Nikon has announced a new remote shooting system, NX Field. The application is aimed at professional photographers and videographers, and is designed to help support pros in the field.
The application allows the synchronization of multiple remote cameras, both Nikon DSLRs and mirrorless cameras alike. Using NX Field, photographers can operate and adjust connected cameras and automatically upload images captured from inked cameras to a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server.
NX Field offers remote control in mixed environments. Users can control remote cameras ‘easily and intuitively’ from a portable smart device with minimum lag. The app supports wireless 5G and wired LAN networks. With wired LAN, data upload to FTP is promised to be very fast. Since NX Field can connect to remote FTP servers, the software will allow sports and news photographers to quickly get their images to a remote location, allowing for faster publishing.
Nikon states that ‘unlike conventional remote camera shooting, where fixed manual focus is the only option,’ NX Field supports autofocus either through the application or from a master camera.
When using Nikon NX Field software, a specific camera can be designated as the ‘master’ camera. Using a master camera, you can set all additional cameras to focus and fire alongside the master.
While the app supports the Nikon D5 and D6 DSLRs now, support for the Nikon Z6 II, Z7 II and the upcoming Z9 mirrorless cameras is in the works. There’s no current timeline for when mirrorless support will be available. There’s also no information on which other cameras might receive support. Given that the application is aimed squarely at pros, it’s a safe bet that supported cameras will include only Nikon’s high-end cameras.
François-Xavier Marit, Photo Innovation Department of AFP, said, ‘NX Field is so efficient, easy and reliable that we can utilize it for everything. Shooting remotely is no longer a gamble, and the capacity to control remote cameras with a tool as handy as a smartphone is absolutely wonderful, creating a link between the camera and the rest of the world. With NX Field, remote shooting will be more accessible for all photographers.’
Antonin Thuillier, also with AFP, said, ‘Finding a new point of view is important for photographers to achieve visually stunning images. NX Field helps me accomplish this by letting remote cameras work as an extension of me, multiplying the angles I can shoot from. In addition to its easy set up, it’s insane how fast it goes – you can release the shutter when the action actually happens.’
NX Field will likely be in use this summer in Tokyo for sports photographers. Joel Marklund, Nikon Europe Ambassador and Chief Photographer of Sweden’s leading sports photo agency, Bildbyrån, said, ‘As deadlines nowadays are instant, NX Field creates new possibilities for remote photography and image delivery during big events.’
NX Field is expected to be available for download later this month. The user manual is available now. Nikon states that any interested photographers should contact their local NPS office for additional information.