Author Topic: Nikon firmware update available  (Read 5249 times)

Mikes

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Nikon firmware update available
« on: February 08, 2016, 02:04:44 »
Mike Selby - Sydney

Hugh_3170

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Re: Nikon firmware update available
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2016, 05:19:40 »
Thanks Mike. 

It is interesting to see which cameras support this feature (Distortion Control/Correction).    Support for the old D90 is still on offer, whereas its more higly fancied siblings, such as the D3, D3S, D300, D300S and the D700 have never supported the feature.
Hugh Gunn

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Re: Nikon firmware update available
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2016, 06:18:13 »
Thanks for the hint Mike
Daniel Diggelmann

Mikes

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Re: Nikon firmware update available
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2016, 07:00:04 »
Thanks Mike. 

It is interesting to see which cameras support this feature (Distortion Control/Correction).    Support for the old D90 is still on offer, whereas its more higly fancied siblings, such as the D3, D3S, D300, D300S and the D700 have never supported the feature.

Yes, I agree. This update has added an "L" component to the "A" and "B" components of the firmware in my D800e - I presume that distortion correction was formerly embedded in the A and B elements. The firmware in my Df has always featured a separate "L" element, which is updated from version 1.00? to version 2.013. Odd, though, that the firmware in the D5 and D500 is subject to an update even before these cameras hit the market.
Mike Selby - Sydney

peroo

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Re: Nikon firmware update available
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2016, 14:36:18 »
Have any of you tested this feature?
I thought this feature was jpg only, but Nikon Norway told me that this distortion control is present in the raw file.

Bjørn Rørslett

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Re: Nikon firmware update available
« Reply #5 on: February 08, 2016, 14:40:03 »
As tags, not actually changing any of the data.

Thus the NEF has to be processed in Nikon software. Some third-party programs do recognise the w/b tags, but to my knowledge not the distortion corrections.

Erik Lund

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Re: Nikon firmware update available
« Reply #6 on: February 08, 2016, 15:13:42 »
Adobe Raw Converter; If you turn on 'Lens corrections' and in 'Profile' you set the little tick mark, you will get camera and lens used with a 'standard' distortion correction or what?
Erik Lund

Bjørn Rørslett

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Re: Nikon firmware update available
« Reply #7 on: February 08, 2016, 15:20:01 »
No idea. The ACR crowd must step in and answer this.

PhotoNinja resolves the encoded w/b settings, but not any correction of geometry.

peroo

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Re: Nikon firmware update available
« Reply #8 on: February 08, 2016, 15:25:47 »
As tags, not actually changing any of the data.

Thus the NEF has to be processed in Nikon software. Some third-party programs do recognise the w/b tags, but to my knowledge not the distortion corrections.
Ok that was what i suspected, the Nikon guy explained that it changed the data.

John Geerts

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Re: Nikon firmware update available
« Reply #9 on: February 08, 2016, 16:34:29 »
Updates performed, but I have no clue to distinguish this update from the existing distortion correction.

arthurking83

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Re: Nikon firmware update available
« Reply #10 on: February 08, 2016, 22:52:12 »
Thanks Mike. 

It is interesting to see which cameras support this feature (Distortion Control/Correction).    Support for the old D90 is still on offer, whereas its more higly fancied siblings, such as the D3, D3S, D300, D300S and the D700 have never supported the feature.

I may be wrong here, but the chronology here is that the D3/D300 and D700 were introduced before the D90(which used the same sensor as the D300) .. so it's obviously something Nikon added to in camera processing once the D90 came to market.

It's the same with Nikon's Picture Controls(PC) .. I can't remember exactly which camera introduced the added 'Clarity' slider, but in the D800 twins you don't have it whereas in the D810 you do.
The difference between the two types of PC's is that the older cameras(eg. D800's) use an .NCP file extension whereas the newer cameras(with  the Clarity feature) use an .NP2 file extension.
You can't load the newer .NP2 PC onto the older .NCP type cameras via the Picture Control editor.
But in Nikon's software you can use the newer type of PC on the older cameras.
Same with Picture Controls(which IIRC) were introduced with the D3/D300 .. cameras prior to those never used Picture Controls but had separate adjustment features for certain styles.
Again tho, in Nikon's software you could load a PC style onto an older (eg. D200 or D70) raw file as an alternative and forgot the in camera image enhancements.

It's simple progress .. and not really based on specs or model hierarchy.

As for it's use in Nikon software: If you enable distortion control in camera, then Nikon's software will read that bit and apply it to the image(the feature can be turned on/off in camera(at least in the D800E that I have). If you turn DC off tho, Nikon's software will respect that and not apply it to the raw image.
One thing I cant' remember tho(but I think happens) is, the DC if set to on, only works on Nikon lenses with detailed info fed to the camera(and hence exif). And the lens needs to be on the DC features list. So if you use a modern non Nikon lens, the DC is not applied to an image even tho DC in camera may be turned on.
And some (even modern) Nikon lenses weren't included in the firmware version prior to this one as I remember, so even some modern Nikon lenses may not have DC applied too. 
eg. I remember the (then new) 18-140VR lens wasn't included in one of the earlier DC versions(it is in this one tho).

Furthermore, once applied in some Nikon software, I think it can't be 'unapplied'. I know in VNX2 this is true and no options to enable/disable any distortion feature at all. So whatever DC is applied in camera will be applied in VNX2 raw images.

In CaptureNX2 there is a Distortion Control feature, but it's not linked to in camera Distortion Control at all. It's just a slider that allows an amount of adjustment to an image.
 
But in CaptureNX-D, there is a Distortion Control tool under the Lens Adjustment tab. This seems to work with or without the camera DC feature too tho.
On a image from my son's D70s + 18-135VR lens, it applies what it deems to be the correct amount of distortion adjustment given the lens parameters in the exif. There are no controls to set the amount of distortion amount .. just on/off.
So it seems the same info for the camera firmware must be embedded into CNX-D as well .. and hence can be retrospectively be applied to an image via the editor.
Also note that on the Nikon software download pages for CNX-D and VNX-i there is a 3Mb file for updating the DC profiles for the software.
This update file has the same 'version' number that corresponds to the camera firmware version number(both being v2.013).
They are different files tho(and as such use different file names) .. they obviously aren't interchangeable files but must contain the same lens profile data.

As for ACR (or other third party software) reading embedded camera data such as this, or vignetting data .. I have no idea.
Arthur

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Re: Nikon firmware update available
« Reply #11 on: February 08, 2016, 22:56:53 »
Updates performed, but I have no clue to distinguish this update from the existing distortion correction.

Unless you have a capable lens I don't think you can just by testing it on some random images.
The only way you know if the update is loaded, or was successful is via the camera's menu.
Setup Menu scroll down(or better ... up!). It's the Firmware version info. This will tell you what A and B and L version you have loaded. You want the L version info for the DC firmware.

Nikon originally used to use a v1.xxx version ...  then updated it to a v2.005 about a year ago.
This update should give you a v2.013 now.
Arthur

Øivind Tøien

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Re: Nikon firmware update available
« Reply #12 on: February 08, 2016, 23:47:16 »
...
Furthermore, once applied in some Nikon software, I think it can't be 'unapplied'. I know in VNX2 this is true and no options to enable/disable any distortion feature at all. So whatever DC is applied in camera will be applied in VNX2 raw images.

In CaptureNX2 there is a Distortion Control feature, but it's not linked to in camera Distortion Control at all. It's just a slider that allows an amount of adjustment to an image.
...

This is not correct, there is an on/off setting for distortion control in CNX2, but it does not seem to show up unless the lens is in the database; it does show up independently of whether distortion control was on or off in-camera. (This is with version L 2.009)  Perhaps you confuse with the vignette control slider or the axial color aberration slider?

A note is that if distortion control is turned on in-camera, it may slow down the frame rate and buffer in continuous shooting. With my D7100 frame rate seems to drop from 5 to about 4 frames per second (hard to record) in 14 bit non-cropped mode and buffer is reduced from 5 frames to 3 frames  :o . Thus I usually keep it off in camera with this body, and rather turn it on in CNX2 when needed.
   
Øivind Tøien

John Geerts

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Re: Nikon firmware update available
« Reply #13 on: February 09, 2016, 00:26:39 »
Unless you have a capable lens I don't think you can just by testing it on some random images.
The only way you know if the update is loaded, or was successful is via the camera's menu.
Setup Menu scroll down(or better ... up!). It's the Firmware version info. This will tell you what A and B and L version you have loaded. You want the L version info for the DC firmware.

Nikon originally used to use a v1.xxx version ...  then updated it to a v2.005 about a year ago.
This update should give you a v2.013 now.
Thanks Arthur. The cameras show the correct update.  I presume this update will be valid for future photo's and not for historical RAWS?   I have the AF-S 17-35/2.8 which has some distortions mainly good visible on architectural subjects. But were the distortion-corrections not already in the ARC software or other Third party software like DxO which I use?

arthurking83

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Re: Nikon firmware update available
« Reply #14 on: February 09, 2016, 01:06:57 »
This is not correct, there is an on/off setting for distortion control in CNX2, but it does not seem to show up unless the lens is in the database ...

Ah!
I don't have many modern Nikon lenses. 18-105VR(for my son) and 105VR for myself .. all other(modern) lenses are thirdparties, and hence probably why I don't usually see this.

I just opened up an image that my son captured on the D300 and his 18-105VR and I can confirm your comments. The Auto Distortion switch appeared for that image just above the Auto red eye switch.
After nearly 10 years using CNX2, I've only just been alerted to this point! :D

I was thinking it'll work like it does in CNX-D where the tool is always there, in view, but with an incompatible lens it'd simply be inactive, and active only for a compatible lens.

Thanks for the added info.

John .. the lens correction can also be applied to any raw file(well that I know of anyhow!). It's not camera dependent.
I can apply it to a D70 raw file .. as long as the lens is supported in the database.

It will be software dependent tho:

eg. Nikon no longer support CNX2, so any lens profile already contained in that software is set as of the final date that any update was applied.
So if a lens was released after this date, then you'd assume that it won't be available in CNX2.
CNX-D(and ViewNX-i) should have the ability to apply distortion adjustments to any lens within the DC database. Hence why Nikon just released the update file for CNX-D and Vnx-i.

The CNX-D/VNX-i lens distortion update file is available ->http://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/products/162/Capture_NX-D.html<-

One thing I'm curious about too .. is how well does it correct for distortion.
That is, if the lens has a complex distortion type, for example with a wave form rendering .. is the DC application to counter this, or just simple barrel/pincushion application?
I'm not sure if I have any images to test with. Possibly some taken with the 18-105VR at 18mm .. but I  think I may have deleted most of them.
Arthur