Whoa! Big Nikon update

[John Camp]

Phil Askey has it here: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0610/06100301nikonfirmware.asp

Goes mainly to the D2x. One interesting bit is the tone curves; another interesting aspect is the authentication software. Is that used by photojournalists now, or is that only for cops? Theere are some high ISO changes, too; I wonder if that's just cosmetic, or if they've figured out a way to make less noise at levels higher than 800?

It's heartening to see a major company continuing to press development of an older camera rather than just burp out a new one. It also suggests that proprietary software still has a role...(You need Nikon software for the tone curves, if I'm reading this right.)

JC

[BernardLanguillier]

Theere are some high ISO changes, too; I wonder if that's just cosmetic, or if they've figured out a way to make noise at levels higher than 800?
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John,

They have added 3 intermediate ISO settings between ISO 800 and 1600.

Kudos to Nikon for not forgetting its existing customer base. This isn't too surprising since they have already done a similar thing for the D70s -> D70, but it remains pretty much unique in the industry.

Regards,
Bernard

[Rob C]

John,

They have added 3 intermediate ISO settings between ISO 800 and 1600.

Kudos to Nikon for not forgetting its existing customer base. This isn't too surprising since they have already done a similar thing for the D70s -> D70, but it remains pretty much unique in the industry.

Regards,
Bernard
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It is also nice that Nikon has continued to use its original throat; it makes me happy to be able to use my lenses on both film and sensor. Their decision to allow the D200 to accept non-chipped optics was cool - as far as I can understand the Theory of Evolution (according to Nikon), the lesser cameras may not be given this facility because their likely owners probably have no arsenal of existing lenses.

If you cast your minds back to the introduction of the cheapish Nikon FM for a moment: it allowed the use of non-AI'd lenses. I bought one, just for the higher flash synch which I figured could be useful now and then. When the FM2 came out  with even higher synch I traded up to discover that this was no longer the case: it would not take the old lenses without damage; the little linkage at the side of the mount which on the FM allowed the old lenses to fit wasn't going to play with me any more. Shit! In one fell swoop Nikon had effed up big time - half my optics were no longer of any damn use with it! I have a feeling that Nikon was taught a valuable lesson by that boo boo.

Whether the time will come when Nikon will have to ape Hasselblad's new departure I don't know; if it does, then that's their call to make and mine to evaluate.

Ciao - Rob C

[John Sheehy]

They have added 3 intermediate ISO settings between ISO 800 and 1600.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=79011\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

If they're just doing math on the 800 data, that is of no real value, and just means that highlights that would be preserved at ISO 800 under-exposed by 1/3 or 2/3 stops are now clipped away.  Same if a low-gain amplifier is employed between the high-gain amplifier and the A2D converter.

ISOs that are not uniquely *optimized* at the high-gain stage are generally bad news.