nikon

Microsoft has signed patent-protection deals with a number of PC and tablet makers in the past couple of years. Now it's also forging similar deals with more companies embedding the Android operating system inside consumer devices.

Yesterday, Microsoft announced that it has signed a patent-licensing agreement with Nikon. The agreement "provides broad coverage under Microsoft's patent portfolio for certain Nikon cameras running the Android platform," according to Microsoft's press release.

Microsoft and Nikon have agreed not to disclose specifics, but Microsoft is acknowledging that it will receive undisclosed royalties from Nikon as part of the … Read more

If you're looking for a photography-related conversation starter for your home, this accessory could be one to shoot for.

Measuring a little over a foot across and roughly 19.5 inches high when the hood's attached, the lamp is a larger-than-life replica of Nikon's 14-24mm F2.8 ultra-wide-angle full-frame zoom lens. This unique decorative piece is constructed from white cedar wood that's coated with a water-based varnish and then finished with beeswax. … Read more

Nikon hasn't lacked for full-frame wide-angle zoom lenses -- the 14-24mm f.8 is a yumburger -- but with the shipping of the D600 new Nikon adopters faced a rather limited choice of lenses that didn't cost as much as the camera. Nikon rectifies that with a new AF-S 18-35mm f3.5-4.5 FX lens which is better-priced to go with that camera at $749.95.

The lens is ostensibly designed to be compact and lightweight (about 13.6 ounces) to match the lighter D600 body as well. Other specs include a minimum focus distance of about 11 … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Nikon shipped the Nikon 1 J2 interchangeable-lens camera only five months ago and already it's obsolete. Given the lukewarm reception for such a meh update, especially given the flurry of competing products this past fall, it's neither surprising nor distressing that it's being superseded. Here at CES 2013, the company announced two new models in the Nikon 1 series: the Nikon 1 J3 and the cheaper entry-level model, the S1.

The J3 essentially has the same internals as the V2 in the body of the J2; the one physical difference is the mode dial has been … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Nikon kept its point-and-shoot announcement to just one model at CES 2013, the new Coolpix S6500.

And by "new" I mean that it's an already existing model, the S6400, but with Wi-Fi.

The built-in wireless allows you to directly connect to an Android or iOS device and transfer photos and movies to them using Nikon's Wireless Mobile Utility app. The app can also be used to remotely control the camera from more than 30 feet away.

The camera's other features include a 16-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor for potentially fast performance and improved low-light photos … Read more

If you're bored with the run-of-the-mill images produced by your dSLR's kit lens, the dSLR Wheel of Filters may pique your interest with its ability to add a lo-fi twist to your pictures.

The system consists of two components, an adapter and two "wheels." First, the adapter mounts on your dSLR like a regular lens, which will allow you to attach the two supplied "wheels." One lets you choose between colors, dual colors, and color surrounds, while the other comes equipped with macro lenses, kaleidoscopes, and prisms. … Read more

Part digital camera, part smartphone, the 4G Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Camera could be the start of a new generation of digital cameras. And as of this week, both Verizon and AT&T sell it.

On the one hand, Samsung could find some advantage in branching into the digital camera realm early before the trend really takes off. On the other, reaching outside its core technologies into new territory could prove a major misstep for the Korean electronics giant.

Touted as the first 4G LTE camera in the world, the Galaxy Camera deserves a bit of attention. With features such … Read more

As a slight arachnophobe, I'm a bit surprised to discover that I find the above photo of live newborn lynx spiderlings stunning -- and the subjects rather adorable. Stunning and adorable are in the eye of the beholder, of course, but I do know that Walter Piorkowski's photo suddenly makes me feel a bit more comfortable with creepy crawlies.

It happens every year when Nikon announces the results of its annual Small World Photomicrography Competition, which celebrates the art of photography shot through a light microscope. Science becomes exquisite (unexpectedly at times) as photomicrographers turn their tiny lenses on the likes of bat embryos, algae, larva, stinging nettles, and ladybug legs. Even insidious cancer cells become visually mesmerizing. … Read more

When photo enthusiasts entering the digital SLR market ask me whether they should go for Canon or Nikon, one of the points I often raise is Canon's appealing choice of high-end but not top-end lenses.

Well, Nikon just undermined that potential selling point. At the Photo Plus Expo show today, it announced its AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G ED VR, a telephoto zoom lens that provides a competitive answer to Canon's superb EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM.

Let's be clear here. These are still professional-grade lenses, and they aren't cheap. Canon's costs about $1,… Read more