Nikon | Fixation

Jonny Helm Behind The Scenes, Feature July 18, 2017February 7, 2024 0 Comments

Behind The Scenes | NPS Head, Rob MacNeice

For over forty five years, Nikon Professional Services (NPS) has supported working professional photographers and videographers who earn their living using Nikon equipment.

It’s a truly global service, with representation in over 31 countries and thousands upon thousands of members who rely on the NPS for support with priority servicing and loan equipment if repairs take longer than a few days.

Fixation has been supporting Nikon professionals since we started in 1988. In fact, until 1996, Nikon was the only brand we repaired, so you could say we have a bit of a soft spot for the brand.

Rob MacNeice has been with Nikon UK for 12 years and for the last four years has overseen the NPS scheme in the UK with his dedicated team.

We recently cornered Rob to find out more about NPS.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us Rob. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got involved in NPS?

I’d always been interested in photography from a young age and actually started my career as a baby portrait photographer! I worked at Jessops for 10 years, ultimately becoming a store manager, and then I came to Nikon, starting as a customer support agent. I used to handle all calls from end users; technical enquiries, repair questions – pretty much everything! A couple of years later the NPS division broke away from customer support and I’ve been with them ever since.

Nikon technicians backstage at the Champions League Final

Are you a keen photographer yourself, or do you prefer to leave cameras well alone when you’re not working?

My Dad put a camera in my hands when I was about three years old and I’ve loved photography ever since, but (laughing) sometimes I don’t want to see a camera when I get home! Saying that, it’s still – and will probably always be – one of my life’s passions and I think once it’s in your blood it’s there for good. I do take a lot of personal images but these days it’s mainly family shots.

NPS attends major sporting events throughout the year, but is there a particularly busy period?

We’re pretty busy all year round to be honest, but the really hectic period starts now! We’re at Wimbledon until the finals weekend when we have to race over to Silverstone to cover the Formula One, followed by the Open Golf at Royal Birkdale. It’s very tiring but good fun and extremely rewarding.

Photographers get their hands on some long Nikkor lenses at The Photography Show

Can you describe a typical day at Wimbledon?

We’re set up in the Photo workroom helping photographers with any issues they might have with their kit. We have a team of technicians that can carry out on-the-spot repairs, such as replacing grip rubbers, or even just helping with any settings issues such as setting up their network profiles. We also keep a wide range of back up equipment that the photographers can borrow if we need to carry out more in-depth repairs and it’s also a good opportunity for these guys to try equipment before they buy. Overall it’s about us being there for the photographers and helping in any way we can.

Do you have any memorable experiences from an event?

I’ve had so many wonderful experiences over the years, but one funny moment springs to mind. I was fortunate enough to work at the world cup in South Africa in 2010 and we were loaning out equipment at the stadium in Rustenburg. A photographer came up and asked if he could borrow some gear, as he didn’t have much equipment himself. All we had at the time was the D3s, so I lent him a body and lens and he went away very happy. Five minutes later he came back and innocently asked “where do I put the film?”!

You must have met some highly regarded photographers over the years. Are there any that particularly stand out?

Goodness me, that’s a tough question. I’ve met so many fantastic photographers out there using Nikon gear that it’s hard to name names, but I’d have to say I feel very lucky to have worked very closely with wildlife photographer David Yarrow recently. We had a meeting with him a couple of years ago and he showed us his book ‘Encounter’, which blew us away with the quality of images and within a few days we’d signed him up as a Nikon Ambassador! He has a different approach to his photography; most wildlife shooters will be 100 yards away from their subject and shoot with a 600mm lens, whereas David will be up close and personal with a 35mm.

There must be some Nikon photographers out there, who own the necessary kit to join the scheme, but haven’t as yet. What benefits are these photographers missing out on?

There are a number of benefits that NPS members enjoy, from a dedicated freephone technical support helpline, to free loan equipment if your kit is away for repair. There’s also the Nikon Pro magazine which is free to NPS members and features work from some of the best photographers in the world. We also host exclusive NPS roadshows which members are invited to. With regards to repairs, I know a lot of NPS members rely on Fixation for their servicing and sensor cleans, and we offer this level of service too, but at the end of the day, as long as our members are being looked after, we’re happy.

Rob was speaking with Tim Stavrinou.

Jon Stapley Feature January 18, 2017October 5, 2023

Cameras that changed everything – The Nikon D1

We look back at a camera that kicked off a revolution: The Nikon D1

Today’s young photographers would find this hard to imagine, but in 1999 there was only one serious name in the professional SLR market, and that name was Kodak.

Kodak can be credited with inventing photography – its engineer Steve Sasson created the first digital camera, with a resolution of 0.01MP, in 1975. Thereafter the firm patented many digital technologies, many of which we still see in use today.

However, while Kodak made many great advancements in digital technologies, the same could not be said for its digital cameras. The firm was focused intensely on its film business, and its digital lineup consisted largely of unwieldy and inefficient digital SLRs, all of which came with a five-figure price tag. Other firms, most notably Fujifilm and Nikon were beginning to make movements into the digital realm, but thus far it had been slow going. Many pro photographers, especially in the fast-paced world of newspapers, were thus far sticking with the tried and true 35mm film cameras they were used to.

The point being, while Kodak was dominant in the market in the 1990s, it had left itself deeply vulnerable to a strong, solid competing camera. And at the tail end of the decade, that challenger arrived.

The new contender

The Nikon D1 was first unveiled to the world on June 15^th 1999. It wasn’t the world’s first commercially available DSLR – that was the Kodak DCS100, released in 1991. It wasn’t the first Nikon-branded DSLR either – the Nikon E2 had been released in 1995. However, it was the first DSLR manufactured and released entirely by Nikon – ‘home-grown’, as DP Review put it at the time – as the E5 had been built in conjunction with Fujifilm.

This, coupled with an exciting-looking spec sheet, meant the Nikon D1 was eagerly anticipated by the pro market.

Image courtesy of steves-digicams.com

What made the D1 special?

While the Nikon D1 was by no means the world’s first DSLR, it has been called the world’s first practical DSLR.

What made it practical? Well, first off, the price. On release the D1 retailed at just under £3,000, at a time when competing DSLRs were selling for more than double that. Its nearest rival, the Kodak DCS 620, cost over £6,000. This by itself would be a major incentive, but the D1 had several other key advantages over the DCS 620 as well.

For a start, Nikon managed to build a body for the camera that was not only light and portable, but also durable and tough. At the time, DSLRs were bulky monoliths, difficult to carry and difficult to handle, and while by today’s standards the D1 would be considered bulky, it was still notably easy to use compared to the competition. It boasted a 2.74 megapixel CCD and saw the introduction of Nikon’s DX sensor size.

Another trump card for the D1 was its speed. A burst shooting mode of 4.5fps seems impossibly quaint now, but in 1999 it was positively blistering. This coupled with a maximum shutter speed of 1/16,000sec – made possible by a unique on/off sensor design – and ultra-fast flash sync to make for a camera that could keep up with the demands of pros. The fact that it was compatible with CompactFlash cards for large storage and fast transfer of high-resolution files just sweetened the deal.

There was another feature that to us nowadays seems incredibly quaint, but at the time was a big deal – the Nikon D1 was the first DSLR to shoot JPEGs, at a time when the proprietary file type was the bulky, unwieldy TIFF.

So it wasn’t first. Nor was it groundbreakingly original. But it was tough, it was fast, and that was enough to tempt 35mm users into jumping on board.

Drawbacks

It wasn’t perfect. The Nikon D1’s major malfunction was its battery usage. The Ni-Mh batteries required to power it were not only enormous, they didn’t last very long and quickly lost their capacity to take a full charge. More cripplingly though, once the batteries got low, the camera would continue to shoot but its image processing centre would shut down, meaning it would record only blank frames! Successors to the D1 would fix this, but it was a significant flaw that could have severe consequences for the unaware.

The camera had other flaws too, which contemporary reviews pointed out. Some observed that the camera was easily susceptible to dust incursion, leading to black spots on images. There were also issues with highlight rendition, meaning any image even a little overexposed would be in severe danger of being blown out completely.

Legacy

As mentioned, the D1 wasn’t perfect, and subsequent cameras would soon surpass it by correcting some of its most egregious flaws. It was, however, the camera that got newspapers using DSLRs. The combination of speed, functionality, durability and low price point did what previous DSLRs hadn’t quite managed, and tempted a significant proportion of the 35mm-wielding professional market to cross over, and since then of course they’ve never looked back. Kodak never regained the foothold it had enjoyed in the pro-DSLR market, and since then Nikon has continued to go from strength to strength. All thanks to the humble D1!

Jonny Helm Feature January 18, 2017October 5, 2023

Behind The Scenes | London Uncovered

Peter Dazeley BEM FRPS – known simply as ‘Dazeley’ – is a celebrated London photographer renowned for fine art and advertising photography.

He is delighted to have been awarded The British Empire Medal in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list for 2017. The BEM was awarded to Dazeley for his services to photography and charity. In 2013 Dazeley was awarded a Fellowship from The Royal Photographic Society; a fellowship is the highest distinction of the RPS and recognises original work and outstanding ability

In the 1960’s at the age of 15, without any qualifications due to his dyslexia, Dazeley started his working life as a photographer. Through sheer hard work, passion and dedication to his art, after 50 years, he has reached the very top of his profession. Dazeley’s success has given him the opportunity to ‘Give Back’ donating his time and energy as a photographer, to many different charities. He also spends time mentoring and inspiring young photographers.

Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park © Peter Dazeley

Despite his full time commissioned photographic work taking up so much of his time Dazeley still finds time to work on a variety of fine art projects. Recently, in association with writer Mark Daly, he published his latest book London Uncovered (2016); a logical progression from their best selling book Unseen London (2014).

“As a born-and-bred Londoner I had tremendous fun recording my hidden London as it stands in the twenty-first century for my hugely successful first book Unseen London. Many readers of that book told me of their frustration and disappointment in being unable to visit some of the locations, especially those which had absolutely no public access; this gave me the idea to produce a sequel, featuring London’s lesser-known institutions, buildings, homes, shops, museums and attractions that are easily accessible, complete with access details and website information.”

Library at The Honourable Society of Lincolns Inn © Peter Dazeley

Collectively Dazeley’s images form a picture of a London, which is strange, gaudy, grand and inventive – an endlessly fascinating world city with its own unique charm. Beneath the covers of London Uncovered, you will find famous landmarks such as Apsley House No 1 London and The National Theatre alongside unusual museums, remarkable shops, historic homes and lesser-known locations such as the Charterhouse, Wilton’s music hall and the Rivoli Ballroom.

Rivoli Ballroom © Peter Dazeley

As the author of the book, Mark Daly explains: “‘Uncovered’ does not mean the disclosure of a private place, because these buildings and sites are all available to visit without special insider access. The common thread throughout is largely the photographer’s ability to uncover a fresh perspective on a special piece of London. The subjects are eclectic, encompassing buildings, monuments in plain sight and walks, with some places famous and others obscure.”

BBC Worldwide News recently interviewed Peter as he took a tour of some of the book’s locations.
Watch the video here

Old clients lasts at John Lobb Ltd. © Peter Dazeley

We recently caught up with Peter during a break from his busy workload to ask him a few questions.

Is London Uncovered part of a trilogy project?

I didn’t set out to shoot a trilogy, but I am just finishing my third book on the wonderful theatres of London, which has been tremendous fun to do and I’m really proud of it. It will be published by Frances Lincoln in September 2017.

What projects are you working on now?

My publisher and I are in discussion regarding a new project which I will start this year. Top Secret at the moment…

What camera equipment do you use?

London Uncovered was shot using available light and long exposures, to keep the ambience of the locations. My Nikon D810 coped beautifully with mixed lighting and very long exposures. As far as lenses go, I used the Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm ƒ/2.8G ED and Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm fƒ/2.8G ED.

My first book, Unseen London, was shot on a Hasselblad with an assistant, a laptop, a laptop stand, etc. and was very hard work. Shooting on my own with just a Nikon and tripod has completely reinvented the way I work.

Dazeley photographing St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London © Peter Dazeley

You’ve been a friend and customer at Fixation for many years. To what extent do you rely on us for your work?

I have known Barry Edmonds (our Nikon service manager) for more years than I can remember. Way back when he was the genius at Nikon UK, who solved my problems. I am wildly dyslexic and constantly struggle with technical stuff. Barry and Fixation have always been there to help and support me. In this day and age it is wonderful to have a company who will go the extra mile for you.

St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, grand staircase © Peter Dazeley © Peter Dazeley

London Uncovered is available from all good bookshops and can be found online here

Dazeley was speaking to Tim Stavrinou. You can see more of Dazeley’s work on his website www.peterdazeley.com

Jon Stapley Close Up, Feature October 27, 2016October 11, 2023

Close-up: Nikon D5 Video Options

Nikon’s first full-frame DSLR to sport 4K video recording comes with many useful video-specific features. We take a closer look.

4K video has finally come to Nikon’s pro-grade “D” series of cameras. Nikon has added additional controls and clever extras to make shooting and output easier. In the following article we examine the options available to the video user and how the camera can be customised for video shooting.

The Basics

The Nikon D5 has a broad selection of video recording options with regards to resolution and frame size, including 4K UHD footage (3820×2160 pixels) at 30fps (29.97fps), 25 fps and 24fps (23.976fps) settings. The 4K recording has a crop factor of 1.5x, which means that a lens with focal length of 28mm will actually provide an effective focal length of around 42mm. In other words, you may end up needing to use a wider lens than you initially anticipate.

Full HD (1920×1080 pixels) recording at 60fps (59.94fps), 50fps, 30fps and 25fps and 24fps is also provided, as is Standard HD (1280×720 pixels) with 60fps and 50fps options. Additionally, all of the Full HD options can be recorded at a 3x crop factor, which is useful for distant subjects such as wildlife or sports.

All video footage is recorded in the MOV format using the H.264/MPEG-4 codec, with 8bit 4:2:0 chroma subsampling. This results in 4K footage recorded at a maximum bit rate of 144Mbps, with Full HD footage recorded with a maximum 48Mbps bit rate. When recording Standard HD or Full HD footage, you can also select a ‘Normal’ recording quality as an alternative to the ‘High Quality’ option, and this has the effect of halving the maximum bit rate.

To refocus during recording you have the following options:

Press either the AF-ON button or the shutter release control
Let the camera refocus automatically by setting it to Full Time Servo (AF-F)
Press the touchscreen where you want the camera to focus
Use manual focus instead

All footage is recorded to either XQD or CompactFlash media, depending on which model you have (the D5 is available in either dual XQD [below] or Dual CompactFlash formats).

Colour and white balance

Many of the same controls that are available when shooting stills, such as white balance and Picture Style, are available when recording videos. These include the Flat Picture Style first seen in the D810 that has been designed to produce low-contrast footage that’s more appropriate for grading.

When setting white balance and Picture Style, you can select ‘Same as Photo Settings’ rather than selecting a particular preset. This is helpful when capturing stills in the same conditions and particularly useful when using a setting that has been customised (Auto White Balance with a slight bias, for example).

You can also bring up video-specific options by pressing the ‘i’ button when in the video mode. This allows you to quickly view and amend settings like headphone volume, frequency response for example.

Image capture

When using the Live Frame Grab option, the D5 allows you to capture an image as you’re recording footage, by pressing the shutter release button.
The images are saved without interruption and at the recording resolution. Without the Live Frame Grab option selected, pressing the shutter release button has the effect of terminating the recording to take the image.

As with other 4K-enabled cameras the D5 allows you to extract an image from recorded footage, with images output at an 8MP resolution.

Movie editing and playback

Pressing the ‘i’ button during playback allows you to specify a start and end point for footage. This can either be saved as a new file or over the existing footage. You can also rate footage and send it to another card or folder.

One nice touch when playing back footage is the option to initiate playback by pressing a large virtual Play button in the centre of the display, rather than any physical buttons.

Audio

The Nikon D5 has stereo microphones located on its rear panel, although an external microphone with a 3.5mm jack can be plugged into its side for better quality recording. Regardless of the microphone used, the user can adjust sensitivity manually over 20 levels or leave it to an auto setting, with levels for each displayed on the rear monitor.

It’s also possible to adjust the frequency range between wide and vocal settings, call upon a wind noise filter as well as disable audio recording. You can also monitor audio while recording, through a set of headphones via the 3.5mm jack port on the camera’s side.

ISO

With the exception of its three ‘Lo’ settings that are available for stills capture, the D5 is capable of using its full native and extended ISO range when recording video. This runs from ISO 100 up to the Hi5 option that is equivalent to ISO 3,280,000. You also have the same control over Auto ISO as you do when shooting stills, and you can specify a maximum sensitivity if you’re concerned about noise levels.

Recording limits

Upon its launch, the D5 could only record three minutes of 4K video at a time, although the v1.10 firmware update announced in June took away this limitation to extend recording time to a maximum 29mins and 59secs. Any recording that generates a file larger than 4GB (the limit for the FAT32 format) will be split across up to eight individual files. These can be stitched together in post production.

Physical controls

You can customise many controls around the body to serve a variety of functions that are useful when recording video. Index marking, for example, can be quickly called upon to place markers at specific points during video recording so that those points can be reached easily upon playback. Nikon’s Power Aperture feature, which closes/opens the aperture smoothly, can also be assigned to a function button.

Other settings

The majority of video-specific functions fall under the Movie Shooting Menu tab. These include the options to give files a specific three-letter prefix and to designate a card for videos if you use both slots. The card capacity in recording-time is indicated when selecting card slots.

Helpfully, should you make lots of changes and just want to go back to default options without resetting the camera entirely, you can do this with the first option in the video settings menu.

Timelapse

As with many previous Nikon DSLRs, the camera can be programmed to record images at regular intervals for the creation of time-lapse footage.

You can capture images as quickly as once per second and record for up to 7 hours and 59 minutes, with a maximum length of recorded videos set to 20 minutes. The camera also indicates how long it will need to capture the video at the settings you select and displays the proportion of the memory card required for this. Exposure smoothing is available, this attempts to even out exposures should there be any sudden changes in the scene between frames.

Electronic VR

The same firmware update that lifted the recording time limit also gave video shooters an electronic VR setting. The Electronic VR is not available when recording 4K footage or when recording in one of the cropped Full HD options. It also has the effect of very slightly reducing the angle of view.

HDMI out

The D5 is equipped with a Type C HDMI port around its side. This allows you to output uncompressed footage with 4:2:0 chroma subsampling.

Last but not least, you can simultaneously record to the card inside the camera while recording to an external device via HDMI.

Jon Stapley Close Up April 29, 2016October 11, 2023

Close Up: Nikon D5 AF Options

The arrival of the Nikon D5 and D500 saw the company debuting a Multi-CAM 20K focusing module, which updates the previous Multi-CAM 3500FX and Multi-CAM 3500FX II modules found inside the D4s and D750 respectively. The full extent to which the camera can have its focusing options configured stretches beyond the scope of this article; what follows explores the key changes Nikon has made and the main points of interest around its autofocusing system.

The Basics

The new Multi-CAM 20K module boasts 153 AF points in total, with 99 of these being cross type and 55 available for selection (compared with 51 AF points in total on the D4s, all manually addressable and 15 being cross type). Nikon also claims the new system offers 30% more coverage than the system inside the D4s, with the further benefit of a new engine on board dedicated solely to focusing, said to boost focus-calculation speeds, assist focus tracking and improve response in general.

While sensitivity of the D4s’ Multi-CAM 3500FX module was rated down to -2EV, the Multi-CAM 20K module here boasts -4EV sensitivity at its central point and -3EV everywhere else. This should make it much more sensitive in darker conditions.

The camera offers the same quintet of focusing modes as the D4s: Single-Point AF, Dynamic-Area AF, 3D Tracking, Auto-Area AF and the Group Area AF introduced in the D4s. The new focusing system has, however, brought with it three separate Dynamic Area AF patterns to bring the overall total to seven. These allow for all 153 points to be selected, or alternatively 72 points or 25 points, in contrast to the 9- 21- and 51-point options on board the D4s.

The camera is able to maintain continuous autofocus when recording images at 12fps for up to 200 losslessly compressed Raw frames. For this it requires a shutter speed of at least 1ƒ/250sec and an XQD whose write speed is fast enough to keep the buffer from filling. A 14fps option is also available, although this locks up the mirror and fixes focus and exposure to that of the first frame.

Auto AF Fine Tune

Arguably one of the most useful changes from previous models is the ability to have the camera automatically calculate the degree of shift required when putting a lens through the AF Fine Tune option. Whereas previously you needed to manually work out what level of adjustment was appropriate for a specific lens, here the camera can calculate it for you. To do this, the camera uses the contrast-detect AF system of its live view feature to accurately calculate the shift required for the phase-detect AF system (which is employed when shooting conventionally).

This new option is also available on the D500, which was launched at the same time as the D5, and will no doubt feature in future models.

Focus tracking with lock-on

This option allows the user to specify how to camera behaves when something passes between the camera and a subject on which the camera has its focus locked. Although it has been offered on previous Nikon models, the options here have been revised.

Whereas before you had the option of one of five levels of response – from short to long, as well as an ‘off’ option – Nikon has renamed the options to Quick and Delayed here. Control is once again offered over five levels, although this is now augmented by the further option to inform the camera of the nature of subject’s motion, from Steady to Erratic, over three levels.

Touchscreen

The D5 is the first model of its kind to offer a touchscreen, a feature that has long been used for focus-point selection on models aimed at a more junior and enthusiast audience. As we may expect, this same option is provided here when using live view, allowing the photographer to specify the focusing point with greater precision than offered by the phase-detect AF system (given that the camera is no longer using its 153 phase-detect AF points in live view).

Considering this is the first time we’ve seen this option on a camera of this level, it perhaps comes as little surprise that control over touch functionality is fairly rudimentary. The Touch Controls feature in the menu only offers the possibility of disabling or enabling touch control and the option to specify the direction in which images are displayed when swiping through them upon playback. Furthermore, while it’s possible to focus on the subject using the touchscreen, it’s not possible to set the camera to release the shutter once this happens – a fairly common option among other types of camera with touch control.

One thing that is useful when playing back images, however, is the option to zoom into the image to check focus, in exactly the same way as the Multi selector center button allows, by double-tapping the screen.

Multi selector center button

As with the D4s, the D5 allows you to determine exactly what happens when you press the Multi selector’s central button, whether you’re shooting conventionally or using live view, or when playing back images. Much of what happens here doesn’t necessarily have to concern focus, although it can be set up to provide the user with useful focusing options.

Nikon users will be familiar with the default option in the shooting mode, namely the return of the selected AF point to the center of the array, although you also have the option of setting this to select a preset point, or alternatively to do nothing.

You can also return the AF point to the centre of the array with this button when using live view, although the camera provides the further option of zooming into the scene to 50%, 100% or 200%, once again to allow focus and detail to be checked before you shoot (which is particularly useful when using manual focus).

Similarly, in the playback mode, although you can configure this control to display thumbnails or histograms of captured images, or even to sort images into slots and folders, what most photographers will no doubt find useful is the further option to zoom into captured images to check focus to one of the above three levels.

Point size and brightness adjustment

The addressable focusing points inside the viewfinder are now square in shape and smaller than those on previous models, which should help with precision. The assist points, meanwhile, are easily identifiable as they resemble small dots rather than boxes.

As on the D4s, it’s also possible to adjust the brightness of the focusing points over four levels; Low (-1), Normal (0), High (+1) and Extra High (+2). Normal is the default setting, although increasing point brightness could find itself useful when shooting against certain subjects, such as particularly bright ones or those mainly red in colour.

Assignment of focusing modes to function buttons

The D4s was designed with Pv and Fn1 buttons between the grip and lens mount on the front plate, and on the D5 these are joined by a further Fn2 button. These buttons can have all but the 3D Tracking focusing modes assigned to them for quick access. For example, the photographer can set the camera to access the Group Area AF mode with the Fn1 button, the 153-Point Dynamic Area AF option with the Fn button and the 27-Point Dynamic Area AF mode with the Pv button, or any other combination. These are not, however, the only buttons which can access these, so you can assign these options elsewhere if you prefer to have these three buttons accessing alternate settings.

Number of selectable focusing points

The D4s allowed all 51 of its AF points to be selected, with the option of limiting this to just 11 points where required. The new focusing system inside the D5 has changed this; you can now set the camera to display 55 points – the maximum that can be addressed – or 15 points.

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