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Nikon removes Auto Capture references from Nikon Z8 marketing materials

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It looks like Nikon might be going back on its word when it comes to future feature enhancements. Promised deep down in the Nikon Z8 (buy here) announcement press release is Auto Capture. This is the same Auto Capture that was recently released for the Nikon Z9 (buy here). The new feature lets your camera shoot completely unattended on a pre-fixed spot, waiting for a subject to appear.

It looks like this feature is being rolled back now, though. Nikon had initially mentioned that the feature was also coming in the Z8 during the Z9 v4.0 firmware launch video. Now, all reference to the Nikon Z8 has been removed from the video. The paragraph that mentions Auto Capture has also been removed from the press release.

Nikon claws back a piece of its market share thanks to Z8 sales

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It looks like Nikon might finally have gotten itself together. According to the latest report from the Japanese sales statistics collector, BCN, Nikon has clawed its way back up to being the 3rd most popular camera brand, ahead of Panasonic. Ahead of these come Sony and Canon in first and second place, respectively.

According to BCN, the sales rankings for Nikon in Japan have been bolstered largely by the release of the Nikon Z8 (buy here). The camera has proven to be extremely popular in Japan, taking Nikon much higher in the sales rankings than it’s been for a long time. Other hot sellers include the Nikon Z fc (buy here), Nikon Z50 (buy here) and Nikon Z30 (buy here).

Nikon pushes artists with ‘Natural Intelligence’ Campaign but uses Creative commons and old images

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We featured Nikon’s advertisement Natural Intelligence, which shows breathtaking landscape images from around the world taken by different photographers. However, after some investigation, it appears that the images used were creative commons photographs from sites such as Unsplash and Flickr.

It’s highly likely (though we are still waiting for confirmation) that the majority of those photographers were not compensated for their work.

Nikon’s anti-AI ad reminds us of the wonder of the real world

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We’ve all been a little wrapped up lately in the amazing powers of AI. From ChatGPT to Dall-E and Adobe’s new generative fill, it really does seem like we can create anything at the click of a button.

But Nikon‘s new Natural Intelligence advertisement implores us not to give up on the real world. Instead, we should look up from our screens, take a walk outside, and view the natural wonders that already exist in our world, and capture them with our lenses, not image prompts.

7artisans releases a teeny tiny 18mm f/6.3 pancake lens for APS-C and Micro Four Thirds

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7Artisans has announced its new (and tiny) 18mm f/6.3 pancake lens (buy here) for Micro Four Thirds and APS-C mirrorless cameras. In the APS-C mounts, we’ve got Nikon Z, Fuji X, Sony E and Canon EF-M. No sign of a Canon RF mount one, but given how swiftly Canon has been enforcing its intellectual lens property, that’s not much of a surprise.

As is the nature with pancake lenses, the 7Artisans 18mm f/6.3 is extremely compact. In fact, it’s not much bigger than a regular standard body cap. It’s not optically complex and comes with a relatively cheap price point. Looking at some of the sample photos from Robin Wong’s video below, though, it looks pretty good!

Nikon Z9 firmware adds Auto Capture to let your camera shoot unattended

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It looks like Canon isn’t the only one bringing old features back to their modern cameras. Nikon, too, has brought back a long-lost feature to its Nikon Z9 (buy here) in a new v4.00 firmware. It’s called Auto Capture and allows you to set your camera down and just walk away. It monitors for specific events to happen and automatically shoots one or several photos. The new firmware also adds several other valuable features.

The Nikon Z9 Auto Capture feature is reminiscent of the Freeze Focus function in old film cameras like the Nikon N90s/F90x when used with the Nikon MF-26 multi-function back. This let you work in a similar way, setting your camera down and having it automatically shoot a photo when a subject enters the plane of focus. It’s a feature users have been begging to get back for 20 years. The Z9 brings it back in a much more advanced way.

Which Nikon Z mirrorless camera is right for you? See all of them compared

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Nikon was one of the last to join the world of serious mirrorless cameras. Sure, they had the Nikon 1 system, but that doesn’t really count. Their first full-frame mirrorless camera announcement was at Photokina 2018. Since then, the company’s announced ten more full-frame and APS-C cameras. But which one is right for you?

What might be an advantage for one person may be a disadvantage for another, and vice versa. In this video, photographer Matt Irwin looks at all of them, from the lowest entry-level Nikon Z30 (buy here) to the flagship Nikon Z9 (buy here). He compares the benefits and pitfalls of each to help you decide which one you should go for.

Nikon blocks 3rd party batteries on the Nikon Z8

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Nikon’s recently released Nikon Z8 (buy here) has proven quite popular. With lots of pre-orders getting into people’s hands now, though, a dirty secret has been revealed. Nikon is actively blocking 3rd party batteries from working with it. Reports were posted to Reddit and social media from users who’ve received their cameras and found that it doesn’t work with their 3rd party EN-EL15C batteries.

While this is something Nikon has been known to do in the past, this time, it caught the attention of Right to Repair campaigner Louis Rossman. While Louis typically slates companies trying to force customers into compliance, he takes a pretty fair and objective look at the situation. Ultimately, however, he believes it’s not in Nikon’s best interests to continue doing this.

Don’t buy a Z8 directly from Nikon, customers say

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According to posts on Reddit, it seems that quite a few customers have had their Nikon Z8 (buy here) orders cancelled, some without any reason provided whatsoever. The only thing these posts have in common is that they were all ordered (or pre-ordered) directly from Nikon itself. This doesn’t appear to be an issue with other retailers – or, at least, not enough of an issue that people are posting about it.

The posts typically say that the customer placed their order, received confirmation of their order and then suddenly received emails letting them know that their orders had been cancelled. The issue appears to stem around bank or credit card authorisation, but exactly where the blame lies isn’t quite clear.

Nikon adds Z8 support for NX Studio, SnapBridge and other Nikon apps

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Nikon has released new versions of its array of software to provide support for the Nikon Z8 (buy here). Updated applications include Camera Control Pro, Picture Control Utility, Wireless Tether Transmitter Utility, NX Tether and NX Studio. The last one on that list, NX Studio, also sees a range of other enhancements for NEF (HLG) and HEIF support. The new updates are all available to download now from the Nikon website, and links are provided below, along with the release notes for each new version update.

The SnapBridge apps for both iOS and Android have also been updated to provide support for the Nikon Z8. These apps are available to download and update on your device from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store for iPhone and Android users, respectively.

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