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NIKON TRIUMPHS WITH FOUR WINS AT THIS YEAR’S TIPA WORLD AWARDS

Posted on April 18, 2024 by Katrin Ruckert

We are TIPA World Awards logodelighted to announce that Nikon has been successful across four categories at this year’s TIPA World Awards. Nikon’s latest mirrorless camera, the sleek and stylish Z f was crowned the ‘Best Full-Frame Expert Camera’, while the Z 8 was awarded the prestigious title of “Best Full-Frame Professional Camera”. When it came to the lens categories, Nikon scored two awards with the NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena being voted the ‘Best Professional Portrait Lens’, while the NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR took home gold for the ‘Best Super Telephoto Zoom Lens’ award.

The four awards showcase Nikon’s dedication to producing innovative equipment, combining advanced technology and superior performance to empower photographers to push creative boundaries, but above all, to ‘keep inspiring’.

TIPA members praised the 24.5MP Nikon Z f as an excellent
example of convergence between Nikon Z f cameraclassic design and modern technology. Combining a Nikon SLR retro style look with still and video features that invite creative engagement, the Z f camera has proven to have great appeal to photo enthusiasts young and old. On-camera controls include precision dials for settings and an easy flip switch for choosing still or video capture. Framing and POV flexibility are enhanced by a vari-angle LCD for live-view shooting that can also be used for quick menu selections. Plus, there’s a pentaprism-style OLED with 100% coverage. Advanced video recording and vlogging capabilities include UHD 4K 30p and Full HD 120p recording, and SnapBridge, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity.

Nikon Z 8 cameraThe Z 8 was celebrated for its ability to pack a range of impressive Z 9 features into a ‘smaller, lightweight’ body – making it the perfect camera for both photographers and videographers on the go. Sharing many attributes with the flagship Nikon Z 9, the Z 8 hits a sweet spot in terms of size and weight for enthusiast and working pro on-the-go photographers and videographers. The choice between the two has more to do with the photographer’s mode, professional demands, and need to fit into a production regime than any major feature trade-offs. Lightweight at just 2 lbs. (0.90kg), the Z 8 is ideal for use with a gimbal for video and, being 30% smaller, is ideal for all day jobs, when kit bag weight is an important consideration. But being smaller and lighter does not mean a loss of features found in the Z 9, with sensor size, framing rates, and all the AI and tracking functions, among other specs, shared.

Image of Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8 S PlenaThe NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena was recognised for its ‘edge-to-edge buttery bokeh’. It’s rare for Nikon to name a lens, so we looked it up and Plena is defined as “the condition or quality of being full.” If the compliments paid to this lens by photographers from around the world are any indication, the appellation is apt. Aimed at commercial, wedding, portraitists, and even landscape and nature photographers, pro reactions have been overwhelmingly positive worldwide. In particular, there has been special praise for its edge-to-edge buttery bokeh for stills and cinematic video, thanks to its 11-blade diaphragm; its edge to edge brightness and minimization of ghosting, flare, and fringing, due to special elements and coatings; and its customizable control and function buttons, notable for cinemaphotographers who admire its smooth aperture transitions and Nikon’s Multi System Focus AF performance.

Image of Nikkor Z 1800600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lensThe NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR being Specifically designed for nature, wildlife, and sports enthusiast photographers, this long-range zoom lens brings it all together in terms of focal length range, fast, responsive autofocus, an STM motor for quiet and smooth video capture, and weather-sealed construction with a fluorine lens coating that, to quote, “anticipates a high frequency of lens wiping.” TIPA editors know that in pro offerings it’s often the small touches that make a big difference in the field, and with this super tele it’s the ability to adapt 1.4X and 2X teleconverters, maintain lens size when zooming, only a 70-degree turn to zoom out to maximum focal length, 5.5 EV image stabilization, and a host of on-lens controls to switch or lock modes and settings.

The TIPA World Awards are universally recognised as celebrating top-class companies and the highest quality products in the industry. It also serves to provide an important benchmark and guide for consumers when making their purchasing decisions.

Please visit the TIPA website for more information: www.tipa.com

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Nikon Owner Subscriber Jonathan Banks is Showing His Work at St. Albans Cathedral

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Katrin Ruckert

Enrich Me With Your Difference

Long-term Nikon Owner subscriber Jonathan Banks is a British photographer with over twenty-five years’ experience in humanitarian, editorial and commercial photography. This exhibition celebrates his career of working with charitable organisations around the world and encourages everyone to look for opportunities in their lives of making a difference. The exhibition runs from Tuesday, 9th of April to Friday, 3rd of May at St Albans Cathedral North Transept, Sumpter Yard, St Albans, AL1 1BY, as part of their Artists in Residence programme with the current theme of “Charity”.

Jonathan is the longest volunteering / serving photographer for the British Red Cross, as well as photographing for conflict charities such as International Alert, refugee support organisations like Compass Collective, and many more in the UK and abroad. The photographs that he has taken for these organisations have been published around the world, won major photography awards, and been exhibited in galleries.

You can find more information on the exhibition here: Enrich Me with Your Difference | St Albans Cathedral

“Enrich me with your difference” is an old African idea that means that whenever you encounter something new – whether it is another person, place or experience – you should put together all the differences along with your knowledge, understanding and emotional response to build something positive.”

Jonathan will be raising money for some of the charities that feature in the exhibition through print sales.
To find out more about Jonathan Banks, please visit https://jonathanbanks.co.uk

A boy from the crowd retrieves his ball in the shadow of the armed security at the Liberia National Peace and Cultural Festival in Monrovia; Liberia; December 11 – December 13 2008

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ENTRIES OPEN FOR THE NIKON COMEDY WILDLIFE AWARDS!

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Katrin Ruckert

Jason Moore, ‘Air Guitar Roo’, winner of The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2023

We are delighted to announce that Nikon has partnered with The Comedy Wildlife Awards and the world-famous competition is now open for 2024 entries.

The Comedy Wildlife Awards are celebrating a decade of sharing charming images from around the world, and this year, Nikon is supporting this strong legacy as partner of the competition. To commemorate this exciting new partnership, the competition has officially been renamed ‘The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards’, but the aim to help encourage the world to take part in the conservation conversation through hilarious wildlife images remains the same.

Entrants are invited to submit work that not only has the power to make people smile, but that encapsulates wildlife in all shapes and sizes – promoting the conservation of wildlife and their habitats through a humorous and positive message.

The entry shortlist will be judged by a panel of industry-leading photographers, which for the first time will include Nikon Creators such as Cameron Whitnall, Lara Jackson and Roxy Furman, who each possess a rich understanding and passion for both wildlife photography and conservation. They will be joining the regular cohort of expert judges, including renowned wildlife photographers and Nikon Ambassadors, Daisy Gilardini, and Charlie Hamilton James.

The competition is free to enter and is open to the public until it closes on July 31st 2024. The shortlist will be announced in September whereas the final winners will be announced in November of this year.

Submissions in the various categories will be in with a chance to win some impressive prizes, from a once in a lifetime safari in the Maasai Mara in Kenya, to a Nikon Z 30 camera. Other prizes include a Nikon Z 8 kit, and a brand-new iPad loaded with the latest Affinity Photo editing software for the Nikon Young Photographer winner.

Competition Categories include:

  • Alex Walker’s Serian Mammals
  • Spectrum Photo Birds
  • ThinkTANK Fish and other Aquatic Species
  • Insects
  • Reptiles/Amphibians
  • Nikon Young Photographer (up to 25yrs.)
  • Nikon Junior Category (up to 16 yrs.)
  • Amazing Internet Portfolio Category
  • Video Category
  • Affinity Photo People’s Choice Award

For more information and how to enter, please visit https://www.comedywildlifephoto.com/

ABOUT COMEDY WILDLIFE

Born from a passion for wildlife, and decades of experience living & working in East Africa, Comedy Wildlife began its life modestly in 2015 as a photographic competition. Since then, steered by its founders, Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam, it has grown into a globally renowned competition seen by millions of people every year, with sustainability at its heart and behind all its aims. In 2024 the competition is donating 10% of its profits to the Whitley Fund for Nature, supporting conservation leaders working in their home countries across the Global South

The free competition, open to wildlife photography novices, amateurs and professionals, celebrates the hilarity of our natural world and highlights what we need to do to protect it. From a surprised otter to a swearing turtle, Comedy Wildlife’s photographs transcend cultures and ages, to bring a smile to everyone’s face and with a mission to engage wildlife lovers everywhere to be part of a global conversation about conservation.

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CONTENTS – ISSUE 82 2024

Posted on March 13, 2024 by Katrin Ruckert


FRONT COVER BY JOHN ARCHER-THOMSON

CONTENTS:

NIKON OWNER RECOMMENDS:
David Cruz

EDITOR’S LETTER
By Gray Levett

WOMEN IN PHOTOGRAPHY – Andrea Jones: The Secret Garden
By Gillian Greenwood
Gillian Greenwood continues her benchmark series on women photographers of today with a feature on award-winning photographer Andrea Jones, who has had an extraordinarily diverse career.

MODERN NOSTALGIA – THE NIKON Zf REVIEW
By Becky Danese
The Queen of Grays of Westminster’s Live Streams field-tests the Zf, Nikon’s latest full-frame FX format mirrorless camera, which combines heritage design with advanced technology and superior performance.

PLANTS THAT ATTRACT POLLINATORS
By Heather Angel
Heather Angel discusses the various plants that attract pollinators and explains the different reasons for an insect settling upon a flower.

EAST TIMOR – ‘SMALL FRY’
By Andrew Main Wilson
Andrew Main Wilson travels to East Timor in South East Asia as part of his global-spanning odyssey to visit every country on earth.

THE LIFE OF PUFFINS
By John Archer-Thomson
Photographer, author, lecturer and coastal ecologist John Archer-Thomson explains why he never tires of visiting the remarkable colony of puffins on Skomer Island off the coast of Pembrokeshire in West Wales.

ARE YOU SURE?
By Derek Cooke
Retired Metropolitan Police Crime Scene Photographer Derek Cooke recalls his first glimpse of the future site of Grays of Westminster and Nikon Owner.

Nikon F Presentation
On April 11th, 1959 Nikon officially launched their first 35mm SLR, the Nikon F, at the Tokyo Imperial Hotel.

MOTHER-HOOD
By Chris Colverd
Nikon Owner subscriber Chris Colverd takes a completely unexpected picture of a mother hyena in the Kruger National Park in South Africa

THE NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S PLENA LENS REVIEW
BY SIMON STAFFORD
Our technical boffin and award-winning photographer Simon Stafford takes a close look at the Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena lens.

THE TONY HURST GALLERY
Words by Gray Levett
In a 1982 brochure Nikon stated “Bump it. Bang it. Work it hard and long. Now the F3 is protected by titanium, one of the world’s strongest metals.” This introduced the Nikon F3/T to the world which is captured here by Tony Hurst.

THE MUSICAL BOX OF MICHAEL PUTLAND
By Gray Levett
Michael Putland has captured an iconic image of the late Tony Bennett, whose career as a pre-eminent singer was unprecedented.

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NIKON RELEASES VERSION 2.11.0 OF SNAPBRIDGE SMARTPHONE APPLICATION

Posted on March 13, 2024 by Katrin Ruckert

Nikon Snapbridge Smartphone Application Version 2.11.0

Nikon is pleased to announce the release of Ver. 2.11.0 for SnapBridge – a smartphone application which enables a better workflow thanks to an easy connection between cameras and smartphones or tablets.

The latest firmware introduces1 an array of innovative new functions, including Easy Shooting Setup, allowing users to configure shooting settings suited to a particular scene or subject, directly from their smart device2.

Easy Shooting Setup3 enhances useability with a number of options able to determine the final output of content – such as soft, out-of-focus background or motion blur options. The new function also enables those unfamiliar with different camera options to create camera shooting settings that are easy to use. What’s more, settings are applied to the camera the moment they are tapped via the application, allowing users to immediately begin shooting the way they desire.

Additionally, Easy Shooting Setup provides useful tips for available scenes and subjects, such as people, landscapes, and pets – guaranteeing Nikon users impressive results. Created with convenience in mind, favourite shooting settings can also be assigned to one of the user setting positions4, enabling intuitive operation.

Nikon continues to enhance the app’s usability and strengthen its functions in order to provide users with increasingly rich imaging experiences. To find out more visit www.europe-nikon.com

Supported operating systems:

  • Android™ (version 10 or later)
  • iOS (version 15.7 or later)

Cameras that support Ver.2.11.0’s Easy Shooting Setup:

  • Nikon Z f, Nikon Z 5, Nikon Z fc, Nikon Z 50, and Nikon Z 30

  1.  The NX Ready app available in some regions will be discontinued with the release of SnapBridge Ver.2.11.0.
  2. The SnapBridge app can be downloaded free of charge from the Google Play™ and App Store®.
  • See Nikon’s website for further information.
  • See Google Play™ for Android™ device system requirements.
  • See the App Store® for iOS device system requirements.
  • There is no guarantee that this app will run on all devices.
  1. Not displayed if the camera with which the smart device running SnapBridge is paired does not support Easy Shooting Setup.
  2. Z 50, Z 30, and Z 5 only (as of March 13, 2024).
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