Nikon  Offers to Service Nikon D5000

Nikon has issued a notice to all the owners of Nikon D5000 who are experiencing a problem with their D5000 , where it doesn’t turn on , that they have found the cause and set up a facility and are offering service to rectify it.

Notice to users of the Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera

Thank you for choosing Nikon for your imaging needs.

While Nikon takes great measures to assure high quality in its imaging products, it has come to our attention that an electronic component related to power control in some Nikon D5000 digital SLR cameras does not meet factory specifications and may, in certain circumstances, prevent the camera from turning on, thus preventing operation of the camera.

Indications of this issue include:

1. The camera cannot be operated when the power switch is on, even with a fully-charged battery.
2. The camera cannot be operated with the EH-5a AC Adapter connected through the EP-5 Power Connector and the power switch on.

The solution:
Nikon has isolated the issues related to this and is effectively resolving them. Preparations are under way at a special Nikon repair facility to streamline the processes associated to the solution and Nikon will be equipped to correct D5000 cameras at this facility, beginning July 23, 2009. Service related to this issue, including the cost of shipping affected D5000 cameras to Nikon, as well as their return to customers, will be free of charge. To further minimize customer inconvenience, Nikon will return serviced cameras to customers promptly, employing (whenever possible) transportation that limits transit time to two days.

Is your D5000 affected?
Your D5000 serial number will make it easy to determine if your D5000 is affected by this issue. A serial number look-up tool will be available on this page beginning July 23, 2009. Therefore, we kindly ask D5000 users to return to this page on or after July 23rd to establish whether or not your camera requires the complimentary service related to this Service Advisory.

If your serial number indicates that your D5000 requires service:
Beginning July 23, 2009, this page will include easy-to-follow instructions for customers whose D5000 cameras have been identified (by serial number as noted above) as needing service related to this Advisory. The instructions will include shipping tips and a shipping label generator will be provided. Using the Nikon-generated label is both convenient and relieves you of the expense of shipping your camera to Nikon.

We apologize for any inconvenience that Nikon customers may experience as a result of this issue.
Nikon remains committed to providing only the highest quality photographic products and hopes that you will continue to choose Nikon for your imaging needs.

For additional information, please see the Frequently Asked Questions provided in the link below.

Link

http://nikonusa.com/Service-And-Support/Service-Advisories/D5000-Service-Advisory.page

The Nikon Coolpix S-230 is the “fancy and capture” compact that comes in somber colors and is meant for those who are not nocturnal creatures and is also meant for those who are not unsure of their grip but whose fingers are nimble enough.

Well you should also be not a fanatical purist who rues over creeping noises that hallucinate you when you see them.

What we mean is that it is a good compact when the lights are O.K and you don’t want to focus on too many faces at a time and do not expect your camera to be over intelligent and are patient enough to tell the camera which of the 15 modes you are going to shoot in so that it gets on with the business of setting focus, white balance, contrast and shutter speed and ISO settings etc.,.

Nikon Coolpix S-230 is a touch responsive screen enabled compact. That’s why the nimble fingers and the steady grip because its image stabilization is generally not “earth shaking”.

The Nikon Coolpix S-230 comes with a 3 x zoom and the lens has 35-105 equivalence of  a 35 mm and tele photo equivalence. The touch responsive LCD screen is a roomy 3.0″ and has a 230 K resolution. It takes only 0.53 secs to capture an image including shutter lag and has a continuous capture rate of 2.2 frames per second. The S-230 can shoot videos at 640 x 480 VGA or 320 x 240 QVGA. The battery life is good enough for 260 shots.

If you are not fussy the Nikon Coolpix S-230 can take some very nice images with vivd colors never threatening to saturate  with a capability of lifting the shadows on a nice warm day which brings out the sunny and warm side in you.

Nikon has leaked the specifications of the Nikon D300s. This has already sparked off a debate and it is not confirmed by Nikon that these are the specs. You might wonder what sets the Nikon D300s from the Nikon D300. It is the video shooting capability. Comparisons can go on and people already wedded to a camera may not be wanting to upgrade for many subjective reasons. But there are already competitors in the market like the Canon EOS 5D mark II. This model is likely to hit the market in August and the update of Nikon D300 is set to enter the market only in 2010.

It is clear that Nikon D300s is aimed at those who are planning to buy a D300 and is also a competitor for the Canon EOS 5D Mk II. Some may complain that it does not have as many mega pixels and some complain that it has video capability at all. The performance of a Nikon is always competitive even with a Canon whether it is ISO sensitivity, noise reduction and image processing speed not to talk of the increase in the memory buffer.

Those who are interested can wait for July to pass( for the rumour to become a confirmation).

Specification credits : http://nikonrumours.com/2009/5/28

Image sensor
Image sensor  23.6 x 15.8 mm CMOS sensor
Total pixels  13.1 million
Dust-reduction system Image Sensor Cleaning, Image Dust Off reference data (requires optional Capture NX 2 software)

Storage
Image size (pixels) 4,288 x 2,848 [L], 3,216 x 2,136 [M], 2,144 x 1,424 [S]
File format   NEF (RAW): 12 or 14 bit, lossless compressed, compressed, or uncompressed
TIFF (RGB)
JPEG: JPEG-Baseline compliant with fine (approx. 1:4), normal (approx. 1:8) or basic (approx. 1:16) compression (Size priority); Optimal quality compression available
NEF (RAW) + JPEG: Single photograph recorded in both NEF (RAW) and JPEG formats
Picture Control System  Can be selected from Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome; storage for up to nine custom Picture Controls
Media  Type I CompactFlash memory cards (UDMA compliant); SD memory cards, SDHC compliant
Dual card slots  Either card can be used as the primary card; secondary card can be used for overflow or backup storage, or for separate storage of NEF (RAW) and JPEG images; images can be copied between cards
File system  DCF (Design Rule for Camera File System) 2.0, DPOF (Digital Print Order Format), Exif 2.21 (Exchangeable Image File Format for Digital Still Cameras), PictBridge

Viewfinder
Viewfinder  Eye-level pentaprism single-lens reflex viewfinder
Frame coverage  Approx. 100% horizontal and 100% vertical
Magnification   Approx. 0.94 x (50mm f/1.4 lens at infinity; -1.0 m-1)
Eyepoint   19.5 mm (-1.0 m-1)
Diopter adjustment   -2 to +1 m-1
Focusing screen  Type B BriteView Clear Matte screen Mark II screen with AF area brackets (framing grid can be displayed)
Reflex mirror   Quick return
Depth-of-field preview  When depth-of-field preview button is pressed, lens aperture is stopped down to value selected by user (A and M modes) or by camera (P and S modes)
Lens aperture   Instant return, electronically controlled

Lens
Compatible lenses     DX NIKKOR: All functions supported
Type G or D AF NIKKOR: All functions supported (PC Micro-NIKKOR does not support some functions); IX NIKKOR lenses not supported
Other AF NIKKOR: All functions supported except 3D color matrix metering II; lenses for F3AF not supported
AI-P NIKKOR: All functions supported except 3D color matrix metering II
Non-CPU: Can be used in exposure modes A and M; color matrix metering and aperture value display supported if user provides lens data (AI lenses only)
Electronic rangefinder can be used if maximum aperture is f/5.6 or faster

Shutter
Type  Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter
Speed  1/8,000 to 30 s in steps of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV, bulb, X250
Flash sync speed  X = 1/250 s; synchronizes with shutter at 1/320 s or slower (flash range drops at speeds between 1/250 and 1/320 s)

Release
Release mode  S (single frame), CL (continuous low speed), CH (continuous high speed), Q (quiet shutter-release), mark (self-timer), MUP (mirror up)
Frame advance rate  With Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e: Approx. 1 to 7 fps (CL), Approx. 7 fps (CH)
With optional Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10 and Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL4a: Approx. 1 to 7 (CL), Approx. 8 fps (CH)*
Self-timer  Can be selected from 2, 5, 10 and 20 s duration

Exposure
Metering  TTL exposure metering using 1,005-pixel RGB sensor
Metering method    Matrix: 3D color matrix metering II (type G and D lenses); color matrix metering II (other CPU lenses); color matrix metering available with non-CPU lenses if user provides lens data
Center-weighted: Weight of 75% given to 8-mm circle in center of frame. Diameter of circle can be changed to 6, 10 or 13-mm, or weighting can be based on average of entire frame (fixed at 8 mm when non-CPU lens is used)
Spot: Meters 3-mm circle (about 2% of frame) centered on selected focus point (on center focus point when non-CPU lens is used)
Range (ISO 100 equivalent, f/1.4 lens, 20°C/68°F)
Matrix or center-weighted metering: 0-20 EV
Spot metering: 2-20 EV
Exposure meter coupling   Combined CPU and AI
Exposure modes  Programmed auto with flexible program (P); shutter-priority auto (S); aperture priority auto (A); manual (M)
Exposure compensation   -5 to +5 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV
Exposure bracketing  2 to 9 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 or 1 EV
Exposure lock  Luminosity locked at detected value with AE-L/AF-L button
ISO sensitivity (Recommended Exposure Index)
ISO 200 to 3200 in steps of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV; can also be set to approx. 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 or 1 EV (ISO 100 equivalent) below ISO 200 or to approx. 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 or 1 EV (ISO 6400 equivalent) above ISO 3200
Active D-Lighting  Can be selected from auto, extra high, high, normal, low or off
ADL bracketing  2 to 5 frames with strength levels varying according to number of frames chosen; for 2 frames, off and a chosen level are applied

Focus
Autofocus  Nikon Multi-CAM 3500DX autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection, fine-tuning, 51 focus points (including 15 cross-type sensors) and AF-assist illuminator (range approx. 0.5 to 3 m/1 ft. 8 in. to 9 ft. 10 in.)
Detection range  -1 to +19 EV (ISO 100 equivalent, 20°C /68°F)
Lens servo    Autofocus: Single-servo AF (S); continuous-servo AF (C); predictive focus tracking automatically activated according to subject status in single- and continuous-servo AF
Manual (M): Electronic rangefinder supported
Focus point  Can be selected from 51 or 11 focus points
AF-area mode  Single-point AF, dynamic-area AF, auto-area AF
Focus lock  Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (Single-servo AF) or by pressing AE-L/AF-L button

Flash
Built-in flash  Manual pop-up with button release and a Guide Number of 17/56 (m/ft., ISO 200, 20 °C/68 °F; GN at ISO 100 equivalent is 12/39)
Flash control    TTL: i-TTL balanced fill-flash and standard i-TTL flash for digital SLR using 1,005-pixel RGB sensor are available with built-in flash, Speedlight SB-900, SB-800, SB-600 or SB-400
Auto aperture: Available with Speedlight SB-900 or SB-800 and CPU lens
Non-TTL auto: Supported flash units include Speedlight SB-900, SB-800, SB-28, SB-27 and SB-22S
Range-priority manual: Available with Speedlight SB-900 and SB-800
Flash modes  Front curtain sync, slow sync, rear-curtain sync, red-eye reduction, red-eye reduction with slow sync
Flash compensation   -3 to +1 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV
Flash bracketing  2 to 9 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 or 1 EV
Flash-ready indicator  Lights when built-in flash or flash unit such as Speedlight SB-900, SB-800, SB-600, SB-400, SB-80DX, SB-28DX or SB-50DX is fully charged; blinks after flash is fired at full output
Accessory shoe  ISO 518 hot-shoe with sync and data contacts and safety lock
Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS)
Advanced Wireless Lighting supported with built-in flash, Speedlight SB-900, SB-800 or SU-800 as commander and SB-900, SB-800, SB-600 or SB-R200 as remotes; Auto FP High-Speed Sync and modeling illumination supported with all CLS-compatible flash units except SB-400; Flash Color Information Communication and FV lock supported with all CLS-compatible flash units
Sync terminal   ISO 519 sync terminal with locking thread

White balance
White balance  Auto (TTL white-balance with main image sensor and 1,005-pixel RGB sensor), Incandescent, Fluorescent (7 options), Direct Sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade, preset manual (able to store up to 5 values) and color temperature setting (2,500K to 10,000K); fine-tuning available for all options
White balance bracketing  2 to 9 frames in steps of 1, 2 or 3

Live View
Modes  Tripod, Hand-held,
Autofocus    Tripod: Contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame
Hand-held: Phase-detection AF with 51 focus points (including 15 cross-type sensors)

Movie
Frame size (pixels)  1,280 x 720/24 fps, 640 x 424/24 fps, 320 x 216/24 fps
File format  AVI
Compression format  Motion-JPEG
Autofocus  Contrast-detect AF on a desired point within a frame is possible (Tripod mode)
Audio  Sound can be recorded via built-in or optional external microphone; sensitivity can be adjusted
Maximum length  5 min (1,280 x 720 pixels), 20 min (640 x 424, 320 x 216 pixels)

Monitor
LCD monitor  3-in., approx. 920k-dot (VGA), low-temperature polysilicon TFT LCD with 170° viewing angle, approx. 100% frame coverage, and brightness adjustment

Playback
Playback function Full-frame and thumbnail (4, 9 or 72 images) playback with playback zoom, movie playback, slide show, histogram display, highlights, auto image rotation, and image comment (up to 36 characters)

Interface
USB   Hi-Speed USB
Audio video output Can be selected from NTSC and PAL
HDMI output Type C HDMI connector; camera monitor turns off when HDMI cable is connected
Audio input Stereo mini-pin jack (3.5mm diameter)
10-pin remote terminal Can be used to connect optional remote control, GPS Unit GP-1 or GPS device compliant with NMEA0183 version 2.01 or 3.01 (requires optional GPS Cable MC-35 and cable with D-sub 9-pin connector)

Supported languages
Supported languages          Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish

Power source
Battery   One Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e
Battery pack    Optional Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10 with one Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e, EN-EL4a/EN-EL4 or eight R6/AA-size alkaline, Ni-MH, lithium or nickel-manganese batteries; Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL4a/EN-EL4 and R6/AA-size batteries available separately; Battery Chamber Cover BL-3 (available separately) required when using Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL4a/EN-EL4
AC adapter   AC Adapter EH-5a/EH-5 (available separately)

Tripod socket
Tripod socket   1/4 in. (ISO 1222)

Dimensions/Weight
Dimensions (W x H x D)  Approx. 147 x 114 x 74 mm/5.8 x 4.5 x 2.9 in.
Weight   Approx. 840 g/1 lb. 14 oz. without battery, memory card, body cap or monitor cover

Operating environment
Temperature   0-40°C/32-104°F
Humidity   Less than 85% (no condensation)

Accessories
Supplied accessories (may differ by country or area)
Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e, Quick Charger MH-18a, Eyepiece Cap DK-5, Rubber Eyecup DK-23, USB Cable UC-E4, Audio Video Cable EG-D2, Camera Strap AN-DC4, LCD Monitor Cover BM-8, Body Cap BF-1A, Accessory Shoe Cover BS-1, Software Suite CD-ROM

* With a battery other than Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL4a, the continuous shooting speed may be slower than 8 fps in continuous high speed mode.

Nikon’s D 40 was a run away success with the entry level DSLR users, who merely wanted to point and shoot their DSLRs. Then came the costlier version of the D 40, the D 60 with slightly better features. In the mean time there was the D 90 which was in the mid level DSLR of Nikon which was actually an upgrade of Nikon D 80 and D 300.
Now comes the latest offering of Nikon, the Nikon 5000 which is a upgrade of the D 60 but it packs in the features of D90 with out you having to pay the price of it.

Lack of accurate Autofocus on videos:
You must be prepared for some things if you fancy the D 5000. You should be ready to experiment with manual settings of a DSLR. You should also be ready to experiment with some AF-S lenses because the Nikon D 5000 does not have servo of its own.It is worth the enthusiasm. The chromatic Aberration correction facility of Nikon makes lenses look that much more enchanting.

Advantage of shooting videos:

The D 5000 has that additional attraction which was first offered in the D 90- the answer to the much asked question, why can’t a DSLR shoot videos?. Although it can shoot videos up to a duration of 5 mins of 2 GB at 1280 x 720, 640 x 424, 320 x 216 at 24 frames per second, the focus has to be set manually when the objects in question move. The video quality is good when you compare it to compacts but the D 5000 challenges you to take better videos by realizing its potential.

Size:The size of the Nikon D 5000 is slightly bigger than the D 40 or D 60 and is slightly less than the D 90.

File foramts:

The D 5000 has the ability to shoot at 4 fps while the D 90 could handle 4.5 but it can shoot 63 JPEG and 11 RAW files while the D 90 could do only 25 JPEG and 7 RAW files.The D 5000 has 12.9 mp and like the D 90 has EXPEED processor and CMOS sensors. The LCD screen of the D 5000 differs from both D 60 and D 90 that it is a 2.7 “ LCD monitor with 2,30,000 pixels and can tilt and swivel. It also offers live view and you can play back images both still and video.The auto focus facility of the D 5000 is 11 points for 3D tracking and has dynamic area Auto Focus for moving objects. It also has face detection and the focus has to be set on the individuals eyes.
Extras:

Although the D 5000 dose not offer the 1005 pixel, 3D color matrix metering, like the D-90 the 420 pixel metering is provided. The D 5000 has standard controls for processing the images. Among the facilities it offers are, D-lighting, filter effects, color balance, red eye correction, retouch menu, distortion control. It also has Nikon Electronic Format which is its own RAW processing but it also lets the user make a copy in JPEG.

ISO-Advantage:

The White balance settings in the D 5000 are extensive- 12 in number including Auto and to get a clear picture of the color composition of the white in the picture it is temperature sensitive over a wide range and actually takes three different pictures to arrive at the perfect white balance by comparison of these pictures. The ISO sensitivity is good over a wide range but beyond the levels of 1600 to 3200 the threshold level decreases which allows some noise to creep in thereby some details are likely to be distorted.

Conclusion.
The Nikon D 5000 is a good choice for those who are willing to make a jump from the entry level D 40 with out paying for the features that are available in the D 90.

Additional features of Nikon D 5000 compared to D 60
• 12.3 MP CMOS sensor (D60: 10.2 MP CCD)
• Tilt/swivel screen
• Live View with contrast detect AF
• Movie Mode
• Wider ISO range
• 11 point AF system with 3D tracking (D60: 3 point AF)
• Control of Active D-Lighting intensity
• Automatic correction of lateral chromatic aberration
• Choice of JPEG quality in RAW+JPEG shooting
• Extra retouching options
• More scene modes
• Faster continuous shooting
• Exposure bracketing

Nikon has traditionally come out with 2 series of cameras. The X series which were with high resolution meant for landscaping and the H series, with high speed meant for sports. This the latest version of the X series, the Nikon D3 X. Its counterpart in the H series came out in 2007.

Although it is difficult to tell one from the other based on appearance, the D3 X has CMOS sensor with a resolution of 24.5 mp. This leads to lower sensitivity and lesser speed of only 5 frames per second for continuous video photography.

While both D3s support DX lenses, the D3 X view finder automatically masks 10.1 mp with the DX lens where as for the D3 H it is 5.1 mp. Both the D3s have 12 channel read out and 14 bit A/D conversion. The image processor for both the D3s is the Expeed image processor which has been optimized for the respective D3 ‘s requirements. While the D3 H can auto focus by color and has about 20 settings of the lens, the D3 X has an auto focus sensor, the Multicam 3500- FX. The D3 X uses an AE and AF sensor for scene recognition.

The D3 X is a high end product and is obviously targeted at the professionals and is a good $1500 more than its nearest rival, the range of the Canon 1 Ds.