Nikon software updates

Over the past couple of weeks, Nikon has released a number of software updates:

Capture NX-D

Changes (Mac and Windows)

• Support for the D5500, COOLPIX L31 (not released in Japan), COOLPIX L32, COOLPIX S3700, and COOLPIX S2900 (not released in Japan) has been added.
• When Capture NX-D is used to edit files that were once edited with Capture NX 2, additional adjustment of editing performed with Capture NX 2 is now possible.
• However, only items in the Develop section of the Capture NX 2 Edit List can be adjusted with Capture NX-D. In addition, images that have been edited using Color Efex Pro may be edited after settings are reverted to their original values.
• A PF Flare Control item has been added to the Camera and Lens Corrections palette.
• This item can be used to reduce flare (ring flare, circular flare, etc.) caused by bright light sources in images captured with compatible lenses.
• A Revert to Last Saved State option has been added to the Adjust menu.
• This option resets adjustments applied with Capture NX-D.
• A Launch Camera Control Pro 2 option has been added to the Tool menu.
• The following issues have been resolved.
• When images to which Distortion Control has been applied are opened, edges were fringed with colour.
• When Noise Reduction was applied, the application would quit unexpectedly.
• When a RAW image captured with a camera that does not support the Picture Control system (D2XS, D2X、D2HS, D2H, D1X, D1H, D1, D200, D100, D80, D70S, D70, D60, D40X, D40) was displayed, the icon indicating that the image had been edited was displayed, even if the image had not actually been edited.
• When Quick Adjust was applied to RAW images captured at a Picture Control setting of Neutral, Flat, or Monochrome, and for which Recorded Value was selected in the Picture Control palette, the Quick Adjust value reverted back to "0.00" when the images were again displayed in Capture NX-D after the application was once closed and then launched again.
• A Noise Reduction setting of Better Quality 2013 could be selected for JPEG and TIFF images.

Changes (Windows only)

• The following issues have been resolved.
• Multiple images in the My Pictures folder could not be selected to copy or move under Windows 7 or an earlier operating system.
• When files were saved with different file names using the Convert Files function, the new file names were not accurately reflected.

Changes (Mac only)

• Support for OS X version 10.10.1 has been added.
• OS X version 10.7.5 is no longer supported.

You can download the updated version from the Nikon support site

ViewNX 2.10.3

Changes (Mac and Windows)

• Support for the D5500, COOLPIX L31 (not released in Japan), COOLPIX S3700, COOLPIX L32, and the COOLPIX S2900 (not released in Japan) has been added.

Changes (Windows only)

• When images were converted to JPEG format using the Convert Files function with Quality set to Good Compression Ratio or Highest Compression Ratio, the resulting JPEG images could not be displayed in ViewNX 2, Capture NX 2, or Capture NX-D. This issue has been resolved.

Changes (Mac only)

• Support for OS X version 10.10.1 has been added.
• OS X version 10.7.5 is no longer supported.

You can download the updated version from the Nikon support site

Capture NX2 2.4.7 (Mac installer update only)

Changes

• Updated installer now compatible with Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite).

Note: the application itself has not changed, Nikon only updated the installer. So this update is of interest only to people wanting to (freshly) install Capture NX2 2.4.7 on their Mac with Yosemite (OS X 10.10).

You can download the updated version from the Nikon imaging website

Nikon Camera Control Pro 2.20.0

Changes (Mac and Windows)

• Support D5500 has been added.
• With continuous shooting using the D4S, D810, or D750 with image quality set to a NEF (RAW)+JPEG option, and the Transfer only JPEG to PC option set to On, the transfer of JPEG images to the computer would be terminated before all images in the series had been transferred. This issue has been resolved.

Changes (Mac only)

• Support for OS X version 10.10.1 has been added.
• Mac OS X version 10.7.5 is no longer supported.
• If an application other than Camera Control Pro 2 was brought to the front, and the Camera Control Pro 2 window was minimized, under OS X version 10.9, images sometimes could not be transferred. This issue has been resolved.

You can download the update from the Nikon support site.

Wireless Transmitter Utility 1.5.3 (Mac only)

Changes

• Support for OS X 10.10.1 has been added.
• OS X 10.7.5 is no longer supported.

You can download the update from the Nikon support site.

Picture Control Utility 2.0.2

Changes (Mac and Windows)

• Support for the D5500 has been added.
• Preview images can now be rotated.

Changes (Mac only)

• Support for OS X version 10.10.1 has been added.
• OS X version 10.7.5 is no longer supported.

You can download the update from the Nikon support site.

Tip: Workflow considerations

I hadn't yet announced it on this blog (it's still beta), but Nikon announced the “successor” to its Nikon Capture NX2 (raw) image editor a couple of weeks ago. Naturally I was thrilled reading about this; I predominantly use NX2 in my image editing workflow and consider it a great and versatile tool. Over the last couple of years Nikon has maintained NX2 relatively well, but only released small updates to it, no new functionality. So hearing about NX-D, as Nikon calls it, was really met with a positive feeling by me (and I'm sure lots of other photographers).

After going over the specs and learning more about NX-D though (there is a beta available from the Nikon beta website), this positive feeling soon got replaced with a huge sense of disappointment. While the overhaul of the interface is probably welcomed by many, NX-D does away with all that was great about NX-2; edit results no longer embedded in the raw file itself, no local adjustments, no control points (really smart selections), no concept of layers/blending modes, no spot removal/retouch brush (!), etc. Most of these things I, at least partially, see as critical for a raw editor so you can imagine I was very disappointed.

The only great thing is that NX-D will be free! The way I see it, though, is that it is more a replacement of View NX2, not of Capture NX2. A real shame.

So knowing that NX2 is going to be end-of-life in a couple of months and also knowing that NX-D isn't really going to be a successor as it lacks critical tools, I had to reconsider my imaging workflow. For some time now, I have been investigating a new workflow (one without NX2/NX-D), and I think I have found one that works (at least for me).

Nikon Capture NX2.4.6 released

Nikon has released an update to it's Nikon Capture NX2 image editing application.

Version 2.4.6 adds support for the new D3300 camera and improvements in White Balance handling as well as a couple of OS specific fixes.
You can download the software from the Nikon support sites: EU | USA.

From the release notes:

Modifications that apply to both the Windows and Macintosh versions

• Support for RAW images captured with the D3300 has been added.
• Advanced settings, such as Sharpening, under Camera Settings > Picture Control in the Develop section of the Edit List palette can now be adjusted, even when Unchanged is selected for Picture Control when RAW images are opened.
  The following modifications and additions have been applied to White Balance > New WB in the Camera Settings portion of the Develop section in the Edit List palette.
  - An Auto 1 option has been added to White Balance > New WB options.
  Capture NX 2 adjusts white balance for colors similar to those achieved in images captured with a camera's Auto 1 (Normal)* white balance setting.
  However, only RAW images captured with the following cameras are supported.
  - The D7000 and later digital SLR cameras
  - Advanced cameras with interchangeable lenses
  - The COOLPIX A as well as the COOLPIX P7100 and later COOLPIX cameras that support recording in the NRW format
  *Auto white balance setting with cameras that do not offer an Auto 2 (Keep warm lighting colors) option
  - Adjustment units available with the Tint option have been changed from 1 to 0.01 for more precise specification.
  - The adjustment range for Fine Adjustment when Direct sunlight is selected for Daylight has been expanded from 4132–7042k to 2500–7042k.
  - Adjustment using Fine Adjustment and Tint is now possible when Recorded Value, Auto 1, Auto 2, or Underwater is selected.

Additional modifications to the Windows version

• The following issues have been resolved.
  - An error occurred when XMP/IPTC files created with Capture NX 2 Ver. 2.4.3 or earlier were opened.
  - Details specified in the Print layout dialog and page setup dialog displayed with selection of Page Setup... in the File menu were not applied.

Additional modifications to the Macintosh version

• Support for Mac OS X version 10.6 has been eliminated.
• An issue has been resolved where image files saved to a disk formatted using the FAT32 architecture were edited and saved, editing details were not applied.

Nikon releases Nikon Capture NX2.4.5 and Nikon View2.8.2

Nikon has released an update to their Nikon Capture NX2 and Nikon View 2 applications.

Updated in Capture NX2.4.5

• Support for RAW images captured with the D5300, and Df has been added.
• The Better Quality 2012 option under Noise Reduction in the Camera Settings portion of the Develop section in the Edit List palette has been changed to Better Quality 2013.
  Applicable from this version, Intensity and Sharpness can now be adjusted separately for both Luminance and Color. Therefore, when images to which Better Quality 2012 was applied with Capture NX 2 Ver. 2.4.4 or earlier are opened in Capture NX 2 Ver. 2.4.5, the effects of Noise Reduction adjustment may change.

Updated in View NX2.8.2

• Support for RAW images captured with the D5300, and Df has been added.

As always you can download the updates from the support sites:

• Nikon Capture NX2.4.5: EU / US
• Nikon ViewNX2.8.2: EU / US