Nikon 1 Series in 2023

[VidThreeNorth]

Lately I am trying out an old "Nikon 1 S2". This old "Series 1" camera only outputs a JPEG or a NEF (raw) file. It cannot even produce a NEF and a JPEG at the same time, so being forced to chose, I thought I would prefer the NEF files. Currently, I can only view a NEF in the camera view screen or in Darktable 2.6.0. My (old) version of Paintshop Pro does not support it. I tried updating my GIMP to the latest 2.10.34 and that also failed to load it.

As for Darktable, it does not seem to actually create an output file. It only creates an XMP parameter file to assist in creating one, probably in an Adobe program. If anyone knows how to make a JPG using Darktable, that would solve my problem. Since I do not have plans to use this camera much in the near future, I do not want to pay money for support for this particular format at this time.

Any thoughts?

I am including a couple of versions of a camera created JPEG. Looking at the detail crop version, sharpness is pretty good. It seems a bit contrasty to me.

 

[santino]

I‘m not familiar with darktable but there is rawtherapee that should allow you to save your files as jpgs. It’s free.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

It took me a while, but I did install "rawtherapee" (I think 5.9?) and gave it a try. Unfortunately, I ran into the same problem. I could not find a way to get it to save an image. It might have to do with my using Windows 8.1. It might be looking for stuff in newer Windows versions. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Rickbb]

”……..might have to do with my using Windows 8.1. It might be looking for stuff in newer Windows versions. Any advice would be appreciated.”

I think we found the issue. Starting with ver 8 MS started their new licensing program that required all venders that wanted to be included in their compatibility list to stop supporting older versions of windows. This included hardware and software. That means all newer software must remove any support for older versions of Windows. The end of backwards compatibility.

Much like how Apple now forces obsolescence on software after the OS updates or the hardware goes off the current approved list.

Try searching archives for older versions of your editing software, there is probably a release that will work fine with win 8.x. Violates windows EULA, but everyone ignores that silliness.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Geez. This is why I used to use Linux. I cannot afford to be buying a new computer. Trying to upgrade the software alone will probably not be enough. A "class action" will probably be necessary, brought by people with no money to hire a lawyer. It probably won't go far.

 

[greybeard]

Have you tried Nikon NX studio? It is free and should do what you need done.

Nikon | Download center | NX Studio

 

[Rickbb]

Have you tried Nikon NX studio? It is free and should do what you need done.

Nikon | Download center | NX Studio

Provided it runs on win 8.x

 

[snowbear]

NX Studio 1.4.0 lists compatibility with Windows 10 and 11 x64:

System requirements
Operating system	Microsoft Windows 11 Microsoft Windows 10 Note: Pre-installed 64-bit editions only.

Installing now on Win 11 Home; I'll let you know how it works.

 

[snowbear]

It looks like it works. I imported photos and though I didn't make any adjustments but it seems I can (though white balance was greyed out). D750 photos imported using the laptop's built-in SD Card Reader.

 

[greybeard]

Provided it runs on win 8.x

It does not, windows 10 or above, sorry.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

I have been using the Nikon 1 S2 a bit lately to see if I could add to the samples. For now, only 1 turned out reasonably. I was looking at bees on echinacea (cone flower) and of course, they always move just when you don't want them to. This bee looked a bit "dingy", which surprised me. Usually they are a cleaner yellow. I was thinking that maybe smoke from the recent fires was coating them?

[2024-01-02 spelling correction, 2nd line: "they"]

 

[VidThreeNorth]

One problem that I run into a lot is that I tilt my camera. Partly this is because most cameras release by pressing a button on the right side, but I have found that even if I check everything, I do have a tendency to not hold my camera level. This has been more of a problem with my Nikon 1 S2 because it is so small.

This picture is from a set where level was hard to tell because there was nothing man-made to check against. As far as I could tell, out of 5 images, not even one was actually level. On the other hand, I think a couple of them are "acceptable". One might ask "why not just use more 'Dutch angles?'" I have taken "Dutch angles", but simply put, I generally don't like them. Sometimes I leave enough cropping space in a picture to fix it in post, which is my best solution, but on a small sensor camera, I do try to "tight crop". When I use the Nikon 1 camera, I do feel pressured in that direction.

Also thanks for all the attempts (above) to help me. I have found no solution to my lack of ability to fully use my Nikon 1 yet. It is not urgent. I can still use JPEGs, but hopefully someday I'll solve this.