fbpx

DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

Search

Submit A Story

Stop paying through the nose for OEM batteries – Your camera might support USB power banks

by 2 Comments

Do you ever get that feeling that you never have enough batteries for your camera(s)? I do, especially when I’m shooting video. OEM batteries for most mirrorless cameras can be insanely expensive, but many people shy away from third party batteries. But there is another, much less expensive power option available to many mirrorless camera shooters these days, and that’s USB Power Delivery.

I’ve spoken about USB-PD here on DIYP before. I use USB-PD cables that negotiate the voltages for me and let me feed it into a dummy battery inside my camera. But now, most new cameras are coming with USB-PD support natively built right into the camera. And we’re not just talking about charging up the battery here, either. No, you can actually power your camera from a USB-PD power bank (personally, I’m a fan of OnSite 100W PD battery)

[Read More…]

Nikon’s F mount legacy takes one step closer to death as Nikon kills off another seven lenses

by 2 Comments

The demise of Nikon’s DSLR product line, along with the F mount lens system that Nikon has been using for over 60 years, was pretty much inevitable with the company’s transition to mirrorless. We’ve seen them slowly kill off their DSLRs and a few of the F mount lenses, and now a few more appear to have been added to that list, according to the Nikon USA website.

Seven lenses have disappeared from the current model lens list on the Nikon USA website with product pages for those lenses indicating that “This product has been archived”. This is code for “Don’t bother, it’s been discontinued”. While they’re still available from some retailers, they probably won’t be available for much longer and once stocks run out, new ones are gone forever.

[Read More…]

The Nikon Z9 gains internal 12-Bit ProRes RAW, 8K 12-Bit N-RAW and other new features in v2.0 firmware

by 4 Comments

Well, these are some pretty significant updates to the Nikon Z9. Nikon has today announced the new version 2.0 firmware for the Nikon Z9. It brings with it a host of interesting new features for both photographers and filmmakers including internal 12-Bit ProRes RAW recording at 4.1K up to 60fps and 12-Bit N-RAW recording for 8.3K. 4K footage can now be oversampled from 8K and you also get finer ISO control with 1/6th step increments.

On the photography side, There’s a new Pre-Release Capture feature that starts shooting up to a full second before you actually hit the shutter. Twenty different Custom Wide-Area AF patterns have been added for tricky sports and wildlife situations, along with better AF stability, tracking performance and low-light subject detection. There have also been some improvements made to its long exposure display mode.

[Read More…]

Nikon wants 50+ Nikkor Z mount lenses by 2025 and to implement Z9 features across the mirrorless lineup

by Leave a Comment

Well, it looks like Nikon’s following on from Canon’s lead with the lens goals over the next few years. Canon’s annual financial report and presentation said they want to release 8 RF lenses per year for the next four years (32 in total by the end of 2025) and now Nikon’s recently released “Medium-Term Management Plan” also sets its sights on a goal of 50 lenses in the Nikkor Z lineup by the end of 2025.

They also say that they want to have a “2+ lens attach rate” – essentially, they want Nikon Z mirrorless shooters to own at least two Nikkor Z lenses. They’re finally also planning to strengthen their video functions to try and better target the filmmaking crowd that seems to be obsessed with the Sony A7S III and Canon EOS R5/R5C as well as bringing Nikon Z9 features to their entire mirrorless lineup.

[Read More…]

Wildlife photographer Steve Perry gets his hands on the new Nikon Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens

The recently announced Nikon Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens caused a bit of a stir amongst wildlife and sports photographers – at least, the ones who shoot Nikon. It may be a third of a stop slower than its F mount DSLR predecessor, but it comes with $10K shaved off its price tag and its weight over its predecessor has been cut almost in half, too. But how does it stand up to the job of actually shooting?

In this video, wildlife photographer Steve Perry takes out a pre-production version of this lens, with its Phase Fresnel (PF) optical tech – which helps contribute towards its lightweight design – to give it a spin and see how it handles. Steve details the actual shooting experience and goes over the features of the lens.

[Read More…]

Nikon’s new Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S is here and it’s $10K cheaper than the f/5.6 F mount version

Nikon has announced its longest lens for the Nikon Z system to date, the Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S. It’s relatively inexpensive, too, with a price tag of only $6,496.95 vs the $16,296.95 its f/5.6 F mount predecessor demands. Sure, it’s a third of a stop slower but for this kind of price difference, especially given high ISO performance increases of late, does that really matter?

The new super-long prime lens is obviously targeted toward sports and wildlife photographers, but as well as being a little lighter on the wallet, it’s also going to be lighter to carry, coming in at around half the weight of its predecessor, too. It’s also a few inches shorter and a little narrower, making it easier to fit into more bags.

[Read More…]

If you order a Nikon Z9 in Japan today, you won’t get it until January 2023

by Leave a Comment

Japan, the home of Nikon, is seeing some pretty massive delays on the Nikon Z9 right now. As spotted by the folks at Nikon Rumors, if you order a Nikon Z9 today from Yodobashi Camera in Japan, you won’t see it until at least January 2023. It may actually take longer if they pre-sell more of the shipment than the number of bodies they have coming in at that time.

In the rest of the world, B&H still lists the Nikon Z9 as “New Item – Coming Soon” – which it has done since at least December, with no estimated date when more will arrive in stock. Adorama, too, lists it as “On Backorder” and Amazon still doesn’t even have a listing for it yet. WEX Photo Video in the UK also lists it as a “Pre-Order”.

[Read More…]

Nine new Canon, Nikon and Fuji camera codes registered with certification body (and a Sony lens)

by 2 Comments

Well, it looks like there’s a flood of new cameras about to come in from Canon, Nikon and Fuji, along with a number of lenses from Canon and Sony, a new speedlight and a Nikon memory card – which I’m guessing is going to be CFexpress. According to Digicame-Info, a screenshot posted to “a huge bulletin board” lists a number of products from the four manufacturers.

Canon lists six digital cameras, 2 photography lenses, 2 cinema lenses (technically one lens in two mount options) and a speedlight. Nikon adds two digital cameras (one with wifi and apparently one without) as well as a memory card. Sony is apparently gearing up to announce an FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II and Fuji also has a new camera listed.

[Read More…]

Yongnuo has launched the YN 85mm f/1.8 DF DSM autofocus Z mount lens – but only in China

by 2 Comments

Yongnuo has today announced their new YN 85mm f/1.8 DF DSM Z mount lens. But, they’ve only announced in China with a post to their account on Chinese social media platform Weibo, followed by a handful of shares from others who’ve been testing it. It’s not even listed on their website yet.

The new lens was teased at the end of February and many of us thought it would be a global announcement. Sadly not. Fortunately for the rest of us, Richard Wong managed to get his hands on one and has already posted a complete review. So, even if those of us in the rest of the world can’t buy it yet, we can see what it’s like.

[Read More…]

Nikon announces price increase from next month due to supply issues

by 1 Comment

After other manufacturers, Nikon has also announced a price increase starting next month. It’s only limited to Northern Europe for now, but it’s possible that it will expand globally as the world continues to crumble.

It sounds like an early April Fool’s joke, but all Nikon gear will get more expensive starting precisely on this day. The reason is, according to the company, “severe disruption in global supply chains.”

[Read More…]

Recent Posts