Quick Way To Determine Shutter Count

Looking for a quick way to find out the shutter count on your DSLR cameras? MyShutterCount.com allows you to upload an image from the camera in question and it will tell you how many times the shutter has been used. MyShutterCount.com supports Nikon's NEF, Pentax's DNG and PEF, and JPG.

Helpful notes: The shutter life expectancy for the Nikon D90 is 100,000 actuations; the shutter count for the Nikon D7000 is 150,000.

Click here to view previous posts on determining shutter counts.

Trey Ratcliff: What's In His Camera Bags

3rd Nikon Update

3rd Notice On The Impact By The Major Earthquake In Northeastern Japan
Nikon.com
March 31, 2011

Original Link

The Nikon Group would express our deepest condolences to the victims of the earthquake and extend our profound sympathy and heartfelt concern to those individuals and families suffering from the disaster.

The following is an update regarding Nikon Corporation and its group manufacturing facilities.

Safety of the employees

As have previously informed, to our deepest regret, death of one employee of Sendai Nikon Corporation has been confirmed and safety of three employees is not yet confirmed in the area of Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture.

Reopen of operation at the manufacturing facilities and outlook on the future production

One of our own plants and seven of our manufacturing subsidiaries are located in the disastrous region of Miyagi Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture *. All of these facilities have resumed their operation now with reopen by yesterday, March 30 of Sendai Nikon Corporation and Miyagi Nikon Precision Co., Ltd.

It has been becoming clearer that we will be able to secure parts/components including their replacements through our investigation of the current conditions and possible measures to secure the procurement in our collaboration with our business partners. However, we have a concern that the situation may continue where our production cannot fully satisfy our customers’ requirement due to inability of full swing production worsened by the planned blackouts of electricity. While we will do our utmost effort to overcome such expected difficulties, we will be most grateful if our customers could understand such circumstances.

Forecast of effect by the damage to our business performances

We are continuing our endeavor to evaluate how the immediate damage by the disaster and planned blackouts of electricity will result in our group companies and business performances. We will announce our findings immediately when it is judged that there will be important change in our forecast.

* Locations of each plant and manufacturing subsidiaries

Mito Plant, Nikon Corporation : Mito, Ibaraki Pref.
Sendai Nikon Corporation : Natori, Miyagi Pref.
Miyagi Nikon Precision Co., Ltd. : Zao-machi, Katta-gun, Miyagi Pref.
Zao factory, Nikon-Trimble Co., Ltd. : Zao-machi, Katta-gun, Miyagi Pref.
Tochigi Nikon Corporation : Otawara, Tochigi Pref.
Tochigi Nikon Precision Co., Ltd. : Otawara, Tochigi Pref.
Kurobane Nikon Co., Ltd. : Otawara, Tochigi Pref.
Nasu Nikon Co., Ltd. : Nasukarasuyama, Tochigi Pref.

2nd Nikon Update

2nd Notice On The Impact By The Major Earthquake In Northeastern Japan
Nikon.com
March 22, 2011

Original Link

The Nikon Group would express our deepest condolences to the victims of the earthquake and extend our profound sympathy and heartfelt concern to those individuals and families suffering from the disaster.

We have set up the Emergency Headquarters for Disaster Control headed by the President on March 11 immediately after the earthquake, and have been gathering safety information of our employees, examining damage to the manufacturing equipment and continuing every effort to resume operation at the earliest possible. The following is an update regarding the impact of the earthquake on the Nikon Group and outlook on the future production.

1. Safety of the employees

To our deepest regret, death of one employee of Sendai Nikon Corporation has been confirmed. Safety of three employees is not yet confirmed in the area of Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture.

2. Damage to the manufacturing equipment and outlook on the future production

One of our own plants and seven of our manufacturing subsidiaries are located in Miyagi Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture in the disastrous region*. Operation has been suspended at all of them after the earthquake.

At Tochigi Nikon Corporation, operation has started from Friday, March 18.

At Sendai Nikon Corporation and Miyagi Nikon Precision Co., both of which have been severely damaged, operation is expected to resume by the end of this March. Operation at the remaining facilities will start tomorrow on March 23.

Even after operation resumes, we have a concern that the situation may happen where our production cannot fully satisfy our customers’ requirement due to inability of full swing production caused by problems such as the planned blackouts of electricity and procurement of components from our business partners. While we will do our utmost effort to overcome such expected difficulties, we will be most grateful if our customers could understand such circumstances.

We assure to extend our best support for restoration of the facilities hit by the disaster to our customers of Precision Equipment and Instruments business, and repair/servicing to our customers of Imaging business suffering from the disaster.

3. Forecast of effect by the damage to our business performances

We are continuing our endeavor to evaluate how the immediate damage by the disaster and planned blackouts of electricity will result in our group companies and business performances. We will announce our findings immediately when it is judged that there will be important change in our forecast.

* Locations of each plant and manufacturing subsidiaries

Mito Plant, Nikon Corporation : Mito,Ibaraki Pref.
Sendai Nikon Corporation : Natori, Miyagi Pref.
Miyagi Nikon Precision Co., Ltd. : Zao-machi, Katta-gun, Miyagi Pref.
Zao factory, Nikon-Trimble Co., Ltd. : Zao-machi, Katta-gun, Miyagi Pref.
Tochigi Nikon Corporation : Otawara, Tochigi Pref.
Tochigi Nikon Precision Co., Ltd. : Otawara, Tochigi Pref.
Kurobane Nikon Co., Ltd. : Otawara, Tochigi Pref.
Nasu Nikon Co., Ltd. : Nasukarasuyama, Tochigi Pref.

Nikon Announcement Concerning Japanese Earthquake

Notice On The Damage Hit By Major Earthquake In Northern Japan (Japan's Tohoku Region)
March 14, 2011
Nikon.com

Original Link

The Nikon Group would like to express its profound sympathy and condolences to the victims of earthquake in Major Earthquake in Northern Japan (Japan's Tohoku region) on March 11. The effects to our group companies are as follows.

Measures To Cope With The Situations

We have set up the Emergency Headquarters for Disaster Control headed by the President on March 11 immediately after the earthquake, and are taking the necessary steps. We are currently endeavoring to normalize our business as early as possible through our BCM (Business Continuity Management) teams established in each in-house company.

Damage To Our Group Companies

2-1. Damage to equipment and buildings

Our group companies, including Sendai Nikon Corporation, Natori, Miyagi Pref., Miyagi Nikon Precision Co., Ltd., Zao-machi, Katta-gun, Miyagi Pref., Tochigi Nikon Corporation, Otawara, Tochigi Pref., Tochigi Nikon Precision Co., Ltd., Otawara, Tochigi Pref., and other subsidiaries as well as our Plants suffered damage to some part of the equipment and buildings. We are suspending operations there and continuing to evaluate further details of the damage. We are unable to announce how soon the operation will resume due to the regional interruption of life-lines although endeavor for restoration are under the way by some of our maintenance personnel.

• For the list of our group companies

• For the list of our plants

2-2. Damage to personnel

Injury is reported to some of our group employees. We are currently continuing to gather safety information of our personnel and its family members.

Forecast Of Effect By The Damage To Our Business Performances

We are concentrated in evaluating how the immediate damage by the disaster and controlled interruption of electricity started from March 14 will result in our group companies and business performances. We will advise our findings immediately when it is revealed that the damage would further expand.

Nikon's Sendai Plant Shutdown, Damaged

The Japanese site Asahi reports that Nikon’s plants in Miyagi Prefecture (where Sendai is located) are virtually impossible to resume operations in 14 days. The buildings were damaged but still standing. The Sendai factory produces high-end and pro level Nikon SLR cameras. Sendai Airport, which has been badly hit by the tsunami is only a few kilometres from Nikon's Sendai plant. -- Source 1 and Source 2

The Sendai plant is not very large but it is where the top level pro Nikon bodies have been built since the mid or late 1970s, so it is the home of the F3, F4, F5, F6, D1, D2 and D3 series cameras and much of Nikon's engineering staff is located there as well. -- Source

...



Location of Nikon plants. -- Source

...

Nikon has shifted much of its manufacturing facilities to Thailand, with some production (especially of Coolpix cameras and some low-end lenses) in China and Indonesia. The company constructed a factory in Ayuthaya north of Bangkok in Thailand in 1991. By the year 2000, it had 2,000 employees. Steady growth over the next few years and an increase of floor space from the original 19,400 square meters (208,827 square feet) to 46,200 square meters (497,300 square feet) enabled the factory to produce a wider range of Nikon products. By 2004, it had more than 8,000 workers.

The range of the products produced at Nikon Thailand include plastic molding, optical parts, painting, printing, metal processing, plating, spherical lens process, aspherical lens process, prism process, electrical and electronic mounting process, silent wave motor and autofocus unit production.

As of 2009, all of Nikon's Nikon DX format DSLR cameras are produced in Thailand, while their Nikon FX format (full frame) cameras (D700, D3, D3S and D3X) are built in Japan. The Thai facility also produces most of Nikon's digital "DX" zoom lenses, as well as numerous other lenses in the Nikkor line.

-- From Wikipedia on Nikon

Related Links:

• Google Maps: Location of Sendai Plant In Japan
• Nikon Sendai Plant Visit (09/15/07)
• Wikipedia on Nikon

DxOMark Camera Sensor Rankings: Nikon D7000 Ranked 10th

DxOMark ratings of camera sensors at RAW level. The Sensor Overall Score (included below), shows the performance for a general purpose use case, the Portrait Score based on Color Depth, the Landscape Score based on Dynamic Range and the Sports Score based on Low-Light ISO.

The Sensor Overall Score is based on:

- The quality of the sensor in terms of noise.
- The ability to render high contrast.
- The formation of colored noise.
- The ability to shoot in low light.

The Sensor Overall Score DOES NOT show:

- The resolution of the camera, i.e., its ability to render fine details.
- The quality of the lens.
- The optical aberrations.

Rank - Camera - Score - Price

Notice Nikon has FIVE cameras listed in the top 10
(Canon only has one)

1 - Phase One P65 Plus - 89 - $39,900.00
2 - Nikon D3X - 88 - $9,172.00
3 - Phase One P40 Plus - 87 - $19,500.00
4 - Pentax 645D - 82 - $9,400.00
5 - Nikon D3s - 82 - $5,510.00
6 - Pentax K-5 - 82 - $1,374.00
7 - Nikon D3 - 81 - $4,300.00
8 - Nikon D700 - 80 - $2,699.00
9 - Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III - 80 - $7,100.00
10 - Nikon D7000 - 80 - $1,300.00
11 - Canon EOS 5D Mark II
12 - Sony Alpha 850
13 - Sony Alpha 900
14 - Hasselblad H3DII 50
15 - Leaf Aptus75S
16 - Phase One P45 Plus
17 - Hasselblad H3DII 39
18 - Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II
19 - Canon EOS 1D Mark IV
20 - Sony SLT Alpha 55
21 - Nikon D90
22 - Nikon D5000
23 - Pentax K-x
24 - Pentax K-r
25 - Canon EOS 1D Mark III

Source

Nikon Cameras In Outer Space

Original Link (Thanks to Nikon Rumors)

The power of images drives the imagination and yearning to explore the universe. This movie introduces Nikon's space cameras that continue to record challenges for humanity and deliver an amazing variety of images from outer space.

Rumored Specs Of Nikon D7000 (D90 Replacement)

Nikon is expected to make an announcement on September 15th concerning the camera that will replace the D90. Nikon Rumors is reporting that this new camera -- the D7000 -- will likely include the following features:

• 100% viewfinder
• Dual SD memory card slots
• Magnesium-alloy body
• 16.2MP CMOS sensor (DX)
• Expeed 2
• 1080 HD video @24p | 720 @30p (not sure about those)
• 20 min video recording (up from 5min on the D90)
• Save images from video (similar to the D3s)
• AF during video
• Stereo mic input for video
• 6 fps
• Virtual horizon (like the D300s)
• One touch video and/or live view (similar to the D3100)
• Improved ISO range: 100-25600
• 39 AF points
• Wireless flash
• Weather proof (like the D300s)
• New battery system
• Expected price: $1199 for body only
• Update: no swivel display

New Nikon USA Store

Nikon launches new Nikon USA store. Thanks to Nikon Rumors for catching this.

The Nikon Coolpix S1100pj 14 MP Digital Camera

Nikon Coolpix S1100pj 14 MP Digital Camera

New Nikon Cameras Coming

Nikon Rumors is reporting that Nikon is planning to announce new Coolpix models on August 17th and four new lenses and the Nikon D3100 on August 19th. No dates or new information on D90 and D700 replacements yet.

Nikon Photo Contest International 2008-2009

Nikon Photo Contest International 2008-2009

The Nikon Photo Contest International 2008-2009, the 32nd edition of the biennial event, drew more than 51,000 photographs from 18,000 entrants from 153 countries and regions. Nikon chose as the contest’s theme their brand statement, “At the heart of the image,” to serve as an invitation for photographers to highlight emotional content. Entries were requested in two categories: My Planet and Free Subject. In addition, a NIKKOR 75th Anniversay award and several Emerging Talent awards were presented. Ten international judges selected 54 prizewinners, who were awarded Nikon gear...

Kelby TV

Your one-stop source to learn everything about Photoshop, Lightroom, Nikon, and photography in general, including an endless stream of easy to understand tips from pros who know what they are talking about. Go here to pick from hundreds of fast-paced, informative, user-friendly programs.

Scott Kelby On Twitter

Scott Kelby on Twitter: @ScottKelby

Nikon Now On Twitter

Want to stay up with the latest news from Nikon? Want to have a way to reach Nikon, directly, with your praise, concerns, feedback? You can now follow Nikon on Twitter!

Shiny Preview: Nikon D5000

Nikon's New D5000

Nikon introduces D5000 digital SLR with vari-angle LCD, 720p video
By Rob Galbraith
Monday, April 13, 2009

EXCERPT:

The D5000 - a less expensive D90?

If you're familiar with the D90, a lot of the D5000's specifications and features will seem similar. They have the identical image sensor, autofocus, metering and D-Movie mode, plus a similar shooting rate. There are differences, however, ones intended to justify the D90's slightly higher price tag. The D90 has the following attributes not found in the D5000:

- A larger, clearer viewfinder (the D5000's 0.78x magnification pentamirror viewfinder is likely to seem cramped in comparison to the D90's 0.94x pentaprism one)

- Commander Mode for adjusting and triggering remote Speedlights

- An in-body focus motor that can drive non-AF-S autofocus Nikkor lenses

- A larger, crisper rear LCD (3.0in, 920,000 dot for the D90 vs 2.7in, 233,000 dot for the D5000)

- 4.5fps maximum shooting rate

- Depth of field preview

- More Custom Settings options

- Accepts the MB-D80 Multi-Power Battery Pack (no similar grip is planned for the D5000)

Offsetting these D90 advantages is the vari-angle capability of the D5000's rear LCD, which will be a real boon for video work especially.

..........

Nikon Hits the Sweet Spot With New D5000
By Rik Fairlie
New York Times
April 14, 2009

Nikon D5000 Is Officially Announced!
101 Noisey Cameras
April 13, 2009

Nikon D5000 Overview Page

Nikon D5000 Test Images

Key Nikon D5000 specifications:

- 12-megapixel CMOS sensor (DX)

- 2.7" vari-angle LCD (230K) - tilt, flip, turn

- Live View

- OVF (95%, 0.78x)

- 11-point autofocus (one cross-type), MultiCAM 1000

- ISO 200 to 3200 (stretched to 100 and 6400)

- 4fps burst mode (with conditions as usual)

- Hot Shoe

- 24fps 720p video recording

- SD/SDHC memory cards

- EN-EL9a LiIon battery (also takes EN-EL9)

DTownTV: Outstanding Series for Nikon Shooters

I've reported on this before, but this show is so good, I wanted to remind all of you again. If you are a Nikon shooter, this program, featuring Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski, is outstanding. Every episode includes Nikon tips, tricks, and information that will dramatically improve, sharpen, and expand your abilities as a Nikon photographer. http://www.dtowntv.com/

Nikon GP-1 Review

EXCERPT:

Moose Peterson Writes:

"When Nikon finally came out with their own unit, I was quite excited to get the integration. The first thing that impressed me about the GP-1 is its size, it’s much smaller than I thought it would be...

"The next thing you’ll notice is there is no On/Off switch on the GP-1. It turns on and off via the camera’s actuation. With your GPS Auto meter off Enabled in the settings for the camera, you conserve battery power but you must make sure the GPS icon appears in the camera’s LCD prior to shooting to record the GPS info...

"...the GP-1 is by far the best GPS unit I’ve have for my cameras in 30yrs so I’m quite pleased to finally have it."

Read complete review here.