Sadly it really is only to support the new D3100. I was hoping for a bit more, but with Nikon and their software well they dance to their own drummer. I still think that it give superior performance, but the Lightroom is so close now and the work flow so much simpler, I find myself using Capture less and less. In fact, I question whether or not I would even pay to upgrade, if and when Nikon goes to NX3.

Here are the highlights.

• Compatibility with Mac OS X version 10.6.4 has been added.
• Support for RAW images captured with the D3100 has been added.
• Information for lenses used with the Auto Distortion correction function under Camera & Lens Corrections in the Develop section of the Edit List has been updated.
• An issue that prevented smooth display of graduations when certain RAW images were opened has been resolved (however this issue may remain in some images)
• An issue that caused certain RAW images to be displayed too brightly with Capture NX 2 Ver. 2.2.0–2.2.4 has been resolved.
• When the Image Dust Off function under Camera & Lens Corrections in the Develop section of the Edit List was applied, block noise was generated in some very rare cases. This issue has been resolved.

The link for the upgrade for Mac is…HERE.

The link for the upgrade for PS is…HERE.

If you son’t already own NX2 and don’t have this version it is worth upgrading. It has always been stable and fast for me. You can buy it from Amazon with the link below.

Nikon Capture NX 2 Full Version

The best part of this news is that Nikon is working on software and I hope that means that Nikon Capture NX2 will soon be Nikon Capture NX3! The other good news is that for Nikon users this is free software and will now edit your videos.

Here are the details and you can download the software…HERE.

ViewNX 2 Primary New Functions

Revamped user interface

Three workspaces

It is easy to switch between the three workspaces—Browser, GeoTag, Edit—with the simple click of a button on the Toolbar.

• Geo Tag workspace
• Browser workspace
• Edit workspace

Four background colors

The color of the workspace background can be selected from white, grey, dark grey and black, depending upon the brightness of images.

Changing palette display, thumbnail list display

As the Browser palette at the left of the ViewNX 2 window and the Edit palette at the right of the window can be displayed separately, working with ViewNX 2 is more efficient. What’s more, as unnecessary palettes can be hidden, the workspace can be maximized. In the Browser and Edit workspaces, the Thumbnail List option can also be selected to display image details with thumbnails.

New image editing functions

(1) Crop

Save only the desired portion of a photo.

(2) Auto Red-Eye

Correct the “red-eye” effect that often occurs in photos of people taken with a flash.

(3) Straighten

Straighten photos taken at an angle.

(4) Auto Lateral Color Aberration

Correct color shift caused by chromatic aberration and reduce lateral chromatic aberration.

Movie editing functions

Trim

Use to specify and extract only the desired portion of a movie file.

Save movie frame as still image

Saves a specified movie frame as a JPEG image with the same pixel count as the original movie frame.

Improved print functions

(1) Printing date/time shot

Print the date images were captured over or below the images.

(2) Background color

Select one of four background color options for printing.

(3) Metadata

Select the shooting information to be printed with images from a detailed set of options.

(4) Header/Footer

Text can be input for use as headers and/or footers with printing

Greater collaboration with my Picturetown

Simple viewing

Images uploaded to my Picturetown can be viewed in the ViewNX 2 Browser window. This allows users to check the images uploaded to my Picturetown without opening a Web browser and entering their login e-mail address and password every time.

Simple upload to my Picturetown from ViewNX 2

Images can be uploaded from ViewNX 2 to my Picturetown using simple drag and drop operations from the folder displayed in the ViewNX 2 Browser window.

Other ViewNX 2 Functions

Files can be converted to a different format and image size can be adjusted

Aspects such as brightness, contrast, highlights and shadows can be adjusted for both JPEG and RAW images

Equipped with a variety of display modes including Thumbnail Grid, Thumbnail List, Image Viewer and Full Screen

Comprehensive RAW image processing with Exposure Comp., White Balance and Picture Control adjustments

Custom Picture Controls can be created and saved. Custom Picture Controls created with a Nikon camera can be imported into ViewNX 2 and exported to compatible cameras. (RAW images only)

Nine color labels and ratings (up to five stars can be specified) enable detailed organization and classification of images

A number of bugs have been squashed and rather quickly squashed by Adobe today with this release. I found it cool that the majority of these bugs were fixed based on how many crash reports were generated by users. So next time that window pops asking of its OK to send the crash report…check yes!

• A number of issues that could cause slow performance have been addressed.
• Top crashers found in the field have been addressed.
• 3D refractions, Ray Tracing and IBL workflows have been improved.
• Out of memory error opening some TIFFs has been addressed.
• A crash in Content-Aware Fill has been addressed.
• Font related crashes have been addressed.
• A number of user interface and workspace issues have been fixed.
• A number of painting-related problems have been addressed, including video layer issues.

We also addressed several issues that were result of the major architectural changes on the Mac side in the move to Cocoa/64-bit:

• Right-click correctly selects the layer clicked on in the context menu.
• Right-click to bring up the brush picker displays the picker under the cursor on the correct monitor.
• Slow performance when using the Liquify filter has been fixed.
• An issue where menus become disabled has been fixed.
• Scrolling speed using Apple Mighty and Magic Mouse mouse wheel has been improved.
• Double-clicking the document title bar now correctly minimizes the document.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when generating font previews. Note: We continue working with Apple to address remaining issues related to fonts and font caches.
• Fixed an issue with batch processes on open documents.
• Droplets are now Intel-native to improve compatibility in 64-bit mode and to remove the requirement to run droplets using Rosetta.
• Fixed an issue where a white pixel would show up on screen after invoking certain dialogs.

Windows-specific issues of note:

Fixed an issue running on older AMD processors that prevent Photoshop from launching. (Application failed to initialize properly (0xc000001d))

If the auto updater does not fetch this for you, you can get the Mac update…HERE. And Windows…HERE.

If you have not upgraded your software yet…you should. Remember that Adobe has changed the upgrade rules. You can only upgrade from 3 generations past. So if you are using CS2 this is the last year you can upgrade at the discount price.

Adobe Photoshop CS5 Upgrade

Adobe Photoshop CS5 Upgrade [Mac]

Adobe Photoshop Extended CS5 Upgrade

This is a terrific version and offers a ton more features than have been updated in a few years. So if you have an old photoshop or have never bought it, why not now?

Nikon Capture NX 2 Full VersionNikon Capture NX 2 Full Version

Nikon Capture NX 2 Upgrade from Capture NX 1.xNikon Capture NX 2 Full VersionThe big news for Mac fans is that only 5 months after the launch of Snow Leopard, Nikon managed to get their software updated and compatible. Despite the tone of that sentence it is really good news, because I am seeing a huge increase in performance with this update.

From Nikon USA and a link to the download page.

If you were waiting to buy now would be a good time. Here are the links to purchase NX2.

Nikon Capture NX 2 Full Version

Nikon Capture NX 2 Upgrade from Capture NX 1.x

Macintosh:

* Compatibility with Mac OS X version 10.6.2 has been added.

* Specifications have been modified so that when 25 Photos on Page, or a higher number of photos per page, is selected for Select Layout in the Print layout dialog, the Use Thumbnail Data (Draft Use Only) box is automatically checked.

This resolves an issue that prevented printing when 25 Photos on Page, or a higher number of photos per page, was selected for Select Layout.

* Capture NX 2 would quit unexpectedly when certain settings files were applied with the Apply Settings box checked in the Watched Folder panel of the Batch Process dialog. This issue has been resolved.

* An issue that caused Capture NX 2 to freeze when switching images after the Color Picker had been opened has been resolved.

Windows:

* Compatibility with 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 Home Basic/ Home Premium/ Professional/ Enterprise/ Ultimate has been added. When run under 64-bit versions, the software operates as a 32-bit application.

* Compatibility with 64-bit versions of Windows Vista Home Basic/ Home Premium/ Business/ Enterprise/ Ultimate (Service Pack 2) editions has been added. When run under 64-bit versions, the software operates as a 32-bit application.

* Specifications have been modified so that when 25 Photos on Page, or a higher number of photos per page, is selected for Select Layout in the Print layout dialog, the Use Thumbnail Data (Draft Use Only) box is automatically checked.

This resolves an issue that prevented printing when 25 Photos on Page, or a higher number of photos per page, was selected for Select Layout.

* An issue that caused an error message to be displayed and prevented printing when borderless settings were applied with some printers has been resolved.

* An issue that prevented accurate application of borderless print settings has been resolved.

* An issue that prevented specification of the same margin for left, right, top, and bottom margins in the Margins section of the Page Setup dialog has been resolved.

* An issue that caused a delay between clicking of the Print button and actual initiation of printing has been resolved.

* When an image was opened on some computers with AMD CPUs, Capture NX 2 quit unexpectedly. This issue has been resolved.

* An issue that caused an error message to be displayed during batch processing of a large number of files has been resolved.

* When a batch process was run with the Notify when completed box in the Processing Queue – Process Running dialog checked, a blank window was displayed. This issue has been resolved.

* When a batch process was run for multiple images with the same shooting date and time, the processed images were not saved with the correct file names. This issue has been resolved.

* An issue that caused batch processing to fail before completion when a batch process was run with certain settings has been resolved.

* An issue that caused an error message to be displayed when multiple enhancements were applied to images has been resolved.

* An issue that caused an error message to be displayed when attempting to open several images previously saved with Capture NX 2 has been resolved.

* When the Camera & Lens Corrections checkbox was checked (Develop section of Edit List), enhancements were not applied to an image opened in the image window and displayed at 100%, and the enhanced image could not be saved. This issue has been resolved.

* When image window display was maximized with Desktop selected for Window menu>Workspaces>Additional Screen for the primary monitor on a dual monitor system, the image window disappeared. This issue has been resolved.

* When the zoom tool was used to enlarge an image displayed with Full Screen or Presentation selected from the View menu, the portion of the image clicked with the zoom tool was not displayed at the center of the window. This issue has been resolved.

* An issue that prevented switching between “+” and “-“ operations when the ALT key was pressed while using the selection brush has been resolved.

* An issue that caused folders in the Capture NX 2 Folders palette to be displayed in a different order than with Windows Explorer display has been resolved.

* When the crop tool was used to select a crop and the ENTER key pressed to apply the crop, the cursor did not switch to a selection tool. This issue has been resolved.

* When a number was entered after a decimal point for some enhancement items with text boxes for entering numerical values in the Edit List, the values could not be changed. This issue has been resolved.

* When “-” (minus) was entered in the Exposure Compensation text box under Quick Fix in the Develop section of the Edit List, it was displayed in red and then “0” was displayed after a few seconds. This issue has been resolved.

Basically an update for a couple of new cameras and as usual I recommend that you update to the latest version, you never know what little tweaks were done under the hood. You also need this update for the Lightroom 2.3 update.

Support for the following cameras has been added in this update. Visit the Camera Raw page for a complete list of supported cameras.

• Nikon D3X
• Olympus E-30

Windows Update Link

Mac Update Link

Adobe Photoshop CS4 Upgrade

The public Beta has been out for a while, but this is the official update. Basically it adds camera support, but I always install these official releases as they usually tweak some things under the hood.

From Adobe:

• Additional camera support for the Canon 50D, Canon 1000D (Digital Rebel XS/EOS Kiss F), Nikon D700, Nikon D90, Sony A900, and more
• Several corrections for issues introduced by the Lightroom 2 release

Link to Windows Download Link to MAC Download

And if you have not bought Lightroom 2 yet…why? Go directly to Amazon via this link and buy it!

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Upgrade

This is on the Nikon Europe site at the moment, but should be up in the US site shortly.

The big deal for me is that when you are using auto iso you can now set the minimum shutter speed up to a 4000th. The old setting was 1/250! They also clain improved auto focus which is always welcome.

Link to the upgrade and full details about the update.

The following improvements have been made in version 1.10

- The Highlights playback display option has been moved from Display mode > Basic photo info > Highlights in the playback menu to Display mode > Detailed photo info > Highlights.
- The size and color of “Demo” displayed in the monitor with playback when No memory card? in the Custom Settings is set to Enable release, have been modified.
- The range of settings available for ISO sensitivity settings > ISO sensitivity auto control > Minimum shutter speed in the shooting menu has been increased from 1/250 – 1 s to 1/4000 – 1 s.
- When shooting in hand-held live view mode and the frame is magnified prior to autofocusing, operation has been modified so that display returns to the magnified display rather than full-frame display.
- Images captured with Rotate tall, in the playback menu, set to On are not automatically rotated for display immediately after capture (image review).
- A Copyright information item has been added to the setup menu.  When Copyright information is enabled, the copyright symbol (©) is shown in the shooting info display.
- Recent settings can now be displayed in place of My Menu.
- Custom Setting e3 Flash cntrl for built-in flash (e3 Optional flash when an optional Speedlight is mounted on the camera) can now be added to My Menu using the Add items option in My Menu from Add items > Custom setting menu > e Bracketing/flash.
- The degree of the High ISO NR setting can now be confirmed in the shooting info display while the High ISO NR setting item, in the shooting menu, is being applied.
- Ankara, Riyadh, Kuwait, and Manama have been added to the Time zone options for the World time item in the setup menu.
- When a GPS device is used and no heading information is available, —.–° is now displayed for the Position > Heading option in the GPS item in the setup menu.
- When shooting in live view mode using Camera Control Pro 2 (Ver. 2.2.0 or later) with a PC-E lens, the aperture setting can now be adjusted from the computer.
- Focus acquisition performance in dynamic-area AF mode has been improved.
- Focus acquisition performance with contrast-detect AF has been improved.
- Auto white balance performance has been improved.
- The fourth digit in seconds display for GPS latitude and longitude information is now rounded off rather than omitted.
- The current MB-D10 battery type setting can now be confirmed in the shooting info display when R6 / AA-size batteries are used with the Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10.
- An issue that caused an increase in noise with shooting in [M] exposure mode at a shutter speed setting of bulb with the shutter held open for less than 8 seconds and Long exp. NR enabled has been resolved.
- An issue that prevented shutter release at the specified shutter speed when no operations were performed for 30 seconds in mirror up mode has been resolved.
- An issue that caused abnormal image display when  Image review was set to On and the playback zoom in button was pressed immediately after shooting at the following settings has been resolved.
. Image quality:  NEF (RAW ) + JPEG
.  NEF (RAW) recording:  Lossless compressed or Compressed
.  Image size: S or M
- When the Speedlight SB-800 was mounted on the camera with flash mode set to distance-priority manual (GN) mode, and the camera recovered from standby mode triggered by the auto meter off function, the distance information displayed on the SB-800 changed.  This issue has been resolved.

A couple of useful links to Amazon for the D300.

Nikon EN-EL3e Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery for D200, D300, D700 and D80 Digital SLR Cameras

Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera