Nikon – New Product Announcements at CES 2016

Nikon Announcements - In Brief

On the eve of CES 2016 in Las Vegas Nikon announced the launch of a number of new products that will soon be available to purchase in-store. We have taken the liberty of putting the key information of these new products together for you to glance over.

Nikon D5 – Nikon's NEW flagship model

Nikon announced the launch of the next-generation flagship model set to expand photographic achievements for professional photographer.

 

Key Features:

• 20.8 Megapixel Sensor
• EXPEED 5 Image Processing Engine
• Impressive ISO 50 – 3328000 Sensitivity
• 153 AF Focus Points (99 Cross Type, -4 EV Sensitivity)
• 12FPS with Continuous AF and AE
• Ultra-High Definition 4K Video
• 3.2-Inch 2,359k-dot Touch Screen LCD
• Dual Card Capability (Either XQD or CompactFlash)

More Product Info:

Click here for more D5.

Availability:

Expected in-store from March 2016.

Pre-order:

Yes. We will be accepting pre-orders for our first shipments shortly.

Nikon KeyMission 360 – Nikon's NEW wearable action camera

Building on technical know-how Nikon announced the launch of a wearable action camera capable of recording 360 video in 4k UHD. This is the first product to be introduced n Nikon’s new action camera category.

Key Features:

• Waterproof up to 30 metre without separate housing
• Electronic Vibration reduction mechanism

Give me more:

 Watch the KeyMission 360 Promotional Video

Availability:

Expected in-store from April 2016.

Pre-order:

Yes. We will be accepting pre-orders shortly.

Nikon D500 – Nikon’s NEWEST compact DSLR model

Nikon’s announced the launch of its NEWEST compact DX-format digital SLR model which boasts performance equal to that of the NEW Nikon D5.

Key Features

• 153 AF Focus Points (99 Cross Type, -4 EV Sensitivity)
• 10FPS during high-speed continuous shooting
• ISO Sensitivity range of 50 - 1640000
• 4K UHD video, suitable for professional production
• New Expeed 5 image procession
• 3.2 Inch 2,359k-dot Touch Screen LCD

More Product Info:

Coming Soon.

Availability:

Expected in-store from March 2016.

Pre-order:

We will be shortly accepting pre-orders for this model.

Nikon Speedlight SB-5000 – Control and Agility in a compact form 

Nikon announces its first speedlight to be equipped with a radio control function.

Key Features:

• Radio-controlled advanced wireless lighting functionality
• New  cooling system for continuous flashes
• Up and down tilt as well as left and right rotational capability

More Product Info:

Coming Soon.

Availability:

Expected in-store from late January 2016.

Pre-order:

Not available.

Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR & AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G

Nikon launches first AF-P lenses from Nikkor with compact and lightweight design to give you captivating performance in daily photography.

Key Features:

• Quiet autofocusing
• Compact and lightweight
• Utilisation of aspherical lens elements to suppress various types of aberrations 

More Product Info:

Coming Soon.

Availability:

Expected in-store from late January.

Pre-order:

Not available.

SnapBridge – Nikon unveils a new App to enable seamless social sharing

Nikon announced the launch of SnapBridge connectivity, which is a new and innovative software powered by Bluetooth that enables seamless sharing in real time across smart devices.

SnapBridge will be a standard feature in almost every new Nikon camera from 2016 onwards.

It will be available for iOS and Android on Apple AppStore and GooglePlay.

Key Features:

• Simple, intuitive setup to pair with smart devices
• Automatic synchronisation of location and time information
• Seamless transfer of pictures, even during shooting
• Helpful embedding of credit information
• Freedom with remote control functions during shooting
• Seamless sharing to social media and NIKON IMAGE SPACE

Availability:

Available for free download from March 2016.

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Shooting Buildings and Monuments - get a new perspective!

By Marc B

Shooting buildings and monuments can be very challenging to get right.  It’s easy to stand in front of a building and snap off a few shots, but what does it take to get a truly exceptional photograph?  There are many things that need to be considered when it comes to this type of photography, not least of which is location, light and perspective. 

Location

The best part of the photo taking process is actually finding either a building or monument to photograph, and finding a different perspective than anyone else.  This involves a bit of walking and looking.  You don’t need to shoot a well-known landmark or building; indeed they have all been photographed to death, so it’s good to find something a little out of the way that may not get the attention it deserves.  I have seen amazing photographs of drains, old petrol stations and even car parks. The limit here is your imagination and skill in capturing a compelling photo of what could normally be considered a ‘boring’ subject. 

Canon 5DMk2, 50mm, f5.0, 1/125 second. Shot in Hamburg, Germany

Lighting

Here is the real challenge.  Getting the lighting right is really what photography is all about, but how do we control the light on something like a building?  A little bit of patience is required as you will need to wait until the light from the sun (or moon!) is at just the right angle for the photo you want to achieve.  There are a few Apps that you can get for smartphones that can tell you where the Sun will be at any time on any day for the chosen spot. Knowing this information will help you plan your timing to be on location.  A nice technique is to wait until ‘Golden Hour’ which is a time just after sunset where the sky takes on a nice deep blue - this lasts for varying amounts of time depending on the time of year and your location.  The lighting of ‘Golden Hour’ adds great colour to the sky while at the same time leaving enough light to have some details in the shadows of buildings.  

You will definitely need a steady tripod for this kind of work as your shutter speed will be quite long, particularly if you are using a low ISO (which you should be).  Also a cable release would be very useful here.

Canon 5DMK2 70mm, f2.8, 0.6 seconds. Shot at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

Change your perspective

Here is what almost everyone does: they see something that looks like it would make a good photo and they lift the camera to their eye and take a shot.  This ends up looking like every other photo of that building (or waterfall or whatever) ever since cameras where invented.  This is where you need to get creative.  Think about the perspective you want to use to make your photo different (changing lenses does not alter your perspective; it changes your angle of view only).  Can you get up high and take a photo from a nearby building?  Can you find somewhere that allows you to lie flat on the ground and shoot up at the building from an extreme low angle?  Try to think of anything that will give your shot a wow factor that is different from the standard point and shoot mentality.  Lens selection is also important. Do you shoot with an ultra-wide angle?  Stand back and shoot with a standard lens and get straighter vertical lines?  If you have the time, try as many options as you can.  

Patience

Above all you will need patience - finding the location, working out the best time of day for light and then nailing the perspective will take time. But in the end you will end up with a photo like no other - one with some thought and planning behind it, which will stand above the average snapshot.  Get cracking!  Feel free to share you results with us and remember that the first 10,000 shots are the worst!

Recommended equipment:

• Lenses of varying focal length but particularly wide and mid-range lengths such as 10-22mm, 24-70, 18-55
• A sturdy tripod (essential)
• A cable release for your camera
• Filters like a Cir-Pl, ND and graduated ND filters are great for certain situations (take a look at our recent blog on the Benefits of Filters)
• Lens hoods can be helpful when shooting outside
• A torch if you’re shooting at night
• A weather resistant camera bag

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