NIKON - Digital Camera Handbook

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FULL REVIEWS INSIDE Nikon Df • Nikon D610 • Nikon D7100 AF-S Nikkor 800mm f5.6E FL ED lens

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LEGENDARY

CONTENTS THIS SPECIAL PUBLICATION IS EXCERPTED FROM

24 ¬ NIKON D610 review The appeal of a full-35mm size sensor is hard to resist, and you don’t have to, given the price of Nikon’s impressively affordable D610, which has to be close to the best value enthusiast-level D-SLR on the market.

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Digital Camera Handbook

04 ¬ NIKON D7100 review Nikon’s D-SLR line-up is the most extensive and competitive it’s ever been, and there are some real stars in the current line-up, including the D7100 which packs pro-level features at an enthusiast-level price.

30 ¬ AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f5.6E FL ED VR review Never mind the price tag, look at what this baby can do. Nikon’s updated supertelephoto is the dream lens for shooting sports, wildlife, aeroplanes and much more…

12 ¬ NIKON Df review

36 ¬ LENS CHOICES FOR PETS

The spirit of Nikon’s brilliant FM 35mm SLR from the late 1970s is re-incarnated in the digital Df, which combines a traditional look and feel with a full-35mm sensor and digital-era usability.

Selecting the right lens for a particular subject is critical to achieving the best results — here we’re looking at what works best with pets and their many antics...

20 ¬ LENS CHOICES AT THE ZOO

40 ¬ FROM THE NIKKORMATS TO FM

Seeing wildlife actually in the wild is getting harder, not to mention more expensive, so zoos and reserves are the next best thing — and there are ways to capture images which look natural.

As Nikon reprises the styling of one of its most popular 35mm SLRs, we thought it was timely to look at the heritage behind the marque’s consumer-level reflex camera.

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Excerpted from DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK 2014

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ON TRIAL

NIKON

REPORT BY

PAUL BURROWS

D7100

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SHARPENING TOOL A load of pro-level capabilities have filtered down to Nikon’s latest enthusiast-orientated D-SLR, creating an immensely appealing combination of features, performance and affordability.

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DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK

egular readers will know that we’re great fans of Nikon’s D600 here at Camera magazine.

It remains a hard-to-beat package in terms of its 35mm-sized sensor, durable construction, a lengthy list of high-end features, sheer usability and an attractive price tag.

Nikon has used much the same recipe with the D7100 except it uses an ‘APS-C’ size sensor and it’s around a grand cheaper (body only) to sweeten the deal. If you’re already committed to a set of ‘DX’ format Nikkor lenses – which would make moving up to the D600 an even more expensive exercise – the D7100 can still tick all the same boxes.

Taking its place as the flagship of Nikon’s ‘DX’ format line-up, the D7100 looks quite similar to its big sensor cousin, although not surprisingly, it’s slightly more compact. On both the top deck and the back panel, the control layouts are virtually identical and even, in quite a number of instances, use exactly the same controls (among them the input wheels, the navigator pad and the still/movie selector lever).

Like the D600, the D7100 has dual memory card slots for the SD format, and its bodyshell is a combination of magnesium alloy and polycarbonate covers with sealing against the intrusion of dust and moisture (to the same level as the D800 and D300S). It has the same size 8.1 cm LCD monitor screen (but with an increase in resolution to 1.23 megapixels plus a brighter RGBW display) and it uses the same EN-EL15 lithium-ion battery pack. On the top deck is the same monochrome LCD read-out panel and the viewfinder is pretty much the same save for the difference in magnification related to the smaller image size (0.94x versus 0.70x). The viewfinder is a proper pentaprism – rather than a pentamirror design – which enhances both brightness and contrast. In some areas though, the D7100 is actually better featured than the D600

ON TRIAL

“LIKE MOST OF THE RECENTLY RELEASED NIKON D-SLRS, THE D7100 DELIVERS A ‘CLEAN’ UNCOMPRESSED HD VIDEO FEED TO ITS HDMI CONNECTOR.” – for example, its 51-point autofocusing system and the provision of built-in stereo microphones for video recording.

Even the pixel counts are pretty similar, although of course, the D7100’s pixels are smaller due to the sensor’s size of 23.5x15.6 mm versus the D600’s 35.9x24.0 mm.

PUSHING THE PIXELS Currently, three Nikon D-SLRs have ‘APS-C’ format sensors with a total pixel count of 24.7 million – the D3200, D5200 and now the D7100 – but each actually has a different imager and the new format flagship’s is unique in that it doesn’t have an optical low-pass filter (LPF).

This is an interesting trend in digital camera design with Leica, Nikon, Ricoh, Pentax, Fujifilm and Sony all deciding to question the long-held adherence to the idea of dealing with moiré patterns by employing a filter – also known as an anti-aliasing filter – in front of the sensor which essentially slightly blurs the image to eliminate unwanted artefacts. Put simply, the moiré effect occurs when the frequency of a repeating pattern in the subject coincides with that of the sensor’s pixel pitch so, for example, it can often

NIKON D7100

Compared to its predecessor, the D7100 now has a dedicated video start/stop button located just behind the shutter release.

Built-in stereo microphones are located ahead of the hotshoe and the audio recording levels can be manually adjusted.

The main mode dial locks at each setting. The drive mode selector is located concentrically and the D7100 has the ‘Q’ quiet shutter release mode.

The rear panel is mostly occupied by the large 8.1 cm LCD monitor screen which has a resolution of 1.23 megapixels. It goes without the plastic protective screen provided on the D600.

happen with the fine weave of fabrics. Importantly, the effect can be removed in post processing which is presumably why these camera manufacturers have decided that it no longer warrants compromising image quality per se. And for some photographers it’s quite likely that moiré may never be an issue.

Nikon first experimented with the idea of reduced correction for moiré patterns with the D800E, although this camera uses a rather more complex system of two LPFs which effectively cancel each other out at the resolution-matching pattern frequency. This means that with all other patterns some anti-aliasing is still happening, but the D7100 has its LPF removed altogether like the Pentax K-5 IIs. Consequently, moiré patterns will

occur in the ‘right’ circumstances, but regardless, the sensor is still delivering its optimum resolution which is obviously beneficial all of the time.

The effective pixel count is 24.1 million which delivers a maximum image size of 6000x4000 pixels.

JPEGs can be captured at two smaller sizes and with a choice of three compression levels – fine, normal and basic. Additionally, the compression scheme can be preset to ‘Size Priority’ or ‘Optimal Quality’. The D7100 can also be set to capture images at ‘1.3x’ which is a crop representing an imaging area of 18x12 mm on the sensor. Why would you want to do this? Well, the maximum image size is still 4800x3200 pixels (15.36 megapixels) and you’ve sneaked another 1.3x on the lens

focal length which could be handy where a telephoto is concerned.

RAW files can be recorded at either 12-bits or 14-bits per RGB channel with either lossless or lossy compression algorithms.

The RAW+JPEG capture options combine an NEF with a large/fine, large/normal or large/basic JPEG. The sensitivity range is equivalent to ISO 100 to 6400 with a two-stop push to ISO 25,600. Usefully, the Auto ISO facility can be manually set for maximum sensitivity and the minimum shutter speed, but the latter also has an Auto setting which subsequently dictates the minimum shutter speed according to the focal length of the lens in use, and furthermore this can be fine-tuned via five steps ranging from Slower to Faster.

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NIKON D7100

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TEST IMAGES: JPEG/large/fine test images exhibit exceptional definition and detailing with the absence of the low pass filter very evident in the crisp reproduction of textures and other fine patterns. The colour fidelity is excellent across the spectrum with good neutrality and minimum under- or oversaturation (with the Standard ‘Picture Control’ preset). Noise isn’t a major issue at any ISO up to 1600 and is still reasonably low at both ISO 3200 and 6400. Test pictures taken with the AF-S Nikkor DX 18-105mm f3.5-5.6 ED VR ‘kit’ zoom.

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PROCESS WORKER The D7100 gets its own version of Nikon’s current ‘Expeed 3’ processor which enables continuous shooting at up to 6.0 fps at full resolution and up to 7.0 fps in the ‘1.3x’ cropped format. These speeds are both also with continuous autofocusing and metering, and there’s a low speed mode which can be preset to any desired setting between 1.0 and 5.0 fps.

The D7100 also mirrors the D600 pretty closely in terms of its image processing functions, starting with a set of six ‘Picture Control’ presets. These comprise the staple Nikon D-SLR lineup of Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait and Landscape with, in the case of the colour presets, adjustments for sharpening, contrast, brightness saturation and hue. Monochrome replaces the last two with a set of B&W contrast filters (yellow, orange, red and green) and big selection of toning effects (nine colours each with seven levels of density).

Each of the colour ‘Picture Controls’ also has a Quick Adjust function which performs a number of adjustments simultaneously.

Up to nine modified ‘Picture Controls’ can be stored with provisions for each to be named using titles of up to 19 characters in length. Alternatively, custom ‘Picture Controls’ can be created in Nikon’s ViewNX 2 or Capture NX 2 software and loaded into the camera via a memory card.

The D7100 also has a choice of seven ‘Special Effect’ settings which are applied at the point of capture, but are also standalone modes so the amount of manual control available is limited (essentially to just exposure compensation). These effects can be previewed in Live View which also allows for various adjustments with a number of them. A number are also replicated in the Retouch Menu so they can be applied post-capture which creates a new file and keeps the original (more about the rest of the image editing functions later on).

PROCESS WORKER Another standard across Nikon’s D-SLR family is ‘Active D-Lighting’

“IN TERMS OF ITS CAMERA CONTROL SYSTEMS, THE D7100 SHARES SOME ELEMENTS FROM THE D600, BUT IT ALSO BORROWS FROM HIGHER UP THE RANGE TOO, MOSTLY NOTABLY ITS 51-POINT AUTOFOCUSING SYSTEM WHICH IS USED IN BOTH THE D800 AND THE PRO-LEVEL D4.”

(ADL) processing for balancing exposure and contrast to extend the dynamic range, but the D7100 also has a multi-shot HDR capture function. The ‘Active D-Lighting’ processing options are the same as on the D600 with a choice of Low, Normal, High, Extra High or Auto settings. ADL auto bracketing is also available with the choice of either two or three shots.

Nikon’s ADL processing essentially works like the Shadow/ Highlight adjustment in Photoshop, and combines exposure and tone curve adjustments to optimise brightness and dynamic range, but without the provision for precise manual control. The ‘Active’ part of the function’s title indicates the corrections are performed at the point of capture (so this additional processing will reduce

the continuous shooting speed), but alternatively the image can be processed post-capture using the ‘D-Lighting’ function available in the Retouch Menu.

The HDR capture mode captures two images simultaneously – one underexposed and one overexposed – and these are then merged to give an expanded dynamic range. The degree of exposure variation is determined via Low, Normal, High or Extra High settings or adjusted automatically based on the brightness range in the scene.

HDR capture can be set to selfcancel after execution or continue until manually cancelled. The D7100 doesn’t offer quite the same level of control here as the D600, but there are still sufficient options to balance the prevailing brightness range with the outcome.

The D7100 also does without the ‘Vignette Control’ correction provided on the D600, but it does have the ‘Auto Distortion Control’ processing. This corrects for both barrel and pincushion distortion, but is only available with the CPUequipped D-type or G-type Nikkor lenses. Alternatively, ‘Distortion Control’ can also be applied postcapture via the Retouch Menu. As with a number of Nikon D-SLRs, the D7100 runs correction for lateral chromatic aberrations continuously in the background with JPEG capture. This works by compensating for the differences in the resolving index for each colour wavelength rather than just correcting for any colour fringing at a contrast edge. Consequently, it’s particularly effective at eliminating the chromatic aberrations that occur at the edges of the frame when shooting with older wideangle lenses.

Both high ISO and long exposure noise reduction is provided, the former with four settings – High, Normal, Low or Off – although Off doesn’t actually mean completely off because noise reduction is automatically applied with any of the boosted sensitivity settings. There is both an intervalometer and a multiple exposure facility, the latter with the option of combining two or three shots.

DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK 7

NIKON D7100

ON TRIAL Very useful is the provision of dual SD format card slots, and they can be configured in various ways, including enabling simultaneous file recording to both.

The top panel layout is classic high-end Nikon D-SLR, including a monochrome LCD readout panel with built-in illumination.

The D7100’s connection bay includes both a stereo minijack audio input and an output for connecting headphones.

EDITING SWEET The Retouch Menu has been mentioned a number of times ow and it offers a huge choice of post-capture editing functions (currently numbering 20).

Duplicated from the ‘Special Effects’ are Colour Sketch, Selective Colour and Miniature, but Fish-Eye and Colour Outline are additionally available here. There’s also a set of seven filter effects (some adjustable) and a ‘Quick Retouch’ setting which automatically boosts the saturation and contrast of an image with the choice of ‘Low’, ‘Normal’ and ‘High’ settings.

The other offerings in the Retouch Menu – in addition to those already mentioned earlier – include Straighten, Perspective Control, Red-Eye

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Correction, Colour Balance (using RGB histograms for guidance), Trim, B&W conversion (with the option of either sepia or cyanotype toning), Image Overlay (for two RAW files with the capacity to balance the exposures as required), Resize, RAW Processing and basic movie editing. This involves the simple trimming of the start or end points, or the saving of selected frames as JPEGs. Many of the editing functions for stills are adjustable and, of course, the effects can be previewed. For the in-camera conversion of RAW files to JPEGs, the adjustable parameters are displayed alongside the thumbnail image and it’s simply a case of using the camera’s fourway ‘Multi-Selector’ control pad to navigate through them and change any settings as desired.

The exposure compensation adjustments are reduced to a maximum of +/-2.0 EV.

IN FOCUS In terms of its camera control systems, the D7100 shares some elements from the D600, but it also borrows from higher up the range too, mostly notably its

DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK

51-point autofocusing system which is used in both the D800 and the pro-level D4. Fifteen of these focusing points are cross-type arrays and are arranged in a 3x5 pattern at the centre of the frame. Overall, however, coverage by the full 51 points is pretty wide. The central point will work with lenses as slow as f8.0 (primarily to accommodate users of the 2.0x teleconverter). Low light sensitivity extends down to -2.0 EV (at ISO 100).

Switching between singleshot and continuous operation can be done either manually or by the camera (if any subject movement is detected) and there’s a choice of six ‘AF Area’ modes ranging from single point to auto selection from the full suite of 51.

The ‘Dynamic-Area’ AF mode can be configured to nine, 21 or the full 51 points, and there’s a ‘3D Tracking’ mode which uses colour matching (courtesy of the RGB metering sensor) to determine when the subject is moving and switches points accordingly. In live view – which uses contrastdetection measurements to drive the lens (no fancy hybrid system yet) – there’s the choice of FacePriority, Wide-Area, Normal-Area and Subject Tracking modes.

Face-Priority can detect up to 35 faces and focuses on the closest one. Manual focusing in live view is assisted by a magnified image (up to 19x) accompanied by a navigation window.

While Nikon’s lower end ‘APS-C’ format D-SLRs have long ago abandoned the built-in autofocusing motor, the good news for anybody with non-AF-S Nikkor lenses is that it’s still retained on the D7100.

LIGHTING UP Exposure control is based on Nikon’s 2016-pixel, RGB-sensitive sensor which drives the ‘3D Colour Matrix Metering II’ multi-zone measurement and the alternative centre-weighted average and spot modes. As on all the higher-end Nikon D-SLRs, the centre-weighted metering has a variable diameter centre spot – six, eight, ten or 13 millimetres – or can be switched to take fully averaged measurements. The standard set of ‘PASM’ exposure control modes are supplemented with 16 scene programs which are accessed via the ‘Scene’ position on the main mode dial. Interestingly, there’s no mention of automatic scene mode selection even in the camera’s full auto mode. This is not the same as

ON TRIAL

“THE D7100 MUSCLES ITS WAY TO THE TOP OF THE ‘APS-C’ CLASS IN THE D-SLR PERFORMANCE SCHOOL, BOTH IN THE JPEG AND THE RAW EXAMS, GAINING SCORES OF A AND A+ RESPECTIVELY.” Nikon’s rather confusingly named ‘Scene Recognition System’ which is designed to optimise the autofocus, exposure, i-TTL flash control and auto white balance control via the analysis of data from both the imager and the metering sensor.

The manual exposure overrides comprise an AE lock, up to +/-5.0 EV of compensation (adjustable in either ½ or 1/3 stop increments) and auto bracketing either for available light exposures, flash exposures or a combination of both. The bracketing sequences are over two, three or five frames (the latter being another feature the D7100 has over the D600).

Like the D600 though, the D7100 has a built-in pop-up flash but no PC terminal. Similarly, the built-in flash unit’s bag of tricks includes slow speed sync, second curtain sync, manual power adjustment (down to 1/128) and a commander mode for controlling for wireless TTL set-ups. The maximum sync speed is 1/250 second and the full shutter speed range is 30-1/8000 second (both

faster than the D600). Nikon claims the shutter assembly has been tested to 150,000 cycles, and the ‘Q’ quiet release mode found on Nikon’s higher-end D-SLRs is also provided. This keeps the mirror locked up until the shutter button is fully released (so you can delay this until ready) and also overrides the camera’s audible signals.

The white balance control options are similar to those offered on the D600, starting with two auto correction modes – one normal and the other designed to maintain warmer tones when shooting under incandescent lighting. The standard automatic correction has a range of 3500 to 8000 degrees Kelvin. There’s a choice of 12 presets for different lighting types, including seven for the various different types of gas-ignition lamps ranging from sodium-vapour at 2700 degrees Kelvin to mercury-vapour at 7200 degrees Kelvin.

Fine-tuning of all the presets is possible in five-mired increments across the green-to-magenta

and blue-to-amber colour ranges. Alternatively, the colour temperature can be set manually from 2500 to 10,000 degrees Kelvin. Up to six custom white balance measurements can be made and stored for future recall. White balance bracketing adjustments can be in five-, tenor 15-mired increments over the amber-to-blue colour range, and again over sequences of two, three or five frames. A brand new feature is available in live view called ‘Spot White Balance’ which provides a moveable zone to select any area of the image from which to take a white balance measurement.

There’s even a zooming function for greater selectivity.

AT THE MOVIES Full HD video recording can be at 24 or 25 fps progressive-scan, or 50 fps interlaced, all with MPEG4 AVC/H.264 compression in the MOV format. There are also highquality and normal modes which correspond to data streams of 24 Mbps and 12 Mbps respectively.

NIKON D7100 Notably, like most of the recently released Nikon D-SLRs, the D7100 delivers a ‘clean’ uncompressed HD video feed to its HDMI connector. This output can be fed to an external recorder or monitor and, in reality, the feature will be of most interest to video professionals – for starters, the file sizes are truly enormous – but in this market it does give the Nikon an advantage over any of its rivals (as is the case with the D600).

The D7100 has built-in stereo microphones – located just ahead of the hotshoe – which is supplemented by a stereo audio input. There’s also a stereo output for connecting headphones. The recording level can be manually adjusted over 20 steps or set to auto attenuation, and a pair of level meters appear in the monitor screen. The 7100 lacks the very handy ‘Power Aperture’ control provided on the D800, but the aperture can be preset in live view.

Once recording commences, however, it can’t be changed even in the manual exposure mode.

The exposure control options are limited to the compensation function (but reduced to a range of +/-3.0 EV), except in the manual mode when both the shutter speed and ISO can be changed.

Continuous autofocusing is available during shooting, but again it’s driven by contrastdetection only and it’s not especially responsive.

Manual focusing – with practice – can be achieved more smoothly and is certainly more reliable.

There’s a dedicated start/stop button conveniently located astern of the shutter release (which is disabled at all other times) and both the ‘Picture Control’ presets and the ‘Special Effect’ settings are available (preset in live view).

KEEP INFORMED Like its higher-end cousins, the D7100 is a veritable information centre with a viewfinder display, the monochrome read-out panel mentioned at the start of this review, and a monitor-based info display which boasts no fewer than 45 items. This can be set to either black-on-white or white-on-black schemes, or to auto switching

DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK 9

NIKON D7100

ON TRIAL

The D7100 has Nikon’s standard menu design and this remains the most logical and efficient in the D-SLR world.

The white balance presets include no fewer than seven for the various types of gas-ignition lighting.

All the white balance presets can be fine-tuned along the amber-to-blue and green-tomagenta colour ranges.

A small set of icons along the lower edge of the information display allow direct access to the key capture-related functions.

The replay screens include a thumbnail accompanied by a brightness histogram (left) or a full set of RGB channel histograms (right).

The menu system follows the standard Nikon D-SLR design so the layout is simple, but clean and the basic rule of navigation is click right to go down a level, left to go up. Each section is self-contained, but fully scrollable. The one anomaly is that a couple of items require that you click ‘Done’ before the selected settings will actually be applied so, if you miss this step, you’re left wondering why what you asked to happen actually hasn’t.

As is the case with all Nikon D-SLRs, there’s a wide choice of playback/review screens, including a thumbnail image accompanied by a full set of brightness and RGB histograms, a highlight warning and three pages of image data which increases if copyright details are included and/or the optional GPS receiver is fitted. The highlight warning can be cycled through the RGB channels separately. The other playback options include 4/9/72 thumbnail displays, zooming up to 38x and a slide show with variable image display times.

SPEED AND PERFORMANCE

The main information display can be manually switched between black-on-white or white-on-black or set to change automatically according to the prevailing light levels.

between the two depending on the available light levels.

However, this information display isn’t a full interactive control screen. Instead, two rows of ‘soft’ buttons arranged along the bottom of the display provide direct access to a smallish selection of capture functions, including the ‘Active D-Lighting’ settings, the noise reduction settings, the ‘Picture Control’ presets and the two function-assignable buttons (the depth-of-field preview button and the ‘Fn’ button which is located lower on the lens mount).

These rows of soft keys aren’t customisable so what you see is

A set of info pages is available during playback and provide an extensive list of capture data.

what you get. Selection is made by the ‘i’ button on the camera’s rear panel and which, in live view or the movie mode, brings up a different set of adjustable functions. This is different from the ‘info’ button on the opposite side of the panel which cycles through the main monitor’s display options.

The viewfinder employs an ‘organic EL’ display which is designed to increase contrast and brightness, but reduce power consumption. In addition to the focusing points, a number of pieces of information are also superimposed over the image area, namely the ‘Picture Control’ and

10 DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK

‘Virtual horizon’ level display is available in live view or can be activated separately in the monitor screen when the optical viewfinder is being used.

‘Special Effects’ settings (handy since obviously you can’t see them previewed here), the 1.3x crop mode, a “no memory card” warning and a set of linear level indicators (for both tilt and pitch). The AF points can be set to illuminate when active, and there is an optional 4x4 grid display. The viewfinder eyepiece has a strength adjustment, but no shutter.

The live view screens include a ‘virtual horizon’ level indicator, an info display and the 4x4 framing grid, but – once again on a Nikon D-SLR – no real-time histogram (which means one isn’t available when shooting video clips either).

Against the clock, the D7100 fired off a sequence of 13 JPEG/large/ fine files in 2.235 seconds which represents a shooting speed of 5.81 fps. This was with a Panasonic 16 GB Gold Series SDHC UHS-I speed memory card and the buffer emptied virtually instantaneously. The shooting speed is in the ballpark compared to Nikon’s quoted spec, but the buffer capacity is significantly lower than the 33 frames stated in the manual. However, some of this difference is made up by the fact that we had the compression priority set ‘Optimal Quality’ rather than ‘Optimal Size’. Additionally, the test file sizes averaged at around 16.2 MB whereas Nikon’s numbers are based on an average of 12.0 MB. Incidentally, we only achieved this shooting speed with every extra processing function switched off.

As noted earlier, there are a couple of other Nikon D-SLRs with 24.7 MP ‘APS-C’ sensors, but as all these chips are from different fabricators and, of course, the D7100’s is sans LPF so we were expecting it to be a very different performer. It is. The exceptionally high resolution results in richly detailed images with a crispness of definition only really exceeded

ON TRIAL by the brilliant D800E. Ironically, it’s in the reproduction of really fine textures that the D7100 really shows off its capabilities, but it’s also here that moiré patterns can undo some of this good work. On balance, though, we’d take the extra performance from the sensor any day in return for occasionally needing to do some post-camera processing. The colour fidelity is excellent across the spectrum with good neutrality and very minimum under- or oversaturation when using the Standard ‘Picture Control’ preset.

In terms of noise levels, the D7100 performs exceptionally well up to ISO 800 and even at ISO 1600 and 3200 the image quality is still pretty good, although there is a small reduction in both sharpness and saturation. The ISO 6400 setting is usable, but with some limitations.

Likewise with the two extended sensitivity settings (although they still aren’t dreadful) and it’s here that the D7100 loses to the D600 with

VITAL STATISTICS Type: Enthusiast digital SLR with Nikon F (D-type) bayonet lens mount Focusing: Automatic via 51-point wide-area system using phase-detection type CCD sensor with 15 cross-type arrays. Focus points may be selected manually or automatically and either as single points or in groups (9/21/51). Points re-orientated for vertical shooting. Auto-area AF mode automatically determines subject type and selects the focus point. One-shot and continuous modes both with a predictive function. 3D Tracking mode. Sensitivity range is EV -2 - 19 (ISO 100). AF assist provided by built-in illuminator. AF micro-adjustment for individual lenses (up to 12).AF assist provided by built-in illuminator. Contrast-detection AF in live view and video modes.

Metering: 2016-pixel RGB ‘3D Color Matrix II’, centre-weighted average (with variable diameter weighting – 6.0mm, 8.0mm, 10mm or 13mm), full average, spot (3.5mm/2.5%), and i-TTL flash via 2016-pixel sensor. Metering ranges are; 3D Color Matrix II and C/W average = EV 0 to 20, spot = EV 2 to 20 (f1.4/ISO 100).

Exposure Modes: Continuously-variable program with shift, shutter-priority auto, aperturepriority auto, metered manual, i-TTL auto flash and manual flash. 16 subject/scene modes.

Shutter: Electronically-controlled, vertical travel, focal plane type, 30-1/8000 second plus ‘B’. Flash sync up to 1/250 second.

Exposure compensation up to +/-5.0 EV in 1/3 or ½ stop increments.

Viewfinder: Coverage = 100% vertical/horizontal. Magnification = 0.94x (50mm lens at infinity). LCD displays and LED focus point indicators. Standard focusing screen has AF zones and on-demand grid lines. Eyepiece strength adjustment provided.

Flash: Built-in pop-up unit with GN 12 power (ISO 100). Auto, fill-in, red-eye reduction, front/rear sync and slow speed sync modes.

Commander mode for wireless TTL control of

its bigger sensor and bigger pixels with their inherently lower signal-tonoise ratio. The D600 also delivers more dynamic range, but the D7100 does quite a bit better here than its predecessor – most notably in the highlights – but the ADL processing is still needed to really extend tonality into the brighter highlights.

On balance then, the D7100 pretty well muscles its way to the top of the ‘APS-C’ class in the D-SLR performance school, both in the JPEG and the RAW exams, gaining scores of A and A+ respectively.

THE VERDICT It’s pretty hard to fault the Nikon D7100 beyond some petty items such as the lack of a real-time histogram display and the curious case of the locked aperture setting when shooting video clips.

From its build quality through to its image quality, this is a camera that exceeds expectations. Features such as the twin memory card

slots, 51-point AF, stereo audio output and full pentaprism optical finder all give the D7100 an advantage over its rivals, but the rest of the feature list is equally sweet and it all comes together via a set of controls and displays that promote both ease and efficiency. And for a great many users, the performance boost obtained from dropping the sensor’s LPF will be yet another attraction.

So, going back to the start of this review, which is the better buy… the D600 or D7100? If you have a set of ‘DX’ format lenses that still owe you money, the answer is a no-brainer, but even beyond this, the D7100 mounts a strong case given the price difference and the fact that it’s actually better featured in a number of areas.

The bigger sensor undoubtedly offers some real plus points, but by tweaking the D7100 imager’s performance, Nikon has managed to close the gap and so has given its new ‘APS-C’ flagship some serious clout.

NIKON D7100 $1599 with AF-S Nikkor DX 18-105mm f3.5-5.6 ED VR zoom. Estimated street price. compatible external flash units. External flash units connect via hotshoe. Flash compensation range of -3.0 to +1.0 EV in 1/3 or ½ stop increments and flash bracketing (up to three frames).

Manual control down to 1/128 of full power.

Additional Features: Magnesium alloy/polycarbonate bodyshell sealed against dust and moisture, auto exposure bracketing (over two to five frames), AE+flash bracketing, depth-of-field preview, AE lock, exposure adjustments in either 1/3 or ½ stop increments, variable delay and multi-shot self-timer (two to 20 seconds, up to nine frames, variable interval between shots), mirror lock-up, quiet shutter mode, audible signals, wired remote control terminal, wireless remote control and 50 custom functions.

DIGITAL SECTION Sensor: 24.71 million pixels CMOS with 23.5x15.6 mm area. Sensitivity equivalent to ISO 100-6400 (extendable to ISO 25,600).

Focal Length Increase: 1.5x.

Formats/Resolution: Three JPEG compression settings (1:4, 1:8 and 1:16), and lossless compressed, compressed or uncompressed RAW files. Three resolution settings at 3:2 aspect ratio; 6000x4000, 4494x3000 and 2992x2000 pixels. Three resolution settings in ‘1.3x’ format (18x12 mm); 4800x3200, 3600x2400 and 2400x1600 pixels. Additionally, still images can be captured in the movie mode in the ‘DX’ and ‘1.3x’ formats, again at three resolution settings. RAW (NEF) images are captured at 6000x4000 pixels, in either 36-bit or 42-bit RGB colour, and either lossless compressed or compressed. RAW+JPEG capture is possible (with all JPEG compression levels).

Video Recording: Full HD = 1920x1080 pixels at 25 or 24 fps (PAL, progressive) and 16:9 aspect ratio; 1920x1080 pixels at 50 fps (PAL, interlaced) and 16:9 aspect ratio. HD = 1280x720 pixels at 50 fps (progressive) and

16:9 aspect ratio. MPEG 4 AVC/H .264 compression. Stereo sound recording with auto/manual adjustable levels. Stereo microphone input and headphone output provided. Clip duration limited to 29 minutes and 59 seconds at normal quality (12 Mbps) up to 20 minutes at high quality (24 Mbps). File size limit is 4.0 GB. Video Features: Auto flicker detection, uncompressed 8-bit RAW data output via HDMI connection, auto/manual levels control for audio recording.

Recording Media: Two slots for SD/SDHC/ SDXC (UHS-I compliant) memory cards.

Overflow, Backup and RAW Primary-JPEG Secondary file management modes.

Continuous Shooting: Up to 33 frames at 6.0 fps in JPEG/large/fine mode, up to six frames in RAW mode (14-bit, lossless compressed). Low speed continuous shooting mode can be set from 1.0 to 6.0 fps. Up to 100 JPEG/large/fine frames at 7.0 fps is possible when shooting in the ‘1.3x’ format.

White Balance: TTL measurements using the 2016-pixels RGB metering sensor. Auto/manual control with 12 presets and six custom settings.

White balance fine-tuning available for AWB and all presets plus manual colour temperature setting (2500-10,000 degrees Kelvin) and white balance bracketing (up to five frames). Warm AWB setting maintains a warmer hue under incandescent lighting.

Interfaces: USB 2.0, HDMI output (Type C), 3.5mm stereo audio input, 3.5mm stereo audio output, accessory terminal.

Additional Digital Features: Active sensor cleaning, dual-axis ‘virtual horizon’ display, live view functions (with contrast-detection AF), 8.1 cm LCD monitor (1.23 megapixels resolution) with histogram displays (brightness and/or RGB channels) and highlight alert; ‘Active D-Lighting’ contrast control (Auto, Low, Normal, High, Extra High), ADL bracketing (two or three frames), six ‘Picture Control’ presets (Standard, Neutral,

Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape), adjustable ‘Picture Control’ parameters (Sharpening, Contrast, Brightness, Saturation, Hue), B&W filters and toning effects, nine userdefined ‘Picture Control’ presets, seven ‘Special Effects’ modes (Night Vision, Colour Sketch, Miniature, Selective Colour, Silhouette, High Key, Low Key), multiple exposure facility (up to three frames with Auto Gain), intervalometer, HDR dual-shot capture (Auto, Extra High, High, Normal, Low), sRGB and Adobe RGB colour spaces, long exposure noise reduction (Off, On), high ISO noise reduction (Off, Low, Normal, High), auto ISO with auto minimum shutter speed control, Auto Distortion Control (Off, On), image comments input (up to 36 characters), auto image orientation, adjustable image display time, slide show (with variable display time), 4/9/72 thumbnail displays, playback zoom (up to 38x), ‘Retouch Menu’ for in-camera editing (D-Lighting, Red-Eye Correction, Trim, Monochrome, Filter Effects, Colour Balance, Image Overlay, RAW Processing, Resize, Quick Retouch, Straighten, Distortion Control, FishEye, Colour Outline, Colour Sketch, Perspective Control, Miniature Effect, Selective Colour, Edit Movie, Side-By-Side Comparison). May be fitted with optional Wireless Mobile Adapter WU-1b and GP-1 GPS receiver.

Power: One 7.0 volt, 1900 mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack (EN-EL15 type).

Optional MB-D15 battery grip accepts one EN-EL15 li-ion pack or six AA-size batteries (alkaline, NiMH or lithium).

Dimensions (WxHxD): Body only = 135.5x106.5x76.0 mm.

Weight: Body only = 675 grams (without battery pack or memory card).

Price: $1299 body only. $1599 with AF-S Nikkor DX 18-105mm f3.5-5.6 ED VR zoom.

Estimated average street prices.

Distributor: Nikon Australia Pty Ltd, telephone 1300 366 499 or visit www.nikon.com.au

DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK 11

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NIKON

REPORT BY

PAUL BURROWS

Df

CLASSICAL TRAINING The first retro-styled D-SLR is thoroughly classical on the outside, reprising Nikon’s popular FM Series 35mm models, but it has a full suite of digital goodies on the inside.

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H

ow quickly we forget. Dials have been making a bit of a comeback for a while now, but when did you last see one for changing the ISO? Most likely back in the days when it was called the film speed dial… so, on the first outing with Nikon’s Df, quite some time was spent searching for the ISO button before sheepishly noticing the ISO dial located beneath a smaller one for setting exposure compensation. Funny thing is though, something that had been very much second nature for all those years using 35mm SLRs, suddenly felt very alien with a D-SLR. Has Nikon taken the Df’s retro-ness a dial too far?

Although Fujifilm kicked off the whole retro styling thing back in late 2010, the Df is the first D-SLR to be given the classical treatment and, perhaps more significantly, there is a comparable

‘contemporary’ camera in Nikon’s line-up in the shape of the D610.

While the Df has the same sensor and processor as the D4, the rest of it is essentially borrowed from the D610 so – unlike with the Fujifilm X-Mount cameras or Olympus’s OM-D models – Nikon presents buyers a choice which is particularly brave. Perhaps for this reason, then, Nikon has gone ‘all the way’ with the Df’s classical styling, leaving no ambiguity… if you want it, you’ll really want it, but if you’re a bit doubtful then the D610 is the one for you. Consequently too, the Df isn’t classically styled by default (which is what happens when you chuck in a few dials)… it’s this way because Nikon had done it deliberately and unashamedly. In the light of this, it could be argued that Nikon really hasn’t gone far enough in terms of recreating something that’s designed for “pure photography”, but as we

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found out with the ISO dial experience, the reality in this day and age, is that romantic feelings about the past don’t necessarily mean we really want to go back to gas lights, horse-drawn carriages and bathing once a week.

When you think about it this way, making the Df work would have been quite a challenge and there must have been some pretty interesting product planning meetings along the way. Getting the balance of nostalgia and practicality just right can’t have been easy, especially as because, unlike any other retro-design digital camera we’ve seen so far, the former needed to take precedence over the latter. Yet the latter was still critical in achieving the objective of photographic purity which dictated the use of the D4’s ‘big pixel’ sensor and, controversially, the omission of video recording capabilities. It’s undoubtedly a sign of how things have changed if we’re commenting about video not being included on a high-end D-SLR when, not so long ago, its inclusion caused consternation.

“THE Df’S TOP PLATE IS DIAL CENTRAL, AND THEY’RE EMPLOYED TO SET THE EXPOSURE MODE, SHUTTER SPEEDS, EXPOSURE COMPENSATION AND THE ISO.”

LOOKING THE PART Viewed from directly above, then, the Df could well be a film camera;

SIZED UP First up, the Df is a bit of an eyeful because it’s substantially bigger than the camera that essentially inspired its styling… the legendary FM. This was a 35mm SLR tough enough that you could hammer nails in with it, but by D-SLR standards it’s pretty compact. So, looking like an FM on steroids, the Df has a fairly commanding presence… and that’s before you get to grips with all its ‘dialness’. It’s not as big as a Pentax 67… more like a Pentacon Six for those of you who can remember that East German beast. For the record though, it’s actually the smallest of Nikon’s ‘FX’ format D-SLRs. The pentaprism housing carries the same leatherette inserts as the FM – actually, this was a cosmetic feature Nikon introduced on the original F – and the faceplate and logo are similar in shape and typography. Nikon has located the Df’s PC flash terminal and lens release button in pretty much the same positions as they are on the FM, plus the shutter speed dial and the shutter release which has the same concentric on/off switch

arrangement (although on the FM it’s a shutter lock)… it even retains a cable release socket.

But as the Df does so much more than the mechanical FM, it needs more controls; the top plate is dial central and they’re employed to set the exposure mode, shutter speeds, exposure compensation and the aforementioned ISO. The last three all have locking buttons while the mode selector employs the old lift-and-turn routine to change the settings which are subsequently locked in. A selector switch below the shutter speed dial sets the ‘drive’ modes (including mirror lock-up) while the front input wheel also takes the form of stand-alone dial located on the front panel adjacent to the ‘Df’ logo. In keeping with 35mm SLR design from slightly after the FM, there’s a small LCD read-out panel on the top deck, just astern of the shutter release.

Inserts on the pentaprism housing date back to Nikon’s original F, launched in 1959.

NIKON Df

the only clue that it isn’t being that the ISO dial is marked up to 12,800 which was a sensitivity speed never attained with conventional photographic emulsions. From the front-on too, the Df does an equally convincing impersonation of a 35mm SLR (size aside, of course).

At the back, though, it’s pure Nikon D-SLR with a fixed 8.1 cm LCD monitor screen, navigator pad – the “Multi-Selector” in Nikon parlance – and the various buttons relating to displays, playback and menus. Given just about everything to do with capture is tied to a dial or selector somewhere else, all that’s left to do on the back panel is selection of the image quality, white balance settings and metering modes.

Incidentally, although the Df doesn’t have video, it still retains live view which is activated by pressing the ‘Lv’ button. It also retains an HDMI connector. The monitor screen has a toughened, tempered glass faceplate so there’s no need for the clip-on

‘Special Edition’ 50mm f1.8 is designed to mimic the look of a classic Nikkor, but it’s still a modern G-type lens with no manual aperture collar.

All the dials are milled metal components with engraved markings… real old school.

Shutter release button has cable release socket.

Bodyshell is a combination of magnesium alloy and GRP with sealing against dust and moisture.

Small LCD read-out panel shows apertures, auto-set shutter speeds, battery level and shot counter.

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protector which Nikon supplies with some of its higher-end D-SLRs. There are a couple of neat touches in the control layout, most notably the ‘1/3 STEP’ setting on the shutter speed dial which switches the adjustment to onethird stop increments. Speed setting is now performed via the rear input wheel (and displayed in the small LCD panel). The shutter speed dial also has ‘B’, ‘T’ and ‘X’ positions which is really old school.

‘B’ you all know about, and ‘T’ does the same thing except the shutter doesn’t need to be locked open (of course, much simpler to do with the common-or-garden cable release) – one press of the shutter button starts the exposure and a second press concludes it. The ‘X’ setting engages the maximum flash sync speed of 1/200 second. In keeping with its design philosophy, the Df doesn’t have a built-in flash, but it retains full compatibility with Nikon’s Creative Lighting System (CLS), including on-camera control of accessory flash units.

Nikon has restyled its current 50mm f1.8 AFS-Nikkor prime to look like a period lens, but being a G-type lens it doesn’t have a manual aperture collar so it doesn’t quite look the part. Never mind, if you do have genuine vintage Nikkors, the good news is that the Df can accept the older nonAi types via a clever arrangement whereby the Ai coupling lever can be folded up so it can’t be damaged.

While Nikon still uses the same F-mount bayonet fitting it introduced in 1959 with the original F, there have been quite a few changes over the decades to the way camera and lens communicate. The most significant came in 1977 when Nikon introduced the Ai (short for Automatic [Maximum Aperture] Indexing) mount which eliminated the need to manually ‘index’ the metering to the attached lens’s maximum aperture… a procedure Nikon SLR users had had to perform every time they put a lens on a camera body.

The last of classically mechanical Nikkormats, the FT3, was the first Nikon 35mm SLR with the Ai mount, but essentially

“VIEWED FROM DIRECTLY ABOVE, THEN, THE Df COULD WELL BE A FILM CAMERA; THE ONLY CLUE THAT IT ISN’T BEING THAT THE ISO DIAL IS MARKED UP TO 12,800 WHICH WAS A SPEED NEVER ATTAINED WITH CONVENTIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC EMULSIONS.” the change was made to herald in a new generation of cameras starting, appropriately, with the FM. With the introduction of autofocusing, Nikon used CPUs in its lens to communicate electronically with the camera body, although the Ai (and subsequent Ai-S spec) meter coupling ‘ridge’ is still on any current Nikkor lens which retains a manual aperture collar (i.e. any model with a ‘D’ suffix after the maximum aperture designation).

However, as a general rule, nonAi lenses can’t be fitted to later bodies – including all the digital models – unless the mount is converted which is exactly what’s ‘built into’ the Df. Incidentally, while this is a first on a Nikon D-SLR, it was also available on the FM, FE, F3 and F4 plus the last of the Nikkormats. Back then, of course, a lot more photographers still had camera bags full of non-Ai lenses.

With the meter coupling lever folded up, a non-Ai lens

can be fitted and then, in the Set Up Menu, the focal length and maximum aperture is entered into the ‘Non CPU Len Data’ listing.

Additionally, within the same submenu, the exposure metering coupling needs to be set to Non-Ai Lens. However, because there is no actual physical coupling, it’s necessary to manually transfer the aperture setting from the lens to the Df (dialled in via the rear input wheel), but this really isn’t such a big deal considering you’re using a lens that could be up to 55 years old and still getting TTL multizone metering with the choice of aperture-priority auto or manual exposure control plus an electronic rangefinder. However, if you do find this arrangement a bit clumsy, there’s always stop-down metering which is made easier to execute thanks to the Df having live view with an exposure preview function (manual mode only though). Just for the record too, the Df retains a body-integrated autofocusing motor so it will work with any AF Nikkor lens since Nikon launched the F-501 back in late 1986. Given the lengths that lens makers – Nikon included – go to these days to optimise the performance of optics on digital sensors, will you really want to put ancient glass on the Df? Maybe not, but it’s enough that you can… and there are some pretty good classic Nikkors.

With the older CPU-equipped lenses, there’s a custom setting which enables straight aperture adjustment in live view via the aperture collar.

SWEET SIXTEEN Of course, under the skin, the Df is still a D-SLR and, as noted earlier, based around the same sensor and processor as the D4, supported by the feature set and control systems mostly from the D610. The thinking here is not so much that this 16.6 megapixels full-35mm CMOS is from Nikon’s D-SLR flagship – as opposed to the 36.8 MP device in the D800 – with the associated kudos, but that ‘less is more’ in terms of the performance benefits of bigger pixels… for the record, 7.3 microns in size.

Consequently, the Df has the same massive sensitivity range which spans ISO 100 to 12,800, but then has four stops

DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK 15

NIKON Df

ON TRIAL

With pretty well everything else done by dials, only white balance and image quality is set via function buttons.

Flash PC socket and lens release are pretty well in the same locations they occupied on the FM and FM2.

Focus mode selector incorporates a button for selecting single-shot or continuous AF operation.

of extension (marked as ‘H1’ to ‘H4’ on the selector dial) which corresponds to ISO 204,800.

There’s also a one-stop ‘pull’ to ISO 50 (‘L1’ on the dial).

The bigger pixels also give an expanded dynamic range and have an inherently higher signalto-noise ratio which obviously works hand-in-hand with the increased sensitivity. The effective resolution of 16.2 megapixels delivers a maximum image size of 4928x3280 pixels and the Df then offers a wide choice of capture formats and file sizes. For instance, RAW files (in the NEF format) can be in 12-bit or 14-bit RGB colour and uncompressed, lossless compressed or compressed.

JPEGs can be recorded at one

of three compression levels or it’s possible to select ‘optimal quality compression’. In the ‘FX’ format – Nikon’s designation for its 36.0x23.9 mm (i.e. 35mm-sized) sensor – there’s the option of two smaller image sizes, but there is also the option of using the smaller ‘DX’ image size of 24x16 mm.

The Df can be set to automatically switch between FX and DX if one of the smaller format Nikkor lenses is fitted. As with the D4, images can also be saved as RGB TIFF files. The Df has a single card slot for the SD format – presumably as it can’t record video, Nikon thinks this is sufficient – with support for the HC and XC UHS-I high-speed devices. The real curiosity here is that the card slot shares the same

16 DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK

compartment as the battery pack so it’s in the camera’s baseplate rather than on the side like any other Nikon D-SLR. The maximum continuous shooting speed is 5.5 fps with the option of a low speed mode that can be set to anything between 1.0 and 5.0 fps. If you’re mentally ticking off the comparisons with the D610 – which has dual memory card slots – its top speed is 6.0 fps which is slight boost over the D600’s 5.5 fps. It’s hard to see the Df being used as a sports camera, so in reality, 5.5 fps is going to be more than sufficient.

IN THE PROCESS In terms of its image processing functions, the Df is pure Nikon

D-SLR, starting with its set of six ‘Picture Control’ presets… five for colour and one for B&W capture.

The colour presets are adjustable for sharpness, contrast, brightness, saturation and hue, either individually or in groups via a ‘Quick Adjust’ control. The Monochrome preset replaces the colour-related parameters with a set of B&W contrast filter effects, and toning in one of nine colours over seven levels of density. Up to nine customised ‘Picture Control’ presets can be created and stored.

For dealing with dynamic range issues, the Df has both Nikon’s ‘Active D-Lighting’ (ADL) processing and a dual-shot HDR capture mode. As on the D4, the ADL menu has an ‘Extra High

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“PUT SIMPLY, THE Df WORKS MORE EFFICIENTLY AND COMFORTABLY IF YOU GO BACK TO DOING MOST THINGS THE ‘OLD WAY’ WHICH, LET’S FACE IT, IS WHAT THIS CAMERA IS ALL ABOUT ANYWAY.” 2’ setting to fully leverage the sensor’s inherent dynamic range.

This is one of five manual settings; the alternative is automatic correction which is applied according to the exposure and brightness range in the image.

ADL bracketing can be applied over sequences of two, three, four or five frames.

The HDR mode offers a choice of Auto correction – which has a range of up to +/-2.0 EV – or manual settings for +/-1.0, +/-2.0 or +/-3.0 EV. Auto alignment – or ‘Smoothing’ as Nikon calls it – is available with Low, Normal or High settings.

The Df also has separate adjustments for high ISO and long exposure noise reduction, in-camera lens corrections for vignetting and distortion, a multiple exposure facility, and an intervalometer. As on the other ‘FX’ format Nikon D-SLRs, correction for lateral chromatic aberrations is performed “behind the scenes”. Not surprisingly, there are no special effects available for application at the point of capture, but there’s an extensive choice of editing functions available in the camera’s Retouch Menu. These include a number of special effects such as ‘Fish-Eye’, ‘Colour Outline’,

‘Colour Sketch’, ‘Miniature Effect’ and ‘Selective Colour’. Filter effects are provided separately and include ‘Skylight’, ‘Cross Screen’, ‘Warm’ and ‘Soft’.

There’s ‘Quick Retouch’ setting which automatically boosts the saturation and contrast with the choice of ‘Low’, ‘Normal’ and ‘High’ settings. Many of the editing functions are adjustable and, of course, the effects can be previewed in live view.

The other offerings in the Retouch Menu include ‘D-Lighting’ (for post-capture dynamic range expansion), straightening, distortion control, perspective control, red-eye correction, adjustments to colour balance (using RGB histograms for guidance), trimming, B&W conversion (with the option of either sepia or cyanotype toning), image overlay (for two RAW files with the capacity to balance the exposures as required), resizing and in-camera RAWto-JPEG conversion.

For the in-camera conversion of RAW files, the adjustable parameters are displayed alongside the thumbnail image and include image quality/size, white balance, colour space, ‘D-Lighting’ correction and the ‘Picture Control’ preset. It’s simply a case of using the ‘Multi-Selector’ controller to navigate through them and change any settings as desired.

The exposure compensation adjustment is reduced to a maximum of +/-2.0 EV.

TAKING CONTROLS As we noted when we reviewed the D600 – so this observation is true of both the D610 and the Df – its camera control systems aren’t in the same league as the either the D800 or the D4, but they’re still acceptably ‘high end’.

Autofocusing is via a 39-point system of which nine points are cross-type arrays. The seven most central points will work with lenses as slow as f8.0 (primarily to accommodate users of Nikon’s 2.0x teleconverter). The focusing points can be selected manually or configured to nine, 21 or the full 39 points in the camera’s ‘DynamicArea’ mode. There’s also a ‘3D Tracking’ mode which automatically switches the active points as the subject moves. AF in live view is

NIKON Df

via contrast detection with the choice of face priority, normal area, wide area and subject tracking modes. There’s a dedicated ‘AF-On’ button adjacent to the rear input dial, and fine-tuning is available for up to 12 lenses to correct for slight shifts in their focusing. Obviously these lenses have to be the CPUequipped types.

Exposure control is based on Nikon’s 2016-pixel, RGB-sensitive sensor which drives ‘3D Colour Matrix Metering II’ multi-zone measurement and the alternative centre-weighted average and spot modes. As on all the higherend Nikon D-SLRs, the centreweighted metering has a variable diameter central area or can be switched to make fully averaged measurements. In keeping with the ‘pure photography’ theme, the Df doesn’t have any subject modes so exposure control is via the standard set of ‘PASM’ modes.

The manual overrides comprise an AE lock, up to +/-3.0 EV of compensation (versus +/-5.0 EV on the D610) and auto bracketing either for available light exposures, flash exposures or a combination of both. The bracketing sequences can be set to between two and five frames.

The white balance control options are the same as those available on the D610, starting with two auto correction modes – one normal and the other designed to maintain warmer tones when shooting under incandescent lighting. The standard automatic correction has a range of 3500 to 8000 degrees Kelvin. There’s a choice of 12 presets for different lighting types, including seven for the various different types of gas-ignition lamps ranging from sodium-vapour at 2700 degrees Kelvin to mercury-vapour at 7200 degrees Kelvin.

Fine-tuning of all the presets is possible in five-mired increments across the greento-magenta and blue-to-amber colour ranges. Alternatively, the colour temperature can be set manually from 2500 to 10,000 degrees Kelvin. Up to four custom white balance measurements can be made and stored for future recall. White balance bracketing adjustments can be in five-, ten- or 15-mired increments over the amber-to-blue colour

As the shutter speed dial only has full-stop adjustments, it can be set to ‘1/3 STEP’ and changing speeds is then done by the rear input wheel.

The metering coupling lever – which isn’t required by modern CPU-equipped Nikkors – can be folded away to allow the fitting of non-Ai lenses.

Front input wheel takes the form of a dial on the front panel adjacent to the handgrip.

The Df has the same menu design as Nikon’s other ‘FX’ format D-SLRs (it’s closest to the D800’s) and retains all the same image processing functions.

Fitting non-Ai lenses requires the focal length and the maximum aperture be first entered via the Set Up menu and this then facilitates Matrix metering. Up to nine nonCPU lenses can be registered.

DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK 17

NIKON Df

ON TRIAL range, and over sequences of two or three frames.

MAKING IT WORK

The Information Display (above) includes the ‘Shooting Menu’ and ‘Custom Settings’ banks along the lower edge (four of each can be pre-configured). These then allow direct access to functions that may be regularly used (below).

The image review screens include the choice of a brightness histogram alone (above) or a full set of level graphs (below).

The Df’s live screen shown with the dual-axis ‘Virtual Horizon’ display. There’s also a choice of grid guides and info displays, but no real-time histogram.

Beyond all its dials, the Df uses a pretty standard Nikon D-SLR set of menus divided into Shooting, Playback, Custom, Set Up and Retouch plus the very handy Recent Settings which is a quick way of reviewing the last 20 adjustments.

There’s a very 21st century Information Display – which automatically switches between black-on-white and white-on-black according to the available light levels – and Nikon’s interpretation of the quick control screen. These are called ‘Menu Banks’ and there’s four of them which can be preselected in the Shooting Menu and then allow direct access to a small selection of functions via the info display. Additionally, there’s a set of four ‘Custom Settings Banks’ which can be configured, logically, from the Custom menu.

With its proper glass pentaprism, the Df’s optical viewfinder is a beauty except that the focusing screen is fixed so there isn’t the option of fitting one with a split-image rangefinder (for use with those classic Nikkors).

Nevertheless, it still vindicates Nikon’s decision to make the Df a D-SLR and not a mirrorless design.

There are the options of having a framing grid and a level indicator, but alternatively there’s a very flashy dual-axis ‘Virtual Horizon’ display that’s available on the monitor screen, either by itself or in conjunction with live view.

The live view screens include 3x3 or 4x6 grids and various levels of information, but surprisingly, no real-time histogram.

However, the replay/review screens provide the choice of a brightness histogram or the full set of RGB channel graphs, plus the option of a highlight warning which can also be cycled through each colour channel.

It’s also possible to switch between various pages of capture data which is superimposed over the image. In addition to the Retouch Menu, the replay modes include zoom, slide show with variable image display time, 4/9/72 thumbnail pages, a calendar thumbnail page, and the capacity to add comments or copyright information.

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“PUT IN ITS CONTEXT, THE Df WORKS WELL AND NIKON REALLY HAS DONE ITS BEST TO NAVIGATE A PATH THROUGH THE MINEFIELD THAT IS BALANCING DIGITAL FUNCTIONALITY WITH ANALOG As Fujifilm found out, particularly with the X-Pro1, it’s quite a challenge to smoothly integrate traditional controls with digital functionality… which has necessitated quite a few firmware upgrades along the way. Nikon has faced even more difficulties because it has had to make the Df work with a range of differentlydesigned lenses so, inevitably, there are some drawbacks. These mostly happen when the new is mixed with the old, such as when using live view as the guide for focusing and exposure control. Put simply, the Df works more efficiently and comfortably if you go back to doing most things the ‘old way’ which, let’s face it, is what this camera is all about anyway. Hey, live dangerously and even switch off the monitor screen.

Of course, the dial settings are essentially readable in all light levels, but some of this advantage is stunted by the fact that so many modern Nikkor lenses no longer have manual aperture rings… so you can only really see what’s what when the shutter speeds are being selected manually. This is why the little LCD read-out panel is there as it shows the apertures

and the auto-set speeds, however you can still check the ISO and exposure compensation settings off their respective dials. What can be confusing though is when the dial and display show different speeds as they will in the program and aperture-priority auto modes.

Fujifilm avoids this by having ‘A’ settings on the dial and lens aperture collars – eliminating the need for a mode selector in the process – but Nikon’s G-type lenses preclude such an arrangement (another example of why designing the Df must have presented quite a few headaches).

The reality is that, unless you’ve been regularly using old 35mm SLRs, you’ll have to relearn some things with the Df… in addition to our initial stressing about not being able to find the ISO button we’d also grown out of doing so much without going near a menu display.

Whether setting a dial is any slower than scrolling through a submenu is debatable, but after all this time with monitor-based operations, the Df feels quite different… a bit like getting back on a bicycle after a few decades of using a car.

SPEED AND PERFORMANCE One aspect of the Df that may well extend its appeal beyond lovers of old 35mm SLRs is the fact that it has the D4’s hugely impressive sensor contained in a more compact (and affordable) body.

Any other consideration aside, this means the Df is capable of delivering quite exceptional image performance. The level of sharpness and definition belies having ‘only’ 16 MP on tap, but this sensor is all about dynamic range, high sensitivity and low noise.

As with the D4, the dynamic range extends well into the shadow areas, but tonality in the brighter highlights is markedly enhanced with the ADL processing. Noise only starts to become apparent from ISO 1600 onwards and even then the processing does a competent job of balancing definition and suppression.

Consequently, there are no real issues until beyond ISO 12,800 when saturation and sharpness both begin to suffer significantly. RAW capture reveals just how clean the Df sensor’s output really is, and the images shot at the higher ISOs

ON TRIAL hold together extremely well. If anything, on balance, the Df delivers marginally better noise control than the D4, further proof that nothing stands still in the world of digital imaging and Nikon has been able to further work on its NR processing algorithms. The smoothness of the tonal gradations and the overall colour fidelity (using the Standard ‘Picture Control’ preset) are exceptional, but obviously there’s plenty of scope for tweaking all the image parameters… and you can do the whole period ‘Kodachrome thing’ with the Vivid preset.

Both the AF and metering systems are well proven elsewhere in the Nikon D-SLR line-up and the Df is certainly spot-on in terms of exposure accuracy, but the autofocusing can be a little hesitant in some low-light situations. This has the potential to be an issue given the sensor’s forte is low light situations, but then using manual focusing is probably more in the spirit of this camera’s philosophy (so why can’t the focusing screens be changed, eh?. In normal lighting, the 39-point AF is fast and reliable.

Loaded with our reference Lexar Professional 600x 64 GB SDXC UHS-I memory card, the Df fired off 41 JPEG/large/fine frames in 7.061 seconds. This represents a shooting speed of 5.8 fps which is a bit snappier than the quoted maximum of 5.5 fps. This sequence took just under six seconds to write to the card. We stopped at 41 frames because it seemed as good a number as any… the Df would have happily motored until the buffer was full. For the record, the average file size was 8.9 MB. Any additional image processing – such as ADL – was switched off and the shutter speed was set to 1/500 second.

THE VERDICT OK, here we go. The bottom line is that the Df is flawed, but only if you approach it as a ‘conventional’ D-SLR, which it isn’t. It seems that many reviewers have been tying themselves in knots trying to make the Df fit into Nikon’s mainstream D-SLR range, either by price or by features. Neither comparison is really valid. Go onto Nikon’s Website and you won’t find the Df listed between the D610 and the D800 in the D-SLR section, instead it’s entirely on its own. True, compared

to the D610, the Df doesn’t look like particularly good value – even with the D4’s sensor taken into consideration – and compared to the D800 it looks a bit undercooked, but then nobody who really wants either of these cameras is going to take a second look at the Df. It isn’t designed for them. It’s designed for somebody who, above everything else, likes the idea of having a classically-styled D-SLR which has as many ‘mechanical’ controls as is practically feasible. Logically, Nikon has mated this with the best sensor in its stable and then completed the rest of the package with a keen eye on what it would all end up costing.

Does it work? Put in its context, it works exceedingly well and Nikon really has done its best to navigate a path through the minefield that is

VITAL STATISTICS Type: Enthusiast/semi-professional digital SLR with Nikon F (D-type) bayonet lens mount Focusing: Automatic via 39-point wide-area system using phase-detection type CCD sensor with nine cross-type arrays. Focus points may be selected manually or automatically, and either as single points or in groups (9/21/39). Points re-orientated for vertical shooting. Auto-area AF mode automatically determines subject type and selects the focus point. One-shot and continuous modes both with a predictive function. 3D Tracking mode.

Sensitivity range is EV -1 - 19 (ISO 100). AF assist provided by built-in illuminator. AF micro-adjustment for individual lenses (up to 20).AF assist provided by built-in illuminator.

Contrast-detection AF in live view with a magnified image for assistance.

Metering: 2016-pixel RGB ‘3D Color Matrix II’, centre-weighted average (with variable diameter weighting – 8.0mm, 12mm, 15mm or 20mm), full average, spot (4.0mm/1.5%), and i-TTL flash via 2016-pixel sensor. Metering ranges are; 3D Color Matrix II and C/W average = EV 0 to 20, spot = EV 2 to 20 (f1.4/ ISO 100).

Exposure Modes: Continuously-variable program with shift, shutter-priority auto, aperture-priority auto, metered manual, i-TTL auto flash and manual flash.

Shutter: Electronically-controlled, vertical travel, focal plane type, 30-1/4000 second plus ‘B’ and ‘T’. Flash sync up to 1/200 second. Exposure compensation up to +/-3.0 EV in 1/3 or ½ stop increments.

Viewfinder: Coverage = 100% vertical/ horizontal. Magnification = 0.70x (50mm lens at infinity). LCD displays and LED focus point indicators. Fixed focusing screen has AF zones and on-demand grid lines. Eyepiece strength adjustment provided.

Flash: No built-in flash. External flash units connect via hotshoe or PC terminal.

Additional Features: Magnesium alloy/polycarbonate bodyshell sealed against dust and moisture, milled metal dials, glass pentaprism, auto exposure bracketing (two, three or five frames) AE+flash bracketing, depth-of-field preview, AE lock, exposure adjustments in either 1/3 or ½ stop increments, variable

balancing digital functionality with analog form… especially given the way it’s been evolving its D-SLR system over the last 15 or so years.

As we noted at the outset, the Df is different from the other retro-styled digital cameras on the market in that it’s all about the control layout first and then everything else has been moulded and massaged to fit around it. Even Fujifilm’s X100 came from a different direction (but apparently emboldened Nikon to continue with the project which was already on the drawing boards back then). Consequently, the Df isn’t for everybody… it probably isn’t even for people who notionally like the idea of a classically-styled digital camera. It’s for people who are dyed-in-the-wool traditionalists and who enjoy the deliberation

associated with using dials. In terms of the experience, the Df is really more about the camera than the picture, although it’s very capable as far as the latter is concerned.

In the end, it’s about putting the Df into perspective which is that it’s a high-end digital SLR with the feel and operational characteristics of a 35mm SLR from the late 1970s.

That it works nearly as well as it does is actually no mean feat. Did Nikon go too far or not far enough?

Well, purity is an elusive goal and there will be plenty of Nikon enthusiasts who would have liked the Df done differently, but let’s be thankful for what we’ve got.

If you love the idea of the Df, you’ll truly love the camera itself… because it does achieve its design objectives, flaws and all.

NIKON Df $3299 delay and multi-shot self-timer (two to 20 seconds, up to nine frames, variable interval delay), mirror lock-up, quiet shutter mode, audible signals, wired remote control terminal, cable release connection, 42 custom functions. Folding Ai tab on the lens mount allows for the fitting of non-Ai Nikkor lenses.

DIGITAL SECTION Sensor: 16.6 million pixels CMOS with 36.0x23.9 mm area. Sensitivity equivalent to ISO 100-12,800 (extendable to ISO 50 and ISO 204,800).

Focal Length Increase: None.

Formats/Resolution: Three JPEG compression settings (1:4, 1:8 and 1:16), and lossless compressed, compressed or uncompressed RAW files. Three resolution settings at 3:2 aspect ratio; 4928x3280, 3696x2456 and 2464x1640 pixels. Three resolution settings in ‘DX’ format (24x16 mm); 3200x2128, 2400x1592 and 1600x1064 pixels. RAW (NEF) images are captured at 4928x3280 pixels, in either 36-bit or 42-bit RGB colour, and either lossless compressed or compressed.

RAW+JPEG capture is possible (with all JPEG compression levels). TIFF-RGB images captured in 24-bit colour.

Video Recording: No video recording capabilities.

Recording Media: Single slot for SD/SDHC/ SDXC (UHS-I compliant) memory cards.

Continuous Shooting: Up to 100 frames at 5.5 fps in JPEG/large/fine mode, up to 29 frames in RAW mode (14-bit, lossless compressed). Low speed continuous shooting mode can be set from 1.0 to 5.0 fps.

White Balance: TTL measurements using the 2016-pixels RGB metering sensor. Auto/manual control with 12 presets and four custom settings. White balance fine-tuning available for AWB and all presets plus manual colour temperature setting (2500-10,000 degrees Kelvin) and white balance bracketing (two or three frames). Warm AWB setting maintains a warmer hue under incandescent lighting.

Interfaces: USB 2.0, HDMI output (Type C), PC flash, accessory terminal.

Additional Digital Features: Active sensor

NIKON Df

with AF-S Nikkor 50mm f1.8G Special Edition, estimated average street price

cleaning, dual-axis ‘virtual horizon’ display, live view functions (with contrast-detection AF), fixed 8.1 cm LCD monitor (921,600 pixels resolution) with histogram displays (brightness and/or RGB channels) and highlight alert; ‘Active D-Lighting’ contrast control (Auto, Low, Normal, High, Extra High 1, Extra High 2), ADL bracketing (up to five frames), six ‘Picture Control’ presets (Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape), adjustable ‘Picture Control’ parameters (Sharpening, Contrast, Brightness, Saturation, Hue), B&W filters and toning effects, nine user-defined ‘Picture Control’ modes, multiple exposure facility (up to three frames with Auto Gain), intervalometer, HDR dual-shot capture (Smoothing: High/Normal/Low, Exposure Differential: 1/2/3 EV or Auto), sRGB and Adobe RGB colour spaces, long exposure noise reduction (Off, On), high ISO noise reduction (Off, Low, Normal, High), auto ISO with auto minimum shutter speed control, Auto Distortion Control (Off, On), Vignette Control (Off, Low, Normal, High), image comments input (up to 36 characters), auto image orientation, adjustable image display time, slide show, 4/9/72 thumbnail displays, playback zoom (up to 30x in ‘FX’ format), Retouch Menu for in-camera editing (D-Lighting, Red-Eye Correction, Trim, Monochrome, Filter Effects, Colour Balance, Image Overlay, RAW Processing, Resize, Quick Retouch, Straighten, Distortion Control, Fish-Eye, Colour Outline, Colour Sketch, Perspective Control, Miniature Effect, Selective Colour). May be fitted with optional GP-1 GPS receiver and WU-1a wireless transmitter.

Power: One 7.2 volt, 1230 mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack (EN-EL14a type).

Dimensions (WxHxD): Body only = 143.5x110.0x66.5 mm.

Weight: Body only = 710 grams (without battery pack or memory card).

Price: $2999 body only. $3299 with AF-S Nikkor 50mm f1.8G Special Edition (estimated average street prices). Available in silver or black.

Distributor: Nikon Australia Pty Ltd, telephone 1300 366 499 or visit www.mynikonlife.com.au

DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK 19

LENS CHOICES

PHOTOGRAPHY AT THE

ZOO

PICKING THE RIGHT LENS FOR THE JOB Seeing wildlife actually in the wild is getting harder, not to mention more expensive, so zoos and reserves are the next best thing‌ and there are ways of capturing images which look completely natural.

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DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK

W

hether you agree with the concept or not, there’s little doubt that the modern zoo plays an important role in wildlife research and preservation. In recent years too, zoos have worked hard to create more natural environments for their animals, which is also good news for photographers in search of more authentic-looking photographs.

While it may be more desirable to see wild animals in their native habitat, the reality is that this can involve lots of expensive travel with no guarantee that you’ll actually be successful.

Even some Australian wildlife can be quite hard to see outside zoos or nature reserves and, of course, photographing wild animals in the wild demands a fair amount of patience, good outdoor skills, and specialised equipment such as long telephoto lenses. In a zoo or animal park, finding subjects is rather easier, and they’re less likely to flee if you move or make any noise. Being animals, don’t expect them to be completely co-operative, but within the zoo environment, you’ll have the time to wait until you get the composition, grouping or poses that you want.

Obviously a key aspect of photographing wild animals in a zoo is to make it look like you aren’t.

This means using tighter framing – or cropping later on – to eliminate all the give-aways such as perches, platforms, play things or fences.

This isn’t always easy, particularly in smaller enclosures and, inevitably, some sharp-eyed expert will note that the vegetation or the rock formations or some other small detail isn’t right.

Don’t worry about this; your objective is mainly to create some great pictures of animals – both creatively and technically – that would otherwise be much harder to take.

CREATIVE FOCUSING Aside from using framing to eliminate unwanted elements in a scene, another useful technique is selective focusing, which is achieved by exploiting depth-of-field… put simply, the zone within a photograph that is in focus. Depthof-field is determined by three factors – the lens focal length, the aperture and the subject distance. In the zoo situation, there’s the potential to use all three.

Longer focal length lenses have inherently shallower depth-of-field, which you can further reduce by shooting with larger apertures (they’re the ones with the smaller f-numbers such as f1.4 or f2.8) and reduce yet again by getting as close to your subject as is possible. When the depth-of-field is very shallow, backgrounds will be rendered sufficiently out-of-focus to be little more than a soft pattern of colours… ideal if you’re trying to make fences or railings effectively ‘disappear’. However, some care needs to be taken when using a very shallow depth-of-field that some parts of your subject don’t also end

up out of focus. With most D-SLRs and compact system cameras, you can check this via a preview function which will show which parts of the subject will be reproduced in focus. If you focus manually – which, incidentally, is probably advisable in these situations – you can pick the focus point in order to optimise the effect of a shallow depth-of-field. In technical terms, this ‘shifted’ focusing point is called the hyperfocal distance and, put simply, it means focusing either in front of, or behind, the subject in order to ensure it remains sharp, but the background or foreground is still sufficiently blurred to render details indiscernible.

Many zoos or wildlife parks make it possible to photograph animals without fences getting in way – i.e. from raised banks or platforms so you can shoot over the top or through cut-outs – but if this isn’t possible, then depth-of-field can come to the rescue. Use the widest aperture possible – and the longest focal length – and fence netting should be rendered entirely outof-focus. This will work better if you are close to the fence rather than further away. Fortunately, digital cameras allow you to easily experiment with your combination of focal length, aperture and distance from the fence to determine the most effective combination.

Photographs of animals can often look better if they ‘set the scene’ via the inclusion of habitat or other elements which provide a frame of reference. In the zoo situation this may not be possible to do because the animals’ surroundings are quite obviously artificial, in which case the best approach is probably to try very tight framing to create portraits or more graphic studies. Animal portraits can work very effectively, particularly if you have the patience to wait for the right angle or attitude. Most zoos have set feeding times for their exhibits so you can arrange to be there when there’s some more interesting activity happening.

Animals which are more social on their behaviour – primates, for example – also make great subjects when you have to frame your shots more tightly in order to eliminate unwanted surroundings. Obviously, nursing mothers make great subjects, and all the world’s major zoos have Websites which will keep you informed about breeding programs, pregnancies and up-coming births. Incidentally, if you’re planning

Lens Tech Explained – Aspherical Lens Elements A lens element works by refracting – or bending – the light rays that pass through it thanks to its spherical surfaces. Put a number of elements together and they will bring these rays together at a point… which focuses the subject. However, the refraction process isn’t perfect and various lens aberrations – such as distortion – are introduced along the way. Originally this would be corrected by adding more elements, but this made for big, bulky and expensive lenses. The breakthrough came with non-spherical – or aspherical – surfaces which essentially could be shaped to provide ‘built-in’ correction. An aspherical lens element corrects for distortion by continually changing the refractive index from the centre of the lens (i.e. its optical axis). Nikon began making aspherical elements in the 1960s, but back then this involved the time-consuming process of selective grinding and polishing to create the more complex surface shapes. The OP Fisheye-Nikkor 10mm f5.6, introduced in 1968, was the world’s first interchangeable SLR lens which incorporated aspherical elements. Subsequently, various new techniques – such as Nikon’s ‘Precision Glass Mold’ process – have been devised to create aspherical elements which are much more effective and less expensive to make. These allow for the design of more compact lenses, particularly zooms, with much higher levels of correction for distortion and spherical aberrations to give enhanced resolution and image quality.

DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK

21

The Wide-Angle Zoom – AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 18-35mm f3.5-4.5G ED Primarily designed for use with Nikon’s D-SLRs with full-35mm size sensors, this ultra-wide zoom is both compact and comparatively affordable. The 18-35mm focal range makes it suitable for a wide range of applications, especially as the 35mm focal range closely matches the natural perspective of the human. It employs Nikon’s ‘Silent Wave Motor’ (SWM) autofocusing drive – which allows for a full-time manual override for convenient fine-tuning – and it has a minimum focusing distance of just 28 centimetres. The optical construction comprises 12 elements (in eight groups), three of them aspherical types to correct for distortion, and two of them made from extralow dispersion (ED) to minimise chromatic aberrations.

This lens also has Nikon’s ‘Super Integrated Coating’ (SIC) to counter ghosting and flare. A seven-bladed diaphragm gives smoother out-of-focus effects.

The Telephoto Zoom – AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED A dedicated 400mm telephoto is a highly specialised piece of equipment and you’re unlikely to need such long a focal length all the time… which is why Nikon’s 80-400mm zoom makes a lot of sense. It’s a very versatile focal range – particularly useful for wildlife photography – made even more useful by the provision of ‘Vibration Reduction’ (VR) optical image stabilisation. Additionally, despite the long focal range, this isn’t an especially big lens, and weighs in at around 1.5 kilograms. A detachable tripod mounting collar is provided, but obviously the VR image stabilisation increases the possibilities for hand-held shooting… by up to four stops.

The 20 element optical construction includes three made from extra-low dispersion (ED) glass and one made from ‘Super ED’ glass, which combine to minimise chromatic aberrations. It also employs Nikon’s ‘Nano Crystal Coating’ multi-coating to reduce ghosting and flare, and has internal focusing. The minimum focusing distance is 1.75 centimetres which, at 400mm, gives a maximum magnification ratio of 1:5.

This is an ‘FX’ format lens designed for use with Nikon’s D-SLRs with full-35mm size sensors, but can also be used on the ‘DX’ models and the effective focal range becomes 120-600)

The Macro Lens – AF-S DX Micro-Nikkor 40mm f2.8G Macro photography opens up a whole new world of subjects and Nikon’s ‘DX’ format 40mm Micro-Nikkor also makes it more accessible and affordable. Designed for the ‘DX’ (i.e. ‘APS-C’) format Nikon D-SLRs, this lens has an effective focal length of 60mm and focuses down to just 16.3 centimetres to give a 1:1 or lifesize reproduction. This is also a very compact and lightweight lens, just 64.5 millimetres in length and 235 grams. The optical construction comprises nine elements in seven groups with Nikon’s ‘Super Integrated Coating’ multi-coating and the ‘Close-Range Correction’ (CRC) system which employs an innovative floating element design to ensure optimum imaging performance at very close-up focusing distances. A seven-bladed diaphragm ensures nicely smooth out-of-focus effects.

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DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK

to make many visits to your local zoo, it could be well worth joining a membership or ‘Friends Of…’ program, which may include invites to special members-only events as well as discounts on entry fees.

LIGHT AND COLOUR We’ve talked a lot about framing and focusing so far, so what about exposure control and white balance? Multi-zone metering systems will work well in most situations, but if the background is either excessively bright or very dark, it will be necessary to apply some exposure compensation (plus in the first situation, minus in the second) to ensure the subject is correctly exposed. Applying some plus exposure compensation will nearly always be necessary when the subject is front of a bright sky, otherwise it will be rendered as little more than a silhouette.

Alternatively, you can switch to using spot metering off the animal itself, particularly with close-up portraits when it doesn’t really matter if the background ends quite bright or dark. However, with subjects which have white or very pale fur or feathers, you’ll still need to overexpose a little (because the metering will go for a mid-tone) while with animals which are black or dark brown, you’ll need to underexpose to avoid ending up with a muddy grey reproduction. While you might use fill-in flash with human subjects in these situations, this isn’t really practical when shooting in the zoo… for starters, you probably won’t be close enough, and may disturb many animals – it certainly won’t be allowed in any nocturnal displays. Here you’ll probably need a tripod, although many of the latest generation digital cameras are capable of excellent high ISO performance which – in conjunction with image stabilisation – allow you to go on shooting hand-held in quite dark situations. Alternatively, a monopod can provide some useful extra support and is a better option than a tripod if you’re shooting in a crowded or cramped location.

In many cases, the automatic white balance control will work well, but if you’re shooting in a location with a lot of artificial lighting – an aquarium, for example – you will need to use the appropriate preset or, better still, take a custom white balance measurement. If you are shooting into a tank – and zoos often have these as part of their marine mammals displays – get the lens as close as possible to the side in order to avoid any reflections and focus manually.

PICK YOUR LENS The telephoto zoom is likely to be the most useful lens that you can take to the zoo. A 70-200mm – or the equivalent for the smallerthan-35mm sensor sizes – is a good allrounder, but something with a longer range is likely to be even more useful, particularly for tighter framing. Quite a few of the mirrorless camera systems now have 70-300mm

(equivalent) telezooms which are also nicely compact, while Nikon offers an 80-400mm for its D-SLRs with full-35mm sensors (see side panel) which is also surprisingly manageable for hand-held shooting.

As you really need to be ready for anything when photographing animals, a zoom allows for the rapid adjustment of framing and composition as your subject moves around. Of course, a superzoom – such as a 28-300mm or smaller format equivalent – will work here too, but these longer range zooms tend to be slower in terms of their maximum apertures and this may limit just how shallow the depth-of-field can be. Additionally, a faster lens allows for faster shutter speeds to be used, especially useful if you’re shooting hand-held.

If you’re shooting in a more ‘open plan’ zoo or wildlife park, then a wide-angle zoom can also be handy as you’re likely to be able to include more background in your images.

And don’t forget that people interacting with animal displays can make great pictures too, so try a wider angle-of-view once in a while.

The macro lens is very important in nature photography, especially for shooting flowers, small insects or details such as textures and patterns. The traditional zoo may not allow you to get close enough to exhibits to make full use of a macro lens, but in many wildlife or reptile parks you can, especially when rangers are displaying particular animals.

Here being able to get in close can make for quite dramatic images or graphic studies of fur, feathers or scales.

CONCLUSION A visit to the zoo can be a great day out, and also provide numerous photographic opportunities. You can choose to try and shoot animals as they might look in the wild, or simply record the whole atmosphere of the zoo with visitors of all ages enjoying watching the animals and animal behaviour.

Be ready for anything and you’re guaranteed to come home with some great pictures.

‘LENS CHOICES’ IS AN ONGOING SERIES IN AUSTRALIAN CAMERA MAGAZINE

NEW HORIZONS

PRECISION

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INNOVATION

I AM THE AF-S 14-24MM F/2.8G ED. I am taking your adventure to new heights. I am telling your story from dawn until dusk. I am inspiring beauty on your doorstep and beyond. I am seizing the day.

MyNikonLife.com.au/nikkor

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ON TRIAL

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REPORT BY

PAUL BURROWS

D610

WITH ADDED VITAMINS The changes made to the D610 over the D600 may not be particularly extensive, but they add a little extra polish to an already very fine camera.

24 DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK

R

egardless of why we now have the D610, it’s given Nikon’s most affordable ‘FX’ format D-SLR some extra air time as well as a couple of performance boosts. While it’s the D800/800E that has been the glamour camera in this category, the reality is that the original D600 was far better suited to many non-professional users. It was much more affordable for a start, and its 24.7 megapixels sensor didn’t place quite as much strain on computer processors and data storage devices as the D800’s 36.8 MP device. Additionally, the D600’s feature set looked positively generous alongside the more meagre offerings of Canon’s rival EOS 6D. As we concluded in our road test of the D600 – which was published in the January/February 2013 issue – the inevitable comparisons with the D800 “…simply revealed that the D600 is actually very

impressive in its own right. It’s still extremely well featured, well built and well specced… and it still delivers a huge amount of imaging performance compared to anything else in its class”.

This still very much applies to the D610 because it’s fundamentally the same camera both inside and out, save for a new shutter assembly and a few tweaks here and there, most notably to the auto white balance control. Consequently, we won’t delve into the nitty-gritty as we normally do because the D600 report covers all this, but we will revisit all the elements that give the D610 an edge over its rival.

The new shutter is apparently as a response to the oil-on-sensor problem which, in some markets more than others, tarnished the D600’s otherwise fine reputation.

The oil spots and also paint dust are thought to have come from the old shutter. As it happens, we

ON TRIAL

had a D600 on long-term test – well, we just didn’t want to give it back – and didn’t experience any problems at all. Anecdotally, it looks like very few of the cameras that were sold in Australia were affected, but it seems the remedy was rather more radical than just a quick repair. However, every cloud has a silver lining and, while the new shutter has the same speed range as before, it allows for a slight increase in the continuous shooting speed and a new ‘Quiet Continuous’ mode. The D610 now runs at 6.0 fps which is just 0.5 fps faster than the D600, but puts some more distance between it and the EOS 6D which has a top speed of 4.5 fps. The quiet mode operates at up to 3.0 fps, although it’s only quieter and certainly not totally silent.

The revision to the auto white balance is designed to ensure more accurate colour in artificial lighting as well as more realistic skin tones. The AWB uses the D610’s colour-sensitive metering sensor which is unchanged from the D600 so these changes are the result of revisions to the processing algorithms. These few changes are all that Nikon is admitting to, but it’s hard to see it not taking the opportunity to tidy up any other aspects of the previous model which might have needed attention.

“THE D610 NOW RUNS AT 6.0 FPS WHICH JUST 0.5 FPS FASTER THAN THE D600, BUT PUTS SOME MORE DISTANCE BETWEEN IT AND THE EOS 6D WHICH HAS A TOP SPEED OF 4.5 FPS.”

Pentaprism viewfinder provides 100 percent coverage at 0.7x magnification.

BODY WORKS The bodyshell is completely unchanged – save for the model number badge – and is a combination of magnesium alloy and reinforced polycarbonate covers with sealing against the intrusion of dust or moisture. As before, a key aspect of the body design is the provision of dual memory card slots – both for the SD format with HC/XC UHSI speed support – which allows for a variety of file management options management options, including auto ‘overflow’ switching, back-up (i.e. the simultaneous recording of a file to both cards) or the separate recording of either RAW and JPEG files, or still images and video clips.

On the subject of video, the D610 records in the Full HD resolution at 25 fps progressivescan (or 24 fps) with MPEG4/H.264 compression. There are high-quality and normal modes

Bodyshell construction is a combination of magnesium alloy top and rear plates with a polycarbonate front panel. It’s sealed against dust and moisture.

The control layout is unchanged from that of the D600.

corresponding to 24 Mbps and 12 Mbps respectively. As before, it delivers a ‘clean’ uncompressed HD video feed to its HDMI connector and has both a stereo audio input and a stereo output, the latter for connecting stereo headphones, enabling direct monitoring. Importantly, the audio levels can be manually adjusted.

The CMOS sensor’s effective pixel count is 24.3 million, giving a maximum image size of 6016x4016 pixels. RAW files can be processed at 12-bits or 14-bits, compressed or with lossless compression. The camera will automatically switch to the ‘APS-C’ format when one of Nikon’s ‘DX’ lenses is fitted, cropping the image area to 24x16 mm and dropping the resolution to 10.5 megapixels. The sensitivity range remains equivalent to ISO 100 to 6400 (with extensions to ISO 50 and 25,600).

NIKON D610

IN CONTROL The D610 retains the same autofocusing and metering systems as its predecessor so the highlights here are 39 focusing points – nine of them cross-type arrays – and ‘3D Colour Matrix Metering II’ which is based on a dedicated 2016-pixel, RGB-sensitive sensor.

The seven most central AF points still work with lenses as slow as f8.0 (which takes care of fitting a 2.0x teleconverter to an f4.0 lens) and a total of 33 points are available for lens speeds slower than f5.6.

Both the metering and focusing drive what Nikon a little confusingly calls a ‘Scene Recognition System’ which actually refers to the way their data is processed in order to better determine the type of subject or scene… and not auto scene setting. However, the D610 does have a choice of scene

The shutter assembly is new and enables faster shooting at 6.0 fps (up from the D600’s 5.5 fps) plus a new quite continuous shooting mode.

The built-in flash can control wireless TTL setups and has a manual output adjustment.

Monochrome LCD read-out panel is a trademark of Nikon’s higher end D-SLRs.

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modes – 19 of them, in fact – to supplement the basic ‘PASM’ exposure control modes.

Another key difference with the EOS 6D is the provision of a built-in flash and its repertoire extends to slow speed sync, second curtain sync, manual power adjustment (all the way down to 1/128) and serving as the commander for wireless TTL set-ups. The maximum sync speed is 1/200 second and the full shutter speed range is 30-1/4000 second. As before, the new shutter assembly has been tested to 150,000 cycles.

Although its ‘back end’ processing has been tweaked, the choice of white balance control options remains unchanged with two auto correction modes – one normal and the other designed to maintain warmer tones when shooting under incandescent lighting – and a choice of 12 presets, including seven for various different types of fluoro lighting.

The image processing functions start with Nikon’s staple set of ‘Picture Control’ presets and extend to ‘Active D-Lighting’ processing for dynamic range expansion, multi-shot HDR capture and correction for lens aberrations. ‘Vignette Control’ and ‘Auto Distortion Control’ are selectable from the main Shooting Menu while correction for lateral chromatic aberrations is always applied automatically with JPEG capture. Nikon provides its special effects and digital filters via the

“THE HIGH ISO PERFORMANCE – THANKS TO THE INHERENTLY HIGHER SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO OF THOSE BIG 5.9 MICRONS PIXELS – IS EXEMPLARY ALL THE WAY UP TO ISO 3200.”

D610’s Retouch Menu so they’re applied post-capture and create a new file. The other offerings in the Retouch Menu include straightening, distortion control, perspective control, red-eye correction, adjustments to colour balance (using RGB histograms for guidance), trimming, B&W

conversion (with the option of either sepia or cyanotype toning), skylight or warm filter effects, image overlay (for two RAW files with the capacity to balance the exposures as required), resizing, and in-camera RAW-to-JPEG conversion. There still isn’t any built-in Wi-Fi – which Canon provides on the 6D – so if you want this facility, you’ll need to buy the optional Wireless Mobile Adapter WU-1b unit which plugs into the camera’s USB port.

IN THE HAND The D610’s control layout is conventional and centres on a main mode dial with front and rear input wheels, a navigator rocker-type pad on the rear panel and various function keys… a number dual function depending on whether the camera is in capture or playback mode. The main monitor screen – which is fixed – provides a comprehensive information display which is supplement by the camera’s monochrome read-out panel on the top plate.

There’s no interactive control screen as such, but instead, two rows of ‘soft’ buttons arranged along the bottom of the display provide direct access to a smallish selection of capture functions, including the ‘Active D-Lighting’

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NIKON D610

ON TRIAL

Virtually the only external change from the D600 (except the model badge) is this additional setting on the drive mode selector for the new quiet continuous shooting mode.

The D610 has a stereo audio input and an output, both 3.5 mm terminals.

A dedicated switch selects the still and movie modes with live view.

The memory card bay has dual slots for SD/SDHC/SDXC types (both with UHS-I speed support) which can be configured to various file management duties.

Rear panel buttons provide direct access to (from top) the ‘Picture Control’ presets and the settings for white balance, image quality and ISO.

settings, the noise reduction settings, the colour space settings and the two function-assignable buttons (the depth-of-field preview button and the ‘Fn’ button which is also located on the lens mount). These rows of soft keys aren’t customisable so what you see is what you get, but there are two ‘User Settings’ banks which can be configured as desired and subsequently selected via the main mode dial (as either ‘U1’ or ‘U2’).

Nikon’s ‘Picture Control’ presets are standard fare on its D-SLRs and can be adjusted for sharpness, contrast, brightness, saturation and hue.

Nikon still does the best D-SLR ergonomics in the business and the D610 continues the good work… it may be ‘old school’, but it does the job and does it very well.

SPEED & PERFORMANCE As an increased shooting speed is one of the D610’s headline acts, it was important to put it up against the clock. We timed the D600 at a slightly faster-than-advertised 5.62 fps and using a slower memory card than the one that’s our refer-

The ‘Active D-Lighting’ process for dynamic range expansion can be set to auto correction or one of four manual levels.

28 DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK

ence device now. With our Lexar Professional 600x 64 GB SDXC UHS-I reference memory card loaded, the D610 captured 31 JPEG/large/fine frames in 5.223 seconds, representing a shooting speed of 5.94 fps which is as close to 6.0 fps as makes no difference.

Additionally, Nikon bases its spec on an average file size of 12.4 MB whereas our test files were actually around 17.5 MB in size.

We thought we’d also try out the ‘Quiet Continuous’ mode –

The Retouch Menu provides a selection of special picture effects which are applied post-capture.

There’s also a choice of filter effects which, again, are also applied post-capture, creating a new file.

ON TRIAL which, to be honest, isn’t really all that quiet – and the D610 fired off a sequence of 45 JPEG/large/ frames in 14.099 second, giving a shooting speed of 3.19 fps.

We weren’t expecting to see anything different from the D600 in terms of the imaging performance and we didn’t, but obviously the new camera is just as good as far as definition, detailing and dynamic range are concerned… all of which are excellent. Likewise the high ISO performance – thanks to the inherently higher signal-to-noise ratio of those big 5.9 microns

VITAL STATISTICS Type: Enthusiast/semi-professional digital SLR with Nikon F (D-type) bayonet lens mount Focusing: Automatic via 39-point wide-area system using phase-detection type CCD sensor with nine cross-type arrays. Focus points may be selected manually or automatically and either as single points or in groups (9/21/39). Points re-orientated for vertical shooting. Auto-area AF mode automatically determines subject type and selects the focus point. One-shot and continuous modes both with a predictive function. 3D Tracking mode.

Sensitivity range is EV -1 - 19 (ISO 100). AF assist provided by built-in illuminator. AF micro-adjustment for individual lenses (up to 20).AF assist provided by built-in illuminator. Contrast-detection AF in live view and video modes.

Metering: 2016-pixel RGB ‘3D Color Matrix II’, centre-weighted average (with variable diameter weighting – 8.0mm, 12mm, 15mm or 20mm), full average, spot (4.0mm/1.5%), and i-TTL flash via 2016-pixel sensor. Metering ranges are; 3D Color Matrix II and C/W average = EV 0 to 20, spot = EV 2 to 20 (f1.4/ ISO 100).

Exposure Modes: Continuously-variable program with shift, shutter-priority auto, aperturepriority auto, metered manual, i-TTL auto flash and manual flash. 19 subject/scene modes.

Shutter: Electronically-controlled, vertical travel, focal plane type, 30-1/4000 second plus ‘B’. Flash sync up to 1/200 second.

Exposure compensation up to +/-5.0 EV in 1/3 or ½ stop increments.

Viewfinder: Coverage = 100% vertical/ horizontal. Magnification = 0.70x (50mm lens at infinity). LCD displays and LED focus point indicators. Standard focusing screen has AF zones and on-demand grid lines. Eyepiece strength adjustment provided.

Flash: Built-in pop-up unit with GN 12 power (ISO 100). Auto, fill-in, red-eye reduction, front/rear sync and slow speed sync modes.

Commander mode for wireless TTL control of compatible external flash units. External flash units connect via hotshoe. Flash compensation range of -3.0 to +1.0 EV in 1/3 or ½ stop increments and flash bracketing (up to three frames). Manual control down to 1/128 of full power.

Additional Features: Magnesium alloy/ polycarbonate bodyshell sealed against dust and moisture, auto exposure bracketing (over three frames) AE+flash bracketing, depth-offield preview, AE lock, exposure adjustments in either 1/3 or ½ stop increments, variable delay and multi-shot self-timer (two to 20 sec-

pixels – is exemplary all the way up to ISO 3200. The sharpness and saturation only starts to diminish at ISO 6400 and even then the image quality at the top of the camera’s native sensitivity range is very good. Both the ‘push’ settings are useable, but there is a more marked softening of the images as the noise reduction processing works harder.

As before, RAW capture is better again in terms of both the dynamic range and the low noise levels. While there have been exceptional improvements in the

imaging performance of smaller sensors, it’s hard to get around the physics that makes a bigger sensor with bigger pixels just that little bit better… most notably in the dynamic range, but also in terms of the overall smoothness of the tonality. The Nikon D610 proves it once again.

THE VERDICT When we tested the D600 it was clear it was another of Nikon’s stand-out D-SLR designs, perhaps even more so than the superlative D800. Time has only served to

NIKON D 610 $2199* onds, up to nine frames), mirror lock-up, quiet shutter mode, audible signals, wired remote control terminal, wireless remote control, 50 custom functions.

DIGITAL SECTION Sensor: 24.7 million pixels CMOS with 35.9x24.0 mm area. Sensitivity equivalent to ISO 100-6400 (extendable to ISO 50 and 25,600).

Focal Length Increase: None.

Formats/Resolution: Three JPEG compression settings (1:4, 1:8 and 1:16), and lossless compressed, compressed or uncompressed RAW files. Three resolution settings at 3:2 aspect ratio; 6016x4016, 4512x3008 and 3008x2008 pixels. Three resolution settings in ‘DX’ format (24x16 mm); 3936x2624, 2944x1968 and 1968x1312 pixels. Additionally, still images can be captured in the movie mode in the ‘FX’ and ‘DX’ formats and the 16:9 aspect ratio, again at three resolution settings. RAW (NEF) images are captured at 6016x4016 pixels, in either 36-bit or 42-bit RGB colour, and either lossless compressed or compressed. RAW+JPEG capture is possible (with all JPEG compression levels).

Video Recording: Full HD = 1920x1080 pixels at 25 or 24 fps (PAL, progressive) and 16:9 aspect ratio. HD = 1280x720 pixels at 50 or 25 fps (progressive) and 16:9 aspect ratio. MPEG 4 AVC/H .264 compression. Mono sound recording with auto/manual adjustable levels. Stereo microphone input and headphone output provided. Clip duration limited to 29 minutes and 59 seconds at normal quality (12 Mbps) up to 20 minutes at high quality (24 Mbps). File size limit is 4.0 GB. Video Features: Index marking, time lapse recording, auto flicker detection, uncompressed 8-bit RAW data output via HDMI connection.

Recording Media: Two slots for SD/SDHC/ SDXC (UHS-I compliant) memory cards.

Overflow, Backup and RAW Primary-JPEG Secondary file management modes.

Continuous Shooting: Up to 51 frames at 6.0 fps in JPEG/large/fine mode, up to 14 frames in RAW mode (14-bit, lossless compressed). Low speed continuous shooting mode can be set from 1.0 to 5.0 fps. Quiet continuous mode operates at 3.0 fps.

White Balance: TTL measurements using the 2016-pixels RGB metering sensor. Auto/manual control with 12 presets and four custom settings. White balance fine-tuning available for AWB and all presets plus manual colour temperature setting (2500-10,000 degrees

NIKON D610

reinforce this opinion and the D610 provides further confirmation that this particular mix of sensor size, imaging performance, features and affordability is unmatched anywhere else. The D610 ticks so many more boxes than its Canon rival, including that it’s now a full 2.0 fps faster. The sensor cleaning issue was an unfortunate blemish (no pun intended) on the D600 which the D610 looks more than capable of shaking off. If you’re ready to step up to a full-35mm sensor, the D610 presents a compelling case for the D-SLR.

* body only, estimated average street price

Kelvin) and white balance bracketing (up to three frames). Warm AWB setting maintains a warmer hue under incandescent lighting.

Interfaces: USB 2.0, HDMI output (Type C), 3.5mm stereo audio input, 3.5mm stereo audio output, accessory terminal.

Additional Digital Features: Active sensor cleaning, dual-axis ‘virtual horizon’ display, live view functions (with contrast-detection AF), 8.1 cm LCD monitor (921,600 pixels resolution) with histogram displays (brightness and/or RGB channels) and highlight alert; ‘Active D-Lighting’ contrast control (Auto, Low, Normal, High, Extra High), ADL bracketing (up to three frames), six ‘Picture Control’ presets (Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape), adjustable ‘Picture Control’ parameters (Sharpening, Contrast, Brightness, Saturation, Hue), B&W filters and toning effects, nine user-defined ‘Picture Control’ modes, multiple exposure facility (up to three frames with Auto Gain), intervalometer, HDR dual-shot capture (Smoothing: High/ Normal/Low, Exposure Differential: 1/2/3 EV or Auto), sRGB and Adobe RGB colour spaces, long exposure noise reduction (Off, On), high ISO noise reduction (Off, Low, Normal, High), auto ISO with auto minimum shutter speed control, Auto Distortion Control (Off, On), Vignette Control (Off, Low, Normal, High), image comments input (up to 36 characters), auto image orientation, adjustable image display time, slide show, 4/9/72 thumbnail displays, playback zoom (up to 38x in ‘FX’ format), ‘Retouch Menu’ for in-camera editing (D-Lighting, Red-Eye Correction, Trim, Monochrome, Filter Effects, Colour Balance, Image Overlay, RAW Processing, Resize, Quick Retouch, Straighten, Distortion Control, FishEye, Colour Outline, Colour Sketch, Perspective Control, Miniature Effect, Selective Colour, Edit Movie, Side-By-Side Comparison). May be fitted with optional Wireless Mobile Adapter WU-1b and GP-1 GPS receiver.

Power: One 7.0 volt, 1900 mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack (EN-EL15 type).

Optional MB-D14 battery grip accepts one EN-EL15 li-ion pack or six AA-size batteries (alkaline, NiMH or lithium).

Dimensions (WxHxD): Body only = 141.0x113.0x82.0 mm.

Weight: Body only = 760 grams (without battery pack or memory card).

Price: Body only = $2199 (estimated average street price).

Distributor: Nikon Australia Pty Ltd, telephone 1300 366 499 or visit www.nikon.com.au

An alternative display provides a thumbnail with a set of brightness and RGB channel histograms. A brightness warning can also be displayed (if preselected in the playback display options) and is available in each colour channel.

An extensive set of information overlays provides a comprehensive listing of capture data over three pages (cycled through using the navigator keypad).

The image replay screen can be configured to show the AF points used to focus on the subject.

DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK 29

ON TRIAL

AF-S NIKKOR

REPORT BY

PAUL BURROWS

800mm f5.6E FL ED VR

E

LONG DISTANCE LOVE AFFAIR While perhaps not everyone will be rushing out to buy this autofocus 800mm from Nikon, it represents a new generation of supertelephoto lens that holds interest nevertheless.

ven before contemplating the price, which would buy you a wellspecced Mazda 3 or Ford Focus, an 800mm lens is a highly-specialised piece of kit.

It’s actually long enough to be limiting in its applications and for many photographers, a 400mm or a 600mm matched with a teleconverter will be the more flexible option. But an 800mm is also the daddy of telephoto lenses and definitely worthy of the mine-is-longer-than-yours boast.

It certainly makes sense for many areas of wildlife photography and sports where the subject is comparatively small such as surfing or motorcycle racing.

Traditionally – and apart from the price tag – the biggest challenge with an 800mm lens was its sheer size and weight.

You needed a pack horse to carry it and a tripod built along the lines of the Eiffel Tower to support it (which, of course, simply added to your load). Modern lens design and manufacturing techniques have helped to lighten the load and also reduce the bulk so, while Nikon’s new AF-S series 800mm f5.6 is still a beast of a lens, it’s actually reasonably manageable; speaking comparatively. It’s a tad over 46 centimetres in length and, at just under 4.6 kilograms, nowhere near as heavy as expected. However, it’s still most definitely a handful… well, actually, hand-holding is pretty well out of the question.

Even with Nikon’s ‘Vibration Reduction’ optical image stabilisation doing its stuff – with up to 4.5 stops of correction – the sheer physicality of this lens means it still needs to be mounted on either a tripod or a monopod.

The good news is that using a monopod is actually feasible here.

Interestingly too, the new 800mm is only marginally bulkier overall than Nikon’s 600mm f4.0.

BUILT TO WORK Nikon hasn’t had an 800mm in its Nikkor lens line-up since the

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DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK

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manual focus Ai-S mount model was discontinued in 2005, and Canon’s EF 800mm f5.6 L-series lens has been around since mid2008 which means that Canon was offering an autofocus 800mm with built-in optical image stabilisation five years ago.

What’s more, the two lenses are actually very similar in dimensions, weight and physical construction (plus, to a lesser extent, the optical construction).

The AF-S Nikkor 800mm f5.6E FL ED VR – to give it its full and grand title – has magnesium alloy barrel tubes fully sealed against the intrusion of dust and moisture.

The tripod mounting bracket is fully integrated and the barrel rotates within its collar to enable quick switching between the horizontal and vertical orientations. A locking knob prevents any accidental shifting and the long foot – which accommodates gimbal-type tripod heads – has three mounting points (one 3/8 inch in the centre with two ¼ inch screwthreads).

“IT WAS VERY EDUCATIONAL TO SEE WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED WHEN A HOST OF CONTEMPORARY LENS DESIGN TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES ARE APPLIED TO THE SUPERTELEPHOTO.”

AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f5.6

✚ Filters with a screwthread diameter of 52 mm can be fitted to a rear holder.

✚ Nikon’s ‘Nano Crystal’ coating – signified by the ‘N’ logo – is designed to minimise internal reflections.

✚ The relatively large aperture means a massive glass area out front.

✚ Buttons located at 90-degree intervals around the barrel perform a variety of duties according to how the focus function selector is set, including focus lock and AF start.

The optical construction comprises 20 elements in 13 groups with two of these elements being fluorite types and two being made from extra-low dispersion (ED) glass. These are designed to minimise chromatic aberrations, but the FL types also contribute to a reduction in the lens’s weight as one does the work of several conventional ED elements.

Interestingly, the 800mm is a G-type lens which, in modern Nikkor terms, means it doesn’t have a manual aperture collar and f-stops have to be manually set from the camera body.

In reality, this arrangement is probably going to negatively impact on virtually nobody who buys this lens, but it still seems a bit strange not to leave the option of conventional aperture control

available on what is very much a pro-orientated product.

As a consequence, however, the diaphragm is electromagnetically controlled (rather than mechanically) which ensures greater uniformity in exposures when shooting at faster frame rates.

FOCUS CONTROLS The autofocusing drive is Nikon’s ultrasonic ‘Silent Wave Motor’ (SWM) and the focusing group is located amidships so nothing moves externally. Obviously it’s a requirement that the host D-SLR’s AF system can operate when a lens’s largest aperture is f5.6 which, in the current Nikon ‘FX’ line-up, means D4, D800/800E, D700 and D600 (although all require a firmware upgrade in

order to support the lens). You could, of course, use this lens on one of Nikon’s current generation ‘DX’ format bodies and then the effective focal length would be, ahem, 1200mm!

The focusing range can be set to either Full or so the minimum ‘close up’ distance is set at ten metres rather than the normal 5.9 metres. It’s a long stretch from behind the camera to the manual focusing collar and there’s the option of selecting ‘M/A’ control which allows for a full-time manual override of the AF system.

Simply turning the focusing collar immediately switches the operating mode. ‘M/A’ differs from ‘A/M’ in that the latter requires a more pronounced movement of the focusing collar before operation will be switched

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31

AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f5.6

ON TRIAL

✚ The AF-S Nikkor 800mm f5.6 exhibits exceptional clarity across the frame with no evidence of chromatic aberrations or distortion… the straight lines at the edges of this frame are absolutely straight.

✚ Comparison of images shot at 50mm (top) and 800mm (below). The green tug boat can be seen right in the middle of the 50mm frame.

32

DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK

✚ Comparison of images shot at 50mm (top) and 800mm (below). The moorings in the 800mm frame can be seen slightly to the right of the centre of the 50mm frame.

ON TRIAL

AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f5.6

“IT’S A GREAT CONVENIENCE TO HAVE AUTOFOCUSING EVEN IF IT’S ONLY USED AS AN ELECTRONIC RANGEFINDER TO ESTABLISH A STARTING POINT FOR ANY SUBSEQUENT MANUAL ADJUSTMENTS.” and Active. The Normal operation is designed for when the lens is essentially static – and automatically detects when the camera is being panned to cancel correction in the horizontal plane – while Active is for use when shooting from a moving platform such as a car or a boat… assuming such a feat is actually possible!

A slot-in filter holder is located at the rear of the lens – close to the camera body for convenience – and it accepts 52 mm diameter screwthread types, but only one at a time. There isn’t any provision for adjusting a polariser from outside the lens.

IN THE FIELD

✚ The beefy tripod mounting collar is fully integrated into the lens construction.

from auto or manual. There are, in fact, a total of five switches on the side of the 800mm; and these are for focusing mode, focusing range, image stabilisation mode, focus function and audible signals.

The focus function switch works in conjunction with four buttons located at 90-degree intervals around the barrel and located just ahead of the focusing collar. These execute the selected function… namely focus lock, focus memory recall (there’s a separate button for setting the focus memory) and AF start. The audible signals serve as confirmation of each action.

The ‘VR’ optical image stabilisation mentioned earlier has two modes called Normal

Supertelephotos don’t come up for testing all that often, firstly because they’re fairly specialised and secondly because just about every example that rolls off the production line already has somebody’s name on it. We’ve seen a few over the decades, but basically they’re a rarity and, if ever made available for evaluation, usually come with conditions… in this case, having just a day to play.

It was mid-week so there were no sporting events happening, the surf was flat and there wasn’t time to head for the bush. Nevertheless, it was still very educational to see what can be achieved when a host of contemporary lens design techniques and technologies are applied to the supertelephoto.

As noted at the outset, the AF-S Nikkor 800mm f5.6 is a big lens in terms of its length and width, but it’s not excessively heavy so handling isn’t quite the work-out that might be expected. In fact, the lens on its own (i.e. minus its

custom case) isn’t such a huge chore to carry around which is just as well given that all its main applications require photographers to be on their feet for a lot of the time.

Of course, add the other items of equipment that need to be carried and the total weight certainly starts to mount up, but the point is that lugging this lens solo is actually feasible.

Importantly too, the use of the fluorite elements helps with the balance so the lens’s centre-ofgravity is now more to the rear and it doesn’t always want to pitch violently forward the moment the tripod head is unlocked.

As hand-held shooting is out of the question, the main role of the image stabilisation is to counter any vibrations – which will be magnified many times otherwise – enabling shooting at much slower shutter speeds. It’s especially beneficial when using a monopod.

It’s also a great convenience to have autofocusing even if it’s only used an electronic rangefinder to establish a starting point for any subsequent manual adjustments.

With the D4, for example, the full 51 points – which includes 15 cross-type sensor arrays in the centre – are available. Even when the 1.25x converter is fitted to create a 1000mm f7.1, the D4’s AF system is still operating with 15 points (nine of them acting as cross-type arrays). Having such super-fast AF operation with a supertele is a real advantage when shooting moving subjects, especially as the depth-of-field with this lens is wafer thin.

However, the nine-blade diaphragm gives beautifully smooth out-of-focus effects.

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AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f5.6

ON TRIAL

✚ Total barrel length is just over 46 cm, but by classic supertelephoto lens standards, the AF-S Nikkor 800mm isn’t an unduly heavy lens.

PERFORMANCE We used a mid-sized Manfrotto tripod fitted with a ballhead to optimise the manoeuvrability of camera-and-lens and, apart from needing to be exceptionally careful when loosening off the ball’s locking mechanism, we could have been shooting with a 300mm f2.8. Given the price tag, it also pays to double, triple and even quadruple check that, whatever type of mounting plate is being used, it’s properly seated and securely locked before letting go of the barrel.

Using the supplied shoulder strap, the 800mm is also surprisingly easy to carry around even with a tripod and perhaps a backpack containing whatever else is needed for the shoot. It comes in its own heavy-duty custom hardcase which is great for storage or even for the back of a 4WD, but some sort of soft case would probably be more useful overall, especially if air travel is involved (the logo-emblazoned hardcase does pretty well scream out ‘expensive lens inside!’).

And this is a big lens that’s big on performance.

The optical quality is hard to fault with exceptional sharpness from corner-to-corner across the aperture range, excellent contrast and negligible distortion.

Consequently, very tiny details are crisply resolved which is particularly welcome in wildlife photography where defining feathers and fur is a particular challenge. Chromatic aberrations are also effectively corrected and, while there’s a hint of vignetting at f5.6, it’s gone from f8.0 onward. It’s not an exaggeration to state that the imaging performance is more akin to that of an excellent 200mm than a lens four times more powerful, but the sharpness and contrast

really are remarkable… which goes some way to easing the pain inflicted by the price tag.

THE VERDICT Nikon’s 800mm f5.6 autofocus supertelephoto is a beautiful… no, exemplary example of the optical engineer’s art, but the long focal length makes it a highly

specialised item. It’s beautifully made and a stunning performer, but there are other ways of getting to 800mm which wouldn’t be quite so expensive. Whether they’d deliver a comparable image quality is highly debatable, so if nothing less than technical perfection is demanded then this lens is money well spent. Sign here please.

VITAL STATISTICS AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f5.6E FL ED VR $23,699 Estimated street price.

Format: ‘35mm’ (FX) and ‘APS-C’ (DX) D-SLRs, 35mm film SLRs. Angle-of-View: 3.1 degrees. 2.0 degrees with the ‘DX’ format when the effective focal length is 1200mm.

Construction: 20 elements/13 groups.

Minimum Focus: 5.9 metres.

Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:6.6

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Aperture Range: f5.6 – f32.

Overall Length: 461 mm.

Maximum Diameter: 160 mm.

Filter Diameter: 52 mm (fitted to rear slot-in filter holder).

Weight: 4590 grams.

Lens Mount(s): Nikon F (G-type).

Features: ‘Vibration Reduction’ optical image

DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK

stabilisation, ‘Silent Wave Motor’ ultrasonic focusing drive, two FL (fluorite) elements, two ED (extra low dispersion) glass elements, nine-blade diaphragm with electromagnetic control, internal focusing, magnesium alloy barrel sealed against dust and moisture, ‘Nano Crystal’ coating, ‘Super Integrated Multicoating’, adjustable focusing range, focus

setting memory. Matched AF-S Teleconverter TC800-1.25E ED included (1.25x). Metal lens hood, carry strap and custom hardcase also included.

Price: $23,699 (estimated street price).

Distributor: Nikon Australia Pty Ltd, telephone 1300 366 499 or visit www.nikon.com.au

THE ONE AND ONLY

PRECISION

•

INNOVATION

I AM THE AF-S 70-200MM F/2.8G ED VRII. I am never missing a moment from up close or at a distance. I am painting a picture with amazing quality. I am incredibly versatile.

MyNikonLife.com.au/nikkor

•

QUALITY

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LEGENDARY

Danielle Drews ©

LENS CHOICES

PHOTOGRAPHING PETS PICKING THE RIGHT LENS FOR THE JOB The antics of pets have the potential to make great photos, but you need to be ready for the moment and the choice of lens can help greatly here.

O

ne of the attractions of owning a pet is their entertainment value. Cats and dogs, in particular, can often amuse us with their behaviour, especially if they do something unexpected. These are the moments that can produce photographs that are funny, charming, poignant or dramatic.

The trick is to be ready to record these occasions when they happen.

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DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK

Because cats and dogs are the pets most of us will want to photograph, we’re going to concentrate mainly on them in this article, but quite a lot of it is also relevant to other small mammals such as rabbits, guinea pigs or even ferrets. A lot more people are also keeping hens or ducks which are immensely photogenic as chicks and ducklings, but eventually settle down to fairly predictable patterns of behaviour in adulthood. Nevertheless, if you love them and want to photograph them, much of the advice

provided here – especially as far as lenses are concerned – also applies to domesticated birds.

The great thing about pets – as opposed to animals in the wild – is that because they’re living with you there’s a lot more opportunities to take photographs. To some extent too, you can control the environment in terms of situations, backgrounds and even the lighting. Well-trained dogs are at the top of the list in terms of being co-operative, but even though cats are renowned for doing their own thing, there are ways of

Georgia Way ©

The Wide-Angle Zoom – AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm f3.5-4.5G ED

Paul Burrows ©

Designed for use with Nikon’s DX format D-SLRs (i.e. the models with ‘APS-C’ size sensors), the 10-24mm has an effective focal range of 15-36mm which represents an angle-of-view of 109 degrees to 61 degrees. Despite having such ultrawide capabilities, it’s still a comparatively compact lens and weighs in at 460 grams. The 14-element optical construction includes three aspherical types and three made from extra-low dispersion (ED) glass.

These are designed to optimise the optical performance by minimising, respectively, distortion and chromatic aberrations. Other features include Nikon’s ‘Silent Wave Motor’ (SWM) ultrasonic autofocusing drive, internal focusing (so the barrel length doesn’t alter), a seven-blade diaphragm (for smooth out-of-focus effects) and a minimum focusing distance of 24 centimetres.

The Fast Prime – AF-S Nikkor 85mm f1.8G This is one of a growing line-up of FX format prime lenses from Nikon and provides a more affordable alternative to the f1.4 model. Nikon’s FX lenses are designed for use on its D-SLRs with full-35mm sensors such as the new D610 and the popular D800. The 85mm f1.8 lens has a nine-element optical construction and employs Nikon’s SWM ultrasonic autofocusing system with an internal focusing group.

The minimum focusing distance is 80 centimetres.

The large maximum aperture of f1.8 produces a very shallow depth-of-field and a seven-blade diaphragm gives smooth out-of-focus effects. Of course, this lens can be used on the DX format Nikon D-SLR where its effective focal length becomes 127.5mm… a handy short telephoto matched with a large maximum aperture.

The Telephoto Zoom – 1 Nikkor VR 10-100mm f4.5-5.6 PD-Zoom

Jez Ford ©

Telephoto zooms can be big and bulky, but not if you’re using Nikon’s mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. Equivalent to 27-270mm, this lens still only measures 95 millimetres in length and weighs a very manageable 530 grams. It even incorporates a powered zoom – particularly handy when shooting video footage – as well as Nikon’s ‘Vibration Reduction’ image stabilisation. The optical construction comprises 21 elements (in 14 groups), including three made for extra-low dispersion (ED) glass and two with aspherical surfaces. There’s also a new ‘HRI’ element – this stands for High Refractive Index – and together these special elements work to minimise both distortion and chromatic aberrations.

coaxing and cajoling them into a particular place or position (food, toys, etc).

In essence, photographing pets can be divided into two categories – controlled and uncontrolled. The former is obviously easier to handle and includes when the animal is resting or sleeping, feeding or drinking, or is in a situation where it will behave reasonably predictably… such as a dog chasing a ball. There’s still the chance that they won’t follow the script, but more often than not there will be some time to consider the framing and composition, the camera angle, the lighting, and technical aspects such as the shutter speed and the depth-of-field.

The uncontrolled situations can really happen at any time such as when the animal is playing, exploring (a favourite pastime of cats) or interacting with either other pets or members of

the family. To some extent, you can set up these situations to impose some degree of control – for example, by limiting how far the animal can roam – but mostly it’s a case of expecting the unexpected and, consequently, being prepared for whatever may happen.

IN CONTROL As with children, creating a ‘formal’ portrait of an animal is quite a challenge, although the results can look so unusual – or unexpected –it’s sometimes worth the effort. By a formal portrait, we mean having the animal in a static pose with a backdrop of some sort and using studio lighting to give precise control over the exposure and the modelling effect (i.e. filling in the shadows and giving particular definition to the fur).

If you’re feeling adventurous and you have the equipment, you could easily have a go at the ‘pro’ pet portrait, but there are a number of key considerations. Firstly, as with photographing a small child in such a set-up, absolutely everything will have to be ready to go before bringing the animal in. This means positioning the lights, checking the exposure, framing and focusing with the camera mounted on a tripod, and using a remote trigger so that you aren’t hidden behind the camera and can attract the animal’s attention so, hopefully, it looks right down the lens. You’ll definitely need an assistant to ‘wrangle’ the animal and this really should be somebody it knows so it doesn’t get agitated. Dogs and cats generally don’t like flash so it’s a better idea to use continuous lighting of some sort. If it isn’t daylight balanced, it’s fairly easy to adjust the white balance accordingly.

DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK 37

If you don’t get the shot first time, you’ll have probably missed your opportunity unless you have a particularly placid subject. It’s certainly not advisable to keep trying with an unco-operative animal because, once spooked, it will probably react by either biting (dogs) or scratching (cats) the handler and you certainly won’t get it to sit still again.

For this reason, it’s a much better approach to photograph a pet ‘on location’… i.e. in a place where it feels more comfortable and secure – a favourite chair perhaps, or a particular spot in the garden – and so it’s more likely to stay still for more than one frame. In these situations you’ll need to work around the backgrounds and deal with the available light, but you have a much better chance of creating pictures of a happy and relaxed pet. If the background is likely to be distracting then throw it as much out-of-

“IN ESSENCE, PHOTOGRAPHING PETS CAN BE DIVIDED INTO TWO CATEGORIES – CONTROLLED AND UNCONTROLLED.” focus as is possible by using a larger aperture (i.e. f2.8 or f4.0) to reduce the depth-of-field.

Alternatively, use a higher camera angle to help eliminate a background… this can often be more interesting in terms of the composition anyway.

If you’re shooting outside then you’ll probably have enough light to work with, but indoors you may have to think about ways of dealing with low levels of illumination. Today’s digital cameras deliver better than ever low-light capabilities, but higher ISO settings can result in a loss of sharpness which is more noticeable with the fine detailing in animal fur. In terms of maintaining optimum image quality, it’s a better idea to supplement the available light… which may be as simple as switching on more room lights or placing an ordinary domestic lamp just out of the shot. White balance control makes it easy to sort out the colour balance, although sometimes it’s better to keep a bit of extra warmth in the image because it simply looks nicer. On-camera flash doesn’t work all that well because, firstly, as noted earlier, most animals don’t like it very much, but also it’s very directional and the ‘red eye’ effect – except it’s usually ‘green eye’ with cats and dogs – is always an issue. There’s an alternative, however, and that’s the compact on-camera LED light sources now available for shooting video. These are adjustable for brightness, daylight balanced and much more acceptable to animals. You can also use these outdoors to help fill-in areas of shadow.

Some animals are very responsive so it isn’t difficult to get their attention, but others will get bored very easily and decide to move on

38 DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK

Jeremy Brown © Paul Burrows ©

to something else. Cats tend to be particularly contrary as far as photography is concerned and so there’s a strong argument for trying the candid approach rather than constantly coaxing the animal to look at the camera. Once again, it’s not really worth trying to force the issue – the animal will only get annoyed – and, besides, in the home environment, there’s bound to be other opportunities to do the shot again. This being the case, some preparation might be possible in terms of setting up the lighting, leaving the camera framed-up on a tripod (although this may not be such a good idea if you have big, boisterous dogs) and placing props such as toys.

OUT OF CONTROL The real challenge with pet photography is capturing action which with all animals is generally unpredictable, random and over in a flash. However, it’s not impossible and the key ingredients are patience, practice and perseverance. You’ll need to also accept that you’re going to miss plenty of potentially great shots… just move on and look for the next

opportunity. Patience will eventually be rewarded.

An important component of the practice is studying how your pet behaves in particular situations. This will give some idea of what might happen, although nothing is a certainty, especially as far as cats are concerned. Dogs can be more predictable, especially when playing, particularly chasing for balls, sticks or frisbees. Here, too, there will be plenty of opportunities to practice techniques such as panning… the ball-thrower will usually run out of energy before the dog.

You can also pick the location such as the beach, sports oval or a park, and even organise the direction in which the ball is thrown so make the best use of the setting.

Chasing dogs can run extremely fast so you’ll need a very high shutter speed – at least 1/500 second – and the fastest continuous shooting speed that your camera is capable of.

If you want to be a bit more creative and try, for example, panning then use a slower speed (say 1/60 second) to blur the background. The slower the shutter speed, the longer the blur lines – which can be very effective – but parts of

Jez Ford © Paul Burrows ©

Paul Burrows ©

most important technical requirement so keep the camera in shutter-priority auto mode with the speed at either 1/500 or 1/1000 second. Pick an ISO setting that balances image quality with ensuring good exposures in a range of lighting conditions… with today’s digital cameras this is probably ISO 800. Have the autofocusing set to continuous operation with wide-area detection because it’s likely your subject won’t be obligingly positioned right in the middle of the frame. the dog will start to blur too, such as the lower legs and feet. This can look effective too, so it’s a case of experimenting with shutter speeds and camera angles. If you want a real challenge, try photographing a fast-moving dog as it runs towards you. Some autofocusing systems can handle this, but it’s probably best to prefocus and then hit the shutter release when the dog gets close to this point. Depending on the location, control the depth-of-field to ensure the background is out-of-focus, and look for the point when the dog has all four paws off the ground… which really emphasises the sense of speed.

Using a lower camera angle can also be very effective in these situations.

Beyond the co-operation of playful dogs, you’ll simply have to watch and wait for your pet to make its move, but learning to read the body language can be helpful. Additionally, if you can narrow down the ‘area of action’, you’ll have a better chance of being in the right place at the right time. Fast shutter speeds are usually the

PICK YOUR LENS If you want to cover most bases, a zoom is the obvious choice when it comes to photographing pets. The wide-angle zoom provides the most flexibility in terms of framing and there’s always the option of cropping later without losing too much image quality. A wide zoom typically spans from around 15mm to 18mm (in terms of a full-35mm size sensor) to 28mm or 35mm so it allows for a very expansive composition, zooming in to a view that’s still reasonably wide, but closer to a normal perspective.

While you’d never think about photographing people with an ultra-wide focal length because of the distortion, it can be quite fun to do it with pets. For example, the length of a dog’s nose can be exaggerated as it gets up-close-and-personal with the lens, and it doesn’t matter if you tilt the horizon with an ultra-wide… in fact, it often produces a more dramatic-looking shot then when you keep everything straight and level.

Wide-angle zooms allow for lots of experimenting

Lens Tech Explained – Optical Image Stabilisation The blur caused by camera shake will ruin what might have otherwise been a great photograph. Often it’s not feasible or desirable to use a tripod to steady the camera so this is where optical image stabilisation in the lens proves its worth. Nikon calls its optical stabilisation system ‘Vibration Reduction’ – or VR for short – and it works by using tiny gyros – also known as “angular velocity sensors” – in the lens to detect the small movements associated with camera shake. This information is fed to a microprocessor which translates it into drive commands for the image stabiliser itself. This comprises a small group of lens elements that can be moved in any direction around the lens’s optical axis to counter camera shake.

Needless to note this all takes place in a fraction of a second and can be so effective that up to four stops of correction is available (with VR II lenses and depending on the lens focal length).

The VR system can also detect when the camera is mounted on a tripod, recognising the action of panning and disabling the correction for movement in that direction. Additionally, it can handle the specific type of shaking created by the ongoing vibration patterns generated when shooting from a moving vehicle.

The benefits of Nikon’s VR image stabilisation aren’t limited to enabling the use of slower shutter speeds when shooting hand-held. Alternatively, it allows for the selection of a smaller aperture – for example, f8.0 rather than f2.0 – which, in turn, provides greater depth-of-field. Furthermore, there is also the possibility of shooting at lower ISO settings to optimise image quality.

with quirky compositions, but they also allow for more of the surroundings to be included in the shot which can be an important part of telling the story.

On the other hand, the telephoto zoom is the ideal choice for shooting your pets in action. It allows you to shoot from a distance so there’s less chance of you distracting the animal (or get in the way), and also zoom in close to create the tighter framing which will help emphasise the action.

Telezooms for D-SLRs can be quite big and bulky (especially for the cameras with full-35mm size sensors), but those for compact system cameras – such as the Nikon 1 line-up – can actually be quite compact so you may not need to use a tripod. However, quite a number of telephoto zooms have built-in optical image stabilisation (see side panel) which helps correct for camera shake when shooting hand-held.

As with portraiture, prime lenses – both wideangle and telephoto –can also work well when photographing pets. Prime or fixed focal length lenses have a number of advantages. Firstly, the simpler optical design (compared to a zoom) helps optimise the optical performance which is particularly important with the latest generation of D-SLRs which have much higher resolution sensors (such as Nikon’s D3200, D5300 and D7100). Prime lenses are also ‘faster’ – i.e. they have larger maximum apertures – which allows for a shallower depth-of-field or the use of highly selective focusing as a creative technique.

Fast prime lenses are especially suited to pet portraiture as they allow backgrounds to be rendered completely out-of-focus, ensuring the subject is the centre of attention.

CONCLUSION We have pets because they’re great companions and fun to have around, and this is why they’re also great subjects for photography. Dogs and cats may not be the most co-operative of subjects, but it’s their unpredictability that creates the potential for brilliant pictures so the challenge is to be always ready for ‘the decisive moment’.

To some extent it’s possible to control the situation by, for example, limiting the area the animal has to move around in, and it doesn’t take too much study to better determine how your pet might behave in a given situation. But beyond this, the animal is in charge so you – and your camera – need to go with the flow. Relax and have fun… and your pet will too. You may miss a few good shots, but you’ll probably bag just as many as well. Match the lens to the situation and you’ll greatly increase your chances of success. As always, don’t be afraid to bend the photographic ‘rules’… after all, your subjects are really only interested in where the next treat is coming from.

DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK 39

CLASSICS

NIKKORMATS ✚ The Nikkormat FT. This is where it all began in July 1965 when Nikon first ventured into the world of non-professional 35mm SLRs. However, Nikon still expected this camera to be used by pros, so it was built to take the wear and tear. The name “Nikkormat” was adopted to avoid any conflicts with the F. As these images are sourced from Nikon’s Japanese archive, the badge is “Nikomat”, which was the name used in the domestic market only.

E

FFROM TROOPS THE

NIKKORMATS TO FM

The styling of Nikon’s Df reviewed in this issue is inspired by one of its most successful 35mm SLR designs – the FM/FM2. And the FM evolved from the Nikkormats which, although they didn’t carry the Nikon name, still successfully established the company in the enthusiast sector.

REPORT BY

PAUL BURROWS

40 DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK

ven before it launched the historymaking F in 1959, Nikon had already built up quite a reputation with its 35mm rangefinder cameras, particularly the SP. However, it was the F that changed the camera world, forever linking Nikon with one of the most important developments in the 35mm SLR. This category had been slowly developing through the 1950s, but it was mostly considered an amateur’s camera. The pros were using TLRs – as popularised by the Rolleiflex – or, if they needed something smaller, rangefinder cameras where Nikon had managed to gain a toehold despite the dominance of Leica and Contax.

Perhaps it was the enormity of taking on these two mighty German marques that convinced Nikon it needed to take a different route. The 35mm SLR looked like the way ahead so Nikon put everything into its design to create a technically superior product. The F was the world’s first ‘system’ 35mm SLR with not just interchangeable lenses, but prisms, focusing screens and camera backs. It was the first 35mm SLR with the option of motorising the film transport, the first with a viewfinder giving 100 percent subject coverage and

CLASSICS

the first supported by a line-up of interchangeable lenses that spanned 21mm to 1000mm.

Other innovations included a focal plane shutter which had titaniumfoil curtains and a top speed of 1/1000 second, a mirror lock-up facility, a single-stroke ratcheted film advance lever, a rapid rewind crank-handle and a diecast allmetal construction.

The F had its debut in March 1959 – exactly 55 years ago – and, incidentally, the first 35mm SLRs from Canon and Minolta subsequently went on sale in the following June. It didn’t take too long for photographers, both amateurs and professionals, to recognise the vast potential of Nikon’s new camera system which was soon being used around the world (and beyond after it was adopted by NASA) in applications from sports and science to wars and wildlife. Estimates vary, but Nikon subsequently built over 860,000 Fs in many variants and the camera remained in production until 1974 by which time its status as an iconic camera

✚ ABOVE: Nikkormat FT3.

The last of the mechanical Nikkormats was only around for a very short time as Nikon bedded in its new Automatic Maximum Aperture Indexing (Ai) lens mount. Otherwise its features and specifications are the same as those of the FT2. ✚ RIGHt: Nikkormat FS. This was an FT minus built-in metering and mirror lock-up. It was primarily built to please the photographers who still preferred using a hand-held exposure meter (well, this was the 1960s), but proved not to be a success. Highly collectible today though.

“IT WAS EVENTUALLY CONSIDERED MORE ADVANTAGEOUS TO HAVE THE NIKON NAME ON ALL THE COMPANY’S 35MM SLRS, LEVERAGING THE REPUTATIONS OF THE PROLEVEL CAMERAS SO THE NIKKORMAT BADGE QUIETLY SLIPPED INTO THE HISTORY BOOKS.” design – and one of the most important in photographic history – was guaranteed.

WORK AND PLAY However, the F was primarily a professional camera and so priced out of the reach of many amateurs who, nonetheless, were attracted to Nikon by its growing reputation.

So, in the early 1960s, Nikon began working on a more affordable version of the F. It had the same rugged, all-metal construction, a metal-bladed shutter with a top speed of 1/1000 second and

advanced features such as mirror lock-up. As well as attracting amateur users, Nikon also expected this new camera to be adopted by professionals as a back-up body so it was built to work as well as play.

However, it had a fixed viewfinder prism (and a fixed focusing screen) so TTL metering was built into the body with the twin conveniences of full-aperture measurement (rather than stopped-down) and an instant return mirror. There was no provision for fitting a motordrive, but by the then standards of amateur 35mm SLRs, Nikon’s new baby was superior in ruggedness, functionality and capabilities.

Particularly novel was that the camera’s metering was turned on by pulling the film advance lever out to its stand-off position, and switched off by pushing it back in.

While this arrangement was very convenient, it did result in a flat battery if the lever was left in the out position (fortunately, the rest of the camera was fully mechanical).

NIKKORMATS

Not wanting to take anything away from its hot-selling F, Nikon decided to adopt different branding for its amateur line which was duly christened “Nikomat” in Japan and “Nikkormat” everywhere else in the world.

The Nikkormat FT was launched in mid-1965 followed almost immediately by the FS which was exactly the same camera except it lacked built-in metering. This wasn’t so much about further cost saving, but meeting the demands of photographers who still preferred to use a hand-held exposure meter because they didn’t trust the ‘new fangled’ built-in systems. In the end, though, the FS didn’t sell very well at all and so today is the rarest of the mechanical Nikkormats.

PIN AND PRONG At this stage Nikon used a mechanical linkage to couple the lens to the camera body’s meter and this employed a small prong on the former which mated with a pin on the latter. Officially these were known as the “meter coupling shoe” and the “meter coupling pin”.

On the Nikkormat FT it was necessary to first preset the lens’s maximum aperture against the film speed scale on the camera. Next the pin – which was located on a ring around the lens mount – had to be pushed all the way to the right and then the aperture collar on the lens set to f5.6. This ensured the prong and the pin would be aligned when the lens was offered up to the camera body. Nikon soon realised this was unnecessarily cumbersome so, when the FTN appeared in late 1967, one its key improvements was a new way of indexing the maximum aperture.

This new procedure for mounting a lens subsequently came to easily identify a Nikon 35mm SLR user even if observed from a distance. Once again the aperture collar had to be set to f5.6, but the need to preset the lens’s maximum aperture on the camera was eliminated.

Instead, after the lens was attached to the body, the aperture ring was first twisted to the minimum aperture and then to the maximum aperture in order

DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK 41

NIKKORMATS

CLASSICS

“THE FT2 IS, ARGUABLY, THE PICK OF THE MECHANICAL NIKKORMATS AS IT RETAINS THE LEGENDARY TOUGH-AS-NAILS BUILD QUALITY, BUT HAS REFINEMENTS SUCH AS A FLASH HOTSHOE.”

✚ ABOVE: Nikkormat FTN. A number of key refinements ensured the FTN was one of best-selling non-professional 35mm SLRs during the last few years of the 1960s. It had centre-weighted average metering and more convenient method of aperture indexing when attaching a lens. ✚ RIGHT: Nikkormat FT2.

Undoubtedly the pick of the Nikkormats and, even by today’s standards, still a very fine film SLR.

to communicate this range to the meter. Nikon used this system until 1977 when it introduced new lenses which incorporated a coupling system called “Automatic Maximum Aperture Indexing”… Ai for short. Ai lenses have a shaped ridge near the mount which couples with a lever on the camera body’s side to automatically convey the maximum aperture. The Ai lever precludes the mounting of what’s now known as non-Ai or pre-Ai lenses so Nikon initially enabled it to be folded away on the camera bodies of the day (and on its pro-level models up to the F4), the same arrangement that’s provided on the Df.

CHANGING MOUNTS But back to the Nikkormats. The other improvements introduced with the FTN included centreweighted average metering, a shutter speed read-out in the viewfinder and the provision for changing focusing screens (although not by the user). The FTN subsequently became a staple of the Nikon 35mm SLR system, surviving until early 1975 (albeit with some slight ergonomic revisions in 1973) when it was replaced by the FT2.

This model is, arguably, the pick of the mechanical Nikkormats as it retains the legendary tough-as-nails build quality, but has refinements such as a flash

hotshoe, a brighter focusing screen with a split-image rangefinder, a lock for its ISO (then ASA) film speed selector, and compatibility with still-current 1.5 volt button cells (such as the SR44).

The FT3, which followed in 1977, is exactly the same camera except the lens mount switched to the new Ai aperture indexing system, eliminating the right-left twist which had been a way of life for Nikon SLR users for over ten years.

As it happens, the Nikkormat FT3 was just a stop-gap measure because Nikon’s new lens system really deserved an all-new camera body and that came in the shape of the FM, launched just a few months later. The concept was still the same – all-mechanical reliability packaged in a tough all-metal body – but the FM was more compact and had much more contemporary styling. It can be fitted with a motordrive and has such ‘mod cons’ as silicon photodiodes for metering, LED exposure indicators in the viewfinder plus both shutter speed and aperture read-outs, a multiple exposure facility, a more responsive titanium-bladed shutter with flash sync up to 1/125 second, and interchangeable camera backs. As on the FT3, the Ai lever on the lens mount can be

42 DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK

✚ A selection of advertisements for the Nikkormat FTN, FT2 and EL which appeared in National Geographic during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

folded away to accommodate the older non-CPU lenses.

ELECTRONIC EVOLUTION The FM’s duralumin (copperaluminium) chassis subsequently served Nikon well for close to 30 years, being also used for the FE (1978), FM2 (1982), FE2 (1983), FM2/T (1993) and FM3A (2001).

There’s some validity to the assertion that the FM2 – with its 1/4000 second shutter and various other refinements – was the best non-

professional Nikon 35mm SLR ever made… although, of course, its strength, simplicity and reliability meant it was also used by myriads of working photographers.

The FE was the FM’s electronic cousin and shared all the same features except that its electronically-controlled shutter allowed for aperture-priority auto exposure control as well as full manual operation.

Nikon’s first 35mm SLR with an electronic shutter was the Nikkormat EL introduced at the

CLASSICS

✚ Nikkormat ELW. Launched in early 1976, the ELW wasn’t significantly changed from the EL, but could be fitted with the AW-1 autowinder.

✚ Nikkormat EL. The electronic Nikkormats had a differently-styled bodyshell, but were still all-metal designs. When the EL appeared at the end of 1972 it was one of the most advanced 35mm SLRs on the market.

end of 1972 and it had different styling to the FTN which was available at the same time.

However, the bodyshell was still all-metal and, inside, there were still a lot of mechanical components at work. The metalbladed shutter had a speed range of 4-1/1000 second with flash sync up to 1/125 second. Every other operation on the EL was performed manually, but Nikon took automation a step further in early 1976 with the Nikkormat ELW ✚ BELOW LEFT: Nikon FM. The spirit of the mechanical Nikkormats lived on in the FM which was built around the same philo-sophy, but boasted many improvements, including a more compact bodyshell and metering based on silicon photodiodes (to enhance sensitivity). ✚ BELOW RIGHT: Nikon FE. The FE carried on from the Nikon EL2, using pretty much the same internals packaged in the same compact bodyshell as the FM.

NIKKORMATS

✚ Nikon EL2. It’s really a Nikkormat, but by 1977 Nikon had decided to drop the different nameplates so the EL2, also quite short-lived, was badged as a Nikon despite being an updated Nikkormat ELW under the skin.

which could be fitted with the AW-1 autowinder. For the record, autowinders simply advanced the film after an exposure while motordrives allowed for continuous shooting.

The ELW was followed in mid-1977 by the EL2 which, like the FT3, adopted the Ai lens mount and was actually also fairly

short-lived, making way for the new-generation FE. The EL2 also had a new metering system which used the more sensitive silicon photodiodes for measurement so it was very much a taste of what was to come with the FE… even more so because it wasn’t actually a Nikkormat and was badged “Nikon”.

BUILDING THE BRAND By now it was much more advantageous to have the Nikon name on all the company’s 35mm SLRs,

leveraging the reputations of the pro-level cameras so the Nikkormat badge quietly slipped into the history books. Yet it was these cameras – particularly the FTN, FT2 and EL – which established Nikon in the non-professional arena (well before it branched out into other categories) and paved the way for the models which would cement it as one of the leading manufacturers of 35mm SLRs… the FM and FE. There have been many significant milestones in the history of Nikon reflex cameras, but the Nikkormat FT is arguably one of the most important… perhaps even more so than the F. Because while the pro-level cameras create the reputations, it’s the consumer cameras that generate the all-important profits.

And if the Nikkormats hadn’t been as good as they were, Nikon would not have survived on the F or F2 alone. Simple as that.

DIGITAL CAMERA HANDBOOK 43

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