Nikon to service faulty D5000 dSLRs

Bought a Nikon D5000 and can't figure out why it won't work? Are your symptoms:

1. The camera cannot be operated when the power switch is on, even with a fully charged battery.

2. The camera cannot be operated with the EH-5a AC adapter connected through the EP-5 power connector and the power switch on.

Nikon's there for you. The company issued a statement promising to post a list of affected serial numbers on July 23 (you'll be able to find it on this service advisory page), and perhaps more importantly, details on how it will streamline the process.
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AstroScope lets your dSLR see in the dark

US company Electrophysics has two adapters which can make your Canon or Nikon dSLR snap pictures in the dark. Such an application is not new and was previously implemented in surveillance and video cameras for recording footages in the dark. But the AstroScope 9350-series adapters are specially designed to be used with dSLRs.

These night vision systems fit between the camera body and the lens. There is a central intensifier unit (CIU) which illuminates the scene dramatically even if there is only a weak light source. What is special is that these adapters maintain the electrical connections required for image stabilizer operation and autofocus by the optics.

Electrophysics did not announce the pricing and availability of the AstroScope on its Web site, but we don't think such a niche product will sell cheap.

Via Engadget

Adobe explains why Lightroom image export isn't faster

Earlier this month, I encountered an Adobe Photoshop Lightroom analysis by consultant Lloyd Chambers that expressed surprise with a facet of the image editing and cataloging software: it didn't export photos as fast as possible.

Chambers found that if a photographer wants to produce JPEG or TIF images from the originals in the program, the fastest way is to divide the batch into thirds and export each third separately. Using a modern Mac Pro system, exporting a test set of photos took 351 seconds as one batch and 189 seconds divided into three batches running at the same time.

"The big disappointment is the sluggish performance importing and exporting files, which are tasks that are key to efficient workflow--tasks one has to do over and over. Most of the 'juice' of a Mac Pro goes untapped," Chambers concluded. "You have to load it up with more than one job to force more of the available CPU cores to be used. Lightroom should do this automatically!"
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Micro Four Thirds adapters for Nikon F and Pentax K mount optics

Japanese camera manufacturer Cosina Voigtlander has introduced Nikon F and Pentax K mount adapters for Micro Four Thirds cameras. This adds on to the many third-party adapters available for use with Micro Four Thirds shooters such as the recently announced Olympus E-P1.

Shutterbugs who have old lenses lying around at home may finally be able to put them to use. The last we counted, there are 13 adapters on the market which allow you to attach even the 1950s Leica screw-mount glasses to Micro Four Thirds cameras.

This goes to show how much emphasis the industry is putting on the new imaging standard, and with such strong support we are quite sure it will go far. For now, that space is occupied by only Olympus and Panasonic. Will major players such as Canon and Nikon join the fray soon?

Samsung's U10 mini camcorder features full-HD video recording

Samsung's taking its sleek smartphone stylings and applying them to its debut entry into mini camcorder territory. Looking a bit like the Memoir, but with the lens section angled slightly upward for (presumably) more comfortable operation, the HMX-U10 combines an eye-catching design with some--but not all--of the features necessary to succeed in the competitive direct-to-Web camcorder market.

It certainly takes the lead by offering 1,920 x 1,080-pixel, 30fps video; the Flip UltraHD, Creative Vado and Kodak Zi6 all do only 720p-quality. And while the CMOS sensor is relatively large compared to the Flip and Kodak--1/2.3 inch vs. 1/4.5--it also crams in boatloads more pixels to be able to claim 10-megapixel still photos.
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