We’ve completed the third in our series of underwater/rugged camera reviews, this time covering the Nikon Coolpix AW110. This camera is loaded with features, including a GPS system with maps and landmarks, plus Wi-Fi that gives the ability to control the camera from your smartphone. Click the link to read the review, and don’t forget that we’ll be comparing all six cameras in a few weeks.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Metabones has introduced Nikon G-type versions of its Speed Booster lens adapter for Micro Four Thirds and Sony NEX cameras, which include a control ring for aperture setting with lenses that don’t have aperture rings of their own. The Speed Booster itself is a lens adapter that that reduces the focal length by a factor of 0.71x, and increases the maximum aperture by 1 stop, effectively allowing lenses to give very similar angle of view and depth of field control on APS-C mirrorless cameras as they do on full frame. The Nikon G-type adapters are available to buy now for $ 429 from Metabones’ website.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Nikon has released a firmware update for its Nikon D7100 digital SLR. Firmware version C 1.01 corrects errors in how certain kinds of shooting data is displayed, and aims to resolve other issues relating to live view shooting of stills and video. Click through for more details and a link to download the latest D7100 firmware.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Nikon, Olympus and Sigma have released firmware updates for the 1 System cameras, the Stylus XZ-2 and DP Merrill-series APS-C compact cameras. Nikon’s 1 System cameras have been updated to add support for the new 32mm F1.2 kens and continuous AF with the Nikon mount adapter FT1 and AF-S lenses, among other refinements. The Olympus Stylus XZ-2 has been updated for support with the new VF-4 electronic finder, and Sigma’s DP Merrill-series benefit from several performance and stability improvements. Click through for details.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
It was love at first sight!
Totally smitten!
Pulled the P520 out of its unassuming box and there it was: a gleaming vision in deep cherry red.
At the outset, the red base colour and overlaid control ID texts picked out in white made everything abundantly clear … much better than the usual white text on black!
And what a piece of kit it is.
Hitting off with a 42x zoom that moves from a 35 SLR equivalent of 24mm at the wide end and slipping in to a tele of 1000mm, it’s quite a piece of glass, although I found the stabiliser to be wanting when I handheld the camera while shooting video.
The maximum still image size is 4896×3672 pixels, printing out to a final 41x31cm result.
Video can be recorded in Full HD at 1920×1080 resolution. While shooting video you can also shoot stills, with no interruption, although you will hear the click of the shutter.
Top: at the right end of the top deck you find the mode dial with auto, PASM, scene modes, night landscape, landscape, backlighting, special effects and special user settings.
There are 17 scene modes, including settings for beach, sunset, food shots, fireworks, panorama, 3D photography etc.
The five special effects include soft image, sepia, high contrast mono, high and low key shooting.
Forward and mounted on top of the pronounced speed grip is the shutter button, encircled by the zoom lever.
Behind is the Function button which gives access to the continuous speeds further to the rear is the on/off power switch.
Rear: next the top viewfinder is the display options button and further to the right is the video record button and the command dial; lower down is the replay button and the four way jog button which takes you to flash options, exposure compensation, macro and self timer; lower still is the menu and trash buttons.
To my mind the array of external controls is not at all intimidating. It’s only when you get to accessing the viewfinder menu that many more options become evident. Spend a few hours here and you will come away with a far better understanding of how the camera sings and dances.
Viewing is via the top finder or the rear, vari-angle LCD screen, variable by 180 degrees laterally and 225 degrees vertically.
There is built in GPS, so you can record and store shooting locations; there is also a pre-populated database of 1.86 million points of interest included.
All OK until ISO 3200, when a little softness appeared. By ISO 6400 softness increased but, surprisingly, noise was very low.
It took about two seconds from startup to first shoot; follow ons about two seconds a shot.
No problem at the wide or tele ends of the zoom.
Quality: if you want to extract the full benefit of this camera, especially to enjoy the tele end of the zoom you need quite an amount of discipline (for ‘discipline’ read a tripod or firm shooting base!).
Most shots I took showed about average quality.
Why you would buy it: long zoom; easy to use; vari-angle screen.
Why you wouldn’t: long zoom can often lead to poor shots; AF at long tele a bit slow.
In spite of my generally glowing report, it’s not all a rosy picture: maximum lens aperture is f3.5, fully an f stop slower than many compacts; there is no support for RAW file format … JPEG is all you get in stills.
In two colours: red and black. Go for the red!
Image Sensor: 18.1 million effective pixels.
Metering: Matrix, centre-weighted and spot.
Sensor: 11mm CMOS.
Lens: f3.5-5.9/4.3-180mm (24-1000mm as 35 SLR equivalent).
Exposure Modes: Program AE, shutter and aperture priority, manual.
Shutter Speed: 8 to 1/4000 second.
Continuous Speed: 7 fps.
Memory: SD/SDHC/SDXC cards plus 15MB internal memory.
Image Sizes (pixels): 4896×3672 to 640×480. Movies: 1920×1080, 1280×720, 960×540, 640×480 at 25 or 30fps.
Viewfinder: 8cm LCD (921,000 pixels).
File Formats: JPEG, MPO (3D), WAV, MPEG4.
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 80 to 6400.
Interface: USB 2.0, AV, HDMI mini, WiFi, DC input.
Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery, AC adaptor.
Dimensions: 125x84x102 WHDmm.
Weight: 550 g (inc battery and SD card).
Price: Get a price on the Nikon COOLPIX P520 at Amazon.
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
Nikon Coolpix P520
Just posted: Our review of the Nikon Coolpix A. With a 28mm-equivalent wideangle lens, and the same 16MP DX format sensor as used by the D7000 SLR, the Coolpix A is designed as a serious compact camera capable of professional-quality results. But it’s up against stiff competition, in the shape of the similarly-specified but cheaper Ricoh GR that was announced a month later. In our 16-page comparative review, we take a detailed at how the Coolpix A measures up to the challenge posed by its close rival.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Hot on the heels of its cashback offer for its 1 System cameras, Nikon UK has announced similar promotions on its D600 and D5200 SLRs. Buyers will be able to claim back £50 / €60 on the D5200, and £150 / €180 on the D800, when purchased either body only or with a new Nikkor lens. Meanwhile buyers of various Coolpix compacts will have the chance to win one of over 1200 ‘exhilarating prizes’, including an indoor sky diving experience.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Nikon UK has announced a summer cashback offer on its 1 system cameras. From 30th May to 4th September, buyers can claim back £50 on the S1 and J3 models, and £80 on the V2 (or €60 and €80 respectively for customers in Eire). The offer applies to both body-only purchases and single- and twin-lens kits, and all colours of camera; cashback has to be claimed by 4th October 2013. Click through for full details.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
We’ve just posted our head-to-head review of the Canon PowerShot G15 and Nikon Coolpix P7700. These two 12MP zoom compacts have comparable designs and share a lot of similar features, but which one is best for you? We’ve run them through a series of studio and real-world tests to find out. Click through for links to our head-to-head review.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
We’ve just posted our head-to-head review of the Canon PowerShot G15 and Nikon Coolpix P7700. These two 12MP zoom compacts have comparable designs and share a lot of similar features, but which one is best for you? We’ve run them through a series of studio and real-world tests to find out. Click through for links to our head-to-head review.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)