Helpfull Nikon D90 Apps.

Here's a couple of recent apps released that seem to be useful. Nikon Setup Guides looks to be only available on android which I don't have.

Nikon Setup Guide

 

I've downloaded Nikon Lenses and its very cool. Instant lens information and reviews by guys like Ken Rockwell, Brian Tobay, Tom Hogan, and more.

Nikon Lenses

New Sigma 18-35mm 1.8 DC HSM For The D90 - First Constant Zoom 1.8 Lens Ever!

Wow, I just found out about this new lens and after reading some reviews I'd love to try it. At only $799 for a ultra fast zoom lens I'm sure its going to be must have for a lot of people. Time to upgrade the old Tamron 17-55 2.8? Anyway let us D90 owners hear from you if you get one.

Here's a Good Review on CNET

$799 at Amazon!

Nikon D90 Distortion Control Data Firmware Update 2013

Barrel Distortion

I like the fact that the D90 still gets love from Nikon. Here's a new firmware update you can download if you choose to.

Nikon Published 02/17/2011 - Updated 03/26/2013

The Distortion Control Data firmware upgrade is available for Nikon D4, D800(E), D90, D7000, D5100, D5000, D3200, and D3100 cameras.

Distortion control data are used to correct barrel and pincushion distortion during shooting and editing. They can be loaded into cameras that support distortion control.

Click Here

The Nikon D90 and Nikon 70-300 VR Take On Indoor Basketball Game!

shutter priority - exposure 1/250 - F4.8 - 250mm - ISO 3200
 

How good would the Nikon D90 with the Nikon 70-300 f/4.5-5.6GED IF AF-S VR lens perform indoors with no flash and fast moving action? You be the judge.

I recently had chance to shoot a relatives collage basketball game at Maples Pavilion. He plays for Utah and was going to be my main subject obviously. Wishing I had the perfect indoor 2.8 telephoto zoom lens and knowing that wasn't going to happen I turned to my trusty Nikon 70-300vr lens.

At first I started in aperture mode and wide opened with my ISO set to 800. This setting was definitely not going to work very well after experiencing a few shots that were blurry and plain bad. I then said "what the heck lets go to shutter mode and bump the auto ISO up to a very rarely used 3200". I instantly started getting better shots and the 70-300vr was tracking good in continuous focus mode and getting pretty sharp shots. But you know how looking at the little LCD screen of your shoots could look nothing like that when you download them to your big computer and see your shots on your monitor. I was worried that the noise from such a high ISO would rear its ugly head once I got home and downloaded the photos. I was very surprised. I probably ended up taking over a hundred RAW shoots and Id say 75% came out good. The D90 handled the high ISO just as claimed. The 70-300vr performed very well for such tough shooting conditions and being a lens most can still afford. Now I'm not saying these shots were totally noise free at full size but they were deffenitly workable in my editor to end up pretty good shots.

Here are Some Shots with Settings.


shutter priority - exposure 1/250 - F4.5 - 90mm - ISO 3200

shutter priority - exposure 1/250 - F5.0 - 180mm - ISO 3200

shutter priority - exposure 1/200 - F5.6 - 240mm - ISO 2800

shutter priority - exposure 1/320 - F4.8 - 155mm - ISO 2800

shutter priority - exposure 1/250 - F5.6 - 260mm - ISO 3200

D90 White Balance Tip!

Here's a great D90 White Balance tip from Mark Belliveau called:

Nikon D90 Tip for Fine Tuning a Preset Manual White Balance

 

One of the most important settings for getting the look you want right out of the camera is white balance. Nikon cameras have had the ability to warm or cool a given white balance setting for some time. For example if you like warmer images you can set your white balance setting to auto with A6 (for amber 6) which will perform the usual auto white balancing then warm it up +6 in the amber direction so to speak. Of course you can accomplish the opposite if you prefer cooler images by dialing in B1 up to B6 for bluer, cooler images. All of this can be accomplished by pressing WB (white balance) button on the back of the D90 and using the command and sub-command dials to select Auto and A6.

This is great, and it can be done separately for each white balance setting (e.g. Incandescent, Fluorescent, Direct Sunlight, Flash, etc...). At first glance however it does not appear possible with the Preset Manual white balance settings, since neither command or sub-command dials alter the blue or amber component of that WB setting when the WB button is pressed. Fortunately if you choose the Preset Manual white balance setting via the menus, rather than the WB button, you can then alter the amber or blue compensation as it were.

So if you are shooting under difficult lighting, like a combination of fluorescent and incandescent, where your best bet is a Preset Manual white balance, but you still want to warm or cool it a bit, now you know how.

 

Thanks Mark! you can check out Marks Photo web site here

Nikon D90 Everything on Flicker - Join the Group

OK, I know don't ask. I have no idea why I never started a D90 Everything Blog Flickr Photo Group! But seems to me its a good idea and place for all the followers and visitors of this blog to share their D90 photos. I'd like to see all the followers pictures posted. Maybe if we get enough people to join I'll have a few contests for a prize. Anyone with a D90 how to, tutorial, or review that would like to add to the blog and photo discussion please do!

Please join the group if you would like to show off your D90 shots or start a D90 discussion....

http://www.flickr.com/groups/nikon_d90_everything/

Cleaning your Nikon D90 Camera

With your D90 being a big investment you want to keep it as clean as possible. I was cleaning mine yesterday along with my lenses and thought I’d blog a little from the book on cleaning your camera. Here’s the short of it…

CAMERA BODY

Use a blower to remove dust and lint, then wipe gently with a soft, dry cloth. After using the D90 at the beach or seaside, wipe off sand with a cloth lightly dampened in distilled water and dry thoroughly.

LENS, VIEWFINDER, and MIRROR

These glass elements are easily damaged. Remove dust and lint with a blower, if using an aerosol blower; keep the can vertical to prevent the discharge of liquid. To remove fingerprints and other stains, apply a small amount of lens cleaner to a soft cloth and clean with care

MONITOR

Remove dust and lint with a blower. When removing finger prints and other stains, wipe the surface lightly with a soft cloth or chamois leather. Do not apply pressure, as this could result in damage or malfunction.

Note: Do not use alcohol, thinner, or other volatile chemicals.

LOW-PASS FILTER

The image sensor that acts as the cameras picture element is fitted with a low-pass filter to prevent moiré. If you suspect that dirt or dust on the filter is appearing in photographs, you can clean the filter using the Clean Image Sensor option in the setup menu. The filter can be cleaned at any time using the Clean Now option, or cleaning can be performed automatically when the camera is turned on or off

Cleaning is performed by vibrating the image sensor. If dust can not be fully removed using the options in Clean Image Sensor menu, clean the images sensor manually or consult a Nikon authorized company to clean for you.

 

D90 Cleaning Kits

New Tokina AT-X 11-16mm f/2.8 PRO DX ⅡNow Avalible for the D90!

Hey, There's a new updated Tokina 11-16mm 2.8 Wide Angle lens avalible for purchase today! I have the orginal one and love it for wide angle stuff. This new one has some updated features from the older one. You can see my little review of the older version here. I wonder if this means the price on the older one might come down now.

Some of the updates to this new one are:

1. Faster AF
2. SD-M (Silent Drive-Module) autofocus motor
3. Aspherical element
4. New coating for improved performance

The New Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX-II is an update to the widely popular and award winning AT-X 116 PRO DX, 11-16 F/2.8 lens.

The main update to this lens is in the Nikon mount, the AT-X 116 PRO DX-II has an internal silent focusing motor to allow the lens to AF on Nikon bodies that do not have an AF drive gear and motor.

There have also been some adjustments made to the coating for slightly improved optical performance.

This compact ultra wide-angle zoom has a bright constant F/2.8 aperture make viewing and auto focus possible in lower light situations but still maintaining a reasonable size and weight.

Two Super-Low Dispersion glass elements and two aspheric glass allow the proprietary optical design to achieve excellent contrast and sharpness as well as controlling chromatic aberration.

Tokina’s exclusive One-touch Focus Clutch Mechanism allows the photographer to switch between AF and MF simply by snapping the focus ring forward for AF and back toward the lens mount for manual focusing. The lens is also designed to stand up to the rigors of daily use by photographers in a wide variety of shooting conditions and environments.

Check it out Here

Nikon's Most Powerful All-In-One Zoom Lens Ever for the D90!

AF-S DX NIKKOR
18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR

In stock on September 2, 2012. Get one here!

If you want a single lens that can cover every imaginable shooting situation, from wide-angle groups to ultra-high-power zoom shots, look no further than the new AF-S DX NIKKOR 18–300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR. Boasting the longest reach of any NIKKOR all-in-one zoom lens, it delivers the equivalent of 450mm—enough reach to bring the most distant action up close. Nikon's second generation VR II technology ensures every photo and HD video is razor-sharp, and Nikon's advancements in lens design deliver consistent, exceptional performance in any setting. It's also great for close-up shooting. Even more amazing, the AF-S NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR does all this in a surprisingly compact, lightweight lens.

No subject is too far or too close
450mm (equivalent) of super-telephoto reach Building on the success of the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18–200mm f/3.5-5.6G VR, Nikon proudly introduces the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18–300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR for those who want even more reach in an all-in-one lens. Its astounding 16.7x zoom range goes from a wide 27mm equivalent, great for group shots, vast landscapes and more, all the way to a super-telephoto 450mm equivalent, enough reach for wildlife photography and more. The lens can focus as close as 1.48-ft. from your subject at 300mm. This ultra-high-power zoom capability means no subject or composition will ever be out of reach again.

Sharp, beautiful images in any light VR II image stabilization At super-telephoto focal lengths, even the slightest camera movement can cause image blur. Fortunately, the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18–300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR features Nikon's second-generation Vibration Reduction technology (VR II) to ensure every handheld photo and HD video is razor sharp. Shoot at shutter speeds 4-times slower than otherwise possible, a major advantage in low-light situations where a slower shutter speed means brighter, richer images.

User reviews are in! Check them out here.

D90 and the Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary Celebration!

I'm fortunate enough to live about 50 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge so me and my d90 had to take advantage of this great photo opportunity. The city and the bridge were celebrating 75 years since it was built and planned a big fire works display on the bay and bridge.

Since crowds were suppose to be in the hundreds of thousands I planed accordingly and left my house at 9:am to get a good spot. After waiting 10 hours for the show to begin, I was ready! I set my tripod up and grabbed my remote. I was using my tamron 17-50mm 2.8 lens. My D90 settings were, manual programing, shutter set to bulb, aperture varied though out the shoot as was exposure time. I tried to expose anywhere from 2 seconds to 7 seconds. Anyway I had a blast and must of took over 200 pictures through out the day and evening. So I thought I'd share with you all.

See My Flickr Slide Show Here