Nikon Owner Issue 20
Editor's Letter
There is a well-quoted proverb which goes something like this: "One picture is worth ten thousand words1". The development of photography itself, from its selective use in the nineteenth century to its present incarnation - a worldwide phenomenon - proves just that. It is through the medium of images we are able to express our ideas with focus and direction. Pictures provide a straightforward and immediate form of communication.
We think that Issue XX of Nikon Owner proves this point. From the woods in autumn and the study of a female Brimstone butterfly to the vibrant images of rock photographer, Tabatha Fireman, the timeless pictures of Easter Island, taken by Santha Faiia, the colourful shots of Brazil by Peter Spurgeon and the ornithological studies of Phil Collier, the subjects are as varied as they can be, but the images acquaint us instantly with another world.
In this issue too, Michael Eleftheriades, after a series of extremely popular and successful panoramic seminars at Nikon House, Nikon U.K. last year, brings his considerable expertise to guide us through the subject of panoramic photography and helps us choose the right equipment for it.
As well as being a vehicle for articles by our regular contributors, we like to think that Nikon Owner magazine can be used as a channel for our subscribers' images. With this in mind, we are constantly looking for new work from our subscribers that could be published in Nikon Owner magazine. If you would like to send in work for inclusion in the magazine, you should first contact Gillian Greenwood, the Production and Features Editor, as regards content and storyline, and your images should be submitted as follows:
Submitting images to Nikon Owner magazine
Please submit a selection of between twenty and thirty photographs (maximum). All photographs, regardless of whether they were taken with a film or digital camera, must be submitted as digital files on CD-R or DVD media, in an RGB-TIFF format at an image resolution of 300 pixels per inch (ppi), sized to 12" (30cm) along their longest edge, and accompanied by two hard copy contact sheets.
Please ensure all submitted work is marked clearly with your name, address, telephone number and an e-mail address if you have one.
Photographs in the form of transparencies or prints cannot be accepted.
Please send to:
Gillian Greenwood
Production and Features Editor
Nikon Owner Magazine
40 Churton Street, Pimlico
London SW1V 2LP
England
Nikon have finally introduced their eagerly awaited D80, a 10.2-million-pixel digital SLR for enthusiasts
This is a high performance digital SLR camera incorporating Nikon's latest digital and photographic technologies.
This outstanding digital, interchangeable lens SLR boasts automated operation and advanced features, designed to satisfy photographers with a passion to create beautiful photographs.
The D80 features a 10.2 effective megapixel DX Format CCD image sensor, providing a new level of high resolution and sharp detail. With this, however, also comes the freedom to crop creatively and print impressive enlargements. Nikon's DX Format sensor and F bayonet lens-mount design assures compatibility across the comprehensive range of AF and DX Nikkor lenses. A full review of the D80 by Simon Stafford will follow in due course.
Nikon announces the AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED lens for Nikon DX format digital SLRs
Nikon is pleased to announce the introduction of the AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED, a compact, lightweight 7.5x zoom lens. Boasting a range of state-of-the-art optical technologies, this new lens offers outstanding performance at a remarkably affordable price.
The AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED features Nikon ED glass, aspherical lens elements and SWM (Silent Wave Motor) for enhanced performance. With a focal-length range of 18-135mm, the lens is suitable for a wide variety of shooting situations, from sports, action and portraits to wide-angle landscapes. The picture angle is equivalent to a 27-202.5mm lens in the 35mm format.
The Nikon Photography Tutorials with Simon Stafford
I am delighted to inform you of a very special programme of photographic tutorials, which are being held in the new photographic gallery at the Nikon-exclusive company Grays of Westminster, 40 Churton Street, London, SW1V 2LP. They feature our technical editor Simon Stafford, renowned photographic author (Nikon Compendium II, D70s/D70 Magic Lantern Guide, D50 Magic Lantern Guide). The availability of places for each tutorial will be limited to six, so that each attendee will benefit from very hands-on personal tuition.
Each tutorial will be of a two and a half hours duration from 6.00 p.m. until 8.30 p.m. which will include a short coffee break to allow the participants to able to examine and ask questions about equipment. The tutorial programme will encompass a variety of topics, from the subject of General Photographic Techniques covering choice of equipment, particularly lenses, exposure measurement, composition, filters, and some basic flash techniques, to Flash and the use of Speedlights as well as Macro-Photography.
The fee for each attendee per session is £125.00 with a special rate of £95.00 for Nikon Owner subscribers. For full details go to: www.graysofwestminster.co.uk and then click onto the Nikon Photo Tutorials section.
10th Annual Heather Angel Wildlife & Natural History Workshop
The 10th Annual Heather Angel Wildlife & Natural History Workshops at Saint Hill Manor with Nikon U.K. Limited, which took place on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th July were extremely successful. If you want a successful photographic workshop you just need the perfect ingredients:
Take one of the world's greatest wildlife and natural history photographers, place her in a picture-perfect English country manor house - Saint Hill Manor - set in fifty-nine acres of rolling English countryside. Throw in Saint Hill Manor's legendary five-star service from their discreet and helpful staff. Add an arsenal of Nikon equipment and the staff of Nikon U.K. led by Mark Fury, the Professional Trade Sales Manager and John McDonald the Training Manager from Nikon Solutions with his technical team. (Other ingredients, such as the unexpected arrival of llamas to photograph, and the amazing spread of food, which seems to appear in abundance every few minutes at the touch of a magic wand, are secret and only revealed on the day!)
So if you have been promising yourself to go one year then you should make the decision to be there next year. These workshops sell out annually, and some people return again and again. We are taking bookings shortly.
I wish you an autumn of great photography and hope to meet you at another turning of the road.
Best wishes
Gray Levett