Nikon D60 - firmware version changes?

A recently purchased Nikon D60 shows:

Firmware A: 1.00
Firmware B: 1.01

whereas one bought in August shows:

Firmware A: 1.00
Firmware B: 1.00

I can't find any firmware updates for the D60 on the Nikon UK site, and I
thought that the two firmwares were supposed to have the same version
number. Could any other recent purchaser confirm their firmware version
numbers?

Menu => Setup Menu => Firmware version

Thanks,
David

 

Thanks for that, BobF. Comforting to know that someone has the same
version, and most likely mine isn't the result of someone's failed
upgrade! It had 30 shutter activations at new (from the JPEG EXIF
information).

I wonder what changed in firmware B?

Cheers,
David

 

"David J Taylor"

Firmware A: 1.00
Firmware B: 1.01


Bought in Holland, Oct. 15 (with 18-105 VR)


YMMV, Folkert

 

FastFolkert wrote:
[]

Thanks, Folkert. Good to know there are more mixed-firmware version
cameras out there. Mine was also bought recently.

David

 

You're welcome ;-)
Just curious; have you changed your Image Optimization settings? I found the
default D60 JPG pics a little soft; compared to my Canon Powershot A610.
I have just set sharpening to +1, and will try to shoot some outdoor pics
this weekend to compare.

YMMV, Folkert

 

Folkert,

I left the image parameters at the default value on my Nikon D40, but
actually I find the images sometimes a little /too/ colourful, i.e. too
saturated and has perhaps a little /too/ much contrast. I am thinking of
making the "soft" setting the default for my D60, although that doesn't
appear to increase the dynamic range, just make some of the darker levels
in the JPEG a little lighter. Deep-shadow detail isn't increased (my
rough tests agree with the DP Review findings).

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond60/page19.asp

What I would /like/ to use is the Active D-Lighting:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond60/page20.asp

for the extended dynamic range, but I'm not sure I can tolerate the
slow-down!

I think you will find you come to appreciate the shots from the D60
without the extra sharpening. Sometimes I think that the images from
compact cameras are set to "stun", to be immediately attractive, whereas
those from DSLRs can be more subtle. I certainly found no need to
increase the sharpening. You will find that you need to be much more
careful with focus, though, as there is much less depth-of-field compared
to the compact camera.

By the way, my favourite gripe is the focus position selector. It's all
too easy, when reviewing images, to press the selector left or right just
/after/ an image has timed out, and then you will most likely alter the
focus point from the central position to either the left or right
position. Of course, this shows as the red indicator in the viewfinder
when you half-press the shutter release, but do be aware just which focus
region is selected.

Cheers,
David

 

I got a D90 in my hands at a camera store a couple days ago and my first
reaction to looking through the viewfinder was, "Focus points everywhere!"

Far fewer than the full-framers (I suppose, if they all show) but compared
to the D40/40X/60's three, it looked like quite an indicator party.

 

Blinky the Shark wrote:
[]

Very nice, of course, but how do you choose between the points? Or do you
simply let the camera choose?

Whilst I've generally found the D40 focus very quick and satisfactory
(apart from me accidentally moving the focus point), things like
photographing racing cars from behind a wire mesh prove problematical, as
the camera if left to itself chooses to focus on the nearer wire mesh
rather than the more distant car. It would be equally incorrect for the
camera to focus on the most distant object in this case as well. So far,
preset focus is the best solution I have been able to find....

Cheers,
David

 

Not a D60 comment, just a general DSLR sharpening comment. I find
sharpening to be much too size-dependent and image dependent to use a
standard setting. For example, I rarely want to sharpen well-focussed
shot in good light with plenty of contrast, because even a little
introduces perceptible haloes without adding perceptible
detail. Whereas last week I shot a wide perspective shot of an
intricate church interior which I had to reduce contrast a lot on to
get in all the detail across the high dynamic range bewteen light and
shadow. I then found to my surprise that the best sharpening, which
most unusually brought up no visible sharpening artefacts at all, was
close to the maximum my RAW translator (Sony's IDC) permits. That
simply brought up more textural detail in the rough stonework.

It's also usually the case that shots taken at the widest and longest
extremes of my zooms are too soft to take any sharpening, and I
usually downsize them by a third, and sometimes a half if I also used
widest aperture, before applying whatever sharpening is appropriate.
In fact I find whether sharpening makes an obvious change to the image
when detail is viewed at 200% (pixel peeping) to be a good test of
whether the image has good detail resolution, and so a test of focus
accuracy, lens quality, etc..

 

Chris Malcolm wrote:
[]

Ideally, Chris, I would like to see a flat MTF all the way from lens,
camera and processing, only adding sharpening to correct the MTF of the
display device. The camera should produce a dark-grey to light-grey
transition in the minimum number of pixels and with no overshoots
(ringing, halos). I.e. I would ideally want /no/ sharpening.

Of course, I know this can never happen as there are anti-alias filters
there, and some inverse MTF for that would be needed, etc. etc. That your
sensor samples at a better resolution than your lenses wide open is, to
me, the right way round. It's when the lens is pushing the sensor
resolution (i.e. when the anti-alias filter is really needed because there
are the higher spatial frequency components to remove) that the "visibly"
sharpest results will be obtained, but with the greatest risk of aliasing
artefacts.

Oh, and there's the artistic element you mentioned as well.... Not
simple, is it?

Cheers,
David

 

First of all, I like the idea of having more points for stuff like flying
birds or sports when you're doing AF in the mode where it tries to track
the object and lock on even if it's not centered. I mention this to show
that I'm not *just* an oooh-shiny-toys kind of guy. That said, I
won't know how to manipulate the points for non-continuous servo AF,
asssuming they can somehow be selected like with my D40's three points,
until I get my hands on the manual next week. I wondered that myself;
with the entry-level Nikons it's easy with only three points.

Were you the poster who mentioned changing the point with his nose?

As long as your subject cooperates and doesn't come out of that turn
higher than you expected.

Ever tried trap focus?

 

The D300 (and presumably the D3 and D700) allow you to selectively
lock the 4-way multi-selector (quickly, via a switch, rather than as
a menu option) so it won't allow you to change the selected focus
point while still allowing the multi-selector to operate normally
for other functions. Unfortunately this feature isn't available in
the Dx0 DSLRs, even the new D90.

 

Thanks, ASAAR. Oh, well, I will have to wait until I have saved a few
more pennies, and have built up more carrying strength!

Davis

 

I'll be interested to hear how you get on. Would I be right in thinking
that for "track and lock" the subject must be a very obvious one, or that
"nearest focus" is used? Perhaps someone who has used such a system can
answer?

No, but being left eye dominant I can see hwo that might happen!

Never heard of it.

Cheers,
David

 

http://darkroom.reallyjapan.com/?p=39

 

Thanks, Blinky. We have the same settings on the D60 so it should be
possible there as well.

Cheers,
David

 

In fact, that's where I tried it. I couldn't get it to work.

 

Something lost in translation, perhaps?

David

 

Were you able to successfully assign your D90's AE-L/AF-L button
so that this button (and not the shutter button) initiates focusing?
The instructions on the website are for the D80 and have to be
adjusted for different bodies. For the D50, this is *not* in
"pencil menu - 15". The assignment is made in pencil menu - 14.
For the D90, pencil menu - f4 (Assign AE-L/AF-L button) needs to
have AF-ON selected and then trap focusing should work unless some
other setting is causing a conflict.

 

That is a nice way to go, I made that change on my D700. The other thing
needed to make this work was the default setting of "don't take a pic
unless it's in focus" which is infuriating for much of my shooting.

--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com

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