Canon RF 24mm f1.8 Macro IS STM image with flowers

Canon RF 24mm f1.8 Macro IS STM

A compact, lightweight and versatile prime lens has just been announced by Canon; the RF 24mm f1.8 Macro IS STM is only 270g and 6.3cm long. Despite it’s small size Canon has packed in features with image stabilization, close macro focussing and a silent STM motor making this new lens a poweful addition to any EOS R series camera. Great for details as well as environmental portraits and general views this lens will be in the kit bag for photographers shooting weddings, travel, street, portraits, vlogging and more.
Canon RF 24mm f1.8 Macro IS STM Key Features

High Quality Wide Angle: The 24mm focal length is arguably the widest focal length lens available without introducing distracting distortion to images especially with people in the frame. Canon have a long history of producing spectacular wide angle lenses and we expect this lens to be perfect for environmental portraiture and travel photography, capturing people within their environments. Canon has used an asphercal element and lens coatings in the lens construction to imforve image clarity and control for chromatic aberration.

5-Stop Optical Image Stabilisation: Canon IS lenses strady your image using a floating optical element group to ounter the effects of hand-held camera shake. Shoot hand-held at slower shutter speeds with confidence and enjoy smoother video footage witht the Canon RF 24mm Macto IS STM. When paired with an EOS R system mirrorless body featuring in-body stabilisation the benefit increases to a 6.5 stop advantage as the body and lens benefit from rapid communication afforded by the RF lens mount.

Compact and Lightweight: 6.3cm in legth and only 270g this lens will fit in any camera bag, can be carried all day and is an un-obtrusive size for street photography.

Fast bright f/1.8 aperture: a 9-blade aperture mechanism delivers a circular aperture at all f-stops for smooth out of focus areas and beautiful background bokeh. The f/1.8 maximum aperture will deliver a shallow depth of field to isolate subjects from busy backgrounds.

Close focussing: a minimum focus distance of 14cm combines the benefits of macro photography (0.5x magnification or half life size projected onto the image sensor) and a wide angle lens that will let you get close while showing your subject in it’s environment. The water droplets and shallow depth of field on the rose, and marbles images below show how close you can get – perfect for capturing detail.

Customisable on-lens controls: A customisable on-lens control ring can be used to dial in settings from the lens, set the control ring for Manal focussing, ISO control, swiching between AF settings or selecting aperture without removing your hand from the lens.

Smooth Silent STM motor: The Canon STM motor or stepping motion has a smoother and quieter action ideal for recording video the STM motor delivers smooth focus pulls. If you have a microphone mounted on camera the STM motor is quieter than the USM equivalent so you will not pick up any sound from the lens while the STM focus motor is working.

The Canon RF 24mm f1.8 Macro IS STM Lens £719
The lens is available to pre-order just contact our sales team on sales@fixationuk.com or call us on 0207 582 3294 to pre-order.

The Nikon Z 400mm f4.5 VR S Lens

Nikon Z 400mm f4.5 VR S Lens

Nikon announces a new full-frame super-telephoto prime lens for the mirrorless Z system. The NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S is a smaller lighter version of the super-fast f/2.8 aperture version launched in January. The 400mm focal length is a go-to lens for sports, wildlife, and nature photography and with a smaller maximum apperture this new announcement from Nikon is significantly more compact, lightweight and lighter on the wallet than its f/2.8 counterpart.

The Nikon Z 400mm f4.5 VR S Lens £3,299
The lens is available to pre-order just contact our sales team on sales@fixationuk.com or call us on 0207 582 3294 to pre-order.

Nikon Z 400mm f4.5 VR S Lens
Nikon Z 400mm Build Quality

Built to give photographers every advantage out in the field, the NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S is impressively lightweight at only 1245g and 23.5 cm long. weather sealing and a rubber gasket keep dust, dirt, and moisture out of all moving parts. Nikon’s fluorine coat makes it easy to wipe the front lens element clean. Controls on the lens are customisable with two function buttons one close to the body and one on the larger barrel towards the front of the lens for fast access to settings in any given shooting situation.

Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC VR S lens detail showing drop in filter, built in teleconverter and memory set button.
Nikon Z 400mm f4.5 TC VR S lens detail showing on-lens controls and tripod mount ring.
Nikon Z 400mm Key Features

Powerful VR: Powerful in-lens optical VR gives a 5.5-stop advantage. This increases to 6.0 stops if paired used with the Nikon Z 9, Synchro VR.

Teleconverter compatibility: extend the reach to 560 mm with a Nikon Z TC-1.4x, or 800 mm with a Nikon Z TC-2.0x teleconverter. Using teleconverers reduce the maximum aperture by 1 and 2 stops respectively but with superb ISO performance from Nikon this should be no issue if you need to get closer.

Compact and Lightweight: 234.5mm in legth and only 1245g this lens will fit in a standard camera bag and give you telephoto reach whenever you need it without any additional cases or carry requirements that come with larger telephoto lenses.

Exquisite detail: Nikon’s ED, Super ED, and SR glass elements counter chromatic aberrations. ED stands for Extra-low Dispersion which reduces colour fringing at high-contrast edges. Super ED glass offers and improvement on ED elements Super Extra-low Dispersion. SR glass elements combat blue fringing bringing all wavelengths into a precise point where corrections had previously focused on red-magenta wavelengths.
Nikon’s Nano Crystal Coat optical coatings significantly reduce ghosting and flare.

Weather sealed and robust: sealing around all moving parts keeps dust and moisture at bay, and Nikon’s fluorine coating protects the front element. As a repair centre we must caution that no DSLR lens is completeley waterproof – a rain cover is essential to keep your kit dry when shooting in the rain.

Balanced: the lens’ centre of gravity is towards the rear for more stable operation. The tripod foot allows optimum balance when the lens is attached to a tripod. The foot is removable for a more compact form or when travelling.

Customisable on-lens controls: two custom function buttons L-fn and L-fn2 can be set to change different parameters whether that is snapping to a particular focus point or allowing modfication of a camera setting such as ISO without moving your hand off the lens. These butons once set up can make working with the lens much smoother. In addition there is a silent control ring that can be used to dial in settings from the lens. Switches on the lens are AF / M for switching off Autofocus if you are locked onto a subject at a set distance. The focus limit switch allows you to select the full focal distance range or limit to subjects between 6m and Infinity which makes locking on to a subject much faster as the motor has to move the optics in a smaller range.

The NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S: £3,299
The lens is available to pre-order just contact our sales team on sales@fixationuk.com or call us on 0207 582 3294 to pre-order.

Authorised Nikon Service Centre

At Fixation we are proud to be an official repair centre for Nikon in the UK able to service the current DSLR and mirrorless range of camera bodies and lenses. As a repair partner with Nikon for over 30 years we can complete many warranty repairs in-house, our technicians specialise in photographic repair making us the destination for profressional photographers. All our spare parts for repairs are supplied by Nikon to ensure all repairs are completed with genuine Nikon spares.

With the support of our in-house workshop our customers at Fixation know they will always recieve the best technical insights when investing in new equipment.

Find out more about our Nikon repair service and warranty repair services

NIKON Z 400MM F2.8 TC VR S

Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC VR S

Today, Nikon announces a new full-frame super-telephoto prime lens for the mirrorless Z system. The NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S with built-in teleconverter features a fast f/2.8 aperture and phenomenal AF performance. The 400mm focal length is a go-to lens for sports, wildlife, and nature photography with versatility out of the box with thanks to the built-in 1.4x extender.

 

The Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC VR S attached to the Nikon Z9 flagship mirrorless camera body.
The Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC VR S attached to the Nikon Z9 flagship mirrorless camera body.
Nikon Z 400mm Build Quality

Built to give photographers every advantage out in the field, the NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S also boasts an impressively lightweight build, just under 3kg (2950g). The lens is well balanced with the centre of gravity moved towards the rear of the lens improving the handling especially for long-duration use. For sport and wildlife photogrpahy sealing around all moving parts is standard to keep dust and moisture at bay. Controls on the lens are customisable for the perfect setup in any given shooting situation. The lens features a FN function ring to control the aperture in an intuitive way or to modify a custom setting of your choice. A Kensington® Security allows you to secure your lens if it is necessary to leave the lens outside your line-of-sight.

Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC VR S lens detail showing drop in filter, built in teleconverter and memory set button.
Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC VR S lens detail showing drop in filter, built in teleconverter switch and memory set button for pre-programmed focus distances.
Nikon Z 400mm Key Features

Built-in 1.4x teleconverter: a flick of a switch on the right side of the lens is all it takes to engage the teleconverter and extend the reach of this lens to 560 mm.

New AF motor design: The NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S is the first Z lens to adopt Nikon’s new Silky Swift Voice Coil Motor (VCM) focusing system with optical ABS encoder: autofocus is faster and quieter, with spot-on subject acquisition and tracking. Silky Swift VCM focusing system with optical ABS encoder delivers phenomenally fast autofocus with spot-on subject acquisition and tracking.

Optical Vibration Reduction: gives a 5.5-stop advantage even when shooting with the built-in teleconverter activated, Synchro VR is available when this lens is paired with the Z 9.

Meso Amorphous Coating on lens elements: It’s also the first Z lens to feature Nikon’s new Meso Amorphous Coat, which offers the highest anti-reflection performance in NIKKOR history. This new coating employs particles smaller than nano particles. Nano coatings had become standard on the best Nikon lenses for the last 10+ years. The Meso Amorphous coating improves control over ghosting and flare. Nano coating was already remarkable so we expect clarity and contrast to be perfect, reducing flare and haze even if shooting scenes with multiple light sources in the frame. This new class-leading anti-reflective coating combats ghosting and flare by eliminating incidental light coming from both diagonal and vertical directions.

Exquisite detail: Nikon’s ED, Super ED, and SR glass elements counter chromatic aberrations. ED stands for Extra-low Dispersion which reduces colour fringing at high-contrast edges. Super ED glass offers and improvement on ED elements Super Extra-low Dispersion. SR glass elements combat blue fringing bringing all wavelengths into a precise point where corrections had previously focused on red-magenta wavelengths.

Weather sealed and robust: sealing around all moving parts keeps dust and moisture at bay, and Nikon’s fluorine coating protects the front element. As a repair centre we must caution that no DSLR lens is completeley waterproof – a rain cover is essential to keep your kit dry when shooting in the rain.

Balanced: the lens’ centre of gravity is towards the rear for more stable operation. The tripod foot allows optimum balance when the lens is attached to a tripod. The foot is useful handle for carrying such a large lens but for a more compact form or when travelling, the foot is removable.

Customisable on-lens controls: functions can be assigned to the FN ring, as well as to the Fn buttons, focus ring, and silent control ring. Save focus distances to the memory-set button.

Drop-in filter slot: add drop in filters such as polarisers and ND filters for more control in challenging lighting situations.

Teleconverter Compatibility: supports use of the Z TELECONVERTER TC-1.4x and Z TELECONVERTER TC-2.0x this will extend the focal length range even further and can be used in combination with the built-in teleconverter.

Nikon Z 400mm Focal Length Range Chart
Combination400mm400mm with built-in teleconverter deployed
Z 400mm f2.8 TC VR S Lens only400mm f/2.8560mm f/4.0
Lens plus Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x560mm f/4.0784mm f/5.6
Lens plus Z Teleconverter TC-2.0x800mm f/5.61120mm f/8.0
Authorised Nikon Service Centre

At Fixation we are proud to be an official repair centre for Nikon in the UK able to service the current DSLR and mirrorless range of camera bodies and lenses. As a repair partner with Nikon for over 30 years we can complete many warranty repairs in-house, our technicians specialise in photographic repair making us the destination for profressional photographers. All our spare parts for repairs are supplied by Nikon to ensure all repairs are completed with genuine Nikon spares.

With the support of our in-house workshop our customers at Fixation know they will always recieve the best technical insights when investing in new equipment.

Find out more about our Nikon repair service and warranty repair services

Nikon Z9 camera

Nikon Z9

Nikon has launched its new full frame flagship mirrorless camera body: The Z9

The Nikon Z9 combines high resolution, high speed and high performance video in a robust body which exceeds the specification of the flagship DSLR the Nikon D6.

Nikon Z9 the new flagship Nikon digital camera.The Nikon Z9: £5,299

Our sales team are taking pre-orders. To put your name down or to talk through more details call us on 0207 582 3294 or email sales@fixationuk.com

High Resolution plus High Speed

The sensor in the Nikon Z9 is a stacked 45.7 megapixel full frame CMOS chip protected with a dual anti-dust coating and a sensor shield which drops down to cover the sensor when the camera is off.

Nikon Z9 features dual CFexpress type B card slots which are back compatible with XQD cards.

For speed the camera can shoot up to 20fps at full resolution RAW to capture over 1000 shots in a continuous burst. That’s over 50 seconds of your finger held down on the shutter button. To facilitate shifting such high-res files at high speed the Z9 has an Expeed7 imaging processor which writes to a Dual CFexpress type B card slot.

If 20fps is not enough you can shoot faster with a compromise in resolution: 30fps is possible at 45 megapixels. An astonishing full frame 120fps is also an option however the resolution is cut to 11 megapixels but it could help you catch a fleeting once in a lifetime moment.

Filing your images fast is also essential for photographers working to a deadline so the Nikon Z9 has Ethernet connection and USB typeC output for high speed file transfer. A USB cable can be connected direct to a mobile phone to help you file images without a laptop – ideal for events where you are always on the move.

Autofocus tracking for ultra high speed shooting

Nikon tracking AF is remarkable and focusing directly on the imaging sensor gives the Z series mirrorless cameras an edge in reliability. The Nikon Z9 offers 9 programmed subjects and can switch between them automatically depending on the scene or can be set to look out for and lock on to a specific subject.

The Nikon AF deep learning algorithm can detect: People, Dogs, Cats, Birds, Motorcycles, Cars, Trains and Aeroplanes. Nikon Eye-AF has been enhanced to lock onto smaller eyes in the frame than ever before to lock on to and track subjects within a scene. If the system loses a lock on an eye it will default to head and torso tracing until it can detect a face again, ideal for tracking subjects with erratic movement such as football, rugby or dance.

Nikon 3D tracking AF program is available in a mirrorless camera for the first time. The Z9 adds 3D subject tracking which uses colour, contrast and subject distance to improve subject acquisition. This flagship feature has been a feature of the D4, D5 and D6 and will be a great asset in the mirrorless Z9.

Video Specifications: 8K recording for hours

The Nikon Z9 has been designed with advanced heat dissipation to allow 8K UHD video at 30p to be recorded for 125 minutes recording in camera.

4K UHD, the current accessible video standard, can be recorded at 120p, 60p or 30p and as there is no frame cropping you can switch between frame rates and maintain the same angle of view for consistent cuts into and out of slow-motion footage.

Video can be recorded in Nikon proprietary N-Log, HLG in 10bit. The Z9 also supports ProRes 422 HQ.

With a firmware update the 8K video potential is further increased to 8k 60p 12bit RAW in-camera.

 

The Nikon Z9: £5,299

Our sales team are taking pre-orders. To put your name down or to talk through more details call us on 0207 582 3294 or email sales@fixationuk.com

NIKON Z FC

Nikon Z fc

The Nikon Z fc is a mirrorless DX crop-sensor camera built to the dimensions and style of the iconic Nikon FM2 film camera from the early 1980s.
This very nice little camera has launched with a tasty 21 megapixel sensor and full AF tracking capability you would expect from a modern Nikon digital camera including Eye and Animal AF tracking for stills and video.

The Nikon Z fc body-only is £899 sales are expected to start in July. To pre-order contact our sales team on 0207 582 3294 or email us at sales@fixationuk.com

The Nikon Z fc DX mirrorless camera
The Controls

The top cover of the Nikon Z fc has three control dials on the top cover for direct access to exposure compensation, shutter speed and ISO. There is also a display for the aperture read-out and some nifty switches such as on/off, stills / video and an M / A / S / P / Auto selector.
With this array of direct access controls on the top cover and a pedantic mind-set, we reached for some analogue Nikon tech and would contend that the design resembles more a Nikon FE which had exposure compensation and ISO on a separate dial to shutter speed. Have a look at the pictures below and let us know what you think in the comments.

Top cover comparison. Clockwise from top: Nikon Zfc, Nikon FM2n, Nikon FE
Video as well as stills

Despite its heritage look, the Nikon Z fc is a thoroughly modern camera inside with 4k no-crop video recording (the sensor is already a DX crop for stills), higher frame rates for slow-motion, and a wide ISO range of 100-51,200 (extendable to higher levels if needed). There is also a constant focus mode AF-F just for video for smooth tracking of moving subjects during recording.

Lenses and compatibility

All Z series Nikkor lenses are compatible with the Nikon Z fc. Nikon launched two lenses with the Nikon Z fc with some silver retro styling a dedicated DX 16-50mm and a special edition full frame FX 28mm f/2.8 prime lens.
In addition all G series F-mount Nikkor lenses can be used with the Nikon FTZ mount adaptor. The DX cropped sensor may give different results if you are used to shooting full-frame FX format. Full frame lenses on a DX body have a 1.5x crop factor so a 35mm lens will give an angle of view of a 52.5mm lens.

Nikon Z fc exploded view with an F-mount lens and the FTZ mount adaptor

Pre-G lenses such as Nikkor AF-D and manual AF-I lenses are not compatible with the FTZ adaptor.

Vari-angle Rear TFT monitor

The Rear TFT monitor can be set in multiple positions for waist-level, overhead and selfie shooting. It can also be folded to face inwards taking the rear monitor out of the equation for some authentic, distraction free analogue-esque camera operating (it also keeps the screen safe from scratches).

Monitor options for the Nikon Zfc variable angles and closed.

When the screen is set to faces in the same direction as the lens the camera will automatically enter “self-portrait mode” this gives touch control on the screen for shooting or starting / stopping recording.

With the screen front facing the camera automatically enters Self-portrait mode.
SnapBridge Connectivity

The Nikon Z fc is compatible with SnapBridge v2.8 which allows direct transfer of images to the SnapBridge app on Apple and Android devices. There are two SnapBridge options:
• Foreground transfer where images are only transferred while the app is in use
• Background transfer which constantly backs up images and video to a connected device

Our Verdict

For anyone starting out in photography this camera will give you all you need and more. With the accessible, tactile controls for the key settings in photography, the Nikon Z fc may get you out of auto mode faster than starting in other models.

The Nikon Z fc fits a lot of great functions into an attractive, compact design, at a great price. A Nikon digital camera that feels like an FM2 in size will have a huge appeal. We have seen many Nikon analogue cameras through our doors for repairs and servicing and know that the FM2 and FE cameras are well loved by the film community. Analogue style controls are popular already in Nikon with the DSLR Df and outside of Nikon in the popular Fujifilm X system.

A possible drawback is that the camera only sports a DX sensor not the full-frame FX. Lovers of wide-angle photography will have to reach for even wider lenses than they usually would to achieve the angle of view they expect. However DX sensors give an advantage to sport and wildlife photographers who gain extra reach from their long lenses thanks to the crop.

Our sales team have years of experience helping photographers find the right kit for them. If you have any questions or would like to place an order please call us on 0207 582 3294 or email sales@fixationuk.com

Nikon Z fc Prices and Kits
  • Nikon Z fc body only – £899
  • Nikon Z fc kit with Z 28mm f/2.8 SE – £1,129
  • Nikon Z fc with Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 kit – £1,039
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