Digital Camera News and Reviews

Nikon D3 DSLR

Nikon has updated their Capture NX to version 2.1.1. The update includes support for their last high end DSLR, the Nikon D3X camera. The update also include several fixes and improvemenents, including issues with GPS information and error messages when you are setting grey point on several pictures.

Download Nikon Capture NX version 2.1.1 for Windows here and Mac here.

Nikon has updated the firmware for their flash SB-900 to version 5.02. Here are the updates:

-With uninterrupted shooting with the SB-900 set to i-TTL mode, images captured just before the flash ceased firing were sometimes slightly overexposed. This issue has now been resolved. By resolving this issue, metering precision has been further increased and the number of times the flash fires has also been increased.
-When the SB-900 (set to TTL auto flash mode) is used with a camera supporting the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS), flash mode automatically changes to A mode according to camera communication status. That flash mode was previously maintained, but it has now been modified so that TTL auto flash mode is restored once the SB-900 again recognizes the camera as a CLS-compatible camera.
When installing the new firmware for the Nikon SB-900 on the Nikon D3 and D300 DSLR’s be sure to have updated firmware on the camera. That is not necessary for Nikon D90 and D700.

Download the Nikon SB-900 flash firmware version 5.02 here for Windows and here for Mac.

Nikon D300 DSLR

Nikon has released an updated version of the firmware for their D300 DSLR camera. The new 1.03 version of the firmware fixes a problem often called “Dead Battery Syndrome” where the battery indicator falsely says that the battery is dead.

The 1.03 version of the Nikon D300 firmware can be downloaded here for Windows and here for Mac.

Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G

Dpreview.com has reviewed the popular Nikon lens AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF both for DX (APS-C) and FX (35mm full-frame) Nikon DSLR camera bodies.

Dpreview ends up giving the Nikon lens a “Highly Recommended” rating for the DX-format as the lens produces excellent images on this format. The Nikkor 70-200mm also got a very good image stabilzation and superb build quality.
For the FX-format the lens get a bit lower score with a “Recommended” rating as this lens is really constructed with the smaller DX-format in mind. Pictures made with the Nikkor 70-200mm on a FX-camera (D3) has soft corners and some vignetting. This might not be a problem for many photographers, but to some it’s a big con.
Overall the Nikon AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF seems like an excellent lens.

Read the full review of the Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G lens here.