Nikonians Articles

Throughout our 20+ years of existence we have amassed an enormous amount of knowledge here at Nikonians. The web provides great resources on Nikon and photo knowledge, so here are our top handpicked sites & pages, the ones we have come to love over the years. Enjoy! Read more...

What will a 35mm Full Frame or APS-C format high-end camera look like in the year 2022? Imaging sensor specialist and Nikonians member Guy Eristoff gives us some background and his thoughts on the topic. Read more...

J. Ramon Palacios (jrp) one of our two founders, gives us a tour of Markins ball head models and new modules that make the combination a truly integrated camera support system, not just for landscape, wildlife, and portrait, but now for birding, video and for panorama photography, by including ingenious compact tools. Read more...

The question on whether it is important to use or not to use a polarizing filter continues to pop up frequently in our forums. The answer is simple: Yes. It is important. It will add drama to the sky and clouds, cut through reflections, reduce and even eliminate glare. NikoniansPress books author and long-time Nikonian Darrell Young explains why and shows us a very illustrative example. Read more...

The quest for the perfect bag to carry our camera gear may never end, as needs, locations and gear do change over time; not to mention materials and innovative designs. Nikonians co-founder J. Ramon Palacios (jrp) proposes another approach to find a happy load solution: a search for a system. Read more...

How to keep warm when taking pictures outdoors in cold weather was the subject of much research to successfully avoid it. Photography should always be joyous and J. Ramon Palacios (jrp) shows us how simple is to solve this issue, once you know the variables and the requirements for each piece of garment. Read more...

A review on switching from the ML-3 Infrared Wireless Remote Control to the WR-R10/T10 Radio Wireless Controller which can be used for both your Nikon camera and Speedlights. Read more...

Starting with What are Neutral Density Filters, Ernesto Santos illustrates with his own images When to use them, How to use them and Why, showing us the possible wonderful results when used appropriately, reason for which they are must-have lens accessories, always in his bag. Read more...

Great flash photography results are produced when the light sources are off-camera. In this article we review Profoto B2. Read more...

Lighting on the go is a frequent concern for both professionals and amateurs. In this review we are looking at the Profoto B1. Read more...

In the endless search for the perfect bag, we requested savvy landscape Nikonians photographer Ernesto Santos to review this new bag. He found it to be a very well made and more than suitable solution that could very well be what you may have been waiting for. Read more...

Does Your Used Stuff Still Work? Nikon cameras have been around for over 50 years with the professional Nikon F hitting the market back in 1959. Some of us who use Nikon started out decades ago, amassing a large collection of equipment and cameras. Long-time Nikon users often wonder if their old equipment is still worthwhile. Let's try to sort it out. Read more...

I have been using a Series 3 Gitzo for several years. To move up from a Series 2 to a Series 3 was an easy choice; it became a need as soon as I went above 200mm focal lengths. But the prospect of acquiring a 500mm f/4 Nikkor lens to seriously incursion Read more...

One of the most common questions regarding Nikon and 3rd Party lenses is "Will my lens work with a teleconverter or the FTZ?" To help answer such questions, the Nikonians Team has created this chart. Read more...

Which Speedlight to select for which purpose plus tips & tricks regarding the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS). Read more...

Another Mike Hagen's video review about which Markins ball head is the right one for your camera and lens. Watch his review and find out which size is the right one for you. Read more...

Should you use your camera in Manual Mode when shooting flash in low ambient conditions? What is better than shooting Aperture priority? Here you'll find all the reasons as well as detailed images explaining various scenarios and showing the effects of Rear Sync vs. Front Sync when movement is involved in photographs. Read more...

There have been several rumors made by experienced photographers stating that selecting different focus areas in the camera will change the place in the image that the flash meters from. This is not the way it works. Read more...

Diffusers and brackets? What do they do, and which ones are best to use? Well, both the bracket and the diffuser were introduced into photography to solve problems of the small flash. What's small flash, what problems do you face with it and how do you overcome it? Read more...

Find out all there is to know about working with Nikon Speedlight A and AA Modes. It may be difficult to differentiate between the two, but once you read Russ' article, you'll see how simple the concepts are. Learn when to use each of the modes best, and which modes suffer from the same problems as TTL. Read more...

Ever run into a situation where you're fairly far from a subject who is in a dim ambient setting, and there is something closer to you that will affect the flash metering? It could be a bird, a plane!, a wall!?, a plant! Well, whatever it may be, guaranteed it will reflect the pre-flash pulses back to your camera, and your shot may not look as you'd have wanted it to. Read more...

How do built-in flashes work on your Nikon? It might be a simple thought, overlooked, but at the same time, understanding its true functions and capabilities is what really enhances not only your photography skills, but your overall outcome of you taking photographs. See for yourself and be at ease knowing you've got yet another how-to under your belt! Read more...

Flash Value Lock is used to make sure the subject is exposed properly by the flash. Knowing key features and the many useful shooting scenarios make all the difference when using this in photography. What about those fast blinkers in your shots? All your questions answered here, just Read more...

How does Nikon's TTL-BL mode work? Which camera mode is best to shoot fill flash? What about the coupling between the camera's metering system and the flash metering systems? Read more...

In a series of articles - Nikon CLS Practical Guide, you'll have an in depth view of Separating Metering Systems, TTL Flash Metering System, TTL-BL Flash, and more. Learning to adjust different backgrounds at will, especially with Flash Photography can be complex. However, a few concepts, tips & tricks, and with plenty of practice, you'll be a pro in no time! Let's read the first, in multi-part installment. Read more...

The basis for a Nikon DSLR’s exposure meter is an RGB sensor that meters a wide area of the frame. When used with a G or D Nikkor CPU lens, the camera can set exposure based on the distribution of brightness, color, distance, and composition. Most people leave their cameras set to Matrix metering and enjoy excellent results. Others use the Center-weighted meter, or the Spot meter. Let's look more closely at each of the Nikon exposure meters. Read more...

Camera bags and photographers. Sometimes I think we go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Other times, I think we go together like oil and water. Picking the right camera bag for every situation is pretty near impossible and that’s why I have an entire closet devoted to just camera bags. Small ones. Big ones. Medium ones. Waist bags. Shoulder bags. Backpacks. Black. Green. Yellow. Read more...

Reviewing the Profoto RFi Softbox solution with sample images. Read more...

We are often faced with complex lighting situations when we want to balance the light coming in from several sources into a scene and our subjects. Weddings and social events at noon time in large rooms, or churches, with large windows can become a nightmare with its mix of harsh light and strong shadows. After using for long a white card with a rubber, various solutions came to market and I have successively used most of them. Read more...

If you've had your photo taken for your driver's license recently, or a mug shot, you've probably noticed the result wasn't the most flattering image you've seen of yourself. Why is that? Read more...

Thanks to Nikonians and Ilford for asking/allowing me to review/test some very nice photo paper.  I hope my review and data will be helpful to not only Ilford, but also potential customers looking for great printing paper for their photos, both pros and home printing photographers. I am an American living in Germany with an Event & Studio Photography business.  Primarily, I shoot Equestrian sports, but I do not limit my self to a single sport or subject. Read more...

While at first this may seem like a silly question (just get the cheapest and fastest card available), choosing the card that's best for you is in fact not a straightforward thing... First there's size to consider. Bigger is better, right? Well, not particularly. Read more...

Since 1879 Switzerland based Ilford has been at the forefront of photographic media development. Unlike some other pioneering photographic companies who have struggled to maintain a solid foothold in an industry that has been transformed in the last twenty years, Ilford continues to steadfastly produce fine quality photographic film and print paper. Read more...