By ; Adel Farig
Speed is key in the world of sports and photojournalism. The new Nikon D6, announced by Nikon Middle East FZE today, makes the mark in Nikon’s history with its most powerful autofocus to capture the decisive moments, and delivers them with fast and versatile communication options so those winning shots swiftly make it to the news-desk or social media with just a few taps.
Be it from an all-selectable 105-point autofocus (AF) employing cross sensors in high density sensor arrangement, to simultaneous recordings of JPEG images to both slots, and even to produce natural skin tones with utmost clarity, the flagship camera is ready to impress even the most gruelling demands of the industry. Low lights and challenging environments of harsh stadium lights will benefit from an ISO sensitivity of 102400. Track the action in conventionally difficult scenes such as multiple subjects in the frame with the new AF engine, while also catching it all with approximately 14-fps1 high speed continuous shooting. Discover workflow flexibility with prioritised image upload together with versatile data transfer capabilities.
“We want to provide a photography experience that is reliable and credible, even in extreme situations where the pace is fast and tough. For the regulars at sporting events, they will love how quickly the Nikon D6 reacts to the rapid movements of the athletes. Photojournalists will appreciate the ability to take photos without hesitation or interruption during crucial moments. Speed in accuracy, operability, communication and transmission, this is the D6 – it leaves nothing to chance,” said Narendra Menon, Managing Director, Nikon Middle East FZE
Nikon D6’s Primary Features
· Intuitive as your instincts: Never miss out perfectly-timed photos on the tennis court or even on the performance stage. Get a precise track and effectively focus on a desired subject without changing composition from the all-selectable 105-point AF with all cross sensors that aligns to a higher density sensor arrangement to reduce the non-AF- covered areas.
Even in dynamic-area AF and 3D-tracking, maintain the focus and follow the action thanks for the new AF engine with improved tracking performance. The AF engine also contributes to keep the subject tack sharp on your viewfinder while using the approximately 14-fps1 high-speed continuous shooting with full AF/AE tracking.
When the subject is moving erratically and swiftly, take advantage of the ‘Wide’ selection in single-point AF and dynamic-area AF modes to avoid focusing on the background yet keep the subject in focus. Focus points in group-area AF can also be customised while auto-area AF allows for one to set the focus starting point.
Experience enhanced subject detection and tracking performance, alongside focus priority on a subject’s eye2 when using auto-area AF or 3D-tracking, with Nikon’s Advanced Scene Recognition System that is a potent combination from a 180K-pixel RGB sensor, the EXPEED 6 image-processing engine and the new dedicated AF engine
Whether in a high-stakes global chess competition or observing a moment of silence, a photojournalist's worse nightmare is taking a picture that interrupts the moment because of a loud click. With the Nikon D6, silent photography in full megapixels is made available in live view photography – shoot up to approximately 10.5-fps3 with auto exposure (AE) tracking. For environments where the camera is on a tripod and mechanical blur can occur, the silent time-lapse and interval time photography are the nifty features that comes in handy.
· The fast and furious: For photographers in the field, the ability to work and report back efficiently on the selected shots is crucial. Fast image transfer is essential to deliver the momentous seconds when an athlete reaches the finishing line with a new record time or scores the goal for the decisive penalty shoot-out. With that in mind, the Nikon D6 delivers approximately 15% quicker communication via wired LAN while inheriting the D5’s highly acclaimed 1000BASE-T standard, and communication via built-in Wi-Fi and WT-6 is an option for the wireless LAN. Photographers can also prioritise important images to upload and be transferred first via Wired LAN and WT-6/A/B/C. The camera is further supported by the SnapBridge app to help make transferring RAW files to smart devices easier.
Your frequently used settings are kept close and easy with touch operation during playback. The settings are easily easy applied with a flick operation, and options include selecting to send a file and to protect a file. Other features that further boost post-shooting operations are playback card slot selection, playback switch between simultaneously-recorded images, filtered playback, and ratings addition. Those looking to work fast and clear unwanted pictures in a hurry will be pleased with the simultaneous deletion feature which allows for multiple recorded images to be deleted in one operation.
Further increasing efficiency in the workflow pace, simultaneous recording of JPEG+JPEG images are also made possible, so large JPEG files can be kept for editing and another small or medium JPEG can be recorded as a transfer option.
Especially if you are at an event-shoot, these features will allow you to integrate workflow and transfer files to editors and clients faster and more conveniently.
· Reliability you can count on: A professional’s camera is a tremendous workhorse of sorts and it endures through any environment and delivers the desired shots without compromise. The D6 sees to its mission with refined usability from the D5 – from its firm grip to improved illuminated top and rear control panels, to the addition of the Kensington lock-compatibility to give a worry-free shooting experience, the camera allows you to concentrate on your craft. Nikon’s new flagship DSLR also takes a page from its predecessor’s absolute highest-level durability, heat resistance, weather- and dust-resistant performance.
Colours are meant to be bright, sharp and true-to-life. Harnessing a newly developed algorithm for accurate auto white balance and the EXPEED 6 image-processing engine to reproduce human skin tones in clarity, the D6 excels in reproducing such shots that meet the expectations and more. The EXPEED 6 also assists in supressing noise even at a high ISO, provides mid-range sharpening parameter for effective image sharpening, allows diffraction compensation even when using small apertures, and gives options to Creative Picture Control support.
For a refined view and comfort of the eyes, the new optical viewfinder helps to achieve approximately 0.72× magnification with approximately 100% frame coverage. Reproduce smoother bokeh with easier confirmation of the area where focus is achieved, thanks to the adoption of the “Clear Matte B” for its focusing screen.
To handle the camera's incredible burst shooting capacity and keeping the buffer cleared, the camera further supports usage of XQD and CFexpress memory card, and has a dependably long battery life.
Rounding up the camera is its comprehensive ecosystem with both hardware and professional support from its extensive range of compatible NIKKOR F mount lenses with various focal length and aperture values, as well as the Nikon Professional Services (NPS) that is ready to assist its members on both local and global levels.
The Nikon D6 is truly the complete system, providing a total solution that caters to the professionals’ needs.
1 Depending on lens, aperture, etc.
2 When phase-detection AF is in use using AF module
3 With AE tracking and fixed AF
