nikon

With an update released today, Apple's photo applications now can handle raw images from Nikon's new mainstream SLR and some new high-end compact cameras.

The Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.7 means iPhoto, Aperture, and Mac OS X can handle the unprocessed images from Nikon's D5100, Fujifilm's FinePix X100, Olympus' E-PL2 and XZ-1, and Samsung's GX-1S. For those who don't install the update, Apple rolls the support into later versions of Mac OS X.

Raw photos enable more flexibility for editing, for example letting photographers adjust exposure and white balance. The flexibility comes … Read more

It turns out that no matter how technologically savvy we get in the world, we could always be betrayed by the "meat puppets behind the servers." Thanks for that one, Donald. And human error does appear to be what happened to Amazon, and also the Yankees. DSLReports, on the other hand, just plain got hacked. And it would also appear there's no one equipped to help us with our little data leakage issues, since the FBI's own cyber-security agents admit they're not up to the task. But there's even worse news than that: the white iPhone is 0.2mm thicker than the black one. THE HUMANITY! --Molly

Adobe Systems released Lightroom 3.4 last night, formalizing support for the cameras listed in the beta version but also slipping in the ability to decode raw photos from Nikon's new D5100.

Lightroom, along with the related Camera Raw plug-in for Photoshop CS5, is geared for handling the unprocessed raw images from higher-end cameras. This is an option that offers better quality but more hassle than JPEG. For Adobe and others such as Apple in the same position, it means adding support for a constant parade of new cameras, each with its own proprietary format.

Lightroom 3.4 and … Read more

As expected, Monday night Nikon announced the replacement for the D5000, the Nikon D5100. The main specs include 16.2-megapixel resolution (like the D7000), 1080/30p/24p with a mic jack, 4fps burst, ISO sensitivity up to 6400/25,600 expanded with an ISO 102,400 Night Vision mode, and a larger 3-inch flip-out-and-twist LCD rather than the 2.7-inch drop-down articulated version of its predecessor. There's also a new 2-shot autobracket-and-combine HDR mode.

The body-only version will run $799.95 and a kit with the 18-55mm VR lens will be $899.95. At those prices, it's directly … Read more

Rumors about Nikon's follow-up to the discontinued D5000 have been circulating for weeks, but you can always trust a company's Web site or partner to accidentally leak the news in advance of PR plans. This time Nikon Romania prematurely posted news about the D5100, which eagle-eyed Nikon Rumors grabbed before the Nikon site unsurprisingly went dark for maintenance.

Nikon Rumors lists the specs as 16.2 megapixels (like D7000), 1080/30p with mic jack for new ME-1 microphone, 4fps burst, ISO up to 6400 with 102,400 "Night Vision" mode, and a standard flip-out-and-twist LCD rather … Read more

It seems we're in the midst of a full-on zoom lens war. The last couple years have seen manufacturers cram longer and longer lenses into compact camera bodies. While I wouldn't say this is a good thing, it's certainly something consumers want.

The two that currently rank as the longest are Canon's PowerShot SX30 IS and Nikon's Coolpix P500. Going just by their magnification numbers, the Nikon comes out on top with its 36x f3.4-5.7 21.5-800mm lens (35mm equivalent). However, the Canon doesn't start out as wide, so its 35x zoom … Read more

Canon vs. Nikon is an age-old rivalry that well predates digital photography. And the battle in the midrange is one of the closest yet.

The Canon EOS 60D is fast, feature-packed, and has excellent photo and video quality; the Nikon D7000 can't match on the video quality, but it sports the company's best shooting design to date. So which system is worth the commitment?

We put the cameras head-to-head to see which comes out on top.

Editors' note: The Prizefight scoring system is as follows: Each judge rates on a 0-to-5-point scale. At the end of each round, … Read more

Nikon didn't do too much to change the sub-$200 end of its S-series cameras from 2010, but just enough to keep them interesting. For example, the S6100 gets more marketing-pixels megapixels, but gets a 3-inch touch-screen LCD, too. Add in the 7x optical zoom, wide-angle lens, and Nikon's Expeed C2 image processing engine, and you've got a pretty decent-sounding pocket camera for the money.

The S4100 and S3100 also get megapixel bumps and slightly wider, longer lenses, but are otherwise seemingly on par with their predecessors.

Lastly, Nikon refreshed its entry-level, AA-battery-powered L22 series compact by, … Read more

Even after using a preproduction model for the past few days, I've really had a hard time classifying the new Nikon Coolpix P300. As part of its P series, geared to enthusiasts, you'd think Nikon was taking on models like the popular Canon PowerShot S95 and the new Olympus XZ-1. But while it has the basic black, no-nonsense design, fast lens and broad manual feature set of those models, it uses a relatively small but backside-illuminated (BSI) 1/2.3-inch sensor similar to mainstream consumer cameras like the PowerShot Elph 500 HS--it's priced lower than the former … Read more