Archive for November 7, 2024

Nikon Announces The Nikon Z50II

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 7, 2024 by itnerd

Today Nikon Canada Inc. announced the new Z50II, a compact, fully featured mirrorless camera that lets your creativity run free while enabling the effortless capture of amazing photos and video. This camera is the lifestyle accessory for those that seek innovative creative features like film-inspired looks and easy sharing, giving the freedom to capture the feeling of a fleeting moment, or conveying core memories with brilliant colours that are uniquely you. 

The Z50II combines a full range of fun, creativity-enhancing features with the superior performance of Nikon’s latest mirrorless technology. This is the simple to use yet powerful camera that creators will always want to bring along, whether shooting portraits, landscapes, a great night out or an epic trip. This is Nikon’s first APS-C / DX format camera to feature the powerful EXPEED 7 processing engine, the same found in the pro-grade Nikon Z8 and Z9. The Z50II makes it easier than ever to experience immersive image quality, with blazing fast and precise autofocus, fast frame rates up to 30 fps, superb low-light capabilities, advanced video features and extensive control of colours. 

Discover Colour

Relive the warm glow of a summer day at the beach with friends or convey the peacefully sombre tones of your favourite spot in the forest. The Z50II is the first Nikon camera to feature a dedicated Picture Control button, opening new possibilities for expressive colour, with imaginative film-inspired looks. In a single press, the user can see in real-time the effects of up to 31 built-in colour presets, which instantly change the colour, tone and feeling of the scene. Using this camera encourages the user to experiment and play with colour settings to develop a truly distinct look and feel to images and video, using tones and colour to evoke a feeling like never before.

Imaging Recipes can also be directly downloaded to their camera as Cloud Picture Controls directly through the Nikon Imaging Cloud. These recipes are custom presets with changes to colour, brightness, hue and more, which have been developed by notable creators. Additionally, users can make their own Imaging Recipes and Flexible Picture Controls for truly limitless creative possibilities. Images can also be sent instantly to a user’s own cloud-based storage using the Nikon Imaging Cloud, or easily share images to a phone with Nikon SnapBridge.

Simply Powerful

The Z50II’s EXPEED 7 processing engine delivers surprisingly powerful performance in your pocket or purse. Advanced autofocus with nine types of subject detection quickly tracks and locks on to humans, pets, vehicles and more. The system is user-friendly and extremely precise, rapidly detecting and maintaining razor-sharp focus on a subject’s eyes, even as they move. Not only is it powerful, but it’s also smart, simplifying the operation of advanced camera functions. When in AUTO shooting mode, Nikon’s proprietary deep learning technology makes it possible for the camera to analyze and recognize the subject and scene, automatically optimizing autofocus, flash control, and exposure control values such as aperture, shutter speed and ISO sensitivity settings.

Tell Stories with Video

The Z50II empowers all types of content creators to make amazing videos that stands out, with 4K footage that’s oversampled1 from 5.6K for rich and beautiful details. The camera records in various frame rates and resolutions up to 4K60p, delivering colourful and sharp video with high-quality audio. The Z50II makes it simple to capture high-quality video with a 3.2” vari-angle LCD screen, which helps to keep you and your subjects perfectly in frame, in addition to a video self-timer to begin recording to minimize time spent editing. The Z50II also features a Product Review Mode that focuses on objects in the foreground, which is helpful for products, cosmetics, fashion and beauty reviewers.

For those looking to go to the next level in production quality, the Z50II affords full flexibility with the recording of N-Log video that offers subtle and rich tonal gradation for higher-quality video recording with more exposure latitude for grading. It also has other helpful video features like a tally lamp, waveform monitor, headphone jack and a continuous record time of up to more than 2 hours.

Features of the Nikon Z50II

  • 20.9-megapixel APS-C/ DX format sensor lets you capture high quality photos and videos, with gorgeous colours and amazing low light ability. 
  • Dedicated Picture Control button allows for one-touch access to inspiring colour presets, Imaging Recipes and custom Flexible Picture Controls, all in real-time. 
  • EXPEED 7 image processing engine gives users access to powerful features and performance, including an advanced AF system with subject detection and 3D Tracking.
  • Bright electronic viewfinder at 1000 cd/m2 (nits), is roughly twice as bright as the one built into the Nikon Z50, allowing users to easily check focus and compose even on the brightest of days.
  • Rapid photo burst shooting with up to 30 fps with electronic shutter, or up to 11 fps with the mechanical shutter. 
  • Features a Pre-Release Capture function capable of recording images buffered up to one second before the shutter-release button is fully pressed.
  • Excellent low light capability produces sharp photos in minimal light with less grain thanks to a wide ISO range from 100–512002.
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  • Features made for all types of video content creators, such as N-LOG recording, product review mode, waveform monitor, microphone and headphone jacks.
  • Built-in flash is useful in backlit situations as a fill-flash or in dark surroundings.
  • Hi-Res Zoom3 during video recording, which allows users to zoom in on their subject with no loss in image quality, even when using a prime lens.
  • An illuminated REC lamp (tally light) notifies the user and the subject when video recording is in progress.
  • Support for USB streaming (UVC/UAC) allows plug and play connectivity for online meetings and live video streaming by simply connecting the camera to a computer or smartphone.
  • Equipped with a large and clear 3.2-inch vari-angle monitor with a touch screen for intuitive operation and recording yourself and others.

MC-DC3 Remote Cord

The MC-DC3 is a remote cord compatible with the Z50II and later models equipped with a headphone/remote cord connector (3.5mm jack). The cord is approximately 3.1 ft/1m in length. It is useful in minimizing the effects of camera shake when using a tripod to photograph starry skies and nighttime scenes, or with commercial (product) photography. It can also be used for remote photography to release the shutter at a distance from the camera. The shutter-release button can be locked in the fully pressed position for long exposures (bulb shooting) or held down for continuous shooting. It can also be held halfway down for shooting with less release time-lag.

Price and Availability

The new Nikon Z50II will be available in late November 2024 for a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $1,249.95 for the body only or with a NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 lens for an MSRP of $1,449.95. The MC-DC3 Remote Cord is scheduled for release later in 2024, for an MSRP of $49.95.

For more information about the latest Nikon products, including the vast collection of NIKKOR Z lenses and the entire line of Z series cameras, please visit www.nikon.ca.

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Can the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 increase your business’s productivity?

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 7, 2024 by itnerd

Did you know that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 not only has fun and creative features for the everyday user, but can also help businesses and professionals work more efficiently?

From allowing you to communicate whenever and wherever to completing multiple tasks at once, users of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 have productivity hacks at their fingertips:

  • Eliminate menial tasks: Employees can transcribe, translate and summarize voice recordings with Transcript Assist.
  • Have a personal digital assistant: Employees can translate, summarize and auto format meeting notes with Note Assist.
  • Multi-task like the pro you are: Staff can join a video call on the top half of the screen and jot down notes on the bottom half of the screen with FlexMode.
  • Communicate anytime, anywhere: With the dual screen, professionals on both sides of the conversation can speak, then see and hear real-time translation when networking or attending international work functions, helping them communicate their needs clearly to one another.
  • Productivity on the go: PDF texts in other languages can be translated and overlaid perfectly when opening the file through PDF overlay translation in Notes. This feature even supports texts in images and graphs.

These hacks have also been vetted and embraced by business owners, including Fatima Zaidi – founder and CEO of award-winning female-led Canadian podcasting agency Quill Inc, who said “In my experience, the time and cost savings helped me level up, build momentum and really scale my company,”  when speaking about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6.

For more insights on how  the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 can take a business’s productivity to the next level, check out Samsung’s business page here.

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Keeping Data and Systems Secure and Available on Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Posted in Commentary with tags , on November 7, 2024 by itnerd

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just around the corner, and I don’t know about you, but in addition to being excited about the potential holiday shopping deals, I always feel for the IT professionals who are tasked with keeping their systems and data secure and available. This continues to become an exponentially more difficult task as cyber-criminals become increasingly aggressive and sophisticated. I can only imagine how stressful this responsibility is at this time of year! 

Don Boxley, CEO and Co-Founder of DH2i and DeeDee Kato, Vice President of Corporate Marketing for Foxit had this to say about these important days and critical topics: 

Don Boxley, CEO and Co-Founder, DH2i: 

“Let’s talk about VPNs – you know, those tools so many have relied on for secure online connections? Well, here’s the thing – they’re not quite the safety blanket they were back when they were invented over two decades ago. They actually have some serious flaws – like they do not protect your anonymity, they won’t protect you from malware or phishing attacks, and they serve as an access point that can be leveraged to compromise your entire, unsegmented network. Additionally, VPN services can access your personal info (PII), see your IP address, and see what websites you visit and what you do while you are there – and that is just a start! During crazy shopping times like Black Friday, hackers have had a field day with VPNs – messing with prices, running scams, and basically sneaking into business systems like they own the place. 

Here’s the good news! Enter Software-Defined Perimeter (SDP) – think of it as your super-smart security guard who trusts no one (in a good way). Instead of just letting people in because they have the right password, SDP does a full background check – every… single… time. It’s like having a bouncer who looks at every ID, does pat-downs, and even checks everyone’s shoes before letting anyone into the club.

What makes SDP really shine is how it keeps an eagle eye on everything happening in your network, sets up specific rules for who can access what, and basically builds virtual walls between different parts of your system. So, when the holiday shopping chaos hits, businesses can breathe easier knowing their own and their customers’ data is not just “VPN secure,” but actually secure and truly locked down.”

DeeDee Kato, Vice President of Corporate Marketing, Foxit: 

“PDFs are oftentimes the unsung heroes, the workhorses in the background, quietly enabling businesses to streamline communication, enhance accessibility, and ensure consistency. Certainly, on Black Friday and Cyber Monday this is true — as the modest PDF makes it possible for retailers/e-tailers to better manage and roll-out large-scale promotions, expedite customer communications, and ensure operational efficiency. From product catalogs, gift cards, and digital coupons to receipts, shipping confirmations, and return policies, PDFs enable businesses to provide customers with clear, consistent, easily accessible and downloadable information across devices. 

My advice for retailers/e-tailers at this make-or-break time of year is to make sure they are able to make the most of PDFs during these shopping days. They must choose a PDF solution that optimizes PDFs for mobile and web viewing to accommodate customers browsing on various devices. They must also have the ability to compress promotions, order summaries, gift guides, etc. for faster download speeds without compromising readability, reducing bounce rates during peak traffic. And, last but certainly not least, retailers/e-tailors much organize PDFs logically – with clear filenames and well-placed links to enhance the customer experience – especially during high-stress moments when users need quick access to coupons or order details. 

Of course, lets not forget the security is essential on Black Friday and Cyber Monday – yes, especially for PDFs. They can become a doorway for phishing and fraud. Retailers/e-tailers must employ PDF solutions that allow for password protection and encryption, and even secure digital signatures – to protect not only their customers personal information, but their employees’ as well. 

So to retailers/e-tailers this year, I say, make PDF efficiency and security your mantra. In doing so you will deliver premium experience for your customers and employees – when it matters most.”

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An Update To My Variable Refresh Rate Issues With macOS Sequoia… This Might Be By Design

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 7, 2024 by itnerd

Over the last few days, I’ve been poking around trying to figure out what is going on with variable refresh rates on macOS Sequoia. And I have come across something interesting. In previous versions of macOS, Sonoma for example, variable refresh rates would be available throughout the operating system. So no matter what you were doing, you would benefit from having a refresh rate that fit the situation. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Sequoia. I’ve observed the following:

  • Simply being in the Finder which for those of you who are on the Windows side of the fence is the macOS version of Windows Explorer, won’t trigger variable refresh rate support.
  • Being in a full screen video on YouTube on Safari will trigger variable refresh rate support.
  • Being in a full screen Microsoft RDP session will trigger variable refresh rate support.
  • Not all applications seem to support variable refresh rates when in full screen mode. For example, my copy of Microsoft Office 2019 doesn’t seem to trigger variable refresh rate support. I need to update it to the latest version as it is end of life, so if I can get around to doing so in the next few days, I’ll retest this scenario.
  • When variable refresh rate isn’t supported, my display is locked at 144 Hz.

In case you’re wondering how I can tell that it’s working, I turned on the FPS counter on the monitor so that it would report what refresh rate that it was getting from the computer.

Thus this implies that what Apple has done is made a conscious decision to alter how variable refresh rate support works in certain scenarios within macOS on external monitors. I say that because everything that I have written above is somewhat consistent with how I understand Apple’s version of variable refresh rate support which is called ProMotion works. Let me go into the weeds a bit on that.

The way ProMotion works on a MacBook Pro with its built in screen for example is that when the MacBook Pro is performing tasks that don’t require a high refresh rate, such as reading a static webpage or viewing a photo, the refresh rate can be scaled down to conserve battery life. However, when engaging in activities that benefit from a high refresh rate, such as gaming or watching videos, ProMotion ramps up to provide the best possible experience. Or it can vary on the fly to provide the best possible experience. What I am observing is that there’s no attempt to scale back performance in scenarios that don’t require a high refresh rate. As a result, you’re locked in to 144 Hz or whatever the max refresh monitor of your monitor happens to be. Which makes sense as you’re typically using an external monitor while your laptop is plugged in, or you’re using a desktop. Thus there’s no battery life to persevere.

Why they have done this? I have no definitive idea. While you can make an argument that this is a regression, I don’t think that’s the case. I am thinking that that this is a “refinement” of sorts by Apple. It would be nice if Apple came out with a support document that explains this behaviour in greater detail than this one that I found that simply provides a top level overview of variable refresh rates, or as they call it “adaptive sync”. But that’s not the type of company that Apple is and I’ve given up expecting them to do something different a long time ago. Regardless, I consider this to be a closed issue and I will move on with my life unless Apple changes this behaviour again. Which in turn forces me to write about this again.

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