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Links & Comments
News and commentary of interest to Nikon and Nikon F-mount users
Camera Control Pro 2.7.0 and Capture 2.2.3
Nov 26 (news)--Nikon released Camera Control Pro 2.7.0, which allows control of a camera via wired or wireless connections. The new version adds support for the D3s, Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6.1 specifically), and Windows 7. While the software runs in the 64-bit environment of the latest OS versions, it still remains a 32-bit application.
Nikon also released version 2.3.3 of Capture NX2. Again, D3s support has been added. But the primary focus of the update is bug fixes in the GPS and flash data, recognition of image profiles, and unexpected application termination. Note that this version only brings Mac OS support up to 10.5.8 (Leopard); this is not the Snow Leopard update promised by the end of the year.
NikonUSA's Official Black Friday Deals
Nov 26 (news)--I'm not sure why you're spending time to read this site on a holiday, but in case you missed Nikon's ubiquitous flyers here in the US, here are the official deals good through Saturday:
- Coolpix L20: US$99.99 (US$20 discount)
- Coolpix L100: US$199.99 (US$30 discount)
- Coolpix S70: US$299.99 (US$50 discount)
- Coolpix S570: US$149 (US$50 discount)
- Coolpix S630: US$229.99 (US$20 discount)
- Coolpix P90: US$299.99 (US$100 discount)
- D90 with 18-105mm: US$1149.99 (US$50 discount)
- D300s body: US$1699.99 new official price
- D3000 with 18-55mm + case + Nikon School DVD: US$499.99 (US$100 discount)
- D3000 with 18-55mm + 55-200mm + case + Nikon School DVD: US$649.98 (US$200 discount)
- D5000 with 18-55mm + case + Nikon School DVD: US$699.99 (US$150 discount)
- 70-300mm lens with purchase of D90, D300s, D700, or D5000: US$399.99 (US$200 discount)
- 55-200 non-VR lens with purchase of D3000 or D5000: US$99.99 (US$100 discount)
- 55-200 VR lens with purchase of D3000 or D5000: US$149.99 (US$100)
Similar rotating discounts will be in effect each week through the end of the year, but usually on a smaller group of product.
As far as I'm concerned, the two best offers here are the D5000, which is a very competent camera now at a price enough underneath the D90 to be meaningful, and the 70-300mm buy-a-camera-and-take-US$200 off offer. The 70-300mm is a darned good lens, and at US$399.99 it's a bargain.
OS Support for Nikon Software
Nov 22 (commentary)--Nikon has released a timetable for releasing software that will work with the current Mac OS (Snow Leopard) and Windows (7). First the Snow Leopard (version 10.6.x) schedule:
- Camera Control Pro: by the end of the month (Nov)
- Capture NX2: by the end of the year
- View/Transfer: by the end of January 2010
And the Windows 7 schedule:
- View/Transfer: already work. Full compatibility by end of January 2010
- Capture NX2: by the end of the year
- Camera Control Pro: by the end of the year
Time to Flog Thom Again
Nov 22 (commentary)--It's that time of year when I hoist myself up like a giant pinata and let everyone take a whack at me. Yes, my 2010 Predictions page is up, so let the swinging begin.
I use annual predictions to give me a sense of where the industry is and where it might be going. Many years ago (might have been as many as six) I wrote that 2010 was going to be a crossroads year. My prediction was that DSLR market segment growth would hit 10% or less in 2010 (at the time I wrote my prediction it was in the hundreds of percent). Well, things pretty much played out as I expected: 2009 saw perhaps 10% growth, a new low, and most sources predict more of the same moving forward. Meanwhile, compact camera growth really flattened several years ago.
So, the big question moving forward is "how do the camera companies grow?" It won't be by iterating the same formula over and over. Doing that would lead to the same thing we saw happen in the film era: declining SLR sales dominated by only a couple of companies. The areas that seem to have potential to build any growth moving forward are these: (a) sensor disruption, (b) same quality at much smaller size, (c) much higher (MF-like) quality at lower prices, (d) multipurposing (e.g. adding true pro video), (e) photographer-centric redesigns, (f) modularity, (g) truly customer-friendly companies, (h) direct sales, (i) system completeness.
So here's my mini report card for Nikon:
- Sensor Disruption: solid B. The D3s shows that Nikon has some tricks up its sleeve. The real issue is deploying these across the lineup.
- Smaller size: D-. The only "small" camera in the lineup is the D3000, and it's just a re-hased D40x. The FX push has increased camera size for Nikon, unfortunately, something that ultimately needs to be addressed.
- MF-like quality: B. The D3x certainly achieves this, but the pricing is still a bit too close to MF territory. We need that sensor or something similar in a D700 body and near a 5DII price for Nikon to get an A.
- Multipurposing: C. Yes, we've got video, but it's not as good as my GH1 achieves. In some respects, my Flip HD does better, too. Nikon still has a long way to go to get video fleshed out the way the videographers want it.
- Photographer-centric: B-. Nikon's never been really bad at this, and the consistency from body to body is good. But there are still things missing and we've got too many buttons and menus to be able to call it truly photographer-centric.
- Modularity: F. When the same flash operates ever so slightly different on a different body, even the crude modularity that we do have is missing something. Curiously, Nikon did work on a truly modular camera this decade. Where it disappeared to I don't know.
- Customer-friendly: D. Every now and then I get hints that some within Nikon get it and try to help customers, then something happens that makes me lose hope again. The problem is that it isn't a company priority.
- Direct Sales: F. Nikon does everything through dealers, even NPS priority purchases. I understand why they do that, but as margins get hammered more and more, someone is going to break out of the pack and cut out a distribution piece to reclaim margin (and/or lower prices).
- System Completeness: B-. We're missing too many things--mostly lenses--to give a higher grade.
As I've written many times, Nikon's a technology-based company. It's going to be technology changes that they look to in order to find new growth and profits. As I write in my predictions, we'll see a bit of that in 2010. But 2011 is when I expect to see what Nikon really has up its sleeve, technology-wise.
Just a Reminder
The short articles on the front page of this site change as often as every couple of days, as little as once every two weeks. Right now, however, we're coming into a period where there's been rapid change. So if you're not checking the site often, be sure to check out the Archived 2009 link, below, as there may be a handful of items you missed. (Yes, I know about RSS. But I won't offer that until the site redesign is done.)
Archived Front Page News and Articles
Archived 2009 byThom comments and news
Archived 2008 byThom comments and news
Archived
2007 byThom comments and news
Archived pre-2007 byThom comments and news
Nikon announcements summary 2001-2009
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