate wide-angle lens

OBERKOCHEN, September 1, 2010 – A woman is sitting at the bar of a dimly-lit cafe. Lost in thoughts, she doesn’t notice the glass of wine the bartender places before her. From a distance, a photographer tries to capture her mood. He brings her face, which is leaning toward her phone, into focus. Everything around her becomes a blur, and the lights in the background coalesce into a wild “dance” of diffuse shapes.

This shot will only work with a fast lens with short focal length and harmonious bokeh. Carl Zeiss introduces a new lens for just such images: the Distagon T* 1,4/35.

By introducing the Distagon T* 1,4/35, Carl Zeiss is complementing the Planar T*1,.4/50 and T*1,4/85 lenses with a wide-angle lens that shares the same high speed. Crisp, sharp images work every time, whether at dusk or in the weak lighting conditions of a café, and without the need for a tripod. With its 35-mm, the Distagon T* 1,4/35 matches the classic and versatile standard focal lengths when used on cameras with APS-C sensor formats.

Due to the special bokeh effects in both the foreground and background areas, the Distagon T*1,4/35 opens up new creative possibilities, giving photographers more options to ‘play’ with focus. Thanks to its large focus ring, photographers can also create highly accurate, sharp pictures, even at maximum aperture opening. In addition, the optical construction of the lens guarantees high image quality across the entire image range. Furthermore, with one step less than the full aperture opening, the light fall-off toward the edges is just one f-stop.

With the ZEISS T* anti-reflective coating, its sophisticated stray light reduction and the excellent flare control the new Distagon also takes pictures of bright light sources without artifacts. The Distagon T*1,4/35’s extremely long-lasting and robust all-metal precision mechanics, for which Carl Zeiss is known, make this lens perfect for use on-the-go and for photo reports.

The Distagon T* 1,4/35 will be available in first quarter of 2011 at a recommended retail price of € 1385.71 (excluding VAT)*.

Technical specifications
Focal length 35 mm
Aperture range f/1.4 – f/16
Number of elements/groups 11/9
Focusing area 0.3 m – infinity
Angular field** (diag./horiz./vert.) 63/54/37 °
Coverage at close range 18 x 12 cm (close-up)
Image ratio at close range 1:5 (close-up)
Filter thread M 72 x 0.75
Weight 830 – 850 g
Length with caps 120 – 122 mm
Diameter 78 mm
Mounts ZF.2 (F bayonet)
ZE (EF bayonet)

* As of September 01, 2010
** relates to small camera format

Posted by NikonRumors.com
This RSS feed is copyrighted and cannot be republished in any way without permission.

Related posts:

1. Carl Zeiss presents the Distagon T* 2,8/25 ZF.2 for F bayonet mount
2. Eight Zeiss lenses to be updated with electronic CPU contacts for Nikon (ZF.2)
3. Zeiss to release Distagon ZF 1.4/35 ZF.2 in few weeks (Nikon mount)

Willoughby’s already got some of the new 85mm f/1.4 & 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lenses in stock and is selling them overpriced on Amazon.

I already mention that this time Nikon is ready to start shipping the new lenses only two weeks after the official announcement (compared to a month in the past).

A dpreview member already got his/her hands on the 85mm f/1.4 lens.

Reports came also from Australia that some of the new lenses are available in stores.

Posted by NikonRumors.com
This RSS feed is copyrighted and cannot be republished in any way without permission.

The latest Nikon products are now available for pre-order

Related posts:

1. Update: Nikon 85mm f/1.4 & 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lenses now shipping
2. Announced: Nikon D3100 and Nikkor 85mm, 24-120mm, 28-300mm, 55-300mm lenses
3. Some of the new Nikon lenses will start shipping “in the next few business days”

US Patent Application 20100214667 from Nikon is for a new 80-400 f4.5-5.6 lens. Some interesting specs: the lens has a constant length of ~260mm at all focal lengths and possibly 21 elements in 14 groups with 4 ED glass elements (@2, 3, 12 and 15):

click for larger view

The current Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED model has 17 elements in 11 groups with 3 ED glass elements:

US Patent Application 20100214453 is for a backside illumination image sensor:

“A backside illumination image sensor equipped with a plurality of pixels disposed in a two-dimensional pattern, includes: image-capturing pixels; and focus detection pixels.”

The camera drawing in the patent application looks like this:

but the description says:

“electronic camera 101 in the first embodiment comprises an exchangeable lens 102 and a camera body”

Maybe they are designing a back-illuminated sensor for the upcoming Nikon EVIL camera?

Related posts:

1. More Nikon patents – hint for a mirrorless Nikon camera?
2. Nikon patents update: new 24mm lens and more EVIL
3. Nikon’s EVIL camera may have DX size sensor

As expected, Olympus unwrapped the new all-black E-P2 micro four thirds camera today, along with 40-150mm and 75-300mm lenses. More »

NikonRumors.com is now online. It may take several hours until the server changes propagation is complete and all ISP have updated their routers. If you cannot access NikonRumors.com directly, try http://173.45.162.91 (make sure you also clear your browser’s cache). I am not going to discuss again the details of why NR went down, I did that already on Twitter and Facebook.

NikonRumors now has a new dedicated server and a new host (NationalNet). There could be some interruptions in the next few days, until I fine-tune the site.

Coming up next: Nikon files patents for a 80-400mm f/3.5-5.6 lens and a back illuminated sensor.

Did you see the new Zeiss Distagon T* 1,4/35 ZF.2 lens that will be announced this Wednesday? Maybe now Nikon will be rushed to release their AF-S 35mm f/1.4 lens…

Posted by NikonRumors.com
This RSS feed is copyrighted and cannot be republished in any way without permission.

Related posts:

1. Zeiss to release Distagon ZF 1.4/35 ZF.2 in few weeks (Nikon mount)
2. At least three more Nikon Coolpix cameras next week
3. NikonRumors Forum now online

According to 43rumors, you will be able to put a new Olympus E-P2 kit with black 17mm lens and black external flash under the Xmas tree, along with a new 600mm zoom lens, which Olympus says it's the world smallest: More »

• £200 cashback on Nikon D300s in UK
• Also in the UK: Jessops offers a free Nikon Bag and 4GB Card with every D3100 pre-order
• The Nikon D700 will be sold as a kit with the new 28-300mm lens in Japan (Nikon-Direct website, starting September 2nd) – my interpretation: no D700 replacement any time soon.
• More Nikon D3100 samples
• FYI: several websites are reporting that a Finnish retailed has listed an accessory to be compatible with D400 and D5000s cameras. I do not expect Nikon to announce such cameras any time soon.
• Another Nikon birthday cake.
• The new AF-S 85mm f/1.4 lens gets unboxed (kind of)
• Video presentation of the four new Nikon lenses in French
• Nikon D90 vs Canon 550D durability test video after the break:

Posted by NikonRumors.com
This RSS feed is copyrighted and cannot be republished in any way without permission.

Get a FREE Think Tank bag here

Related posts:

1. Weekly Nikon related news/links #72
2. Weekly Nikon related news/links
3. Weekly Nikon related news/links

It seems that the second round of Nikon announcements before Photokina will also be divided into two: the Nikon Coolpix P7000 (and probably few more Coolpix cameras) will be announced on September 8th, 2010 and the rest (D7000, 200mm f/2 plus the second lens and a new Speedlight) will be announced on September 15th, 2010.

Here is some updated specs for the new Nikon Coolpix P7000:

• 10.1MP 1/1.7″ CCD sensor
• 28-200mm equivalent zoom lens with f/2.8-5.6
• Lens Shift Stabilizer
• The same old Coolpix RAW mode (.NRW)
• 720p HD 24fps
• 3” LCD screen, 920k

Posted by NikonRumors.com
This RSS feed is copyrighted and cannot be republished in any way without permission.

The latest Nikon products are now available for pre-order

Related posts:

1. At least three more Nikon Coolpix cameras next week
2. More info on the Nikon Coolpix P7000
3. Nikon D90 replacement and P7000 will not be announced tonight