Posts Filed Under ‘Nikon’
February 9th, 2010 by Derek
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Nikon has today announced two new lenses, the AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4G ED and the AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR. Now, those of you used to Nikon’s nomenclature will already know all this, but for those unsure, the AF-S designation in both of those means they’ll auto-focus on any body, and the lack of “DX” anywhere means these are designed for use on FX (and will still work, albeit with crop factor, on DX). They’re both G series lenses and both use ED and aspherical elements and Nikon’s new nano crystal coating to handle optical phenomenons like diffraction, ghosting, etc…
As those of you with a grasp of modern optics and physics might expect, the 24mm f1.4 is rather chunky, basically a 3.5″ cube and weighing in closer to 1.5 lbs. It’s also not a budget prime, and it’ll enter the market at just under $2,200. The 16-35mm f/4, being a slower aperture zoom, slots in as Nikon’s affordable alternative to the 14-24mm f/2.8 (well, sorta, it’s obviously not apples-to-apples), weighing in at $1,260, or approaching 600 bucks cheaper than it’s bigger bro.
They’re both up on our preorder waitlists, so you should go here and add your name: https://www.robertsimaging.com/preorder.jsp
Tags: 14-24, 16-35mm f/4 VR, 24mm f1.4, aperture, Apple, body, camera, crop, crop factor, dx, fx, lens, Nikon, roberts, Zoom
Posted in Lenses, Manufacturers, Nikon, Photography
January 14th, 2010 by Derek
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So, Nikon’s pro zooms, you know the ones– the big, black, AF-S G series lenses with f.2.8 constant apertures that form the backbone of many a working professional’s kit, the 14-24mm, 24-70mm, and 70-200mm II. Well, we got all of them marked down to sheet, you pay what we pay and nothing more (literally, if you buy online to get our free ground shipping). But, they’re only on the cheap until the 28th, so, uh, hurry.
AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED
AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
Tags: 14-24, 24-70, 70-200, aperture, camera, kit, lens, Nikon, roberts, Zoom
Posted in Lenses, Manufacturers, Nikon, Photography
December 10th, 2009 by Derek
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AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II
So, Nikon has announced two more optics ending in “II,” a refresh to their 300mm prime and their 2x teleconvertor. Let’s see the press release:
New AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II
Nikon is pleased to announce that a long-trusted, potent and productive tool in the NIKKOR arsenal of professional lenses has been further improved.
The newly-improved AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II Super Telephoto enables spectacular photography, even in the most demanding conditions encountered by pros or passionate enthusiasts. Safeguarding the qualities that have, for decades, made this lens a natural choice for photographers specializing in fast-action sports, live entertainment, nature and wildlife and more, this newest edition of the 300mm f/2.8 NIKKOR features additional performance and handling enhancements.
Of course, a fast f/2.8 maximum aperture allows photographers to work in a wide variety of situations and offers the important ability to shoot at higher action-stopping shutter speeds and to more effectively obscure distracting backgrounds. But simply enabling these functions isn’t nearly enough—a NIKKOR Super Telephoto must provide necessary core functionality, along with genuinely superior image fidelity. Painstaking and experienced engineering, combined with the use of the finest raw materials, fuel “NIKKOR” optical performance. Unmistakable NIKKOR image quality can also be traced to a design that features 3 high-performance ED glass elements to virtually eliminate chromatic aberration and Nikon’s exclusive Nano-Crystal Coat to further reduce image-degrading internal reflections.
Nikon VR II (Vibration Reduction) Image Stabilization
Like all NIKKOR lenses featuring Nikon VR image stabilization, the 300mm f/2.8’s VR II was designed for the specific requirements of its host lens. The VR II incorporated in the new 300mm enables shooting at up to 4 shutter speeds slower than otherwise possible, assuring dramatically sharper images, while the Tripod VR Mode detects and compensates for specific vibrations often encountered with tripod shooting.
AF-S TC-20E III Teleconverter
New AF-S TC-20E III Teleconverter
Nikon Teleconverters, renowned for extraordinary performance, extend the versatility of NIKKOR Super Telephotos and other select NIKKOR lenses. The new 2x AF-S TC-20E III joins the 1.4x AF-S TC-14E II and 1.7x AF-S TC-17E II, offering photographers effective solutions for demanding assignments. The AF-S TC-20E III is the world’s first Teleconverter to feature an aspherical lens that, along with a new optical formula, raises performance to meet the increased imaging demands of FX-format D-SLRs.
Tags: fx, lens, Nikon, raw, roberts, super tele
Posted in Announcements, Lenses, Manufacturers, Nikon, Photography
December 7th, 2009 by Derek
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AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
So, we have been informed from a reputable but has-to-be-left-anonymous source that the way focal length is measured on a lens is at infinity focus. And, in echoing what Mr. Jason Odell already told us on Facebook and the last post, the closer you focus, the more magnification comes into play and the more variance you’ll get in apparent focal length. So, there we go. The new 70-200mm VR II is definitely 200, and at infinity it should have pretty much the same FOV as it’s predecessor, but the closer to the lens you try and focus the more that new, weaker magnification (not a necessarily a bad thing, remember, because the flip side is the lens reportedly has better edge-to-edge sharpness and falloff control) comes into play.
Tags: lens, Nikon, roberts
Posted in Educational, Lenses, Manufacturers, Nikon, Photography
December 4th, 2009 by Derek
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AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
So, we’re starting to hear some hubbub about Nikon’s long-awaited new 70-200mm VR II having a somewhat different field of view at it’s longer end than its predecessor. A quick-and-dirty test by Jody and Nick seemed to confirm this, although being wildly unscientific (and ugly, boy was it ugly), we can’t say with the certainty we expect DPReview will that it exists and to what extent, but we suspect this’ll be a hot topic among shooters.
So, after a brief bit of head scratching, because while variances in actual versus stated focal lengths are really not uncommon, unexpected, or even bad, this seemed a bit unlikely to be the mere result of the lens being, say, 197mm and not truly 200mm, we did what any reasonable gearheads would do. We looked at the spec sheet. And, sure enough, look here:
On the OLD 70-200mm VR, we find this entry:
Maximum Reproduction Ratio AF: 1:6.1 (x0.16), MF: 1/5.6 (x0.18)
And on the NEW VR II?
Maximum Reproduction Ratio 0.12
Now, we don’t claim to be engineers. At all. So this is just rationed assuming, and not us proclaiming any gospel truths, but it seems that since the new one has very notably lower magnification than the old one, that this might be playing a factor in why the apparent field of view is different? In theory, a lower magnification should always lead to less of a telephoto effect, allowing more of a scene to fall in the frame, so it makes sense, but we can’t promise you that’s what’s up. Something to think about before lighting up the forums, though.
Tags: body, camera, kit, lens, Nikon, roberts, Zoom
Posted in Lenses, Manufacturers, Nikon, Photography
October 14th, 2009 by Derek
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Right around two years ago Nikon shook up the camera business when it announced it’s first full-frame DSLR, the D3. Focusing on overall image quality and low-light performance instead of the then-popular (well, more so than now anyway) megapixel race, the D3 came out with a higher megapixel count then previous models, but nowhere near the count Canon and Sony were gearing towards. And it paid off, Nikon carved out a strong following of people who loved the low-light performance and the amazing speed the D3 offered.
Now, in 2009 Nikon is taking a less revolutionary tack, opting to revise and improve the already highly critically reviewed D3 with the new D3s. Introducing some reported tweaks to a new 12.1 megapixel sensor, sporting a boosted ISO range fro 100 to 102,400, a 720p HD video mode, and an increased buffer (now holding 48 raw files vs 18 in the D3), the D3s doesn’t tweak much else. The body design, LCD, and most of the specs remain as they were. But, put it to yourself, with how solid the D3 was at what it aimed to do, what else could you ask for but some intelligent revisions to an already stellar camera?
Tags: body, camera, Canon, d3, dslr, ISO, lcd, Nikon, roberts, Sony
Posted in Announcements, DSLRs, Manufacturers, Nikon, Photography
October 7th, 2009 by Derek
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iFixit, a site dedicated to meticulous, careful, thoroughly documented tear-downs of popular consumer electronics, has performed those self-same services on Nikon’s new Coolpix S1000pj (yeah, the same camera Carel Struycken reviewed for us here). The results are both highly informative and insanely interesting if you’re a gearhead.
Find the complete teardown here.
Nikon personnel, you may wish to avert your eyes, as I can only imagine this brutal slaughter of your young will do nothing but hurt.
Tags: camera, carel struycken, coolpix s1000pj, Nikon, roberts
Posted in Educational, Manufacturers, Nikon, Photography, Point-and-Shoots
September 17th, 2009 by Derek
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So, we heard the occasional murmur that Nikon’s last series of Coolpix may or may not have had sharp lenses. Well, we know for certain that’s not the case with the shared 28mm 5x zoom on their new series. We were testing the S1000pj and the S70 today and woah, those suckers have good little lenses for point-and-shoots. Really good. Don’t believe us? We shot the pic below from a magazine in the classroom, with the S70 in macro mode. Check out the detail in that crop, it got the printing ink and the irregularities in the newsprint. Very impressive show, Nikon. Very impressive.
Tags: casio, coolpix s1000pj, coolpix s70, crop, lens, news, Nikon, Point-and-Shoots, Zoom
Posted in Manufacturers, Nikon, Photography, Point-and-Shoots
August 28th, 2009 by Derek
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So, of course— our new server is still down and we can’t actually update our homepage (how about that classy ad that expired most of a month ago? lemme tell ya…) and we get a truckoad of Nikon’s new boys: the D300s (body only) and the D3000 kits.
The D300s is of course the highlight here, being the very well-reviewed and stalwart D300 but with HD video plopped in and support for SD and CF at the same time.
The D3000 is the newest in the entry level line, presumably taking the D60’s spot in the line-up. It comes as a kit with the 18-55mm VR lens.
If you’ve been saving your nickels and dimes for either of these, your time is now. We have them here, available, and ready to ship. Get those orders in before we run out.
Tags: body, d3, d300, d3000, d300s, d60, kit, lens, Nikon, roberts
Posted in DSLRs, Manufacturers, Nikon, Photography
